The Kitchen Remodel, Summer 2005
Cathy
The Remodel, Summer 2005
My title says it all: I've never been in love with the fine art of cooking.
If I had my druthers, I'd gut the kitchen and turn it into more space for
books. But since I can't afford to do that or hire a cook or catering
service, I'm going to have to grin and bear it.
I don't really know what happened. My grandmother and mother were superb
cooks. You'd think I would've inherited at least a sniff of their talent,
but it seems the Cooking Gene wafted right over my head. Instead of spending
time in the kitchen with the masters, I was out with Grampa. I never
regretted one minute of it, and Mom did make sure that I knew how to cook,
but it's something that I'll never enjoy.and never feel really guilty about.
When I bought this old ranch house in 1981, the kitchen was homely (in the
American sense of the word) but serviceable. I could live with it.even the
soiled beige carpeting that a previous idiot had put down. I had that
carpeting pulled up and taken to a professional cleaner, and it still didn't
come clean. It was the first thing to go, but I still didn't do anything
about the dark dated cabinets, the amateurishly installed butcher block
countertops, or the faux bricks that had been so lovingly slapped on the
walls.
As one year melted into the next, I was content with the new tile floor and
replacing the harvest gold appliances with new almond-colored or
black-fronted ones. But even a kitchen avoider like me eventually gets tired
of the status quo-especially when I have excellent in-house help (Denis) and
a paint pro to call in (Helen). Once we'd conquered the main part of the
house (hallway, entrance, living room, dining room and library), the next
obvious room to tackle was <gulp> the kitchen. But I needed something to
inspire me, and being the aforementioned avoider, I was willing to wait
until Inspiration got right in my face and slapped me upside the head.
Inspiration made its appearance by way of a Mary Engelbreit design based on
the words Love, Home, Family and Friends. Those words (and the accompanying
deeds) have always been very important to me. One night whilst meandering
through the alleyways of eBay, I found kitchen towels with that design. I'd
just been slapped upside the head by Inspiration. Okay.I done been
inspired.now what color scheme am I going to come up with? I've always
liked the idea of having white cabinets-the polar opposite of what I'd had
for years. Color #1 is white. Well, I don't want the whole room white,
especially since the kitchen and family room are basically one large space.
After the towels I'd ordered arrived, I took a good look at them. One of the
blue flowers popped out. That's it! Blue and white-classic colors! Color #2
is blue! Errr.what shade of blue? Man, this inspiration stuff is tough. I
went to Home Depot, inspected racks of paint chips and took home the shades
of blue that appealed to me most. I then held them next to that blue flower.
"Salt Water"-a light blue grey. I was ready to buy the paint. All right!
Oh oh. My appliances aren't white. They're almond. Won't bright white and
almond look kinda funky together? <sigh> Another trip to the racks at Home
Depot. Another trip home. This time the paint chips got put next to the
appliances. "Angel Food" would do quite nicely. Salt Water and Angel Food?
What do they feed the people who dream up the names for these colors?
This time I didn't jump into the car and race back to Home Depot. I stood in
the kitchen and took a good hard look at it. Denis and I couldn't afford to
spend a lot of money on this, especially since we'd already decided to buy a
new couch for the family room. Besides paint, where's the money going to go?
I'd love to have new cabinets, and that section of Home Depot always drew me
like a magnet, but every single time I looked at the prices of even the
least expensive cabinets, I'd have a fit of the vapors. Looking at the
cabinets, I decided that they absolutely had to have new door knobs, drawer
pulls and hinges. That ugly fluorescent tube over the sink would have to go.
And the sink. I was sick of that divided stainless steel sink. The faucet
was almost new, so we could recycle that. I stood and looked at the
countertops. That is where the bulk of the money would go. I had to have new
countertops. Paint, cabinet hardware, a light fixture, a sink and
countertops. Oh! And if I was keeping those old cabinets, I had to have
organizer bins and things so things could be stored properly. Now that I had
a much clearer idea of what I was going to do, I was ready to get to work.
Another trip to Home Depot yielded several gallons of paint, brushes,
rollers, sanding supplies and an order for laminate countertops in a design
called Mesa Flint. A lot of online comparison shopping yielded the sink,
cabinet hardware, light fixture and organizer shelves and bins. USPS, FedEx
and UPS would be our personal friends for a week or so until everything was
delivered. I had a scheme, and it was time to roll up my sleeves.
Since the couch for the family room was going to be delivered first, I had
to paint that room. One weekend while Denis was at work, that's exactly what
I did. And I had a small scare. As the Salt Water blue paint went on the
walls, it looked more lavender than blue. I only had time to get one coat of
paint on the walls that Saturday, and I worried about the color the rest of
the night and into the next morning. Was it really lavender, or was the
bright Arizona sun playing tricks on me? Once I got the second coat on and
had an hour or two to get used to it, I liked it. The smile on Denis's face
when he got home clenched the deal. The lighter color brightened the room
considerably and made it look larger. The drapes looked as though I'd
purchased them after choosing the wall color instead of being the freshly
laundered ones I'd had all along (something I hadn't considered in all my
scheming). Now it was time to start work on the kitchen.
The first thing I had to do was take all those faux bricks off the walls.
Don't get me wrong, I like bricks. I was just sick to death of these
particular bricks. They needed to retire!
The bricks on the walls between the bottom of the upper cabinets and the
countertops weren't too difficult to pry off, although they had their
moments. I felt like an archaeologist. Underneath the bricks was a hideous
1950s style wallpaper in shades of tired yellow, terracotta, olive green and
white. Underneath the wallpaper was a light aqua-colored paint. Underneath
the aqua was light beige paint, which was evidently the original color when
the house was built in 1952. Getting down to the bare plaster made that part
of the kitchen look better already. It also told me that I'd been wrong in
my previous calculations. Originally there'd been a door in the kitchen
leading to a bathroom and bedroom. When the kitchen was remodeled, they
covered over the door and put the cabinets and countertops in. For some
reason, I thought the door was closer to the kitchen sink. It wasn't. It was
closer to the corner heading around to the stove. Okay. Good thing I'm not a
professional guesstimator!
Once the faux bricks were off those two walls, I had to tackle the remaining
two. There are three inset alcoves on one kitchen wall that had faux brick
arches over and underneath them. The wall leading into the family room
(originally the outer wall of the house) was edged with bricks as well.
These bricks were all set into a very rough coat of plaster. And when I say
rough, I mean slice-your-hands-open rough. Ask me how I know this. Something
told me that these walls weren't going to be quite as easy as the first. I
was right. I hammered and chiseled sections of brick off, piece by tiny
piece. I was ripping hide off my hands. I tried to wear gloves, but I couldn't
get a good grip on the hammer and chisel, so I had to soldier on without. I
left my blood on those walls, and I still have a scar on one of my knuckles.
I won't go into the language I invented as I chiseled away at those
bricks-it would've made a sailor like Denis blush.
Once those bricks were gone, those last two walls had to be sanded. Denis
and I intended to put wallboard up to cover the wall space between the upper
cabinets and countertops, so sanding wasn't such an issue there. I'd told
Denis that I needed help installing the light fixture, and that I'd really
appreciate it if he could put the new cabinet hardware on.and do the
sanding. While I waited for the sanding to be done, Helen and I started
painting the cabinets. The time for the countertop installation was getting
closer, and I wanted everything to be ready. In the ideal world, all the
sanding should be done first. I'd known for years that I didn't live in an
ideal world. Helen started painting the upper cabinets. I started a nail
hole-filling and door-painting assembly line. Another weekend saw me
painting the lower cabinets, sliding around on the floor with my paint tray
and roller, occasionally bashing my head and giving myself Angel Food hair.
Finally the cabinets were all almost finished.and the walls still weren't
sanded.
While this initial round with the cabinets was going on, the couch was
delivered. It was big, and there were only two ways for it to come into the
family room: either through the small kitchen door, or by taking one of the
sliding doors out of the track and coming through the back gate, up a step
and into the family room. The kitchen door was chosen. Helen stayed on her
ladder and painted the upper cabinets. I stuck with my door painting. Four
men slaved, schemed, hoisted, shoved, scratched their heads.and told me that
the couch just wasn't going to fit through that door. I smiled and kept
right on painting my cupboard doors. I knew something those four men didn't.
Come hell or high water, that couch was going to wind up sitting on my
family room floor! Now.I might have to stop painting long enough to walk
over there and kick it through that door but, by Granny, it was getting in
my family room!
Taking the legs off the couch had been considered, but it was thought they
wouldn't come off. Once the men realized that I wasn't going to change my
mind, they took another look at those legs. They did come off! Two were
removed, and the couch just barely squeezed through the doorway and on into
the family room.
I smiled and kept painting my cupboard doors. I think this was the first
time that Denis realized I can be truly evil. Denis, Helen and I all took
test sits on the couch. Aaaaaahhhhhhh! Bliss for three aching backs! Then
Helen and I went back to painting. The two of us were snow blind from that
Angel Food paint, and there was still a lot of work left in that kitchen,
but those light-colored cabinets made us smile and happy dance around the
floor.
I couldn't put it off any longer. Those blasted walls still weren't sanded.
It felt as if we'd been working on this room all summer. I was sick of it
and wanted it done! Helen came over yet again, and between the two of us, we
put up plastic tarps to seal the sanding zone from the rest of the
house-especially away from my gorgeous cabinets. At this point, Helen
informed me that, if Denis and I were ever to sell the house, she should get
a percentage. She's right. No one works harder than Helen, and her hard work
and sense of humor are just what any remodeler needs when a project like
this is tackled.
I stepped into the plastic zone. It was hot in there. Why wasn't I in the
pool like anyone with any sense would be? Don't think of that, Cathy, just
start sanding. And I did. Once I got a rhythm going, it was fun. In no time
flat, I was covered with leftover bits of brick and a ton of plaster dust. I
kept sanding. The time flew. Helen hollered through the plastic that it was
time for me to take a break. I realized that my arms were tired, so I eased
through the plastic curtain, Helen handed me a tall cold drink, and I sat
down in front of the fan while she went in to give sanding a try. She didn't
have enough strength in her wrists to last very long, but that was okay. I
was raring to go again.even though all the sweat, plaster and brick dust had
dried to a hard shell and I had to crack myself into a standing position.
Great Stone Woman! Give me sander! Hear me roar!
Helen felt useless since she couldn't operate the sander for more than a few
minutes, so she became Mrs. Clean with her broom and dustpan, scurrying
around keeping all the debris cleaned up. The hours flew by, but when Denis
came home, the plastic tarps were down, the kitchen was cleaned up and we
were in the process of washing down the sanded walls. Denis took a look and
said, "Those look good! I never dreamed they'd sand up that well!"
That weekend, I slapped two coats of good ole Salt Water on those walls,
cleaned up and took a look around. This room was going to look great. No two
ways about it. In a few days, the countertops would be installed, and we
could work on finishing the rest.
Installation day came, and the countertops and sink were put in-not without
the installer calling the guy who'd done the measuring a few choice names,
though. When I came home from work, I couldn't wait to see what they looked
like. Perfect! Now I really couldn't wait to get this room done! There was
just one slight hitch. The man who measured for the countertops told me that
the installer would leave a gap between the backsplash and the wall so Denis
and I would be able to put up the wallboard. There was no gap. Denis looked
at the wall. He looked at me. I looked at the wall. I looked at Denis. There
was no doubt in my mind that if we went ahead with the wallboard, Denis and
I would be toe to toe in the midst of World War III before we were finished.
It only took me a minute to decide that the wallboard idea was no go. The
walls would have to be sanded and painted.
After dinner, I got the sander and proceeded to start sanding the walls.
With all the hands on practice I'd already had (and the better condition of
the walls), I finished very quickly.
The countertops had been installed on a Tuesday. By Saturday, I was slapping
the last coats of Salt Water on the kitchen walls. Denis was just as pleased
about how the room looked as I was, so he wasted no time in installing the
organizer drawers and bins and putting the doors on the lower cupboards. One
last touch was a wall rail system that the utensil crock, paper towels and
other items could hang from. Between the three of us, we'd overcome all the
sloppy remodeling jobs done by the previous owner.except for one. The wall
rail system looks uneven. It's not. It's perfectly level. The cabinets it's
underneath weren't hung level. Fortunately, it's not too noticeable unless
you're looking for faults.
I spent one final Saturday filling the lower cupboards and deciding what
would go on my sleek clean countertops. I wanted very little on them so it
would be a breeze to wipe them down. I'd found a huge Lucite lazy susan
online and purchased it to put on the top of the refrigerator. The toaster,
can opener and the crockpot Mike gave me are on it. Out of the way, but
within easy reach when I need them.
Countertops were put in each of the three alcoves in that one kitchen wall.
I put large silver bins in two of them. One bin is for Denis's work gear
that travels back and forth with him daily. The other three are mostly for
bottled water, juice and other provisions. Denis put two silver metal
shelves in the largest alcove-more storage and sensible use of space,
leaving most of the counter area free to pour drinks and pack lunch bags. I'd
placed the refrigerator back in the same corner but at an angle. A tall
wood and chrome table was placed at one side of it and the electric kettle
was put on it. The kettle had originally been on the counter by the sink.
Steam had damaged the finish on the cupboard doors. By placing it next to
the refrigerator and pointing it out into the room, it would no longer
damage my cupboards.
The last things to be changed were the vent covers in the suspended ceiling.
The old ones were constantly rusting due to the evaporative cooler. The new
ones just wipe clean and need no paint.
Denis and I love the "new" space. I used the remodel as an excuse to do a
major purge of everything in the cupboards. What's in them now is used and
organized so that we can get to it easily and quickly. Looking around still
makes us smile-and we'll probably keep on smiling for months to come. Every
gallon of sweat, each frazzled nerve, all the blood spatter was worth it. I
know there's a dearth of "before" pictures. I'm not the type of person to
start each project with detailed views of what it looked like at the start.
By that time, I'm already looking forward to what I want it to look like
when I'm finished. On the other hand, the lack of "before" photos probably
points to something else.the fact that I'm not a person to spend a lot of
time in a kitchen, and the fact that I was never really happy with the way
this space looked in the first place. I have, however, taken plenty of
"after" pictures! Who knows? Perhaps my gorgeous new kitchen will inspire me
to spend a bit more time in there.
Naaaaah!
================
If you'd like to see this with all the bells and whistles, go to
www.cathyskye.com and click on the This Old House folder. Hope you enjoy!
Oh...remember, Angela, I warned you in person! LOL
--
--Cathy.
"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." --St.
Augustine.
http://www.cathyskye.com
Buff
> My Dream House Wouldn't Have a Kitchen
>
> The Remodel, Summer 2005
>
>
>
> ================
>
> If you'd like to see this with all the bells and whistles, go to
> www.cathyskye.com and click on the This Old House folder. Hope you
> enjoy! Oh...remember, Angela, I warned you in person! LOL
What a wonderful difference, and you are so right ... it looks so much
bigger with the light colours. Who'd a'thunk it ... well done, you! When
I manage to get my place cleared up a bit and things put back where they
belong I must send you all some photos of my little cave as well. And
Angela, I warn you now ... it's mainly *peach*!
--
Buff
--
Buff
Jeanie
> My Dream House Wouldn't Have a Kitchen
>
> The Remodel, Summer 2005
>
>
> If you'd like to see this with all the bells and whistles, go to
> www.cathyskye.com and click on the This Old House folder. Hope you enjoy!
> Oh...remember, Angela, I warned you in person! LOL
Great work, Cathy, both on the kitchen and the write up. Having done a
complete kitchen gutting and remodel, I can sympathize with you. But it
feels so good when you're done!
And, I have to say, it looks better in person. I really enjoyed my
visit in September.
Jeanie
Cathy
> Great work, Cathy, both on the kitchen and the write up. Having done
> a complete kitchen gutting and remodel, I can sympathize with you. But it
> feels so good when you're done!
Does it ever! One of these days, I still want to visit you so I can go in
your kitchen and sit on a cock. <EG>
> And, I have to say, it looks better in person. I really enjoyed my
> visit in September.
So did I, m'dear. So did I.
Cathy
> What a wonderful difference, and you are so right ... it looks so much
> bigger with the light colours. Who'd a'thunk it ... well done, you!
> When I manage to get my place cleared up a bit and things put back
> where they belong I must send you all some photos of my little cave
> as well. And Angela, I warn you now ... it's mainly *peach*!
Thanks, Buff! :-) Angela knows all about the *peach*--I warned her when
she, Denis and I had dinner one evening. <G>
Jeanie
> Jeanie wrote:
>
>>Great work, Cathy, both on the kitchen and the write up. Having done
>>a complete kitchen gutting and remodel, I can sympathize with you. But it
>>feels so good when you're done!
>
>
> Does it ever! One of these days, I still want to visit you so I can go in
> your kitchen and sit on a cock. <EG>
LOL! I think I startled Cybe when he and the Amused Suzie were here. I
waited till he was almost seated to tell him he was about to sit on a
cock. <g>
>
>>And, I have to say, it looks better in person. I really enjoyed my
>>visit in September.
>
>
> So did I, m'dear. So did I.
*sigh*
Jeanie
Cybe R. Wizard
Jeanie <taure...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> LOL! I think I startled Cybe when he and the Amused Suzie were
> here. I
> waited till he was almost seated to tell him he was about to sit on a
> cock. <g>
I didn't have the heart to mention that, thanks to boxers, I do that
every day.
Cybe R. Wizard
--
Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P.
Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P.
"Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y.
Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L
Jeanie
> On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 01:49:39 GMT
> Jeanie <taure...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>>LOL! I think I startled Cybe when he and the Amused Suzie were
>>here. I
>>waited till he was almost seated to tell him he was about to sit on a
>>cock. <g>
>
>
> I didn't have the heart to mention that, thanks to boxers, I do that
> every day.
>
> Cybe R. Wizard
Oh my! That's distressing. Better watch out or you will develop a
permanent angle to your dangle.
Jeanie
Angela Lamb
@gofc.com> writes
>On the other hand, the lack of "before" photos probably
>points to something else.the fact that I'm not a person to spend a lot of
>time in a kitchen, and the fact that I was never really happy with the way
>this space looked in the first place. I have, however, taken plenty of
>"after" pictures! Who knows? Perhaps my gorgeous new kitchen will inspire me
>to spend a bit more time in there.
Angela.
Cathy
>
> Angela.
Thanks, Angela. Whenever I think back on the whole project, I feel tired.
;-)
Cybe R. Wizard
Jeanie <taure...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Oh my! That's distressing. Better watch out or you will develop a
> permanent angle to your dangle.
>
> Jeanie
I'm slowly working out a left-handed thread.
Jane
> My Dream House Wouldn't Have a Kitchen
>
> The Remodel, Summer 2005
>
>
> Denis and I love the "new" space. I used the remodel as an excuse to
> do a major purge of everything in the cupboards. What's in them now
> is used and organized so that we can get to it easily and quickly.
> Looking around still makes us smile-and we'll probably keep on
> smiling for months to come. Every gallon of sweat, each frazzled
> nerve, all the blood spatter was worth it. I know there's a dearth of
> "before" pictures. I'm not the type of person to start each project
> with detailed views of what it looked like at the start. By that
> time, I'm already looking forward to what I want it to look like
> when I'm finished. On the other hand, the lack of "before" photos
> probably points to something else.the fact that I'm not a person to
> spend a lot of time in a kitchen, and the fact that I was never
> really happy with the way this space looked in the first place. I
> have, however, taken plenty of "after" pictures! Who knows? Perhaps
> my gorgeous new kitchen will inspire me to spend a bit more time in
> there.
>
>
>
The lighter colours really do make a tremendous amount of difference. The
room looks way bigger, and a lot more cheerful!
Jane
Cathy
>
> The lighter colours really do make a tremendous amount of difference.
> The room looks way bigger, and a lot more cheerful!
>
> Jane
Thank you, Jane!