Stairs

Like all projects, our timeline has become "flexible." Our original six week goal has now been given an extra four week grace period. There are multiple factors in this decision:

1. When they ripped up the floor, it was discovered that the front door was rotting at the base and needed to be replaced. But finding the right guy for the job who doesn't want to charge an arm and a leg has been a little difficult.

2. We had leftover wood from our install downstairs and decided (after comparing costs) to install it upstairs instead of returning it (with a restocking fee).

3. Our tile for the shower still hasn't come in. The tile store blamed "the holidays," but the only holiday has been Easter! We're not sure about that one...

4. We decided to get the granite in the kitchen before painting the cabinets just in case we need to adjust the paint color selection. White cabinets. White granite. You see how this could go wrong.

I promise--the color is dead-on in person.

5. Installing the floor upstairs means we really need to refinish our own stairs instead of using the flooring company. We will no longer meet their minimum cost requirements if we don't have them refinish the floor upstairs, and we're not particularly interested in finding another contractor to fit in the mix. After testing six different stains and techniques I've finally found the right combo. But the SANDING!!

I managed to get out of the house sans kids today so I went to Home Depot and got the plywood for the upper cabinets I'm building in the bar area. I also picked up some electrical supplies to add an outlet under the counter. Dave looked at me the other day and said, "How are we going to plug in the wine cooler?" Well, good question! Guess we need to add an outlet! I got the wrong gauge wire... TIP: kitchens all use 20 amp circuits, which use 12 gauge wire--not 14 gauge. So, I'll do that tomorrow! I've got to get the bar area prepped so that it's read for the granite install on Monday!!! Not gonna lie--super excited about granite.

working my way up...

With the minor pause in my outlet install, which I will confess, took approximately five calls to my father, I decided I should tackle the nastiness of sanding the stairs instead. I'm going to hurt tomorrow. A belt sander, orbital sander, and mouse sander all to do the job. I was sooooo close to getting it done. But it just didn't happen before I had to get home to relieve the sitter.  And the poor contractor was trying to work around me while he dragged old flooring past me down the stairs.

Don't do this without a mask like I did. My sinuses are definitely irritated. I DID wear safety glasses though...just couldn't find the mask when I started.

This part RIGHT HERE will be white.

I'm hoping the rest will only take another hour or two and I can start working on the banister. I'm going to try a deglosser first and see if that gets me anywhere because this polycoat stuff is the biggest hurdle. I've decided to save myself some time and paint the landing for the balusters
(the part the balusters go into) white like the trim. We're planning to upgrade the balusters in the future and I feel like the white landing will just look better anyway. 

Sweat equity. 

Remember I'm still not done sanding the cabinet doors either. Ugh.

Valuable Lessons and Home Depot

I've been a little busy doing the same things again and again, and waiting for the contractors to do their part. I thought that might be a little boring to report. But I finally have an update! Before I get to that, I've learned some valuable lessons...

Repeated sanding day after day after day will eventually kill your Fitbit. Dead. 😭 and now I have no clue what time it is. 

DIY renovations will mean going to Home Depot exactly 8,763 times. Even on the days you are not going to Home Depot, you will go to Home Depot. Perhaps out of habit at this point, but you will go! You'll decide one day that plaster seems to fill out wood grain pretty well and end up with more. You'll need more caulk than anticipated (and still need more after that!) You'll accidentally cut the wrong piece of trim and now need another eight feet. But you'll buy sixteen feet, use it all, and still need more! And while you're there, you'll forget the light bulbs and need to go back ONE MORE TIME. 

Or perhaps because you will suddenly realize one day that you've done nothing to customize the lower cabinets and decide on a whim they need end caps. A whim. I'm either getting comfortable with my abilities here, or I'm spending too much time on Pinterest. But eventually you'll do this...

And then, as you're on your knees sanding the last little bit you'll realize the baseboards on the cabinets are not really baseboards at all. They are simply flimsy pieces of laminate that have no real aesthetic value at all and certainly not worth your time painting. So you'll need more trim. 

You'll buy a cabinet to add to the island... yeah, it's a little cheating and I WISH I had ample time to build the add-on myself, but I don't! Anyway... you'll buy a cabinet and then realize you bought one that houses a bathroom sink and has no top drawer. So you'll go back. 

You'll also need a new washer and dryer because you sold the last set since they were perpetually off balance, and quite frankly probably wouldn't have survived a move. And Home Depot will be having a SALE! 

The great part is that Home Depot just happens to be on the 5 mile route from the rental house to the new house. Thank goodness! 

It always amazes me when people offer to help me at Home Depot. It's absolutely NEVER an employee. Always someone who is cautiously offering because it's clear I know what I'm doing, but they're being nice because I have two kids in tow. I appreciate it, thank them, and then decline. I usually don't need help by this point! I could have used them while I was pushing a race car shopping cart and dragging a lumber cart behind me. 

Update!

I finished the crown molding, and I'm ready to paint the cabinet housing (not the doors yet). Worst case scenario at least I can put my dishes in the kitchen! I hope to paint this weekend once the dust settles a little.Once I do that, I'll have a full post on the ups and downs of crown molding.

They've installed enough of the floor (YAY FLOOR!) that I could start working on the island today. I was a bit intimidated by the island, but my plan to use a pre-fab cabinet is actually working really well. I'll take some more pictures and do a full post on the island when I finish assembling! 

The shower in the master bathroom is on it's way as well. The contractors are working on that part—as much as I would have liked to have tackled a shower...

Crown Molding Virgin

Crown Molding... a few things I need to admit before we get started:

1. I thought it was "molding." Guess what? It is! Either "moulding" or "molding" is correct. I've tried to use "moulding" several times because it seems correct in my head, but it's just not working for me. I will stick with "molding" from here on out. 

2. I never realized that crown molding sat at an angle against the wall and ceiling until I started looking at tutorials. Wow. Talk about lack of observation. 

3. It's intimidating, but everyone says, "it's SO EASY!" so I finally decided to tackle it. Verdict is still out. 

How is this not a liability??

If you're a novice DIYer like myself, the crown molding section is a little intimidating. They have this little cart with a measuring tape and a hand saw. A HAND SAW!!! Trim is displayed in 16 foot pieces and sold by the linear foot, and you're supposed to cut your own pieces. Then, they measure it  at the cash register. Well, thank goodness for all that time in my dad's shop as a kid "making things" because I cannot tell you how long it's been since I used a hand saw. But I swear to you, I picked up that saw and Sheryl Crow started singing over the loud speaker..."The first cut is the deepest." 🎶 The first cut was not so bad (although not very deep, Sheryl), and I rocked it pretty quickly. I'm far less intimidated by the trim section now!


I worked on the flat piece of base trim first. Since it was flat, I referenced tutorials for base molding. Not so bad. I've got this awesome Ryobi compound miter saw that makes things a bit easier. I won't go into all the details because I AM NOT qualified to give tutorials on this stuff, but you only need to adjust your bevel angle for these cuts. The bevel adjustment is at the back of the saw. I stumbled across this guy while I was Googling up a ladder (don't do that) How to Install Baseboard Molding. This Eric Rosenfeld guy talks fast, but that's what the pause button is for! I followed his steps, hit rewind, followed, paused.

Scarf Joint

Once I got the hang of things, I made a bit of a cheat for myself. Hey, it worked! I keep telling myself there will be lots of caulk and paint and not to worry too much if it isn't perfect because there is still a layer of crown to go on top of this. But I feel a lot more confident in my ability! I even learned how to make a scarf joint!

On day two, I started working on the second layer of molding. The actual "crown" pieces and not a flat baseboard type. Yeaahhh... a wee bit harder because you're working from angles. I seriously stood up on the ladder and Googled "inside corner crown moulding." Luckily this guy popped up AGAIN How to Install Crown Molding with Eric Rosenfeld. Ahhh, Eric! My old friend! You talk a hair to fast. There I stood, up the ladder--cut one side, mark it, hop down, cut, run up the ladder again, measure, make marks. It wasn't the most time-efficient, but it worked! And what I learned?? My ceiling is crooked. This happens. Sometimes a wall isn't square. Sometimes you ceiling isn't either (see that huge gap at the top?) Caulk. The one word that brings me comfort.

I got slightly smart (maybe) before I installed the top layer of crown and decided we will be putting crown molding around the rest of the kitchen. So, I cut the ends closest to the walls like they're going to join more crown molding. I may even go ahead and install a couple pieces in this process for the sake of ease. Once I got the hang of the "left, right, left, right" it seemed to go a little more smoothly.

More to go! The contractors are still in demo mode, so I'll have to rest on the crown install for a few days. but I'm anxious and excited to get it finished and all the extra trim (corners, across the gap, down the wall). I'm starting to see my vision come to life and that's exciting!

Kitchen — Day 4 Covered in Dust

The contractors were at the house today doing demo work. I laughed when I got a call this morning asking if I was certain I didn't want the desk before they wrecked into it. I think he was making fun of my polite note asking that he save the four cabinet doors—Pinterest tells me those can be upcycled to various somethings. Very farmhouse-chic, I'm sure.

Let's review...There are 31 cabinet doors and drawers of varying sizes. I only brought home (aka the rental) 10 to work on, and I didn't even get through them all! I had this idea that smaller sections would make it feel less overwhelming. I'm not entirely sure that's true anymore. 

I started by cleaning them all with a degreaser. I'm sure there are other options, but TSP was readily mentioned in all the tutorials. And the water was nasty when I was done, so it cleaned something! I'm having a hard time not judging the people who lived here before. You should, on occasion, wipe off your cabinets people!

After they all dried, I started working on the worst door. I thought about replacing this one all together, but before I went to the trouble to find a replacement, I thought I should work on it. It had clearly broken at some point and been put back together with some kind of foam adhesive. Luckily, a little sanding and scraping took it right off. Sanded the entire piece with my little Black and Decker Mouse, a piece of 100 grit sandpaper for the edges, and then finally the big Ryobi belt sander just on the major flat surfaces on the front. The goal is just to get the shiny finish off--not necessarily get down to the wood. 

It occurred to me that I didn't need to try too hard with the drawer backings because they get screwed onto the drawers anyway. I'm filling in the hardware holes because I don't plan to use the existing hardware (although I don't know what I'm using yet!) And I've decided to try to fill in deep wood grain
to make the paint as flat as possible. I tried this on a couple of the doors today. Not sure if this Plastic Wood is the best thing to use. I've seen some liquid options that may be better. But I basically pushed and scraped it into the crevices, and I'll go back and lightly sand it again. Great. More sanding. I'll see if this is the right stuff to use before I tackle the large doors.

Soooo much sanding. I was COVERED in dust. And then I realized I left the shop vac at the new house. Whoops! 

I feel a little bad about painting wood and not refinishing it. I DO have a love for wood. But I'm beginning to realize I'm doing these cabinets a real favor. They've clearly exhausted their ability to look good without paint at this point. 

Kitchen - Day 3

Well, yesterday was a piece of cake compared to today! Things just stopped going well, and I had to readjust. I was possibly more irritated by everything because I have a child who just doesn't sleep. He was in my room at 4:30am asking for a snack, milk, iPad...you name it. I probably should have just gotten up.

But I hurt. My whole body hurts. And I'm not THAT out of shape! I'm just using muscles I don't usually use with such intensity. Also, random things like my left thumb hurts—not sure what that's about. Safety first though! Wearing these glasses all day long...

Before I get to the kitchen, a note about the house... it dawned on me yesterday that the house is missing some light fixtures. As in, three bedrooms, the study, and the formal living room are all without ceiling fixtures. None. Zero. Zilch. This house is twelve years old and (I think) three owners. No one thought these rooms needed light?! I'm sure lamps will suffice but... how strange!

The Kitchen

We started our day picking up more lightbulbs (whatever is in there now shouldn't be called light). I also ventured to the crown molding section. You pick and cut your own. It's a little strange since you're measuring and using a hand saw. I can't recall the last time I used a hand saw. But I picked something out. 

So, as I started today, I quickly realized my pre-cut plywood from Home Depot was the wrong size for most of my areas. Keeping in mind that the cabinets are all hung at slightly different height (ugh!) I thought maybe I had just grabbed the wrong strip. Nope. Either I measured wrong or they cut it wrong but either way... it didn't fit. I attempted to cut a few pieces with the circular saw. I was successful, but it was basically free-handing and it wasn't pretty. I finally gave up and decided I'd go buy another piece of plywood and have it cut smaller to save my sanity. 

I had one section above the refrigerator where I tried to remedy the problem by putting up 2x4s instead and hanging a shorter piece (because it would be covered by crown molding anyway). That failed. Have I introduced you to this little guy? Super tiny—packs a big punch. I've used it a lot. A lot...

After that failure, I tried to use the circular saw to cut down one of the larger pieces. Failure. Again. I'm pretty certain I hate the circular saw. I don't want a table saw because those tend to be the ones that people cut their fingers off with, and I need all my fingers. I'm not sure what a good alternative is at this point. What I do know is that I kick myself every time I use my miter saw as I think back to standing in the store with my dad. He said, "Get the 12 inch sliding saw." And I replied, "I don't think I have enough room." Sigh... now I know all the many things I could be cutting with no problems had I listened to him. Don't get the 10 inch unless you ONLY plan to cut trim. 

Boxes finished!

So this is what I got done today. Also started sanding a bit. 

What I've decided is that trim is my friend. It will offer a lot of forgiveness for my sawing inadequacies. It also occurred to me that I need something that can be nailed into the brace (like the flat piece) but this one will not be big enough with this piece of molding. So I need to either get a larger wall piece or a crown piece that has more angle to it. The small trim I will use where the cabinet meets the plywood and also at the wall...possibly the corners... EVERYWHERE.

Crown molding.

My contractor came by to go over the house because his current job is waiting on materials. He might think I'm nuts because he walked in to my project. He's going to start tearing out the floor tomorrow instead of next week. We also discussed that horrid backsplash in the kitchen. Given how well it's put on, he suggested we just cut off that section of drywall and then fix the drywall. Brilliant. I would have never thought of that. He's also tearing out the desk, which will become kind of a bar/butlers pantry type section. 

And he's going to move the island and make sure it gets flooring under is so I can move it over a few inches to accommodate an overhang and still keep a decent walkway. 

Tomorrow, they'll be demoing at the house so we can't be there. I brought home some cabinet doors to start working on. Clean, sand, fix, fill woodgrain.... it doesn't look like a lot of doors until you take them off!!

5 1/2 weeks is what we have left. And somewhere in there I'll have to do some packing. 😬

Kitchen Remodel--Bracing Day

We had a busy day at the house today! I had to meet the locksmith and the carpet guy, so I planned to be there most of the day with my kids. This ultimately means they rotate between the bag of toys we brought, eating, playing in the backyard, and trying to "help" me. There is lots of "help," but I've been surprised at how patient they've been.

My oldest thinks that everyone who comes to the house is there to visit him. If they're doing work, he wants to "help" them too. Today, it was the locksmith and the carpet guy. This probably means I should be more careful about what I tell him because he's going to repeat it!! He's already talked the ear off our new neighbor. I asked her to kindly forgive me for any future things he might tell her than are vastly inappropriate. 

But mostly today was about the kitchen! I'm trying to get all my messy stuff done now as they demo the floors next week, and my mess can just mingle with theirs so I don't have to do much cleaning! I was up a ladder most of the day, and I chuckled when I got this text from my friend Kristen:

She went on to ask me if my oldest child could get to my emergency contacts if needed. Good point... got right on that when we got home!

But I was up a ladder most of the day installing the braces for our plywood that will cover over the top of the cabinets. Talking to my dad on Sunday, while I wandered through Home Depot picking up lumber, he commented that I might need another set of hands. Well, my husband is at work (DIY isn't his thing anyway—he's got terrible sinuses and ultimately it stirs up too much dust for him) and my dad is 300 miles away. Because of my limitations, I decided to keep my pieces small and controllable. And I used a clamp when I needed more hands. 

I used 1x3s for my braces and cut them about 10.5 inches long... give or take. I was using my circular saw for the first time, and I was wishing I had brought my miter saw. I really only intended the circular saw to be used on the plywood. I did have the plywood ripped at Home Depot, but left it in long strips became I was going with the "measure twice cut once" scenario. Circular saws make me a little nervous to have with kids... ok, MY KIDS. Because they just find every possible way to get into everything!! So, my dad and I devised a plan when we bought it a few weeks ago. TSA lock fits right through the plug. They can't plug it in, they can't hurt themselves too badly! 

Once I had my 1x3 pieces cut, I used a level to line it up at the ceiling. I don't have a lot of upper body strength, so I use a very light-weight drill. I went ahead and pre-screwed a bunch of pieces. While I was standing on a ladder, I was really glad I had removed all of the doors first. It gave me ample workspace for all my tools that didn't fit in my handy tool belt!

I screwed those in to the ceiling (I decided finding the joist really didn't matter because this is primarily decorative and will bear no weight). Then, I lined up pieces with a cut piece of plywood across the top of the cabinets and then used the nail gun to secure those. The nail gun may be my favorite tool. This one happens to be borrowed from my father, but it's definitely going on my list!

This is how I finished my day as a storm was quickly rolling in, and I wanted to get the kids back to the rental house for dinner and bath! I was also out of upper body strength...my biggest hindrance. And my Ryobi batteries were all in need of a recharge anyway. My father commented via text that HE would have just screwed the brace all across the top because of a concern for it bowing. I had not thought of that, and he has a point. But there's no way I could have managed that with only one set of hands. I might add more tomorrow.

So far, this is easier than I thought. But I haven't hung up the plywood yet. So, we shall see! 

Kitchen Demolition Day ONE

Started demo on the kitchen today! It's a little tough with two little kids under-foot. But they did great today, and I even had a little help!

It started like this...

By the end of the day, it looked like this...

What did I do?

I took down the trim from the top of the cabinets. I needed to do that so I could see how much space I had to fill. It's about 12 inches. Roughly. Roughly because, guess what? They were all hung at different heights! Yay!

I took off all the cabinet doors and drawers. I removed the hardware and left  it at each cabinet. I'll go back and bag them all up individually because I've read lots of blog posts and "how to's" about how you should always put the same door back in the same place with the same hardware if you want them to hang correctly.

Hopefully my "system" will yield the best results! I'm planning to work on these at the rental house or in the garage while they're redoing the floors. I hear it takes a long time. And I've got quite a few to clean, sand, paint...paint again...maybe paint again. 

The good thing is, I'll learn something in the process!!