Blog de Puree » The new kitchen

Recycling the remodel: New life for our old kitchen cabinets

paul — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:21:19 +0000

With the foresight of a reknowned fortune-teller, Randye told the contractors to save the kitchen cabinets when they were pulling them out while gutting our old kitchen this past summer.

“There has to be some use we can find for them, rather than filling up some landfill,” she told me after I rolled my eyes and asked her if she was serious. Then she started rattling off a couple of uses we could find for them around the house–most of them involving me, tools and the better part of a weekend.

And this past week, an opportunity presented itself.

Recently our clothes dryer in the basement died and the spotlight focused in on our old stand-up washer/dryer unit that was languishing in the mud room on the first floor–the mud room which was originally billed as a 4th bedroom during the sale of our house. (It might serve as comfortable living quarters for a Navy submariner, but not a typical civilian.)

The standup washer/dryer was new about 4 years ago when it was purchased for our place in Boston. When we moved into this house, there was already a working washer and dryer in the basement, and this one didn’t fit in the low basement, so we decided to save it for a rainy day. So when the dryer in the basement died, we decided that rather than spend the money to fix an old, decrepit dryer or replace it with a new one, we’d pay to have the standup unit installed in our mud room and eliminate the need to drag laundry down to the basement.

Once the standup unit was installed, Randye’s master vision was given to me in the form of a blueprint for the room and it was time to repurpose the old kitchen cabinets. (See the old cabinets from an old post in August of 2006.) I sawed the kitchen cabinet that hung over the old island in half so that it would fit on a wall and gave it a new back. I also took two old above-the-counter cabinets, fastened them to one single backboard and added shelves in between.

Luckily, Randye’s folks came to visit for the holidays and her Dad was an extremely welcome help–an added back, a more logical thinker when it came to measurements and how to approach the cabinet installation, as well as a steady hand to hold the wood during the sawing process.

We’ve also added a stand-up drawer unit with a butcher block that was next to the old stove, as well as a wired shelf, also with a butcher block on it. We now have a fully functional laundry/coat/mud room, with cabinets, wall shelves, tables, folding surfaces and plenty of storage. The last step–to come later– will involve building a low bench, with shelves for footwear underneath, along the other wall.

Another project for another weekend …

Added 7 Jan 2007:
We sent our Ikea hack to the Ikea hacker blog. They liked it and we made one of the first posts of 2007. Thanks, Jules!

The kitchen! She is finished!

paul — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 03:10:00 +0000

On Monday, Nov. 20 the Amesbury building inspector came to our house, loved our new kitchen and signed off on the final inspection. We sent the final payment to our contractor today. The Kerstein kitchen renovation project is finally finished. Here are some photos of the final product. But they don’t do it justice. Friends and family–come visit!

Wrapping up the kitchen project

paul — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:14:51 +0000

We’ve been wicked busy over the last few days as the kitchen project and all the gritty details get finished and ironed out. Here’s a quick run-down of what we did:

- Replaced the fill-valve in the toilet. (Not related, but flexing my Uiberall family plumbing prowess. Took me 20 minutes. Booyah!)

- Touched up the painted walls where needed.

- Final polyurethane of random trim areas.

- Cleaned the floors with Murphy’s wood floor cleaner. Good stuff!

- Replaced all of the electrical outlet and switch panels in the kitchen.

- All ground-cloths and protective cover sheets removed from floors and furniture.

- Moved furniture and pictures back into dining room.

- Cleaned and tidied our guest bedroom, which served as the interim kitchen.

- Dumpster was removed from our driveway. We can now park side-by-side in the driveway again.

- Passed the electrical inspection on Monday.

- Passed the plumbing inspection on Tuesday.

All we have left to do is get the building inspection completed (fingers crossed) and to send out our final payment.

Post edited by Randye at 2:30PM to include:
Randye’s spec-TAC-oo-larrrr kitchen video walk-through

ALMOST DONE!!!!

randye — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 20:30:15 +0000

After what can only be described as a comedy of errors, the last of our replacement cabinets arrived on Halloween. Trick or Treat, indeed! But due to all the delays our contractor had had to move on to other projects instead of sitting idly by a-waitin’ on us. But on Friday, he came and installed all the final items, including the crown moldings!

Then we had another busy weekend. While the electrician worked in our basement upgrading our box, we finished priming and sanding and taping all in preparation for Sunday, aka “the day of painting from dawn to dusk.” While Paul tackled ALL the details of painting around cabinetry in the kitchen, I attacked the dining room.

While the pictures don’t do the colors justice, the kitchen is now a soft, sagey green and the dining room is a deep khaki. You can also see the crown moldings.

The plumber is here today installing our radiator next to the fridge and an outdoor spigot. Then it’s just a matter of passing inspections (fingers crossed) and touch-up work on our part. Wheeeeeee!

We’re going back to poly, to poly…

paul — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 19:45:37 +0000

This week is all about polyurethane. In order to make sure that our woodwork is sealed and protected, we’ve been going back and giving a second and third coat to certain areas, such as the island trim, which could get spattered with cooking grease. Floor thresholds are another area of concern that will get numerous coats.

Without having a full day to spend on it, we’ve been hitting up certain sections each day–the columns and island trim on Monday evening, the door trim on Tuesday, etc. But we’re almost done and it’s a satisfying feeling as we cross off the boxes on our handy-dandy worksheet to keep track of progress.

Today, the wall plasterers came by to fix up various holes and uneven sections that they left behind. When that’s done, we can also finish those areas with a quick sanding, then prime and paint the dining room.

Looks like another busy weekend ahead.

It works! By God, the kitchen works!

paul — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 00:56:46 +0000

The excitement continued today and yesterday, with the testing of the dishwasher on Saturday morning. We loaded it up with all of our daily dishwear, testing the slots and spots where the respective dishes might fit. The dishwasher takes a boat-load of stuff. And to my military mind, it was nice to see the dishes and utensils lined up in the correct holes, dress-right-dress.

It was a good feeling to unload the boxes of dishes laying around upstairs so that we can start reclaiming the rumpus room, aka. The Cherrystone Lounge. Trying to find where everything was around the house was like tracking down a kitchen diaspora.

“Knives, forks, plates, return to your homeland!”

Once the washer was loaded up, we pulled out the manual for that. The main question: What the heck do all these buttons do? Another question that popped up was whether we have soft, medium or hard water? In short order, Randye had it under control and the dishwasher was quietly humming away. Very quietly.

Late Saturday morning I sanded and prepared the new floor transitions, new bits of trim and an addition to the back door threshold. Tedious work, but as it was not a lot to do, it took about 30 minutes. Wondering about the process? Check out one of our earlier posts on woodworking. Then it was time to stain. As it takes at least four hours before you can add a second coat of stain, I applied the first coat a little before noon. Then came back and applied the 2nd coat around 4 p.m. We wanted to give the pieces enough time to dry before we polyurethaned everything today.

Between the coats of stain, we finished moving everything into the kitchen. The last of the wedding gifts have finally been freed from their boxes. And holy smokes, there’s room to spare!

Today it was all about the polyurethane. But not before I cleaned the bathroom, where we spent a lot of time cleaning dishes and such. And not a moment too soon. The tub was starting to get a little manky. And now, the Queen of England herself would be proud to bathe her naughty bits in our bathroom. Thank you Uncle Sam, for teaching me how to expertly clean bathrooms during basic training.

After cleaning the executive suite, the fine, bristle brushes came out and the intoxicating aroma of clear finish filled the house. It was a windy day, the remnants of a bit of a northeaster that rained it’s way through this weekend and the welcome gusts coming in the open windows helped to thin the air as we carefully applied the first coat of poly. Every inch of stained and treated wood was given a coat, and for some areas, the first of two or three coats.

The best part was yet to come. As I was finishing the final areas that Randye couldn’t reach by ladder or otherwise, she broke the kitchen in proper-dopper! Today was the first of many, many mouth-watering, sumptuous, nutritious and de-licious meals . And what better way to break in a Jewish kitchen? With roast chicken, of course. A little lemon and sage walnut pesto rubbed into and on the chicken on a bed of carrots and onions. Along with a side of Stove Top stuffing, it was a meal fit for a king. And the perfect way to break in our new kitchen.

Don’t be fooled though. We’re not completely finished. The plumber has to install the radiator, the electrician must put in the extra circuit box and a few other items and the contractor has to finish installing a couple of cabinets and wrap up some other odds and ends. Cross your fingers and by the end of the week, we’ll be able to put the Kerstein kitchen project of 2006 behind us.

And then there’s the painting. Oh, the dreadful painting.

And Randye adds, “Now the decorating can begin. And we’ll need a dining room furniture. And…”

Here’s Randye with her hands in the chicken’s nether regions:

Just a few things left and the kitchen is finished

paul — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 13:11:05 +0000

It’s Saturday morning and I’m sitting at the island kitchen, on one of our new Asian style stools while I type away over a hot cup of tea. It’s raining out, which I can see out our new kitchen windows and the wonderful new back door. I can hear house sparrows chirping away outside. There’s plenty of comforting natural light coming into the kitchen and this is probably the most pleasant morning experience I’ve had since we started renovating the kitchen. Finally, the chance to enjoy a hot morning beverage in the tranquility of our new kitchen.

I was hoping for a grand finish with an announcement that the kitchen is finished and we can officially move in, but it seems that I’ll be denied. From what’s left to be done, it will be more like a slow, easing in to the new confines as some final, nagging items are completed.

It’s been a whirlwind of activity in the final days of the week. The plumber and electrician were both here and wrapped up most of their work, except for a few items that they’ll finish up next week. The contractor was here fixing and finishing a number of small issues as well.

All the appliances are moved in and functioning–all systems normal.

The door shelves and other removable plastic storage bins that will live in our fridge are sitting on the counter for a proper cleaning with hot water, a sponge and a mild dish detergent–as required by the manual. Of course. Randye has also moved her coffee maker into a temporary spot on the counter, until the electrician can finalize the outlets after he installs an additional circuit box in the basement next week.

We have a number of kitchen things to finish up as well. The transitions that were installed on Thursday need to sanded, painted, and stained. All the woodwork will need between one to three applications of polyurethane depending the location. (High traffic vs. low traffic areas.) The term shellack, although a different compound from the “poly” has made it’s way into our daily lexicon because it’s just fun to say. “You gonna she-llack that there?”

Now that our kitchen project is just about finished, we’ll be cleaning all the rooms around the house and “moving back in” so we can reclaim our lives. As I sit and write at our island, the dining room and living room are taunting me. (The island is situated with a full view of both rooms to give a sense of depth and openness to the entertaining areas of our home.) I know Randye will have me in there dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing, moving and doing anything else that needs to be done. As tedious as it sounds, I’d rather do that then head out into the rain now to remove a rather imposing pile of leaves from our front lawn.

The work never ends…

Home stretch?

randye — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 13:42:07 +0000

We’re close. So very close.

Yesterday, the plumber came out and officially installed all the appliances! (They no longer tease me from their boxes.)

Today, the electrician is here to hook up all the outlets to the circuit breakers and do his finish work. So things are really cookin’ (pun intended!).

We’re still waiting on our replacement cabinets, which won’t be in until sometime next week, but the contractor can come back and install them, as well as tweak some last finish details.

But, there’s light (from a gas pilot light?!) in the distance. Can I get an “Amen!”?!

Think we’re done with woodwork? Think again.

paul — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 01:23:01 +0000

After such a busy weekend, sanding and staining all the trim in the kitchen, you’d think we’d be finished. But, we’re not.

On Monday, after the 2nd coat of stain settled, we were back at it, this time with a 320-grit sandpaper sponge and a tack cloth. The purpose? To smooth the tiny bits of wood that actually raise when it accepts stain or other liquids. In order for the polyurethane to apply itself in a smooth luster, it’s imperative to have one final, ultra-smooth sanding.

Today, we got back on the right track with the cabinetry vendor after some gross incompetence–such as taking two weeks to screw up orders and tell us about it, then getting the wrong items in for a second time. We were also visited by the foreman of our project and the electrician.

Some more top cabinets were installed, as well as the refrigerator cabinetry. The electrician started his finish work by installing our outdoor light near the back door, moved a stove outlet that needed moving, workrf on electric for the dishwasher and sink disposal, and added some switches and outlets. Here are some more pictures of today’s progress as well as a peek at our columns and such.

For a craftsman feel, it’s all about the woodwork

paul — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 14:19:04 +0000

As most of our family knows, we live in a bungalow home. From the research we’ve done so far, it looks like our home is a hybrid of the craftsman bungalow and a beach cottage. (We’re a scant 5 miles from the beach.) Since moving in, we’ve been planning and working to shift the house more to its craftsman roots, especially since previous owners had painted over all the woodwork and “modernized” it.

Anyone who has ever stepped foot in a unique craftsman bungalow knows about the amount and exquisiteness of the woodwork found within. While we do want to achieve that level of detail, we don’t want it the interior to be drowned with wood, so we’re hoping to find a balance between craftsman detail and modern materials–and still maintain a tasteful amount of wood. This weekend was all about achieving that part of our goal in our kitchen and dining room.

The work started late Friday afternoon and evening with the final sanding and priming of the dining room ceiling. Even more importantly, we taped around all of the wood trim that was to be stained this weekend.

After attending the baby-naming of our handsome, new nephew and welcoming him to the family on Saturday morning, we hit the house with a vengeance. Working late into Saturday night, we first gave the dining room ceiling a first coat of paint–the same color as the kitchen ceiling. Then we applied a coat of wood conditioner and stained all of the trim, columns and borders.

Come Sunday morning, we were back at it, with a second coat of stain to even light spots and even out a nice, deep, dark brownish/red color to match the cabinets as best we could. Later in the day, it was back to painting the kitchen and dining room ceilings with a final coat to ensure color consistency throughout both rooms and cover any stain that may have got on the ceiling from working on columns and top-level trim.

As we rolled into Sunday night, we cleaned up for the tradesmen to make their way in this week once the finally cabinetry comes. With any luck, we’ll have our kitchen back by the end of this week or early next week.

We also made a few discoveries this weekend.

1. If you’re looking for the best stainable wood, white pine is the not the way to go. While most of our wood took the stain quite nicely, any parts with unknown chemical or glue stains stood out a bit lighter. Pine is also known for not taking stain as evenly as other woods, but when you’re on a budget, we found that the look is pretty darn close to what we were going for.

2. Applying wood conditioner is very important before you stain.

3. You can’t sand enough before you stain. We found that even using 150-grit, then 220-grit, was not enough. It’s possible that we should have then used a 3rd sanding stage with 320 grit-paper or sponges.

4. Sand with the grain, always–no matter how small the piece of wood and how tight the spot. When you stain, the areas that were sanded against the grain will stand out like a sore thumb.

5. Keep the area well ventilated while working. We’re crazy enough, without becoming further brain-damaged.

6. If you can plan and afford it, it’s sometimes easier to have as much pre-stained and polyurethaned before installation. Makes life a lot easier.

7. Make sure, if you have an indoor cat, to have screens on the windows or not to open them to wide or you’ll waste valuable time playing neighborhood tracker, while shaking a can of tuna treats.