Dining Area Painted!!!

I knuckled down and painted the dining area today. Yesterday I tackled the fasteners where the mirror was hung. They had to be banged into the drywall so they were just below the surface and could be patched with spackle, and the patch job came out really nice. I used the spackle that is pink when it is applied, but turns white after it is dry. This turned out to be beneficial for me because some of the patching was deep and it did not show totally white until the next day. After all the patches were dry I sanded, primed each patch, the primed the entire area. That was good because the patched area did not show through the final paint job.

One coat of primer and two coats of paint. I like to prime before I paint because the paint glides on better and the under color (original color) does not show through.

I really want to paint my bedroom, but I am very slow and a professional can come in here and be done in a few hours!!! The job seems daunting. I need to paint my second bedroom closet which means pull ALL THAT STUFF OUT OF THERE!!! Ick....

(try not to think of the mountain... just plod along one step at a time, then it is manageable)

*sigh*

NEXT - Paint Dining Area

Yesterday, I bought the primer and paint to do the dining area. I removed a 3'x5' mirror from the wall. I put towels under it and slid it to my bedroom to prop against the wall as a full length mirror. I asked a friend to show me what to do about the metal thingies I used to mount the mirror to the wall and he took a hammer and pounded one in to put it right below the surface, so now, I will do the rest of them and spackle, prime, and paint. It is a small area and out in the open, not closed in like when I painted the inside of my closet, what a workout, but that is another story.

Once the dining area painting is done, I will be finished in the kitchen/dining/living areas.

NEXT, I want to paint my bedroom. It is kind of icky with orchid or lilac paint color. I have an extra bedroom so I don't care how long it takes, because I have another place to sleep, but of course, it would be much better to badda bing, be done fast.

I will keep you all updated!!

BL

Finished and I mean it this time!!!

Toe kick repositioned; outlets repositioned.

My kitchen is officially DONE!!!

I will post photos later.

Finale, Finis, Finish, End

My countertop guy is coming over this afternoon to correct the outlets. They are sunken back from the tile and he will put spacers in to bring them out flush with the tile. Then he will be done and I think he will be very happy to be done with it all!! He is a patient man, but when you think you are done, and you aren't, it can be irritating. So, good for him. He will be done with it all.

The cabinet guy will come Thursday morning to re-install a toe-kick that was put on crooked. He will be happy to be done with that too.!!!

I will have everybody out of my place!! No more "meet me there at ___ o'clock." I will have my life back!!! All safe and secure in my little castle!

Next, I will paint my dining area. Which reminds me... I will pick up the paint today after work!!

I will find something else to write about... who knows what!?

Before, During, After

Wanting to remove peninsula started all this, and the reason it took so long was because of the black mold that was discovered. I had to wait almost 6 weeks for the insurance adjuster to submit her report, why, I don't know. The actual kitchen work took one month, with several delays, not of the worker's doing, in between. My insurance company paid for everything. I had to give up my time, some elbow grease, and vacation leave to be here when necessary. It was a long road but worth it!

Kitchen Is Finished!!!!!

Well, the kitchen is finally finished. I have been putting things back in place over the past two days. I am not in a rush. It took a long time (4 to 5 months) to get here, so it can't be done all at once. I am also working on my porch, and my second bedroom, which have things that need to be put away. The kitchen rebuild was all worth it. I now have kitchen with new walls, cabinets, backsplash, over range micro, sink, garbage disposer, paint, knock-down ceiling. All new from head to toe!! Oh except for range which is about 1-2 years old and refrigerator which I will replace when it dies (or maybe sooner). I would do it all again! I love my new kitchen and am eating at home again!

Next, I want to paint my dining room the same color as my living room. Actually they are all in one room. So that is a little project left to do. OH and I want to paint my bedrooms, one is purple and the other is apple green. I think I can come up with some better colors! LOL

More later,

Kitchen Backsplash

Well, today was the day that the tile on the backsplash was finally set!! The guy left spaces where he has to cut tile. I think he will bring a wetsaw with him tomorrow. I only had a tile cutter thingie and nippers. After all the tile is set he will grout. These are 6x6 porcelain tiles, very rugged, so I wanted a 1/4" grout line to add to a rustic look. I am soooo happy and will be relieved when all this is over!

Two days ago the final mold remedial step was cleaning the a/c and the a/c ducts. Now my place smells like a fresh mountain top in spring, but it is not a french perfume gross smell. Very subtle and very nice and clear scent.

All in all... The project will be finished soon. No more people coming into my house. No more time off work to be here for workers. I just want to get back to my routine rut, where I am comfy!!

More photos later!

Rearrange Furniture

Hated it!!!! I floated the furniture off the walls and my place is too tiny to attempt it. I could not live with it!!! SO.. I rearranged the furniture last night. I have a hand truck that I put the platform under the end of the entertainment center and was able to get enough leverage to lift the end enough to push a towel under it with my foot. I had to be sure I did not let go of the hand truck or my foot would have been smashed!! Then to the other end, same thing. Luckily the cable lines were long enough (smart installer!!) to move the tv thing without having to buy new co-axial cable. Then I moved the sofa to the large wall where the tv thing was, and it is a much better use of space. I LOVE IT!!!

I will be adding photos later, when I get to it. I got to it!!

OH and my wireless router took a very bad turn. It died!! No power what-so-ever so after fooling around with that I just went and bought a new Netgear router. The network was all set up so it was pretty easy except the setup asked for a security key, and that if you did not have it, ask the administrator.... I am the administrator so I asked me what it was and I didn't know. haha One phone call to the phillipines or india wherever and 45 mins later, we were able to figure out what I wanted. Everything is up and running!

More later,

How this started.

I just found these photos of my mini-upgrade that I had taken mid-project. The backsplash had been removed and the next step was to remove the countertop. Once that was removed the mold was discovered.

Arrange Furniture

OK because I had to move everything, I mean EVERYTHING, out of the living room, I spent this past weekend cleaning and arranging the living room furniture. I decided to float the furniture off the walls, with a walkway behind the sofa into the bedrooms. There is an air conditioning supply grille right behind where a normal person would put a sofa, so that limits how you place the furniture in the room. In addition to that, there is the placement of the TV, which makes sense to me, but takes up one whole wall, therefore limiting placement of the sofa. I am going to play around with that once I get the new HDTV I have been promising myself. The entertainment center is loaded with tapes and dvds, other related stuff, plus the heavy old tv and components. YES you can shove it across the floor, but that is a 2 person job. Anyhow, this is what I have been thinking, but I will let it alone the way I have it for a while to see if I can live with it.

Photos to be posted later, and more chit chat later, too.

BL

Getting Closer!!

I love my new over the range microwave. I tried to make some nachos and discovered that a microwave works best if you read the directions. I read the directions and got it to work!!! Amazing...

I have cookbooks and recipes on a shelf above the doorway from the kitchen to the laundry room. That is wasted space, so since my condo kitchen is small I believe it is the best use of the space and is easily accessible by my step stool. I am a handful of this and a pinch of that type of cook anyway! Notice the new knockdown ceiling.





The front edge of my laminate (wilson-art) countertop has a beveled edge, which I really love. It looks similar to a stone edge countertop for considerable less cost.

Next, is the backsplash and change out of over the cabinet lighting. Ron will be doing that work and I love the backsplash tiles which are porcelain with irregular edges to simulate tumbled marble.

The current light fixtures have a 4" profile so you can see the fluorescent bulb over the crown molding on top of the cabinet, so that will be changed to a 2-1/4" profile fixture. The new fixtures have a diffuser over the bulbs, so it will be a softer light.

After some other details the kitchen will be finished!! The dining area needs to be painted, so that will be done soon. The air conditioning system will be checked over and ducts cleaned due because of the black mold that was discovered in the kitchen.

Tomorrow I want to arrange my living room and bedroom furniture that was displaced when we did the kitchen project. Little by little it is all getting back together! I am starting to feel "normal" again.

Almost there!!

OK as you can see by this picture, the kitchen is almost done. My friend Ron is coming first thing tomorrow morning and he will attach the countertop, fix a very teeny leak at the mounting ring on the garbage disposer, attach a small countertop by the wall where he has to deal with something that is out of plumb, it is either the wall or the cabinet, but I put a level on it and everything is plumb and level but the space between the range and cabinet is tight near the bottom and widens as you go up, so something is not right. He will figure that out. He will also installl the over range micro and that will really flash up that kitchen.


The over the cabinet lights have been installed. The crown molding is not high enough and the 30 yr old fluorescent fixture is about 3" tall, so if you are standing back from the kichen (like near the front doorway) you can see a slight sliver of light tube which I don't like seeing that. ick. According to the cabinet guy the only crown molding this company makes that will match the cabinets is what I have. So boohoo.... I went to Home Depot and bought three 4' fixtures that are only 2-1/2" tall, so that is a backup and they are much lighter too. I like fluorescent because they do not give off as much heat. The cabinet guy also has to remove and replace the toe kick in the sink corner which is placed cockeyed. I will take a picture of that later.

Next I will install the under cabinet lights (or ask Ron to do that) and maybe he will also do the backsplash. Mom said it will be a lot harder on me than I think, back-wise, because you have to bend over that counter to get to the back wall, achy breaky back. And mom says I am getting old. LOL... she is 84 so she can recognize age when she sees it!!

So that is where things stand right now.

Nearing the Finish Line

This picture shows my friend installing my new garbage disposer. It is very nice and very quiet. I like it because it is compact so there is more room for my "stuff."

The next photo is the actual garbage disposer. I always thought it was disposal, but there it was right on the box big as life disposER... I believe them. In-Sink-Erator, Badger 9, with a 1/3hp motor. It is quiet and compact.

This is my flatware drawer. Or some people call it the "silverware" drawer but this is not silver, it is stainless flatware. Anyhow, I purchased it on sale at Macy's. Good deal!! And the weight and balance of the flatware is very nice.

New Tools of the Trade 14-pc set of Belgique, copper bottom cookware. My previous set of Wearever purchased when I was 17 in 1966 was in good shape when I gave it to a friend, but I thought, "since I have a new kitchen, why not have a new set of cookware. Again, on sale at Macy's. Good deal.

This gives an idea of what it may look like. Pretend the over range microwave has been installed and also the porcelain tile backsplash. Notice I still have the gooseneck under cabinet lighting.

Not a great photo, but I now have over the cabinet lighting..... next I will install the under cabinet lighting. It is really nice to have light directly above the counter.

I am busy doing dishes

I have some photos to download, but I am busy cooking and doing dishes (and blogging).

More later.

Kitchen is Functional !!!

I am so happy to have a functional kitchen. I keep moving things around to get them in logical places. I did a search on "kitchen organization" and I realized that I had a somewhat fragmented kitchen even thought I considered myself to be organized. HA!

Now I have all the baking stuff in one area, all the prep stuff in another area, etc. My new pots are gorgeous. Tools of the Trade, Belguique, Copper Bottomed very beautiful and are used with low heat, retaining flavors and nutrition of the food. Includes a nice steamer, double boiler, interchanging lids and it is like having a mix and match wardrobe.

And I bought new flatware to replace the wedding gift flatware from 1975 and I realized that the flatware lasted way longer than the marriage. LOL.. No I am not a jaded cynic! But the new set is an inexpensive and very well made. I am loving that too.

I just did a complete overhaul because this new stuff will last me the rest of my life, barring any disasterous misfortunes.

This kitchen reorganization is spilling into the rest of my home and I am sensing a major purge coming. Once the living/dining area is done being painted, I want to put it together from the basics just like they do on HGTV, then stop before it looks cluttered. It will be a challenge so I might call in an objective friend for help. It will feel like I am in a new home. Then, I want to open my home to my friends so they can enjoy it when I entertain.

This is all very fun and exciting! More pictures as i progress...

I have a SINK!!

Today, the sink was connected and I have running water!!! That includes the garbage disposer, In-Sink-erator, Badger 9, a compact 3/4 hp unit that is really quiet and takes up a lot less space than the one I had before. I am lovin' it!

The final work on the countertop (attaching and edging) will be done later because the main focus today was to get a working sink... I moved items back into my kitchen. I had my first cooked meal tonight, but it wasn't anything special. I even have dirty dishes in the sink! Oh Happy Day!!

Next the living/dining room will be painted and I have a 3-day weekend to get ready for that. That area will be painted Behr paint Creamy White. Do you know there are ka-zillion whites? This is a nice off-white that will still show off the white trim. It will totally brighten up the rooms. Since I live in Florida, I have awnings to keep the sun from blaring in, and I also have a closed in porch that blocks off the light. In order to enhance the light in my space I need to have light walls. I had them painted a nice linen color, but even that seems too dark. It will be nice to see how it looks when it is done.

Tomorrow I am off to the grocery store to shop for actual real meals, and something to bake! I have been eating out or eating sandwiches and microwaved omelets (not too bad really, unless you overcook them to the point of rubbery).

More later.

Cabinet Installation Finished!!

What a great day! The cabinet installation is complete. Please notice my under-the-counter lighting, compliments of WalMart! LOL...

Now, the countertop guy will come (some day, lol, just kidding Ron) to attach countertop, connect sink along with garbage disposer, put beveled edge on countertop, and install over range microwave. That sounds like a lot of work...

Then the main team will come back to install over cabinet lighting, under cabinet lighting, make some minor corrections (patch hole made by moving outlet for microwave), and install baseboard.

Then, I am going to install the backsplash. I bought all the tile, tools and materials about 2 months ago, actually 3 months ago, and that should take 2 days. HAHA.. We shall see how adept I am. I never did a tile job before, but I think I will be able to do it. The only thing that might bother me is bending over the counter to reach back to the wall. But a nice new backsplash will be worth the backache.

I started to put things back into the upper cabinets, but watching these people work really makes me tired! I also do not want to get too ahead of myself because I can't really load everything back until the counter is attached and the sink connected. I want to stay out of Ron's way!! Hey I am just kidding around! So I am still going over here for this and over there for that. I have consolidate my travels for a spoon here, a bowl there, and I feel somewhat disjointed. I keep going into my living room for the wastepaper can, but now it has been moved into the kitchen.. You get my drift?

Being a creature of habit, it will take me a little while to get reoriented, but the sooner, the better.

It looks absolutely beautiful!!!

P.S. My good friend Ron is coming tomorrow to do the countertop, etc. YAHOO!!!

Just Added Audio

Go to my profile to listen to audio. At this time, and this is subject to change, it is John McLaughlin, The Promise, a great album. I think this is Ravi Shankar playing sitar with John's guitar. Very interesting!

Cabinets finished tomorrow!!

I have been living with cabinet contents all over my living and dining room. I was getting all closed-in-on until yesterday, when I was able to shove the refrigerator back into its rightful place. You can see that my range was put behind my sofa. Now, this is not the place to do your cookin'. So I am going to very shortly shove my stove over to the nook for the range.

Tomorrow the cabinets will be completed. I will post more photos tomorrow after the work has been completed. I will set up a project slideshow once I figure out how to do it.

I would like my countertop guy to attach the countertop tomorrow, but we shall see what he has planned. Maybe I am not in his plan!! LOL

More later, Barbara Lee

July 1 Cabinets Installed!

Today the cabinets were installed. As you can see by the photo, the finishing touches, like the correct doors, shelves, toe-kick, crown molding, strip at bottom of upper cabinets to hide the under cabinet lighting. Stuff like that.

The counter has been placed on top of the cabinets, but has not been attached yet. That is my countertop guy's job and he will also install the sink, garbage disposer, and over range microwave. Not sure when that will happen but I think it will be before the end of the week.

Then I get to put all the items back into the cabinets. While doing this I will get rid of extra, useless (to me) stuff by giving away to someone who has nothing. I recycle my "stuff" because I hate to throw anything away. Everything I give away, I feel that I have gotten my use out of it. I do not ask for receipts and I do not claim on my income tax, because I don't feel that is the true spirit of giving. That is just for me

The reason I am blogging about this:
#1. This has been a very long process which began in March 2008.
#2. I tend to obsess about stuff.
#3. If I write about it this gets out of my head and I won't have to think about it so much.
#4. If I am thinking about it too much I can not get to sleep.

More later.

What happened?

This is black mold. My plan was to do a mini-update on my kitchen and put a new laminate countertop on. When the existing countertop was taken off, this is what we saw. It was a patch of black mold about 30" high and 24" wide. My little update turned into a complete rebuild and thank God I had insurance to cover the mold damage.

This is the OLD kitchen. I should have started this blog a long time ago. But I didn't....

I live in a small condo built in 1980 and I moved here about 4 years ago. I always hated the kitchen, so I started to do things to make it better.

First I tore out the plastic panels that covered the flourescent lights that were attached to the walls above the cabinets. I was here for 2 days when that happened. I marched that UGLY plastic out to the dumpster with great pride! Right now I can't find any pictures of the original kitchen which had fake walnut (dark) laminate cabinets, harvest gold and avocado vinyl flooring, and other 1980's decoration.

Then I had the cabinets painted. I took all the doors off the cabinets and that was a lot of undoing. After the cabinets were painted with an off white product called Cabinet Rescue from Lowe's, oh I forgot to say that the original cabinets were formica fake walnut awful, I had the lights taken off the walls and just laid them on top of the cabinets and had 4" baseboard, which was pretending to be crown molding, nailed to the top front edge of the cabinets. Also, new 18" porcelain tiles that look like stone, were laid in my kitchen and laundry room. Great improvement and I probably spent around $800 doing all this. Also had the kitchen and dining area painted orange sorbet, which is a terra cotta looking color, but I got tired of that after 4 years.

In March 2008 I decided to remove the peninsula that was dividing the area between the kitchen and dining area. See the pictures above. You can also see that ugly, I mean, UUGGGLLEEEE, backsplash. So I went online and did a search, "how to install cabinets" and then went backwards to remove this. I just started by unscrewing the countertop, then started removing all the screws I could find.

The area under the cabinets had to have 1/2 tiles removed and full tiles installed. ALWAYS KEEP TILES FROM A JOB in case you need them later. The laminate floor had to be altered to meet the tile.

I wanted to have new countertops put on top of the cabinets and a new backsplash. When my countertop guy pulled off the old countertop he/we discovered black mold. ICK ICK ICK, so that started a long process of insurance company, mold remedial specialists, and patience.

Tomorrow is June 30 and my new cabinets are to be installed. I will continue with this later. Stay tuned!