Our house was somewhat of a construction zone this weekend. While I was working on the stair rails (which I accurately predicted I wouldn't have complete by today), Vern was working on taking out our wraparound counter and preparing the cabinets to be moved once the new plumbing drops are in place. We're getting closer to having a kitchen flow that works TONS better!
The before shot:
The before shot:
The progress shots:
He removed the backsplash, wraparound countertop and baseboard first.
Then it was time to do some deconstruction, starting with the first layer of drywall. The transition from the turn to the hallway needed special care so that we were left with a nice clean line from ceiling to floor.
After removing the first round of drywall, he removed all of the framing, removed the electrical box on the far left side (see two pics up) and threaded the wiring back into the crawl space--after turning off the power first!
Once the framing was gone, he could get to the rest of the drywall backing up to the cabinets. Everything needed to be removed so that we can make a quicker job of placing the cabinets once the new plumbing drops are made.
You can see in the picture above that the flooring runs under the cabinets (yea!), but not in the small sections where the wall was framed out (boo!). We will have to do a small patch work job on the left section so that the planks blend with the rest of the floor once the cabinets have been moved. We're feeling pretty excited about next steps!
You may have noticed I haven't really mentioned my staining project. Well, it's not complete, although I did dedicate a lot of time to it this weekend. Actually, it's kind of a pain in the ass, if you want to know the truth. It's not hard, just tedious and time consuming. Taping off, sanding, cleaning, staining, brushing out any air bubbles, keeping long smooth strokes, blah, blah, blah. It's looking good; it's just not fun. And the process is SLOW.
I managed to finish all of the rails and the transition at the top of the stairs , although I'll likely go back and give them one more coat. Next, I'll be removing the handrail going down the stairs from the wall and staining that in the garage to prevent any drips. Staining the treads, rails and posts at the bottom of the stairs will have to be done in stages (to prevent little hands and feet from coming into contact with the black gloss polyurethane). I'll probably do two treads and one rail at a time. The difference in before and after is pretty cool. I can't wait to show you guys...and be done with this project!
Psst-- Be sure to check out the new featured recipe and craft on the home page!
Are you in the middle of a kitchen update or currently in staining/painting hell (like me)? Any tips on tackling stairs? What have you found to be helpful in keeping momentum going?
You may have noticed I haven't really mentioned my staining project. Well, it's not complete, although I did dedicate a lot of time to it this weekend. Actually, it's kind of a pain in the ass, if you want to know the truth. It's not hard, just tedious and time consuming. Taping off, sanding, cleaning, staining, brushing out any air bubbles, keeping long smooth strokes, blah, blah, blah. It's looking good; it's just not fun. And the process is SLOW.
I managed to finish all of the rails and the transition at the top of the stairs , although I'll likely go back and give them one more coat. Next, I'll be removing the handrail going down the stairs from the wall and staining that in the garage to prevent any drips. Staining the treads, rails and posts at the bottom of the stairs will have to be done in stages (to prevent little hands and feet from coming into contact with the black gloss polyurethane). I'll probably do two treads and one rail at a time. The difference in before and after is pretty cool. I can't wait to show you guys...and be done with this project!
Psst-- Be sure to check out the new featured recipe and craft on the home page!
Are you in the middle of a kitchen update or currently in staining/painting hell (like me)? Any tips on tackling stairs? What have you found to be helpful in keeping momentum going?