Day 120: The Cabinets Are In...

...and Christmas has come and gone.

Sorry for taking so long to post an update on the kitchen. I have no good excuse.

Well, enough of the blubbering, lets get to the good stuff. The cabinets are in! And so are all the appliances. Well, except for the dishwasher. But it is in place while I wait for the missing pieces to be delivered.

The cabinet installer, Theo, showed up on the morning of the 14th and got straight to work. He was working solo but figured he could get them in in a day. I knew all along, but didn't let myself get too used to the idea that they would go in that quickly.I lucked out when they sent Theo to install my cupboards. He normally works on high end kitchens, so he knew his way around cabinetry. He did a great job and only forgot one thing -- to drill a hole for my microwave cord. I had the right drill bits, and my handy dandy new drill, so I cut the hole myself.

After Theo left, I was faced with the daunting task of putting everything away. I was completely overwhelmed. Not only did I have to put stuff away, I had to clean most of it first and without a sink nearby. It all went in relatively smoothly, but I needed more shelves which I got to the following day. I even managed to put the stove and washer/dryer back all by myself. I was really craving some soup after I stumbled upon a can while unpacking. So, I fired up the stove and made me some soup!

By shear luck, my super awsome plumber Darrell was able to come on Monday to install my sink and dishwasher. He actually sent a different guy, but stopped by between jobs. I insisted they use braided lines all the way to the dishwasher, even though it would cost about $60 extra. I don't need it to burst which has been known to happen with plastic supply lines. Apparently the braided lines you buy at the hardware store are NOT the right kind. Only those from an actual plumbing supply place are the right kind. You can tell because they have a 'ring' type thing on the inside of the nut which goes on the inside of the pipe thingy. When the nut is tightened I am guessing it acts as a bit of a compression fitting on that inner ring thingy.

While there, Darrell helped me yell at the guy at the Brick when they told me the pieces I was missing for the dishwasher had to be purchased separately. He is now waiting on those parts, which the Brick will pay for thanks to my "conversation" with them. So, he will come back in the new year to install. Turns out I won't be flexing again until Feb 1, so I have a full month to wait for that last piece of the kitchen reno. But, I am so used to washing dishes by hand that I hardly notice. Besides, the dishwasher is sitting in its place and not my living room or dining room, so I am quite happy to carry on this way for as long as it takes.

I will be sure to get the kickplate tiles (base of the cabinets, same as the floor tile) and backsplash tiles in before the dishwasher goes in so that the kitchen will finally be done. I purchased the plain white tiles for the backsplash and decided to go with a glass tile for the insert. Glass tiles will go better with white grout and the taupy-purple colour will really go well with the floor. They should arrive some time next week.In the meantime, I am trying not to make a mess of my carpets which were just cleaned by my friends Tom and Lorraine. Thanks guys, they have a new lease on life while I save up my money to do the floors!

And here are some pics...


The cupboards AND the sink is in! w00t!


My microwave doesn't look half bad thanks to the black knobs.


The new cupboard over the washer and dryer. I need a stool to reach it.


My slick new range hood. It has a very bright light setting that I use when I want to interrogate what I am cooking.


My super deep sink and goose neck faucet. I can fill a bucket in the sink now.

Day 119: Giddy

I was giddy all day today and I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fact that the cupboards are going in tomorrow...at long last! (insert happy humming)

I know I promised to post a pic of my closet doors...but I hit a bit of a snag. The replacement pieces I had to buy weren't quite the same as the ones that came with the door. Remember, I needed two sets of the mounting hardware since I wanted to install each door separately?

I can honestly say that Home Depot is a much better place than Rona to get bifold door hardware. I ended up buying all new mounting hardware (the pieces the pins go into) because HD had a style that had a screw to keep the pin in place. They also had a pin for the bottom which was threaded so the door height can be adjusted slightly. The trick is getting the current pins out. The plastic bushing has burrs on it so it goes in and stays in. I have a trick that works, but it is too tough to explain. I picked up the last of the bifold door hardware tonight so will install tomorrow while I am at home...in the event that I can't help install the cupboards!

When it comes to hinges, the Cook St Do-it Centre is a better place than Rona (sorry Rona). I just wanted brushed steel hinges and Rona wanted $9.00 for a single hinge. Cook St had them for $4.00...for a pair! They aren't as good quality, but it is for a door that no one will ever see.

While at HD, I bought a drill. I had to replace the one that was covered in mortar from using it to mix the mortar. It actually still worked and I needed a drill this past week, so the excitement to work on my bifold doors helped me overcome the fact that it was covered in mortar. But, I had taken off the chuck key to keep it after tossing the drill but I've misplaced it and obviously never did get around to tossing the drill. I've even purchased two keys but neither work. Enter the new drill...the new keyless chuck drill! It is corded and has variable speed too! That is a feature I didn't want to be without and I can't stand cordless tools because I would never drain the battery properly and would wreck the battery...but not before they discontinued that style of battery. I also think you need a lot of torque on a drill and you can't get that with a battery pack that is nearly drained.

Well, I go sleep now...if I am able to sleep that is!

Day 117: 3 More Sleeps...Oh, and I'm a Genius

I am down to 3 sleeps before the cabinets go in. I am quite excited. I don't expect they'll finish in one day, but one can hope.

In the meantime, I have been painting a set of bifold doors for my front hall closet. Since moving in, none of my closets have had doors, so this is VERY exciting. I've painted the pair white to match the trim I just installed, but I am wondering if painting them the wall colour would have been a better option.

Sure, the bifold doors are just the compressed paper flavour, but I came up with an ingenious modification to the door which will alleviate most of the hassles you get with paper bifold doors. Namely, the slider rail thingy and corresponding pins as well as where to mount the knob/handle so it will open the door with the least amount of wear and tear on the hollow paper carcass of a crappy door...to mention a few.

I came up with the idea while I was measuring for the holes for the bottom bracket. This piece and the top rail plus pins at the top and bottom of one side of the door act as stationary pivot points for the door. So, I had one half of the door temporarily in place when I noticed how well the door swung. It was as if the door was floating it was so smooth. So, I decided to do away with the hinges and the slider piece altogether and just hang the other half of the bifold door the same way on the opposite side of the opening. In other words, the doors will hang freely and independently like a pair of french doors. The pins are still in place, but because I am not using the slider piece or the hinges, I don't expect the part of the door where the pins go in to sustain much wear and tear.



As I was typing that up, I realized the bottom bracket doesn't actually mount to the floor. It has holes in the side that meets the wall thus allowing you to affix it to the wall. This means I DON'T have to drill holes in the slate floor! Sweet.

And, in case you were able to follow me and are wondering how I will prevent the doors from swinging into the closet, I am going to mount a piece of wood along the top to prevent that from happening.

Further modifications may happen. For instance, the rail at the top is currently in place because it holds the piece that the top pin goes into. I could get a "floor bracket" and mount it up top instead of the rail. I'll mull it over but I've pretty much convinced myself that is what I need to do. Stay tuned for pics tomorrow night!

"LOL very funny haha"

"LOL very funny haha"

Aside from the obvious reason this is funny, I especially like it because it reminds me of the South Park episode called "Towelie". You know, when Cartman and Towelie were arguing and he called Towelie a towel? Poor Towelie was a little high and couldn't come back with anything better than "You're a towel."

Day 109: A Little Anti-Climactic

Well, the cupboards have left the warehouse...and are stacked up in a huge pile in my living room. They look really nice and the hardware I selected is going to look awesome.



(no, I didn't plan on getting Evin in the shot, but by the time the camera took the picture, there he was.)

Knowing the cupboards are just going to sit there for nearly 2 weeks is a little anti-climactic. Plus, the delivery guys scratched the tops/sides all up. I'm hoping the scratched sides are the ones facing the wall or ceiling and not the underside of the upper cabinets. They even scratched the side of a door which I've photographed and will send in to Harbour City Kitchens tomorrow. Finally, there is a chip in the countertop, but it is the back corner that will be covered by the backsplash.

I started painting the baseboard trim last night. I used the ceiling paint by accident, so although it is the right colour, it isn't the right sheen. It looks great and I'll get going on a second coat one of these nights.

Day 106: 14 More Sleeps

The countdown is on! I have 3 more sleeps before the cabinets are delivered and 11 more sleeps after that before the installers come!

The last few tasks to do before installation:
- Seal the tile and grout -- Check
- Touch up the walls with paint
- Paint the trim

At any point I could be fixing the grout in the bathoom but I think I'll wait until I'm not using the bathroom to wash dishes or prepare food.

In other news, I won a 2GB iPod Nano at the IIBA dinner I attended last night! It is a second generation iPod which means it has a smaller display screen than the new G3 models, but I prefer the look of the G2's.

I decided to splurge on a speaker/docking system as I currently don't have a stereo or anything better than a set of computer speakers. So, I went shopping after work. I saw an Altec Lansing docking station for $149 at Future Shop and a Sony micro stereo on sale for $149 at London Drugs. I wanted one with a usb port so I could still play my Sony mp3 player and charge it at the same time. The Sony micro stereo fit the bill and it had a cd player so I can play regular CD's if I want. I didn't come to the decision on my own though -- Mikey helped me.

Now, if only I can get the iPod to stop saying "Do not disconnect." when I plug it in to the computer. Surely 9 hours was enough to charge it.

Day 95: I'll never do that again

If ever I talk about installing slate tile, or any other unglazed tile for that matter, shake me until I agree to go with lino.

This weekend I grouted and it was only slightly more fun and marginally less painful than actually laying the tile. Because the tiles were so rough and uneven (compared to glazed tile), the grout really stuck to the surface of the tile. This made it very hard to clean the tiles after grouting. About 3/4 of the way through, the pain in my wrists that I got from wringing the sponge and scrubbing became nearly intolerable. The only thing keeping me going was the fact that if I left it it would only be worse. Besides, I had a free meal to attend.

I came home from dinner to finish washing the tiles. There is still a hazy film left behind but I think I'll wait until the grout cures and just mop the damn floor. On my way home I stopped off to buy a heating pad for my poor back. It might be just the thing to train my body to sleep on my back.

I'm sure the floor looks great but I am too tired and sick of looking at it to care.

Before grouting, I installed baseboard moulding. It went in pretty smoothly, and I only mismeasured one piece about three times. I used the old fashioned hammer and nails and borrowed my brothers compound mitre saw. I set it up in the boiler room of my condo so I wouldn't get sawdust all over the heaps of dust covered kitchen stuff in my living room. It was also quieter for my nabours.

Most helpful were my good friends caulk and Durham (as in Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty). Together, they hide a miriad of imperfections! The worst wall was in the front hallway that I didn't even touch. There is about a 1/8" gap between the wall and the baseboards. I went with bulky but plain baseboards so I couldn't simply bend it to fit the concave wall.

Caulking cracks between the wall and trim/baseboards before painting is, for whatever reason, one of the best kept secrets out there. I've known about the trick for about 13 years and will never be without. Be sure you use the paintable stuff! I've even heard of someone smearing a very very very thin layer along the taped edge before painting stripes on the wall (to prevent seepage). I've yet to try it, but when I do, I'll report back.

As for Durham's, it cures quickly into, get this, a rock hard surface that can be sanded. I used it along those mitred edges on the outside corners. Speaking of which, there are a few outside corners that only have half a piece. I'll install the others when the living room and dining room get done...one day...and that day is far far away...

I've nearly settled on a plan for the backsplash -- tile! But not slate, at least not much slate. I plan to lay white 6x6 tiles with a few that have a cut out for a decorative tile. Enter the slate. I have a few thin pieces that, when cut into 1.5x1.5 squares, will be a great insert! I think it will be fantastic and will really tie in the floor. It is a far cry from beadboard which I had planned for the outset, but depending on how much tile there is, I may beadboard most of the backsplash and do the tile detail above the sink.

On a related note, Harbour City Kitchens called and the cupboards are still due for early Dec. They get delivered on the morning of the 3rd but we don't have an install date. I may have to wait until the 10th or as late as the 14th, but I've known that for some time.

At long last, some pictures: