Monday, March 12, 2012

Home improvement never really ends...

So, after five months of hotel living, during which time my house was full of various contractors, construction workers, and carpenters, you would think that there was nothing left to do with regard to home improvement. You'd think that once we had the leak in the breakfast nook under the bathroom and another month and a half of contractors in and out re-plumbing, dry walling, plastering, and painting would REALLY have knocked everything out and left me with no projects to tackle... WRONG.

You see, the kitchen had just been replastered the week before the fire. I had ripped out the horrid paneling and stripped out old wallpaper, and the plasterer had been finished with his gig less than a week before all hell broke loose. No kidding. It was still freshly primed and awaiting paint, I had planned on painting it that weekend, but the fire was on a Thursday afternoon... And firemen with all their equipment and such were not expected to be particularly careful while running in and out to deal with the problem that was my burning house.

The contractor who saw that the fire damage was repaired also made sure that the kitchen got repainted, so that was a nice little bonus. But when all was said and done, the cabinets were as old and shabby looking as ever, because they weren't damaged enough by smoke to warrant replacing. And so I have done my homework and figured out what I want done, and purchased some supplies so that I can make my kitchen as sexy and sleek as the rest of the house.

For the record, the prep work (arguably the most important part) has been a HUGE pain in the ass but I'm hoping that the results justify the leg work in the end... We should know for sure in a little over a week or so.

4 comments:

bun(s) said...

We're not happy with our cabinets either, but neither of us want to stipe/prime/paint or mess with any part of them. So we'll look at the 20 year old, dark stained cupboards until we save enough for new ones.

Good luck. Pics of the finished product?

Lizzle said...

Once they are done I will post pics, and while I will say that this project has been a huge pain in the ass, I would much rather spend $200 on new hardware, chemical stripper, primer, sanding blocks, good oil-based paint, good brushes and painter's tape than dropping $10K on new cabinets... Mine might be 60+ years old and original to the house, but they aren't worn out yet! They just need some love!

bun(s) said...

That's true. And if we decide to do something we'll probably go the same route. Did you really post that message at 4:58 am? That would be insane in the membrane... unless you're a throwback hipster on a psychedelic, magic, carpet ride...

Lizzle said...

Yeah, I'm a night owl... I don't really get kickin' on my best work until the wee morning hours. Fortunately, I have a very understanding boss who keeps equally odd hours.