Backsplash

This took a total of three Saturdays to install.... two of them were for the cutting and mounting (Dom and Laura), and the third for the grouting (Laura solo). Laura went back a weekend later for the final caulking. This is just about the last detail to complete the kitchen. Here is a look at our progress:

Laying out the tiles... measure twice, cut once, as the saying goes.








Mostly finished tile at the right of the sink, above the dishwasher....



A couple weeks later, the tile is now grouted. That's a dark green glass tile around the decorative flowers. This ties in with the leaves of the stained glass piece in the corner cabinet.




The focal point pattern at the stove, complete with spacers to keep the tiles correctly spaced.



The same location as above, but now with grout complete....



This is the little space on the island between the lowest level and the counter-height level. The total height is 3 1/2 inches.

More progress

Cabinets are in, as is recessed lighting and microwave....



Floor sub-base material installed over 2 old vinyl floors....




New floor in, except for the listello border which was installed last. We needed more length of the border so had to wait for it to come in. Dominick used lumber as a place holder so all the tiles could be placed perfectly.




Finishing touches on the arch shape at the pass-through, photo taken from the dining room side.

Before and After

Thought it would be fun to show before and after shots. What a transformation!

Nearly complete kitchen

A nice shot of the island and the pantry/fridge area. The bar seats 4, just as the former dinette table did. See the pretty mini-pendant lights? The island has 3 levels and 2 counter materials for variety and style.



More of the new maple cabinets and appliances. Note the arch shape in the pass-through. The tile backsplash is the only thing not yet complete.




Around the corner from the shot above. Note the undermount sink, goose-neck faucet, and appliance garage.




And here is the new island. The low area is for bread-making, since there is no longer a table (which is the proper height for dough-kneading). We used the same cabinet style as the main kitchen, but in a finish called "oyster" for contrast.



This wine rack is under the cherry wood bar counter. The bar extends far enough so that knees will not knock into the bottles. We had enough space for some small shelves on either side, too.



Small desk area where old pantry used to be. There will be book shelves installed here, for cookbooks.




A nice shot of the new porcelain tile floor.




Close up of the stained glass insert that Gloria's brother Dominick made. He was the talent responsible for the entire kitchen construction.




The far corner of the kitchen , showing a small table perfect for Gloria and a friend to play cards or Scrabble.

Wall cabinet Installation

New pantry unit going in. The refrigerator will be next to the pantry. The range/microwave unit used to be there.

This shot also shows the old vinyl flooring, the fluorescent light, and pendant light.



The corner lazy-susie cabinet and surrounding wall cabinets. Previous corner cabinet had stationary shelves. Note that we didn't bother removing the wallpaper border, since the cabinets will be ceiling height.




The microwave will be mounted under this cabinet. The new range will be below it.

Construction proceeds

The same wall where the doorway and pantry formerly were, as shown in the demolition entry. The new wall, pushed back about 7 inches from the previous location, creates just enough room for the cabinetry that was selected. To maintain an open feel and function to pass through to the dining room, a half wall was installed.




Left portion of the same wall. Note the insulation at the left... this is how much the wall was pushed back. The former wall was approximately 19" in depth, from the kitchen to the dining room, to house 4 duct runs and some drain pipe. It is now 12 inches deep. We had to be creative to get the ducts relocated and studs squeezed between them. To beef up the strength of the wall where the cabinets were to hang, we used plywood instead of dry wall.

You can see the old cabinet and counter, and a bit of the old sink, in the left of this photo.




Here is a shot of the revised closet. We narrowed it from 30" to 24" in width so that we'd get the floor space we'd need in the kitchen.

Demolition Day

This wall formerly had a cabinet on the left, fridge in the middle (in front of the pipe and ductwork), and a doorway to the dining room. The door is covered with a tarp for dust control.



Here is the continuation of the same wall. The right-most item was the old pantry, which was simply some narrow wooden shelves and a bi-fold door (still propped in the old pantry unit).

At the far right you also see the old console, a nice Crate and Barrel piece which goes with the round table and chairs. The table and console were sacrificed in favor of the new island. You can also see a bit of the old rose-colored wallpaper.