Cabinet Takedown 2014

We're getting a bad reputation. Somehow, when we invite friends over, something winds up coming down. Like wallpaper.

Or kitchen cabinets.

Yesterday morning, Mike got a bee in his bum and took the trim off the top of the peninsula cabinets, along with some doors. I guess scrubbing the grout and grime around the shower door lost its luster and he wanted to see more impressive results? The cabinets were slotted for a spring project, but maybe the snow dancing outside our windows gave him cabin(et) fever.

Mike looked at me with his eager "It's Christmas!" grin and said, "What if the boys get bored tonight and want to take down the cabinets? Is that okay?"

Now, we definitely didn't invite our friends over with the intention of putting them to work, and I think this would be the last "enticing" project, unless someone has a hankering for tiling floors in the master bath. But I'd rather have a couple more people with us when we did pull the cabinets down, so I smiled and said sure, if that's what people wanted to do. Caveat be careful.

So here's a last look at the upper peninsula cabinets.

Photos shot on closing and walk through.

And now let's watch them go bye-bye.

At some point in taking the doors off, the men decided it'd be a good idea to label where each one went.

We had everything down save for a bent screw that just didn't want to come loose. It took some wiggling and cranking with a crowbar, and all women and men on deck, but then she came down in a nice easy piece.

Faces blurred.

We were concerned at one point, with a third of the screws still in, that construction adhesive had also been used. Thankfully that wasn't the case, though we still have some issues to contend with.

Since we plan on painting, this shouldn't be a problem,
but Mike's thinking of using some stain to blend it for the time being.

Cut across to even it out, or replace these last two with new tile?

The moment these cabinets came down, the kitchen completely changed. Light flooded everywhere, it felt huge and open, and we were pretty much giddy but off kilter, like when you step off a boat and now the ground feels like it's moving.

Um, yes, please! The bulkhead looks a little awkward right now, but we'll either put pendent lights up (and smooth out the bottom, or we'll cut it out. We'll need to drill a hole and use the camera to peek inside. Some people find insulation or ductwork, others find it's just boxed in frame with air. Cutting out the bulkhead will be a more intensive project, unfortunately. Decisions, decisions.

So, how about some before and afters?

Check that off the list. And to our friends out there, we won't make this a habit ... unless you want us to ;-)