GIVING YOUR KITCHEN A COMPLETE MAKE OVER…AND DOING IT ON A LOW BUDGET AT THAT— DEMOLITION: PHASE ONE Um Um good, good old home made banana pudding and chocolate cake. I can almost smell it now, the aroma slowly filling the air with delicious foods and tasty treats that makes your mouth watery just to think about it. And what about all the main entrees that go along with the tasty deserts? It’s no wonder that in our house the kitchen is our favorite place for food and good conversation and I suspect that is true for most American families…and probably for families around the world as well. What better place for friends and love ones to gather than in the kitchen for good things to eat and good things to drink. With mom in the kitchen mixing a whole lot of love with everything she prepares, how can it get any better than that?Practically every home, condominium, townhouse and apartment has a kitchen in it, however sometimes after years of much use and abuse, kitchens can become worn, outdated; no longer functional and in some cases down right depressing. Ceilings that have collected smoke, soot, dirt and even insect bile no longer make looking up a pleasant experience; not to mention drywall (sheetrock) that looks like it might fall down any given day. Walls that have accumulated layers of thick almost immovable grease and cooking oil that looks gross. And the floor looks like it has been a long, long time ago since it was new and attractive looking. You see, kitchens take more abuse and have to endure some of the most extreme conditions, unlike any other room in your home, therefore, it is only natural that over time it will need a complete upgrade and that is what this article is all about. We did a kitchen total make over for one of our clients and we are going to tell you just how we did it…and on a very meager budget as well. Perhaps, this can be some sought of informative guide that can help you with your kitchen make over—at least we hope it does. So sit back and take a ride with us as we offer pointers and tips on how you can transform your kitchen into a beautiful new and exciting place for a much lower cost than if you hired a contractor to do it. Let’s get started.DEMOLITION: OUT WITH THE OLDBefore you can begin implementing new and exciting changes to your kitchen you must first take the time and get rid of the old. When it comes to demolition I like to begin at the top and work my with down, in other words, I like to start with the ceiling and work my way down to the floor. Your approach may be just the opposite and if that is what you’re comfortable doing than so be it. But before you begin make sure you have on all your safety gear and safety goggles on. The operative word is safety and working safely is paramount to everything else. If you need to file a permit with your local officials by all means do so. And if you feel uncomfortable doing this type of work hire a contractor. This type of work is dirty and nasty and it can be very, very dangerous; so be careful and avoid any and all accidents. We do this for a living and we abide by these same rules and safety measures that I’m giving you, so practice safety every step of the way.Before I begin to tear out the old drywall in the ceiling, I remove the lighting fixture in the ceiling and then I cover the expose electrical wires with electrical tape or electrical twist caps. If need be, go to your breaker box and turn off the electricity that leads to the kitchen. Again, if you’re uncomfortable doing this, then be sure to contact a reputable contractor and leave all the cares and responsibilities for him to deal with. This type of work is not for everybody and everybody is not comfortable doing it. But for those who are and those who want to do it than let’s continue on. Generally speaking, when it comes to tearing out old drywall you can use any number of tools to get the job done, but I prefer to use a hammer and sometimes even a shovel. Ceilings are usually eight feet high and higher, so I use a tool that allows me to stand on the floor and reach up and tear the drywall out. If your ceilings are higher you may need the use of a stepladder or even scaffolding, it just depends on what is more comfortable for you. Most of the tools use for demolition can be rented from your local rental center, or you can buy tools and equipment from your neighborhood home improvement center—the options are open.Once the drywall has been removed from your ceiling you will need to go on and remove the nails/screws that held the drywall in place. Simply remove the nails with a hammer and the screws with a screw gun/cordless drill. You must remove all nails and screws from the ceiling joists in order to install the new drywall.By now all the appliances, cookware, dishes and counter top items should have been removed from the room, if not, you should do it now. If you can’t remove your stove and refrigerator make sure it is covered well. It would be ideal to have everything removed from the room, however, sometimes that is not an option; so all that you cannot remove from the room just make sure it is completely covered to protect it from dirt, dust and flying debris. If your ceiling is a plaster ceiling and it is in need of repair, you might want to call a plaster contractor to take a look at it, but if it is in relatively good condition with the exception being a few hair line cracks then you should be able to do that yourself. And if you have a ceiling that is wood then by all means check to see if the wood is warped: bowed; broken; splintered or just plain old ugly; if so, it should be repaired or removed. In order to give your ceiling a fresh new attractive look you must do away with the old and start anew.DEMOLITION: PHASE TWOWith the ceiling completely removed and the ceiling joists cleaned of old nails/screws we can proceed to remove the walls. This can be difficult to do if some of your large appliances are still in place. Getting behind the refrigerator and stove will be hard to do with them still in place, but if you are doing a complete make over to your kitchen then nothing should be left in place. You really have to find a place to store your large appliances as well as the smaller ones. If you are going to replace them then you should be able to get the company that’s delivering your new appliances to carry them off for you, if not, then you might have to arrange to have an independent trash hauler pick them up for you at an additional charge, I’m just not sure how that works in your area. But if you plan to reuse them as part of your new kitchen decor then make sure they are well covered and protected. Plastic covering should suffice, but be sure to use multiple layers of plastic for added protection. Make sure the dishwasher has been disconnected and moved out of the room and remember to turn off the water supply line so that you will not flood your home and possibly your neighbors as well. This part can get really serious so you might need to consult with a plumber to assist you and removing faucets and so forth. Remember, if you’re unfamiliar with this aspect of demolition don’t hesitate to call in a professional plumber that is reputable in your area. You could be in for a very large lawsuit(s) if you make a mistake in this area, so tread these waters with the utmost of care.TEARING OUT THE CABINETS AND WALLSSomehow old kitchen cabinets really get a bad rap, although for years when they were in their prime they were the darling of the kitchen, they were loved and adored, but now that many moons have come and gone and they have lost their luster and charm, they have become the scorn of many a housewife. So now is the time to say good riddance to them—both top and bottom set. They are no longer needed or wanted and the time has come for their demise. Say goodbye to your old friends and let the demolition commence. And now that they have been completely removed somehow your kitchen look miraculously larger…and much more roomier. This can only start your imagination to begin running non stop at all the possibilities for your new kitchen make over, but wait a minute there we have more work to do…much more work to do.Before you begin taking out the old walls in your kitchen, first check to see if there is any baseboards, trim or even shoe moulding that needs to be removed before you proceed. If indeed it is then by all means remove it before you attempt to tear out the walls; it will make it much more easier to do then to leave the trim and baseboards in place. This is also a good time to remove all doors and door casing too. You really don’t want any hindrance when it comes to tearing out your walls. Again, a good hammer will suffice when it comes to tearing out your walls, but you may prefer a sledge hammer or a short handle shovel, or a crow bar; whatever feel comfortable and workable for you—use that. Make sure the electricity is still off because you don’t won’t to be electrocuted due to negligence on your part, so be ever watchful and stay alert. Like the ceiling, you must remove all the old drywall that’s covering your studs in order to facilitate a complete kitchen make over. So get rid of all that old drywall and start fresh. If there are some pieces and panels of drywall that looks good, then by all means allow it to remain, but in my opinion it would just be best to remove the remaining pieces/panels and go with all new drywall.REMOVING THE FLOORINGWith everything practically cleaned out of the kitchen there should be only one thing left—the floor. Whatever it is; vinyl, linoleum, ceramic tile, natural stone, or whatever, it must be removed in order to make way for the new flooring. If you choose to keep it; that might be a viable option if it is stable and in good condition, that is good enough condition to apply a new floor on top of it without causing a problem or premature floor failure. I personally like to remove all existing flooring to avoid any possible problems down the road and not only that but I am just as concern with the subflooring that lies underneath the finish floor. And my concerns don’t stop there because the foundation is the key to a successful flooring project. It doesn’t matter what type of flooring you choose to install, one thing is for sure, if your foundation is bad your flooring project will subsequently end in failure…and that’s a written guarantee you can bank on. Make sure your foundation is solid and level and ready to receive a finish floor on top of it. If you need to call out a foundation contractor don’t neglect to do it.Assuming that you have chosen to remove your old finish flooring, make sure you have done it thoroughly.DEMOLITION:CONCLUSIONIn your quest to remodel/renovate your kitchen it is imperative that you remove the old in order to make room for the new. Personally, I really do enjoy doing demolition work. Although it is hot and sweaty work (doesn’t matter what season of the year), I truly enjoy removing the old and making way for the new. But in caution just let me say this: demolition is not a time for indiscriminate destruction, instead, it is a time for careful planning and even more carefulness when it comes to executing your plans. Demolition can be a real opportunity for irreversible destruction cause by a careless worker that’s working in a mindless way. Instead of using this as an opportunity to get familiar with the anatomy of your kitchen, a foolish person will use this as an opportunity to vent rage or worst to have fun. Both attitudes or inappropriate for this type of work and both attitudes are responsible for countless injuries and many deaths that have occurred while doing demolition work. So be smart and stay safe.Disclaimer: This author assumes no responsibility for any injuries or deaths that might occur base on the content of this article. This article is written for the sole purpose of informing and entertaining. Please be advise to call a reputable contractor in your area. Thank you.About the AuthorDonald Thomas is owner and CEO of AMERICAN PAINTING AND PRESSURE CLEANING,INC.He has been in the home improvement business since 1984. Please feel free to visit our website for more full length feature articles and a whole lot of neat tools and equipment. http://www.americanpaintingandpressurecleaninginc.com
