Underlayment Removal

Now that the kitchen portion of the project is basically done I cleared out the dining room and started prepping the floor for tile. The existing particle board needed to be ripped up so that I can replace it with plywood later.

I pulled up the carpet and pad and then set the circular saw to 5/8ths and cut some seems in the particle board to make it easier to pry up. I then started in the corner with a prybar and flat shovel and ripped all that nasty stuff up.

It actually pulled up pretty easily. Heres a picture with the particle board removed and all the nails pulled. The subfloor is 1/2 of 5/8ths plywood and its not nailed down very well which explains why my floor always felt bouncy and make so much noise. I'm going to have to secure this layer with a few pounds of screws prior to laying anything else on top of it.

DIY Countertop Attempt 2 - Success

I couldn't live with the marks on the first countertop edge so I thought I'd give it another shot and start over. I didn't have quite enough particle board to for a solid two layers so I cut out a solid top and added some blocking to the back to build up the thickness.

I used the first attempt countertop as a template and cut out the new top with the flush trim bit.



I then flipped it over and glued and screwed blocking in place to make up the full inch and a half. Once that was dry I used the flush trim bit to trim the blocking down to shape. One theory on why the edge got messed up when trimming last time is that the edges weren't quite square so this time I flipped the whole piece right side up and ran another pass with the flush trim bit from the top. I think this actually helped quite a bit.



Lon came over to help again for this part and we got the edge strip on trimmed flush. This time we set the top edge as close to flush as we could and then used files and a sanding block to bring it flush which avoided having to use the router on both sides of the edge. We also used Lon's plunge router this time and the better depth control made things a lot easier.



Same as before...apply the contact cement to both pieces and take a picture while waiting for it to setup. We also applied a layer of packing tape to the edge to help protect it from getting damaged again while trimming the top.



We again used some scraps of wood to help line up the top and then rolled it on working from the center out. Once it was stuck down we used the router to trim the edges. This time I actually tried to leave a little bit extra especially around the corners. I then came back with the file and carefully cleaned them up by hand.



Here is the final product, there are a few areas where I went just a bit to deep when filing the edges but its barely visible and much better than the last attempt.



The next project was to trim out the toe kick under the sink. I had to allow for an vent register and also build up the front enough to cover the gap I mistakenly left between the tile and the vent duct...



3/4 plywood with some extra 1/8" spacers built up enough thickness.



I then glued and stapled the veneer, installed the register, and finished up the corner with a piece of oak trim that I stained to match.

DIY Countertop Attempt 1

One of the last major tasks remaining before I can call my kitchen remodel complete is to finish the small peninsula countertop. Since its an odd shape I either needed to order it custom or build it from scratch and it turned out to be pretty expensive to order custom so I thought I'd try building it from scratch. It can't be that hard right :)

I started by cutting the basic rectangle out of high density particle board, I then used a circle jig for my router to create a template to round off 3 of the corners. I then clamped this template to the each of the 3 corners of the rectangle and used a flush trim bit to copy that shape to the actual countertop. Once this was done I glued and screwed a second sheet particle board, slightly oversized, to the first and again used the flush trim bit and router to cut the 2nd piece to match. The picture above shows the finished substrate.

Next I applied contact cement to the edge of the countertop. Since the edges of the particle board are very porous it took 3 coats. I then cut down a thin strip of laminate and applied contact cement to it as well.



After letting the contact adhesive setup for 15 minutes I applied the smaller edge strip and pressed it on with the J-roller. I was surprised how well the contact adhesive works...sticky stuff. I then followed the same steps with for the large edge except I had Lon help hold the laminate straight while I applied it around the edge.



Here you can see how I used the flush trim bit to route off the excess laminate around the edges. The plexiglass "thingy" is actually my circle jig, I put it on since it provided a more stable base while routing along the thin edges of the countertop.



This picture shows a test fit of the countertop after trimming the excess laminate from the edges. Lon's dog Tana and Echo are posing in the background.



I then applied contact cement to the top surface and sheet of laminate and use some scrap sticks to help position it. I then worked it from the center outward using the J-roller. The picture above is after the top was applied but before the edges were trimmed.



Here you can see the overlap.

The flush trim bit trimmed off the excess nicely, except for one small problem...

The edge along one of the corners wasn't perfectly square which caused the router to just nick the surface of the laminate along the edge... This was pretty disappointing mostly because I never expected to get this far without some other rookie mistake. Now I'm trying to decide whether I try to apply a new edge strip, start over with a new substrate, or just leave it since its only a duplex anyway...I'm leaning towards starting over and using this countertop as a template.



On a positive note, I got the back of the cabinets trimmed and that turned out pretty nicely.

Dishwasher and Sink

So I finally have a functional kitchen again, there is still a bunch of little things to take care of but at least the appliances our out of the living room and I can cook and wash dishes again. Here are a couple pictures.

The dishwasher fit nicely and went in without a hitch.

The sink on the other hand was a pain. I think next time I might mount the sink to the countertop and then install the whole assembly to the cabinets all at once. The little clips that hold the sink in place are a pain to line up and tighten down while laying upside down inside the cabinet. Ah well...at least its done.

Countertops Etc.

The kitchen is looking more and more like a kitchen each day. Here are the latest pics.

The new light fixture is now mounted above the sink.

Here you can see the cleats I screwed to the floor to mount the last cabinet.

Here you can see the cabinets installed with the small section of countertop mounted, the range hood, and the stove back in the kitchen.

Here I am assembling the dishwasher side wall. The stain actually matched the cabinets nicely.

I cut the countertop to length and cut out the sink hole. I was a bit nervous that the laminate would chip but with a fine toothed blade on the circular saw it cut fairly cleanly.

And here I am test fitting the sink, thankfully everything fits.

1808 Kitchen Remodel Part 1

I'm finally uploading pictures of the 1808 W Kamps kitchen and lower bath remodel I've been working on. This project was started in late February of 2009.

The first step was to patch the hole in the kitchen ceiling left from the upper bath remodel. There haven't been any plumbing leaks in the last year so it should be safe to finally close this up.

Echo thought it would be a good idea to nap in the dust from the drywall mud...

Here is the bathroom before. I can't believe that 29 years ago someone thought that a bright orange countertop was a good idea.

Here is the bathroom with the fixtures removed. Gotta love the random shades of paint...

This beautiful floor was a nice find underneath the top layer of vinyl. Again...who ever thought this looked good?

At least the top layer of vinyl was laid over thin plywood so it was relatively easy to pull up.

Echo is helping remove some of the old particle board cabinets.

I found a flat shovel to be very useful in removing the multiple layers of vinyl. I still can't get over how ugly that stuff is.

The original vinyl was glued right to the plywood subfloor. The plastic wearlayer actually seperated from the paper backing fairly easily. The paper backing and adhesive came up fairly easily after soaking it with water for a few hours.

My living room looks like a home depot with all the materials and appliances sitting around.

The ugly particle board cabinets are finally coming out.

Not sure why it was necessary to bust all those holes in the wall to run that one wire but I guess if there covered up by the cabinets who cares.

Removing the sink and countertop.


The last of the cabinets are finally gone! What a mess.


A fresh coat of paint and new light fixture in the bathroom.


I had used a heat gun and power sander to remove the old mastic from the tile backsplash. I then had to patch the area with drywall mud and match the sand texture. After a new coat of paint it doesn't look half bad.


With the walls finally painted I could start prepping for the tile. Here you can see how the Schluter Ditra is set in a thin layer of modified thinset. I previously used concrete backer board underlayment for the upper bath tile floor and can say that the Ditra was much easier to work with. It also saved me enough height that I won't have to raise my entry doors at all. Great stuff.


The Ditra bonds to the plywood subfloor with modified thinset. The thinset embeds itself into the fleece backing pretty easily if you mix it a bit loose.


Did I mention its much lighter and easier to cut than concrete backer board?


Here you can see the entire floor prepped and layout lines drawn.


Another view of the beautiful orange floor.


Hear I just finished setting all the full tiles in the bath.

I then continued out into the kitchen using my layout lines to ensure everything was square and straight.

Half way done with the full tiles.

Skipping all the cut tiles allowed me to work a lot faster and avoid wasting a whole bucket of thinset while screwing around measuring and cutting. The challenge is that its more likely the left out tiles won't line up perfectly so I tried to rely on the layout lines as much as possible.

At this point my back and knees hurt so I stopped to take a picture.

All the full tiles are set and I'm done for the day. Luckily Echo is scared of buckets among other things so I could setup a simple dog barrier.

After letting the full tiles set for 48 hours I started cutting the partials. I bought a Felker TM-75 wetsaw for the previous bathroom remodel and after this project it will have officially paid for itself compared to renting one.

Test fitting more of the cut tiles.

I wasn't sure how I was going to trim the edge of the tile and subfloor at the basement stairs but I found another schluter product at home depot that was the perfect solution.

The Rondec-Step is an aluminum trim piece that finishes off both the tile edge and the exposed plywood subfloor.

Here you can see how the Rondec-Step sets into the thinset under the tiles.

I forgot to undercut the door jambs before setting the tile and as I was doing that managed to chip one of the tiles. Oops.

I decided to bite the bullet and bust out the chipped tile now. I tried to crack the tile with a hammer and chisel to get it out but it wouldn't crack. The hammer and chisel barely scratched the glaze. I ended up using a prybar to pop the tile up in pieces. I'm actually glad I chipped that tile because the difficulty I had in breaking and removing it gave me a lot of confidence in the durability of the tile and in the robustness of the Ditra underlayment.

With all the prying and pulling involved in removing the tile the Ditra started to pull away from the subfloor a bit. I decided it would be best to pull it up as well rather than deal with a cracked tile or grout later.

The thinset actually scraped off relatively easily with a 5" drywall knife.

Before setting all the cut tile pieces I mixed up a small batch of modified thinset to patch the Ditra.

With the Ditra patched I mixed up a half bag of un-modified thinset and started setting the cut tiles.

Here is the bathroom with all the tile set.

Working into the kitchen...

...and the tile is now set.

After waiting another 48 hours I grouted the floor. This was by far the most physically demanding part of the project. Getting the grout into the joints is actually fairly easy. Its removing the excess from the tile that takes FOREVER. I made a point to use as little water as possible to clean the excess grout as this is what caused my grout to discolor when I did the upstairs bath. Lesson learned.

In these pictures the grout is just starting to cure so its a few shades darker than it will be.

Prepping the poop-hole for the new toilet. The existing flange was still solid so I decided to leave it as is and tile around it. Since its no longer on top of the finished floor I used two wax rings to make up the gap when setting the toilet.

The toilet is set and vanity installed. Its starting to look like a bathroom again.

Here you can see the grout color after curing for a few days. I was a bit worried that it would be too dark but after curing I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. So far being careful to not use too much water while grouting seems to have paid off, there is some color variation but nowhere near the blotchiness I had with the upstairs bath.