Original Condition

The hardwood floor was in rough shape, mainly in one area near the island. I don't like hardwood in the kitchen, mainly due to the issues with spills. I will eventually replace the hardwood with porcelain tile.

The previous owner took the dishwasher and trash compactor, leaving gaping holes where they once lived. He also ripped out the floor of the undersink cabinet, from what looks like water damage. The right side of that cabinet buckled at the dado joint for the floor, and the left side was seriously damaged when the floor was ripped out. The toe kick plate for this cabinet was not attached to anything, it was just propped in position. Said, given that the base of this cabinet acted as an HVAC duct.

The ceiling fan over the dining area had 2 bad light bulb sockets.

The cooktop was in rough shape but sort of works. I will be replacing it.

It looks to me like there was originally a double wall oven, and later they were replaced with a single wall oven and a microwave. While these appliances work, the microwave wasn't trimmed in properly and I don't like it (it's slow to respond to the control buttons due to some poor software engineering). I will later install a double wall oven.

Both of the R12 light bulbs in recessed fixtures were burned out. The one over the sink was broken.

There was a mix of compact flourescent and incandescent BR30 bulbs in the 8 recessed ceiling fixtures.

The ceiling fan switch was intermittent. The dimmer for the 4-way circuit for the ceiling fan light was also intermittent. Some of the wall plates were cracked, one had a large piece broken off.

My Fixes

I replaced the ceiling fan.

I have replaced all of the light switches and dimmers with Lutron Maestro versions. Some are now occupancy-sensing dimmers. I replaced the fan control with a Lutron Maestro digital fan control. I replaced the switches for the R12 recessed fixtures over the counter with Lutron Maestro digital dimmers.

I replaced the eight BR30 light bulbs in the recessed ceiling fixtures with Cree 60W-equivalent 2700K LED bulbs. I replaced the broken R12 bulbs with LED versions.

I created a new undersink cabinet from scratch with oak plywood, oak boards and a piece of real oak laminate. I used a new solid brass HVAC register from Signature Hardware that has a brushed nickel finish. The new cabinet is MUCH stronger than the original, and I re-used the original solid wood facing so it perfectly matches the other cabinets. I installed a 1/4" thick piece of chemical-resistant PVC on the floor of this cabinet. I installed a Rev-A-Shelf 58-15C-5 pull-out basket on the left side and built a custom pull-out drawer on the right side that rides on Blum 569R bottom-mount glides. No more rooting around in a dark cabinet to find a cleaning supply.

I installed a Bosch SHX68T55UC 800 Series dishwasher. It has a third rack for cutlery, and is all stainless and very quiet.

I installed a Kohler Barossa faucet and soap dispenser. The original faucet was leaking like a sieve from the control handle and the faucet base (two separate pieces), and had a non-functional side sprayer in a very awkward position (between the sink bowls). The new faucet has a pull-down sprayer with magnetic docking. I may or may not keep the faucet long-term, but it was available locally and at $199.00 was cheaper than the other faucets I was considering.

I installed a new decora receptacle under the sink for the garbage disposal. The original receptacle's contacts were severely corroded, probably from water from the leaky faucet. The wall cutout was also too large, so the receptacle was not well-supported. By using a decora style outlet and a thick cast metal wall plate, I now have a solid receptacle.

To fill the space formerly occupied by a trash compactor, I built a new cabinet from scratch with birch plywood and red oak. This cabinet has a Rev-A-Shelf 5349-2150DM-217 pull-out waste container setup in it. Two 50-quart bins, one for trash and one for recyclables. Both have lids, the one for recyclables is green. I lined the floor of this cabinet with a piece of 1/4" thick chemical-resistant PVC, which is on top of a piece of .080" thick acrylic just to bring the floor flush with the edge of the cabinet fascia. I ordered a custom cabinet door for it from quikdrawers.com. This cabinet setup is MUCH better than a trash compactor IMHO. It's simpler, it won't fail in a power outage, and it accomodates recyclables.

I replaced the cabinet door and drawer bumpers with Quietex bumpers. The original bumpers were overdue for replacement; some were almost gone and many were sticky. The Quietex bumpers are the nicest bumpers I've ever used. They're very quiet, and with a small contact point, they don't stick.

I installed five Pass & Seymour 1595NTLTRWCC4 GFCI outlets. One on each side of the sink above the counter, one at each end of the dining table and one in the island. These have built-in LED nightlights, so I can disable the motion sensor on the recessed lighting and still find my way through the kitchen at night. I will likely install more, since there are other outlets that need to be replaced. They are not cheap, but I've come to really appreciate them.

My Plans

I intend to install a range hood in the tile arch, and a 36" induction cooktop in the counter beneath it. It's unclear to me what happened here... the arch and tile work was clearly intended for a cooktop, but the builder put the cooktop (downdraft, sigh) in the island.

I intend to fill the area under the desk with a cabinet. This will hold my KitchenAid mixer and my large slow cooker.

I intend to modify the island to have a contiguous top instead of the flimsy split-level setup, and to have room for cutting board storage and a beverage center or wine refrigerator. I will replace the cooktop with a prep sink.

I intend to refinish the floor, though I may later replace it with porcelain tile.

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Manuals

Pictures

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Wish List

Kitchen Wish List by Vendor

www.amazon.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Nest Protect S2001BW	Battery powered smoke and CO detector, white	S2001BW	1	$99.00	$99.00
  Pass & Seymour 1595NTLTRWCC4	15A GFCI outlet with nightlight, white	1595NTLTRWCC415	7	$17.86	$125.02
  Total					$224.02

www.uswatersystems.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  US Water APRO-5100-P14	Aquapurion 100 GPD high pressure permeate pump reverse osmosis system	APRO-5100-P14	1	$549.95	$549.95
  Total					$549.95

www.abt.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Bosch NGM8055UC	30" gas cooktop	NGM8055UC	1	$899.10	$899.10
  Total					$899.10

www.ajmadison.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  U-Line U2224BEVX	24" wide beverage center	U2224BEVX	1	$1979.00	$1979.00
  Futuro Futuro WL36RAINBOW	36" wall mount range hood, 940cfm	WL36RAINBOW	1	$1395.00	$1395.00
  Total					$3374.00

www.lowes.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Rev-A-Shelf 58-15C-5	pull--out cabinet basket for undersink cabinet	58-15C-5	1	$54.97	$54.97
  Total					$54.97

www.garrettwade.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Garrett Wade 23K01.31	5-piece vix bit set for hinges	23K01.31	1	$29.95	$29.95
  Total					$29.95

Totals by Vendor

• Vendor	Total
  www.amazon.com	$224.02
  www.uswatersystems.com	$549.95
  www.abt.com	$899.10
  www.ajmadison.com	$3374.00
  www.lowes.com	$54.97
  www.garrettwade.com	$29.95
  Total	$5131.99

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Kitchen Purchases

The following tables show the parts I've bought for the kitchen. This list isn't complete.

Kitchen Purchases by Category

Appliances

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Bosch SHX68T55UC	800 Series 44dB dishwasher with stainless tub, 3rd rack	SHX68T55UC	1	$771.88	$771.88
  Total					$771.88

Electrical

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron MA-FQ4FM-WH	Maestro 7-speed Digital Fan Control, White	MA-FQ4FM-WH	1	$52.96	$52.96
  Lutron MSCL-OP153M-WH	Maestro C-L 150-Watt Occupancy-sensing Dimmer for entrance light and recessed lights	MSCL-OP153M-WH	2	$36.87	$73.74
  Lutron MACL-153M-WH	Maestro 150-Watt Multi-Location CFL/LED Digital Dimmer for fan light, island light and back porch	MACL-153M-WH	5	$28.57	$142.85
  Lutron MA-R-WH	Maestro Companion Dimmer for fan light	MA-R-WH	2	$21.31	$42.62
  Lutron CA-4PSH-WH	Claro 4-way switch, gloss white	CA-4PSH-WH	1	$18.74	$18.74
  Baldwin 4742.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge quad GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4742.150.CD	1	$18.53	$18.53
  Pass & Seymour 1595NTLTRWCC4	15A GFCI outlet with nightlight, white	1595NTLTRWCC4	5	$17.86	$89.30
  Baldwin 4740.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge triple GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4740.150.CD	2	$15.21	$30.42
  Baldwin 4741.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge double GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4741.150.CD	1	$13.79	$13.79
  Baldwin 4754.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge single GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4754.150.CD	3	$11.39	$34.17
  Lutron CA-3PS-WH	Claro 15A 3-way switch, white for outdoor light	CA-3PS-WH	1	$8.30	$8.30
  Lutron CA-1PSH-WH	Claro 15A single-pole switch, white for garbage disposal	CA-1PSH-WH	1	$6.65	$6.65
  Baldwin 4754.150.CD (order #2)	classic square beveled edge single GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4754.150.CD	17	$6.04	$102.68
  Hampton Bay W10244-SN-UH	Solid zinc decorator wall plate with nickel finish for garbage disposal receptacle	W10244-SN-UH	1	$5.99	$5.99
  Leviton R62-16252-0WS	Decora Plus 15A outlet, white, for garbage disposal	R62-16252-0WS	1	$4.99	$4.99
  Total					$645.73

Lighting

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Hunter 21362	Stonington 46" brushed nickel ceiling fan with light kit	21362	1	$89.97	$89.97
  Cree BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U100	9.5W (65W equivalent) BR30 2700K LED bulb	BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U100	9	$19.97	$179.73
  Utilitech LR16DMLED	6.5W (40W equivalent) R16 soft white LED bulb	LR16DMLED	2	$17.98	$35.96
  Cree BA19-08027OMN-12DE26-1U100	13.5W (60W equivalent) A19 2700K 93 CRI LED bulb	BA19-08027OMN-12DE26-1U100	6	$15.97	$95.82
  Total					$401.48

Plumbing

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Kohler K-R776-SD-VS	Barossa pull-down kitchen faucet with soap dispenser, vibrant stainless	K-R776-SD-VS	1	$199.00	$199.00
  Total					$199.00

Trash Can Cabinet

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Rev-A-Shelf 5349-2150DM-217	pull-out double 50-quart trash can with door mounts	5349-2150DM-217	1	$274.66	$274.66
  24"x24" .25" thick dark gray chemical resistant PVC sheet	for floor of trash can cabinet	8747K148	1	$29.76	$29.76
  2'x4' 3/4" thick birch plywood	birch plywood for cabinet sides and bottom	1503006	3	$19.98	$59.94
  Rev-A-Shelf RV-50-LID-17-1	silver lid for 50-quart trash can	RV-50-LID-17-1	1	$15.46	$15.46
  Rev-A-Shelf RV-50-LID-G-1	green lid for 50-quart trash can	RV-50-LID-G-1	1	$15.46	$15.46
  2'x4' 1/2" thick birch plywood	birch plywood for cabinet back	1503004	1	$14.95	$14.95
  Minwax Satin Polyurethane, 1 quart	polyurethane for cabinet sides and floor	63010	1	$10.77	$10.77
  18"x24" .080" thick clear acrylic sheet	for floor of trash can cabinet	11G0670A	1	$10.28	$10.28
  1"x6" oak board	oak boards for cabinet base, priced per foot	0017145	24	$3.12	$74.88
  Style Selections 1.25" brushed satin nickel mushroom cabinet knob	knob for trash can cabinet door	D1693SN1	1	$2.87	$2.87
  1"x3" oak board	oak boards for cabinet face, priced per foot	0017115	12	$1.75	$21.00
  1"x2" oak board	oak boards for cabinet face, priced per foot	0017100	12	$1.12	$13.44
  Total					$543.47

Hardware/Wood

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Rev-A-Shelf 58-15C-5	pull--out cabinet basket for undersink cabinet	58-15C-5	1	$54.97	$54.97
  Signature Hardware 921168	4" x 10" antique solid brass brushed nickel wall register	921168	2	$32.95	$65.90
  Signature Hardware 921176	2.25" x 10" antique solid brass brushed nickel wall register	921176	1	$27.95	$27.95
  1x6 oak board	oak boards for sink cabinet repair	1053	3	$23.15	$69.45
  PJ111	2'x4' 3/4" thick oak plywood for sink cabinet repair	PJ111	3	$20.67	$62.01
  Cabot 144.0008065.005	1 quart quick dry sanding sealer for sink cabinet repair	144.0008065.005	1	$16.77	$16.77
  PJ117	2'x4' 1/2" thick oak plywood for sink cabinet repair	PJ117	1	$14.93	$14.93
  Cabot 144.0008042.005	1 quart satin spar varnish for sink cabinet repair	144.0008065.005	1	$14.29	$14.29
  Hafele 343.90.700	pie-cut corner hinge for lazy susan	343.90.700	2	$8.99	$17.98
  1x2 oak board	oak boards for sink cabinet repair	08390	2	$7.37	$14.74
  Total					$358.99

Totals by Category

• Category	Total
  Appliances	$771.88
  Electrical	$645.73
  Lighting	$401.48
  Plumbing	$199.00
  Trash Can Cabinet	$543.47
  Hardware/Wood	$358.99
  Total	$2920.55

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Kitchen Purchases by Vendor

www.lowes.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Bosch SHX68T55UC	800 Series 44dB dishwasher with stainless tub, 3rd rack	SHX68T55UC	1	$771.88	$771.88
  Rev-A-Shelf 58-15C-5	pull--out cabinet basket for undersink cabinet	58-15C-5	1	$54.97	$54.97
  1x6 oak board	oak boards for sink cabinet repair	1053	3	$23.15	$69.45
  PJ111	2'x4' 3/4" thick oak plywood for sink cabinet repair	PJ111	3	$20.67	$62.01
  Utilitech LR16DMLED	6.5W (40W equivalent) R16 soft white LED bulb	LR16DMLED	2	$17.98	$35.96
  Pass & Seymour 1595NTLTRWCC4	15A GFCI outlet with nightlight, white	1595NTLTRWCC4	5	$17.86	$89.30
  Cabot 144.0008065.005	1 quart quick dry sanding sealer for sink cabinet repair	144.0008065.005	1	$16.77	$16.77
  PJ117	2'x4' 1/2" thick oak plywood for sink cabinet repair	PJ117	1	$14.93	$14.93
  Cabot 144.0008042.005	1 quart satin spar varnish for sink cabinet repair	144.0008065.005	1	$14.29	$14.29
  18"x24" .080" thick clear acrylic sheet	for floor of trash can cabinet	11G0670A	1	$10.28	$10.28
  1x2 oak board	oak boards for sink cabinet repair	08390	2	$7.37	$14.74
  Style Selections 1.25" brushed satin nickel mushroom cabinet knob	knob for trash can cabinet door	D1693SN1	1	$2.87	$2.87
  Total					$1157.45

www.amazon.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Rev-A-Shelf 5349-2150DM-217	pull-out double 50-quart trash can with door mounts	5349-2150DM-217	1	$274.66	$274.66
  Lutron MA-FQ4FM-WH	Maestro 7-speed Digital Fan Control, White	MA-FQ4FM-WH	1	$52.96	$52.96
  Lutron MSCL-OP153M-WH	Maestro C-L 150-Watt Occupancy-sensing Dimmer for entrance light and recessed lights	MSCL-OP153M-WH	2	$36.87	$73.74
  Lutron MACL-153M-WH	Maestro 150-Watt Multi-Location CFL/LED Digital Dimmer for fan light, island light and back porch	MACL-153M-WH	5	$28.57	$142.85
  Lutron MA-R-WH	Maestro Companion Dimmer for fan light	MA-R-WH	2	$21.31	$42.62
  Lutron CA-4PSH-WH	Claro 4-way switch, gloss white	CA-4PSH-WH	1	$18.74	$18.74
  Baldwin 4742.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge quad GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4742.150.CD	1	$18.53	$18.53
  Rev-A-Shelf RV-50-LID-17-1	silver lid for 50-quart trash can	RV-50-LID-17-1	1	$15.46	$15.46
  Rev-A-Shelf RV-50-LID-G-1	green lid for 50-quart trash can	RV-50-LID-G-1	1	$15.46	$15.46
  Baldwin 4740.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge triple GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4740.150.CD	2	$15.21	$30.42
  Baldwin 4741.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge double GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4741.150.CD	1	$13.79	$13.79
  Baldwin 4754.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge single GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4754.150.CD	3	$11.39	$34.17
  Hafele 343.90.700	pie-cut corner hinge for lazy susan	343.90.700	2	$8.99	$17.98
  Lutron CA-3PS-WH	Claro 15A 3-way switch, white for outdoor light	CA-3PS-WH	1	$8.30	$8.30
  Lutron CA-1PSH-WH	Claro 15A single-pole switch, white for garbage disposal	CA-1PSH-WH	1	$6.65	$6.65
  Total					$766.33

www.wayfair.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Baldwin 4754.150.CD (order #2)	classic square beveled edge single GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4754.150.CD	17	$6.04	$102.68
  Total					$102.68

www.homedepot.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Kohler K-R776-SD-VS	Barossa pull-down kitchen faucet with soap dispenser, vibrant stainless	K-R776-SD-VS	1	$199.00	$199.00
  Hunter 21362	Stonington 46" brushed nickel ceiling fan with light kit	21362	1	$89.97	$89.97
  2'x4' 3/4" thick birch plywood	birch plywood for cabinet sides and bottom	1503006	3	$19.98	$59.94
  Cree BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U100	9.5W (65W equivalent) BR30 2700K LED bulb	BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U100	9	$19.97	$179.73
  Cree BA19-08027OMN-12DE26-1U100	13.5W (60W equivalent) A19 2700K 93 CRI LED bulb	BA19-08027OMN-12DE26-1U100	6	$15.97	$95.82
  2'x4' 1/2" thick birch plywood	birch plywood for cabinet back	1503004	1	$14.95	$14.95
  Minwax Satin Polyurethane, 1 quart	polyurethane for cabinet sides and floor	63010	1	$10.77	$10.77
  Hampton Bay W10244-SN-UH	Solid zinc decorator wall plate with nickel finish for garbage disposal receptacle	W10244-SN-UH	1	$5.99	$5.99
  Leviton R62-16252-0WS	Decora Plus 15A outlet, white, for garbage disposal	R62-16252-0WS	1	$4.99	$4.99
  1"x6" oak board	oak boards for cabinet base, priced per foot	0017145	24	$3.12	$74.88
  1"x3" oak board	oak boards for cabinet face, priced per foot	0017115	12	$1.75	$21.00
  1"x2" oak board	oak boards for cabinet face, priced per foot	0017100	12	$1.12	$13.44
  Total					$770.48

www.mcmaster.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  24"x24" .25" thick dark gray chemical resistant PVC sheet	for floor of trash can cabinet	8747K148	1	$29.76	$29.76
  Total					$29.76

www.signaturehardware.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Signature Hardware 921168	4" x 10" antique solid brass brushed nickel wall register	921168	2	$32.95	$65.90
  Signature Hardware 921176	2.25" x 10" antique solid brass brushed nickel wall register	921176	1	$27.95	$27.95
  Total					$93.85

Totals by Vendor

• Vendor	Total
  www.lowes.com	$1157.45
  www.amazon.com	$766.33
  www.wayfair.com	$102.68
  www.homedepot.com	$770.48
  www.mcmaster.com	$29.76
  www.signaturehardware.com	$93.85
  Total	$2920.55

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Kitchen Purchases by Date

Someday

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron MSCL-OP153M-WH	Maestro C-L 150-Watt Occupancy-sensing Dimmer for entrance light and recessed lights	MSCL-OP153M-WH	2	$36.87	$73.74
  Lutron CA-3PS-WH	Claro 15A 3-way switch, white for outdoor light	CA-3PS-WH	1	$8.30	$8.30
  Kohler K-R776-SD-VS	Barossa pull-down kitchen faucet with soap dispenser, vibrant stainless	K-R776-SD-VS	1	$199.00	$199.00
  Total					$281.04

October 6, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Baldwin 4754.150.CD (order #2)	classic square beveled edge single GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4754.150.CD	17	$6.04	$102.68
  Signature Hardware 921168	4" x 10" antique solid brass brushed nickel wall register	921168	2	$32.95	$65.90
  Total					$168.58

September 3, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  18"x24" .080" thick clear acrylic sheet	for floor of trash can cabinet	11G0670A	1	$10.28	$10.28
  Total					$10.28

September 2, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  24"x24" .25" thick dark gray chemical resistant PVC sheet	for floor of trash can cabinet	8747K148	1	$29.76	$29.76
  Total					$29.76

September 1, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Style Selections 1.25" brushed satin nickel mushroom cabinet knob	knob for trash can cabinet door	D1693SN1	1	$2.87	$2.87
  Total					$2.87

August 29, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Rev-A-Shelf 5349-2150DM-217	pull-out double 50-quart trash can with door mounts	5349-2150DM-217	1	$274.66	$274.66
  2'x4' 3/4" thick birch plywood	birch plywood for cabinet sides and bottom	1503006	3	$19.98	$59.94
  Rev-A-Shelf RV-50-LID-17-1	silver lid for 50-quart trash can	RV-50-LID-17-1	1	$15.46	$15.46
  Rev-A-Shelf RV-50-LID-G-1	green lid for 50-quart trash can	RV-50-LID-G-1	1	$15.46	$15.46
  2'x4' 1/2" thick birch plywood	birch plywood for cabinet back	1503004	1	$14.95	$14.95
  Minwax Satin Polyurethane, 1 quart	polyurethane for cabinet sides and floor	63010	1	$10.77	$10.77
  1"x6" oak board	oak boards for cabinet base, priced per foot	0017145	24	$3.12	$74.88
  1"x3" oak board	oak boards for cabinet face, priced per foot	0017115	12	$1.75	$21.00
  1"x2" oak board	oak boards for cabinet face, priced per foot	0017100	12	$1.12	$13.44
  Total					$500.56

August 17, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Rev-A-Shelf 58-15C-5	pull--out cabinet basket for undersink cabinet	58-15C-5	1	$54.97	$54.97
  Total					$54.97

August 16, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron CA-4PSH-WH	Claro 4-way switch, gloss white	CA-4PSH-WH	1	$18.74	$18.74
  Hafele 343.90.700	pie-cut corner hinge for lazy susan	343.90.700	2	$8.99	$17.98
  Total					$36.72

August 15, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Hampton Bay W10244-SN-UH	Solid zinc decorator wall plate with nickel finish for garbage disposal receptacle	W10244-SN-UH	1	$5.99	$5.99
  Leviton R62-16252-0WS	Decora Plus 15A outlet, white, for garbage disposal	R62-16252-0WS	1	$4.99	$4.99
  Total					$10.98

August 5, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Signature Hardware 921176	2.25" x 10" antique solid brass brushed nickel wall register	921176	1	$27.95	$27.95
  Total					$27.95

August 1, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Pass & Seymour 1595NTLTRWCC4	15A GFCI outlet with nightlight, white	1595NTLTRWCC4	5	$17.86	$89.30
  1x6 oak board	oak boards for sink cabinet repair	1053	3	$23.15	$69.45
  PJ111	2'x4' 3/4" thick oak plywood for sink cabinet repair	PJ111	3	$20.67	$62.01
  Cabot 144.0008065.005	1 quart quick dry sanding sealer for sink cabinet repair	144.0008065.005	1	$16.77	$16.77
  PJ117	2'x4' 1/2" thick oak plywood for sink cabinet repair	PJ117	1	$14.93	$14.93
  Cabot 144.0008042.005	1 quart satin spar varnish for sink cabinet repair	144.0008065.005	1	$14.29	$14.29
  1x2 oak board	oak boards for sink cabinet repair	08390	2	$7.37	$14.74
  Total					$281.49

July 28, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Bosch SHX68T55UC	800 Series 44dB dishwasher with stainless tub, 3rd rack	SHX68T55UC	1	$771.88	$771.88
  Total					$771.88

July 19, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron CA-1PSH-WH	Claro 15A single-pole switch, white for garbage disposal	CA-1PSH-WH	1	$6.65	$6.65
  Utilitech LR16DMLED	6.5W (40W equivalent) R16 soft white LED bulb	LR16DMLED	2	$17.98	$35.96
  Total					$42.61

July 17, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron MACL-153M-WH	Maestro 150-Watt Multi-Location CFL/LED Digital Dimmer for fan light, island light and back porch	MACL-153M-WH	5	$28.57	$142.85
  Total					$142.85

July 10, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Cree BA19-08027OMN-12DE26-1U100	13.5W (60W equivalent) A19 2700K 93 CRI LED bulb	BA19-08027OMN-12DE26-1U100	6	$15.97	$95.82
  Total					$95.82

July 8, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron MA-FQ4FM-WH	Maestro 7-speed Digital Fan Control, White	MA-FQ4FM-WH	1	$52.96	$52.96
  Total					$52.96

July 3, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron MA-R-WH	Maestro Companion Dimmer for fan light	MA-R-WH	2	$21.31	$42.62
  Total					$42.62

June 30, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Baldwin 4742.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge quad GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4742.150.CD	1	$18.53	$18.53
  Baldwin 4740.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge triple GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4740.150.CD	2	$15.21	$30.42
  Baldwin 4741.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge double GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4741.150.CD	1	$13.79	$13.79
  Baldwin 4754.150.CD	Classic square beveled edge single GFCI switch plate, satin nickel	4754.150.CD	3	$11.39	$34.17
  Total					$96.91

June 3, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Hunter 21362	Stonington 46" brushed nickel ceiling fan with light kit	21362	1	$89.97	$89.97
  Total					$89.97

September 3, 2013

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Cree BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U100	9.5W (65W equivalent) BR30 2700K LED bulb	BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U100	9	$19.97	$179.73
  Total					$179.73

Totals by Date

• Date	Total
  Someday	$281.04
  Oct 6, 2014	$168.58
  Sep 3, 2014	$10.28
  Sep 2, 2014	$29.76
  Sep 1, 2014	$2.87
  Aug 29, 2014	$500.56
  Aug 17, 2014	$54.97
  Aug 16, 2014	$36.72
  Aug 15, 2014	$10.98
  Aug 5, 2014	$27.95
  Aug 1, 2014	$281.49
  Jul 28, 2014	$771.88
  Jul 19, 2014	$42.61
  Jul 17, 2014	$142.85
  Jul 10, 2014	$95.82
  Jul 8, 2014	$52.96
  Jul 3, 2014	$42.62
  Jun 30, 2014	$96.91
  Jun 3, 2014	$89.97
  Sep 3, 2013	$179.73
  Total	$2920.55

Kitchen Diary

• March 9, 2025
  
  • I've been sorting through boxes of miscellaneous fasteners and other hardware I had in the kitchen, most of it from McMaster-Carr. I'm not done but I've made good progress. Much of it went into a Sortainer I bought a long time ago, including threaded inserts, guide pins, 5/16" fasteners, small hinges and inexpensive draw hasps.

    I installed 4 draw hasps on the underside of the kitchen table to keep the table snugly fitted with the first insert installed. I don't typically need the second insert, so for the moment I'm not going to add draw hasps there. It's kind of odd that the table has strong draw latches pre-installed from the factory that only work when no inserts are installed. I'm assuming this is cost cutting by Ethan Allen. The fact is that draws are needed MOST when one or both of the inserts are installed, but there are none on the inserts from the factory.

• March 5, 2025
  
  • I think I'm done with the new bench for the kitchen. I finished applying 2 coats of flat polyurethane late in the evening. Worth nothing that it already had 2 light coats of gloss polyurethane.

• March 4, 2025
  
  • More work on the bench for the kitchen...

    I installed the top on the base (Loctite PL MAX and 16 pocket hole screws). I installed the top piece of porcelain, then the bottom piece of porcelain, using beads of Loctite PL MAX every 1.5 inches. I misted the mating surfaces with water before joining, since it's really dry in the house and SMP adhesives need moisture to cure (misting is recommended in the instructions if humidity is well below 50%). After a few hours with weights on the porcelain, I masked the top frame and grouted the porcelain with TEC ready-to-use grout (same as I used for the foyer console table). I then did the same for the bottom porcelain, which was much more difficult to mask and grout.

    Tomorrow I can start the final finishing, which will be ultra-flat polyurethane (matching the sheen of the coat rack the bench will live beneath).

• March 3, 2025
  
  • More work on the bench for the kitchen...

    I finished assembling the base frame. I then cut and installed the strips to support the bottom shelf (#6 x 1.25"e; screws and Titebond III). I then cut the bottom shelf plywood and installed it (again using #6 x 1.25" screws and Titebond III).

    I sprayed two light coats of gloss polyurethane on the assembled base, and a second coat on the top frame.

• March 2, 2025
  
  • More work on the bench for the kitchen. The top now has 1 coat of gloss polyurethane, which isn't the intended final sheen. This is just a sealing coat, which I'll be sanding.

    I completed the two leg assemblies. Each has two of the legs, a rail, a stretcher and the three maple stiles.

    Next up is the front and rear rails and stretchers. I need to sand them, dye them and seal them with shellac. I've been doing this initial part of finishing before assembly simply because the dye doesn't penetrate PVA wood glue and it's difficult to touch up the dye (versus say gel stain). As for why I'm using TransTint dye: I can mix it with denatured alcohol to penetrate red oak grain, and it's relatively easy to control color saturation. More coats will yield more color, and to some extent it can be lightened again by wiping with denatured alcohol (which also means you can control blotching if you have a lot of time). It can also be mixed with SealCoat (dewaxed shellac).

    I have not yet cut the plywood piece that will support the bottom piece of porcelain, nor the strips of oak that will support that plywood from underneath.

• March 1, 2025
  
  • More work on the bench for the kitchen. I dyed the top frame, which took multiple coats to reach the desired darkness. I also dyed one set of side stretcher and rail and later sealed them with dewaxed shellac. I sanded one set of side stiles and sealed them with dewaxed shellac. I then finished drilling the dowel holes for one side panel and assembled it (3 maple stiles, oak rail, oak stretcher). I'm getting better at dowel joinery, but it's very time-cosuming with the tools I have. I can only jig one dowel hole at a time, so 48 holes took many hours. But the first side panel appears to be good and is curing. The stiles aren't really a structural element, but building the side panels as the first part of the base is the easiest route.

• February 28, 2025
  
  • More work on the bench for the kitchen. I glued and nailed the piece of spacer plywood in place for the top porcelain. I cut and installed the cove moulding that covers the edges of the 3/4" plywood that is the structural part of the top.

    I cut all of the dimensional wood for the base. Four 2x2 oak legs, four 1x3 oak top stretchers, four 1x3 oak bottom stretchers and six maple stiles. I then drilled all of the pocket holes (48 of them... ugh). I then started drilling the dowel holes for the stiles. There are 48 holes to drill, I've done 36 of them and checked the fitment of one of the two sets of stretchers/stiles.

    I can't glue the stretchers/stiles assemblies together until after I dye the stretchers. The maple stiles will not be stained, since I want them to contrast with the rest of the bench and make it obvious that they're a different wood species.

• February 27, 2025
  
  • I've been working on a bench for the kitchen, to go beneath the new coat rack. I have no mud room, and in fact basically have no entranceway space at all. The entrance from the garage leads directly into the kitchen, and it's narrow (barely more than the width of the door). Worse, the laundry room door is on one side and the pantry door on the other. So three sides of the short entryway are doorways, leaving no room for anything to be on the floor and pretty much no room to even remove your coat, boots or shoes. So I'm intruding on the kitchen a bit in order to have somewhere to remove boots/shoes/coat. The objective is a bench I can sit on and store shoes/boots underneath to keep them off of the hardwood floor, especially when they're wet. It will have a wood-framed porcelain top and shelf, which will be very durable and not have trouble with a bit of moisture. But it's sized to also have a 15" x 30" boot tray on the bottom shelf in the winter. The height is about the height of my dining chairs, which lets me use it as temporary dining seating when my dining table extension inserts are installed. I don't want extra chairs since it's rare for me to need to seat more than 4 people.

    I glued together the top frame tonight (biscuits for the miters), then glued and screwed it to the support plywood. I also cut the 3/8" thick spacer plywood piece that brings the top porcelain almost flush with the top of the frame. All good so far.

• October 8, 2014
  
  • I stopped at Home Depot on the way home from work and bought a 3-pack of Leviton GFCI outlets and a 10-pack of Decora outlets, white.

    The floor registers arrived from Signature Hardware. I installed them.

    The Baldwin 4754.150.CD wall plates arrived from Wayfair. I installed nine of them, but most of them are going in the tile backsplash and each of the cutouts in the tile backsplash need to be enlarged to accommodate wall plate screws. Pain in the butt work with the Dremel and diamond wheels. And one of them is in a hole that was cut incorrectly (too large), patched with joint compound and then the outlet and the wall plate were shoved into the joint compound while it was still wet. I'm repairing with water putty and I will wait for it to dry before completing the shaping of it and installing a new outlet and the new wall plate. I have 8 more wall plates to install in the kitchen.

    I've decided that I want 3 more of the Pass & Seymour 1595NTLTRWCC4 GFCI outlets with nightlights in the kitchen. Two on the south wall and one above the desk.

• October 7, 2014
  
  • The floor registers from Signature Hardware should arrive tomorrow. The Baldwin wall plates from Wayfair should arrive on Thursday.

• October 5, 2014
  
  • I installed two more of the Pass & Seymour GFCI outlets with nightlights (1595NTLTRWCC4) in the kitchen: one at each end of the dining area. I then installed a third one to the left of the sink and a fourth one to the right of the sink. With one more I think I can disable the motion sensor on the recessed light for the doorway. I intend to swap the location of the motion sensor for the recessed kitchen lighting with the slave switch so the kitchen lights will come on when I enter from the garage or enter the kitchen from the family room but won't come on when I'm in the family room.

    I ordered two floor registers from Signature Hardware. Antique design, solid brass, brushed nickel finish, 4" x 10". One will replace the crappy wood one, the other will be installed where there was never a register (no idea what happened there... why would the previous owners take a floor register with them?).

    I ordered 17 Baldwin 4754.150.CD wall plates. Yes, there are 17 single-gang outlets in the kitchen that still have the original builder-grade nylon wall plates. Some of them are cracked, one has a large piece broken off of the corner, and all of them look hideous. These 17 wall plates will finish the conversion to decent wall plates in the kitchen. If I could get my butt up on the roof to fix the leaking pipe boot, I'd be ready to patch and paint the kitchen.

• October 4, 2014
  
  • I bought three more of the Pass & Seymour GFCI outlets with nightlights (1595NTLTRWCC4) at Lowe's for the kitchen.

• October 2, 2014
  
  • The 1/4" thick 24"W x 36"L piece of chemical-resistant PVC arrived from McMaster-Carr, along with the 1" long stainless steel serrated thread #6 and #8 screws. I cut the piece of PVC to fit the floor of the sink cabinet. Surprisingly, I was able to fit it into the cabinet in one piece. It wasn't easy, but it just fit. I've decided I'm not going to route any cavities in it to catch water, I'm just going to leave it flat.

    

    I installed the locks for the Blum 569R glides on the new drawer for the sink cabinet. I once again checked fitment in the cabinet, with the PVC floor in place. It fits well. I installed it in the cabinet, and reinstalled the Rev-A-shelf unit.

• October 1, 2014
  
  • I put the final coat of paint on the drawer for the base of the right side of the sink cabinet. Tomorrow I will be able to install the locks from the Blum 569R glides on it.

    I ordered a sheet of chemical-resistant PVC from McMaster-Carr for the floor of the sink cabinet. I also ordered some 1" long serrated-thread screws: #6 and #8. These parts will let me install the Blum 569R glides for the new drawer without having the glides hit the bottom piece of the cabint face, and provide a surface that's easy to clean and resistant to cleaning supply spills. I wish I had planned to do this before I install the cabinet; I don't think I can get a single contiguous piece in the cabinet with the cabinet installed. Not a big deal, I shouldn't have any trouble installing it if I cut it in half. These parts should arrive tomorrow.

• September 30, 2014
  
  • I put the second coat of paint on the bottom of the new sink cabinet drawer.

• September 29, 2014
  
  • I installed Quietex bumpers on almost all of the kitchen cabinets and drawers. The old bumpers appear to have been the originals (20 years old), and were flattened and sticking (som very badly). The Quietex bumpers are a huge upgrade; their contact point is small so they don't hold the cabinet shut, and they do a very nice job of silencing the closing of the doors. I need to order one more sheet of the 3/8" size.

• September 27, 2014
  
  • I finished the design of the roll-out shelf/drawer for the base of the right side of the sink cabinet in SketchUp. I cut all of the pieces, and routed the dado slots in all of the sides which will hold the bottom. It fits together reasonably well, it fits in the cabinet, and the Blum 569R slides appear to fit perfectly. Soon I will glue and screw the shelf/drawer together and start putting a finish on it. Once it has a finish on it, I'll attach the Blum locks that keep the drawer on the glides but allow quick removal.

    I want to put a 1/4" thick piece of chemical resistant PVC in the bottom of the cabinet before installing the glides. It will be easy to clean as needed, will protect the wood floor, and bring the Blum 569R glides up so they'll clear the bottom piece of the cabinet face. I could probably use a 3/16" thick piece, given that the lip of the cabinet face is .22" above the floor. But a 1/4" thick piece will guarantee clearance for the Blum 569R glides and also allow me to route shallow grooves in the PVC floor to control any slow leaks from kitchen sink plumbing. I need to buy a core box (round nose) router bit. The Whiteside 1405B B6 is about right for what I want to do.

• September 25, 2014
  
  • The Blum 569R slides arrived. I need to hunt down some installation instructions before I start creating a shelf for the right side of the sink cabinet.

• September 24, 2014
  
  • Blum 569R slides should arrive tomorrow. I'm hoping to use these for a slide-out shelf under the disposal side of the kitchen sink.

• September 21, 2014
  
  • I removed the clamps from the cabinet door I'm trying to repair. I reinstalled it on the cabinet. So far, the glue is holding.

• September 20, 2014
  
  • I put the second coat of polyurethane on the front of the trash can cabinet door.

    I later wetsanded the trash can cabinet door with 320 and put the final coat of polyurethane on it. Much later, I officially installed the door on the Rev-A-Shelf and put some temporary bumpers on it which will be replaced by the Quietex bumpers when they arrive. With the exception of some caulking of the edge of the PVC cabinet floor to the interior sides of the cabinet, the trash can cabinet project is done for now.

    I ordered some Quietex cabinet bumpers from quikdrawers.com. The original cabinet bumpers in the kitchen are toast. Most are worn down. Many of them are sticking, making the cabinet doors difficult to open. The Quietex bumpers are likely the nicest bumpers available. I ordered both .4" and .5". I think I can use the .5" in most places, but I know I'll need the .4" in other places.

    I am attempting to repair the broken cabinet door I discovered the other night. I put some Titebond III wood glue in the gaps and clamped it up with 7 clamps. Even if it holds, it won't be perfect since it looks like the split has been there for a long time. But it'll be good enough for now if it holds, sine the split is on the inside of the cabinet door. i.e. it's not visible when the door is closed. A replacement door with no finish will run about $100, so I'm hoping that my repair holds up.

• September 19, 2014
  
  • In the morning, I quickly put the first coat of polyurethane on the front of the trash can cabinet door.

    In the evening, I sanded the trash can cabinet door with 220 and put the second coat of polyurethane on the back. Tomorrow morning I'll put the second coat on the front. I'd like to have the third coat done by the end of the weekend so I can do the final installation.

• September 18, 2014
  
  • I removed the trash can cabinet door and put the first coat of polyurethane on the back.

    In the process of wiping down the cabinets, I realized that one of the cabinet doors is broken. The lower frame piece is split all the way across, and the raised panel is warped and has detached from the frame piece. I'm not sure I can fix it, but there's little harm in trying. Worst case, I have to order a replacement.

• September 17, 2014
  
  • The custom cabinet door I ordered for the trash can cabinet arrived from quikdrawers.com. The shape is a near perfect match to my existing cabinets, and the door is well-made. Yay! And thanks to my work in SketchUp, the dimensions are perfect. This is all great news; I now know I can do whatever type of custom cabinetry I'd like in the kitchen and buy perfectly matched cabinet facing from quikdrawers.com. This puts a green light on the desk cabinet addition, as well as whatever changes I want to make to the island and whatever I need to do to accomodate a new cooktop.

    I put a coat of stain on the door to try to match it to the existing cabinetry. I don't think I could do better. Here's a picture of the door with stain, just sitting on the floor propped against the opening.

    

    I installed the knob and mounted the door to the Rev-A-Shelf with two screws. It needs some adjustment, which is why I put the screws into two of the slotted holes in the Rev-A-Shelf. I'll make the adjustments later and then install the remaining screws. But it looks pretty good.

    

    It feels good to have gone from this:

    

    To this:

    

    For what it's worth, the runner in the picture is my work rug. When I'm done with all of the kitchen rework, I'll be buying a new runner.

• September 16, 2014
  
  • I finished the initial design of the kitchen desk cabinet addition in SketchUp. The main objective here is a place to store my large slow cooker and my Kitchen Aid mixer so they aren't on the counter all of the time. There are no cabinets in the kitchen that will hold them today without removing gliding shelves, and the area under the kitchen desk is just wasted space today. I will be using Knape & Vogt 8000P 20" pantry pullout slides in the bottom for slide-out shelves.

    The cabinet door I ordered for the trash can cabinet should arrive tomorrow.

• September 15, 2014
  
  • I ordered some Blum 569R bottom-mount drawer slides from ahturf.com. I need these to build a custom drawer for the right side of the sink cabinet.

    I need to carefully measure the space under the kitchen desk so I can make a cabinet to fit there. It's roughly 21" deep, 30" wide and 24.5" tall, but I need to measure the toe kick and figure out how I want to build the cabinet as well as which hinges I want to use or which drawer slides I want. I'd like to be able to store large items here like my Kitchen Aid mixer and my large crockpot, since I currently have nowhere to keep those. A full-width rollout setup would allow large items.

• September 13, 2014
  
  • I continue to pick up things in the kitchen. I moved my countertop microwave to the basement, along with a tub of old kitchen drawer contents. I emptied the tub of caulk and roofing cement and put cleaning products in it, then put it in the pantry. I put all of the old light bulbs in a tub and put that in the pantry. I wiped the dust off the floor around the dining table, island and kitchen desk. I'm still tryin to put things away that have been sitting out for months to a year. Time flies when you're busy.

• September 12, 2014
  
  • I created SketchUp models for four Futuro Futuro range hoods: Rainbow, Symbol, Step and Razor. I like the Step due to its curved front edge that helps mimic the tile arch, but the chimney is 11" deep and hence would not allow me to keep the tile in front of the chimney. The Razor and Rainbow have 10.25" deep chimneys, giving me the best chance of keeping the front tile. The Symbol has a 10.5" deep chimney. It's worth noting that I don't know if any of these hoods will let me keep the front tile, but given that I intend to use the blower inline instead of inside the range hood, I won't really need to get inside that area after installation. The blower is the only thing that may eventually need maintenance/replacement, and it'll be in the stairwell from the garage to the basement.

    The hood I really wanted is the Futuro Futuro Galaxy, but it won't allow me to keep the front arch tile since its chimney is 11 3/8" deep. But I need to cut into the tile arch box from the other side to see how much room I really have. If it turns out that none of these chimneys will let me keep the tile arch intact, my basic plan will need to change.

• September 11, 2014
  
  • I started cleaning up the kitchen that has become a disaster zone. I still have a long way to go, but I got some things out of the kitchen and also installed both leaves in the dining table. I don't need the leaves in there (seats 10 with both leaves in), but at the moment I don't have anywhere to store them and I want to put a coat of Formby's Tung Oil Finish on them so they'll match the rest of the table. I had never put the leaves in before. They'll be handy later, but I need some folding chairs. I selected some on Amazon and added them to my wish list.

• September 8, 2014
  
  • I caulked the gap between the trim piece of the window well countertop and the main countertop with 100% silicone caulk. This gap is less than an inch from the edge of the sink and hence gets wet regularly. I wish the original installer of the countertops had caulked here, it would have helped prevent the warping of the window sill countertop.

    One week from now, the door for the waste bin cabinet should be shipped.

    I quickly measured the kitchen island so I can start working up a plan to add on to it and get rid of the flimsy two-tier countertop. The island is just over 4' wide, and if I count the second tier of the countertop, it is 6' long. But cabinet-wise, it's only 54.125" long with a 23.75" x 18" cutout.

    I continue to try to figure out what to do about a range hood. I'd really like to keep the front of the tile arch, which constrains my options considerably.

• September 7, 2014
  
  • I put two more thin coats of polyurethane on the trim piece of the window well countertop, mostly to make sure the nail heads were sealed.

• September 5, 2014
  
  • I lightly sanded the trim piece for the window well countertop with 320 grit sandpaper, and put a second coat of polyurethane on the parts that will be visible after installation.

    I discovered an issue here. Due to the window well countertop getting wet where it shouldn't, it is quite bowed on the front (upward). As in more than 1/8". I can shim and flex my trim piece to match the curve, or start over with a 1x3 that's carefully cut to match the curve, but that sort of sucks as a solution. I tried standing on the counter to see if it flexes, but it doesn't. I'd have to steam bend it, and that's not going to happen.

    For now I'll flex the trim piece and fill the gap below it with silicone caulk. When I replace the countertops, I'll replace the window well countertop too. The downside of having to flex this piece (other than the gap) is that I'll likely need to put finish nails in it while the glue sets up.

    I sprayed 2 more coats of polyurethane on the trim piece. I'm out of spray, so I think I'm done. I don't think I'll have these countertops long enough for more coats to be necessary.

    I installed the trim piece using Loctite Premium 3X and finish nails. It looks much better than what was there before. When the adhesive dries, I'll put another coat or two of polyrethane on the wood and then caulk with clear silicone caulk.

• September 4, 2014
  
  • I cleaned, sanded and stained the wood edge trim on the countertop that is in the kitchen window well. It had no finish left on it, and was practically bleach white from loss of color, with some black stains. I then put a coat of polyurethane on it.

    Unfortunately, the polyurethane isn't drying on this piece. I suspect the problem is that this piece has been so loaded with grease, cleaners, etc. over the years that it's saturated and won't take a finish. I had put another coat of ployurethane on the toe kick of the new trash can cabinet and the first 4" of the inside of that cabinet at the same time, and it's been dry to the touch for many hours.

    The trim piece isn't just a simple trim piece. It's 3/4" thick, with only 3/8" exposed and that 3/8" is rounded with a 3/8" radius. It can't just be replaced, because it can't be removed without destroying the laminate and damaging the MDF. It's one of the downsides of this type of countertop; the wood edges can't be replaced without destroying the countertp.

    What I decided to do was to cut off the exposed 3/8" using my oscillating tool and wood chisels. It took several hours (ugh). I created a piece to adhere in its place by cutting a 1x2 oak piece to 3/8" thick and 53.5" inches long, and ran a 3/8" roundover bit on the top and sides with my router. This is an exact match to the piece I'm replacing. I will pre-finish in on all sides before installing it, in an attempt to keep moisture out of it. I already started, by putting a coat of Minwax Golden Oak stain on the visible surfaces and then a coat of satin polyurethane on the whole thing.

    I will also run a bead of clear silicone caulk on the bottom where it sets onto the main countertop. It looks like this wasn't done with the original countertop piece, hence the problem with moisture seeping into the wood.

    The original trim piece was installed using 18 gauge finish nails, and presumably an adhesive. I'd prefer to avoid staples or finish nails, and just use adhesive (Loctite PL Premium 3X). It will of course require clamp-up, but I can manage that pretty easily. An advantage of using the Loctite PL Premium 3X is that it's waterproof, and if I skin both surfaces before bonding, it will provide water protection to both the new trim piece and what is left of the old one.

    Due to the countertop window well resting right on top of the kitchen countertop, I did cut the countertop laminate in a few places when cutting off the edge of the window well countertop. This isn't of any real consequence since it'll be covered by the new trim piece and sealed, it was just annoying. I can't help but think that this whole setup was a measurement mistake, and that the sill was supposed to be at the same level as the countertop so one contiguous piece of formica could have been used. It's not smart to stack wood right on top of a surface that gets wet many times a day. If I were feeling more ambitious about this project, I'd rip the whole sill out and replace it with HardieBacker 500 and porcelain tile or a piece of quartz countertop. It's worth noting that even though I cut off 3/8", there were still black water stains visible. Hence I would never have been able to make it look good with stain and clear finishes.

    The good news is that the new piece I made appears to fit nearly perfectly. I need to clean up the cut I made in the sill a bit (probably using a 3" sanding disk on my die grinder), but the new piece looks much better than what was there before. I will continue working on this piece in the morning, since I intend to make it as smooth as possible and get at least 4 coats of polyurethane on the front of it.

• September 3, 2014
  
  • The Rev-A-Shelf 5349-2150DM-217 pull-out waste container setup arrived. Later the lids arrived, and the piece of PVC from McMaster-Carr that I'm going to put on the trash can cabinet floor arrived.

    I filled the visible pocket holes of the trash can cabinet with Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty, let it dry, then sanded it flush. These pocket holes are inside the cabinet, and hence won't be visible when the door is closed. But I wanted to eliminate areas where grime might collect and be difficult to clean. I put a coat of polyurethane on the putty to seal it.

    The Rev-A-Shelf setup appears to fit in the cabinet, but I need a little more clearance than the PVC provides to go over the lip of the fascia. I went to Lowe's and bought an 18" x 24" piece of .080" thick acrylic. I cut the acrylic and PVC pieces to size and fitted them in the floor of the cabinet. It's perfect height-wise, it brings the floor flush with the edge of the fascia.

    

    

    I then installed the Rev-A-Shelf unit and put the bins in it. I like it, it's much better than a trash compactor. I have somewhere to put recyclables, and it'll work in a power outage. It's much less likely to fail, and cost a LOT less.

    

    

    

    

• September 2, 2014
  
  • I put two coats of polyurethane on the inside of the trash can cabinet. I then glued shims into position to make the toe kick line up with both the lazy susan and the sink cabinet. I then glued and screwed the toe kick to the base, and put one coat of polyurethane on it.

    I put the trash can cabinet in position, then clamped the fascia in position in order to drill the pilot holes for screws that hold it to the lazy susan and sink cabinet. These holes were already in those cabinets from some trim pieces I removed, and I used those holes as drill guides to drill into the sides of the fascia of the trash can cabinet. I also screwed some of the pocket hole screws into the fascia from the trash can cabinet sides. I then removed those screws, put a bead of Loctite Premium 3X on the edges of the trash can cabinet, and reinstalled the fascia. All of the screws are in place, and the cabinet seems to be firmly positioned.

    I put a long cabinet screws into the lower back panel, that goes into a wall stud. The cabinet now can't tip forward and stress the fascia. This matters because once the dual waste bin setup is installed, the cabinet would want to tip forward when the bin glides are fully extended. The bin glides are rated for 100 lbs., and with the door and two full bins plus the glides and hardware, there would be enough weight to tip the cabinet if it wasn't fastened well. Of course it can't tip when it's under the countertop, but I don't want the countertop and fascia to be the only stress points.

    I applied some real oak laminate to the toe kick, covering the section of lazy susan and trash can cabinet toe kicks. I still have one seam at the sink cabinet, but it's better than two seams and the laminate is a better (but not perfect) match than the red oak toe kick on the trash can cabinet. I used 3M 90 spray adhesive to attach it, since using high heat likely would not have worked on the lazy susan toe kick; it appears to be vinyl coated MDF and I didn't want it to delaminate from heat. I put a coat of polyurethane on the laminate. When I finish coating it, I will caulk the floor joint and the joint at the sink cabinet.

    I replaced the cracked electrical wall plate in the trash can cabinet with a beefy cast metal wall plate. I have no use for this outlet, but I don't like having cracked wall plates.

    While this cabinet is not perfect, it's MUCH better than the gaping hole with a trashed floor that was left by the previous owners. Once there's a door on it with the waste bins in a gliding rack, I will be very happy with it.

    

    quikdrawers.com sent me an email indicating that the door for my trash can cabinet will not ship until the 15th of this month.

    The PVC sheet for the floor of the trash can cabinet shipped this morning, but I don't have tracking information yet. That means it won't be here tomorrow. It shipped from the Cleveland warehouse of McMaster-Carr, so hopefully it will be here on Thursday.

• September 1, 2014
  
  • The new trash can cabinet and fascia fit reasonably well in the space formerly occupied by a trash compactor.

    I went to Lowe's and found a cabinet knob that's quite close to the Merillat 506 knobs in my kitchen. This knob will be installed on the new door of the new trash can cabinet. I also bought a can of Watco spray lacquer in satin finish, to coat the front of the fascia and the front of the door when it arrives. Why lacquer? Because it is easy to repair. I'd never use it on a horizontal surface (water rings and lack of resistance to alcohol), but it's fine for the front of cabinets and the ease of repair is a benefit over the long haul.

    I cut the piece of 3/4" plywood for the floor. I cut a 4" wide piece to support the top of the fascia, and another that will be the bottom back panel. I also cut a 13" tall piece that will be the upper back panel.

    I cut 2 pieces of 2"x2" poplar to add to inside of the sides of the base. These will provide additional support for the floor.

    I drilled the pocket holes that will hold the fascia to the sides of the cabinet (3 holes per side), at the marks I made yesterday. While it would have been nice to hide these holes by drilling them from the outside of the sides, I need to be able to put the screws in after the cabinet is in position and the fascia is attached to the other cabinets. So I drilled them from the inside of the cabinet, which will allow me to install the screws from inside the cabinet after the cabinet is in position.

    I drilled 6 pocket holes in the upper back panel, to hold it to the sides of the cabinet.

    I installed the 2x2's in the base of the cabinet, screwed and glued to the side panels. I then installed the floor, using Loctite Premium 8X construction adhesive to glue it to both the oak boards and the 2x2's. I then installed the lower back panel, which sandwiches the floor to the base. I installed the upper back panel using wood glue and the three pocket holes per side to hold it to the side panels.

    I tested the fitment again. It looks pretty good.

    

    I put a coat of Cabot Spar Varnish on the outside of the back and sides of the cabinet. These parts won't be visible, and I had some of the varnish left over from the kitchen sink build. I started putting lacquer on the front of the fascia.

    I ordered a 1/4" thick, 24" x 24" piece of chemical-resistant PVC sheet from McMaster-Carr. This will cover the floor of the cabinet before installing the Rev-A-Shelf unit, and make it easy to keep the floor clean. It also closely matches the color of the waste bins.

• August 31, 2014
  
  • I cut the side panels for the trash can cabinet. I tweaked them a bit from my original SketchUp. To allow some shimming of the cosmetic toe kick piece to make up for a slight mismatch of the undersink cabinet and the lazy susan cabinet, the toe kick cutout is a little bit deeper than my original plan. That meant I also had to trim down the cabinet base I had already glued up, but I was able to do that with two passes on the table saw.

    I glued and screwed the side panels to the base.

    I clamped the face frame to the countertop and then marked where it needed to be trimmed to fit between the lazy susan and the sink cabinet. I then cut it on the table saw, freehand (no fence). It now fits snugly between the cabinets, though it's not perfect since I cut it freehand and the existing cabinet edges aren't perfectly straight. But it's pretty damn good, and when it's done it'll be much better than the big empty spot between the cabinets!

    I also marked the back of the frame for pocket hole screw locations that won't interfere with existing holes in the other cabinet fascias that I'll use to connect this fascia. I then transferred these marks to the cabinet sides.

    Tomorrow I hope to get the floor piece cut and make sure everything fits. I also want to figure out how I'm going to keep the cabinet in place; it will want to tip forward when the trash bin slides are extended, and I don't want all the stress to be transferred to the countertop and fascia. I should be able to put some screws through the back and into a wall stud, but ideally I'd use a metal bracket of some sort to fasten the back of the base to a floor joist. However, then the floor of the cabinet needs to be removable.

    I need some satin lacquer to finish the front of the face frame and the door when it arrives.

    I figured out which knobs I have on the kitchen cabinets... Merillat Masterpiece Satin Silver (506). I can't seem to find a place to buy them, unfortunately. Lowe's has some that are close, I'll compare tomorrow.

• August 30, 2014
  
  • I ordered the door for the trash can cabinet from quikdrawers.com. The image below shows the options I chose. I have no idea when it will get here, but the Rev-A-Shelf hardware will be here on Wednesday the 3rd of September. The chosen height is the same as the height of the adjacent lazy susan's door, and the width was chosen to cover the opening of the new cabinet and provide the same inter-door spacing as the rest of the kitchen cabinetry.

    

    I cut the oak pieces for the trash can cabinet base, and drilled the pocket holes to give the joints additional strength. I then clamped up the pieces to make sure everything is square, then glued and screwed the pieces together.

    I cut the pieces for the face of the trash can cabinet, and glued and screwed them together (pocket hole screws). This face will need to be trimmed to the correct width later. I intentionally made it wider than necessary so it can later be trimmed to fit exactly between the existing cabinet faces (which are not quite parallel).

• August 29, 2014
  
  • I ordered the Rev-A-shelf 5349-2150DM-217 from Amazon. I also ordered lids for the waste containers: silver (RV-50-LID-17-1) and green (RV-50-LID-G-1).

    On the way home from work, I bought wood to build the trash can cabinet, and a quart of polyurethane to finish the sides and floor of the cabinet.

• August 28, 2014
  
  • I wish I had decided to officially refinish the hardwood flooring in its entirety. On the to-do list for October, perhaps...

    Tomorrow I'll pick up supplies for the trash can cabinet build, and maybe get started on it. It'd be nice to have some of it glued up to dry overnight.

• August 27, 2014
  
  • I lightly sanded the area of the floor that I put polyurethane on last night, then put another coat on it. It looks like hell since it's just a patch of refinishing, but the purpose was just to protect what was bare wood until I can refinish or replace the flooring.

    I've decided that I want a Futuro Futuro range hood. Mainly because their stack height requirement will allow installation without intruding on the bedroom above the kitchen.

• August 26, 2014
  
  • The Kohler K-8830-VS arrived. It is now installed.

    In the interest of preventing more damage, I sanded the area of the hardwood floor that had no finish left on it. This area appears to have been severely worn by a child seat at the flimsy, low part of the kitchen island. The floor needs to be refinished, but in the end I really don't want hardwood in the kitchen; it's a very high traffic area and any water left on the floor will cause damage. Obviously I clean up spills as they occur, but there are things I can't clean up right away... a sink leak, condensation from the refrigerator, etc. And big spills will penetrate the gaps between the hardwood boards unless the finish on the floor is relatively new. And then there's just the issue of dents when something is dropped, scratches from chairs, etc. I want porcelain tile, not hardwood.

• August 24, 2014
  
  • I removed the condensation drip pan from the refrigerator after removing the toe kick. The icemaker feed line is in the way of removing the drip pan, thanks to some installer's lack of brilliance. I got it out, but it was full to the brim with water and had a later of mold on the top. The water smelled like bleach due to me pouring blach water in the condensation line yesterday, which means the line is clear. I cleaned the pan, bleached it to kill mold, rinsed it and put it back in place. It looked to me like it had never been cleaned, and the Sub-Zero is 20 years old. I cleaned the decades of gunk from the floor behind the toe kick, vacuumed the dust bunnies from under the refrigerator and reinstalled the toe kick. I believe I've fixed the main condensation issue (clogged condensation drain line and a full drip pan that didn't allow evaporation due to a layer of mold on the top of the water), but minor issues remain due to the door gaskets. I will order new door gaskets next week.

    I throughly cleaned the condenser using my blow gun and Miele vacuum cleaner. The 50' air hose reel in the center of the garage reached without having to get out one of my extension hoses. There was a lot of dust in the compressor enclosure, it's all cleaned up now too. And I believe the refrigerator is cycling less just from this one cleaning... it needed it badly, I suspect the previous owners rarely cleaned the condenser coils and I suspect they never cleaned the compressor enclosure.

    I want to keep the Sub-Zero running as long as possible; these old 532's were built like tanks, and it's upwards of $10,000 to buy a new 48" wide Sub-Zero. Yes, the new ones are fantastic, but a new one is not in my budget.

• August 23, 2014
  
  • I did some more work on the SketchUp for the trash can cabinet. It now has a face on it. To create this cabinet, I need:
    • 3 pieces of 2'x4' 3/4" thick oak plywood
    • 4 pieces of 6' long 1"x6" oak
    • 2 pieces of 6' long 1"x2" oak
    • 1 piece of 6' long 1"x3" oak

    

    I created a SketchUp model for the area where I'd like to install a 36" cooktop. I need the model in order to plan for the range hood, vented to the outdoors. Given the tile arch, I need the model to figure out what range hoods will fit. I also need it to plan the gas line and electrical.

    In this model, there's a Bosch HCP36651UC range hood and a 36" gas cooktop. The hood looks like it will fit, but I don't know if I'll be able to keep the front tile. A bigger issue is the venting to the outdoors. I was hoping to be able to run a duct through the wall and then up through the garage attic using two 45-degree elbows, but it's looking like that won't be possible. It's due to the height of the blower and backdraft flap assembly. It's possible that my only option is an inline blower assembly like the Broan HLB6 or HLB9, combined with a hood that doesn't have a built-in blower.

    One additional item I want is a pot filler faucet. There's one shown in the model, but it's not the one I would use. It's just one whoe SketchUp model was readily available.

    

    I also need a SketchUp model for changes to the kitchen 'desk' and the kitchen island.

    I cleaned the condensation drain pipe in the refrigerator. It was clogged. However, even after cleaning, I'm getting condensation in the refrigerator compartment. As near as I can tell, it's due to needing a new door gasket. I reattached the gasket near the lower hinge where it was messed up from years of door misalignment, and fiddled with it using a heat gun, but it's permanently messed up. I'll order a new door gasket soon.

• August 22, 2014
  
  • I started the SketchUp for the cabinet to fill the spot previously occupied by a trash compactor. I need to pay attention to the fact that the existing cabinet edges are not quite plumb/parallel. That means I should probably build the cabinet face first, and build the cabinet about 3/4" narrower than the floor space. That will leave me wiggle room to get the face of the new cabinet flush with the existing cabinets. I have an initial cabinet design completed in SketchUp, minus the face.

    

    

    

    I do know that I want the Rev-A-Shelf RS5349.2150DM.217. It has 100 lb. slides and includes door brackets and two 50-quart waste bins. I also want two lids: one silver (RV-50-LID-17-1) and one green (RV-50-LID-G-1). I've added these items to the kitchen wish list.

    My Sub-Zero 532 fridge is leaking condensation. I believe it's all coming from the fresh food side, because the door was never adjusted properly and hence the gasket is messed up on the lower half of the hinge side of the door. I know the door was never adjusted because the lower hinge still had the shipping screws in it. I adjusted the door, we'll see if the condensation stops. I suspect it won't, and I'll need a new door gasket though I may try reinstalling the old one after giving it a bath in warm water. I can get a new gasket at genuineapplianceparts.com.

    I removed the compressor cover from the fridge, cleaned it with my blow gun in the garage, and vacuumed out the dust in the coils and the rest of the compressor compartment.

    Tomorrow I'll check the condensation collection system.

• August 21, 2014
  
  • I'm trying to plan the next steps for the kitchen. First up is to fill the area previously occupied by a trash compactor. I want a simple pull-out trash can setup. I can custom order a cabinet door facing from quikdrawers.com. I think I need a CRP10 door of premium red oak with CFP-2 edges, regular framing bead, slant panel raise, no hinge boring. 28" tall and 19" wide. It comes to about $95 unfinished, plus shipping.

    For the pull-out mechanicals, I can use a Rev-A-Shelf unit. The 5349-2150DM-2 will hold two 50-quart bins. This may or may not leave room for a drawer above, but I'm not desperately in need of more drawer space at the moment.

    I still need to spend some time in SketchUp to design an add-on to the island and the kitchen 'desk'. I also need to decide on where to put a new cooktop and how to vent it outdoors. The area of the kitchen with the tiled arch makes the most sense in terms of greasy vapors, but it's furthest from the refrigerator. If I do put a cooktop here, I will use a 42" wide hood since I then have the option of a 36" gas cooktop. This location is much better than the island in terms of venting, if I can manage to do it without having to disrupt the bedroom above the kitchen. I think it's doable; a pair of 45 degree angles will let me pass into the stairwell into the basement and into the garage attic where I can go straight up through the roof.

• August 20, 2014
  
  • The Kohler K-8830-VS should arrive on the 26th of August.

    The Lutron CA-4PSH-WH 4-way switch should arrive between Aug. 26th and Aug. 29th.

    The pie-cut hinges to repair one of my lazy susans arrived today. I put a coat of Minwax Tung Oil Finish on the back of the lazy susan doors and installed the new hinges. I then put the lazy susan doors back on the cabinet. The new hinges aren't as nice as the originals, but they work. The originals are no longer available.

• August 19, 2014
  
  • I ordered a Kohler K-8830 hole cover in vibrant stainless from faucet.com. This will replace the plastic chrome hole cover in the kitchen sink. It should match the new faucet and soap dispenser.

    The pie-cut hinges to repair one of my lazy susans should arrive tomorrow or Thursday.

    I removed the lazy susan's doors, cleaned them, and put a coat of Minwax Tung Oil Finish on the front.

• August 17, 2014
  
  • I bought and installed a Rev-A-Shelf 58-15C-5 for the left side of the sink cabinet floor. It makes it easy to store/retrieve things under the sink.

• August 16, 2014
  
  • I ordered a pair of Hafele 343.90.700 pie-cut hinges from Amazon to replace the hinges on one of the lazy susans. An original hinge is broken. I also ordered the Lutron CA-4PSH-WH to replace the light switch for the outside lights. This will complete my changeover of the light switches in the kitchen/dining room, though I still need to replace several wall plates.

    I put the doors back on the undersink cabinet, and applied a coat of Minwax Tung Oil Finish. I removed the protective film from the front of the new dishwasher.

    

    

    I cleaned the floor of the pantry just so I could move a couple of storage bins in there.

    I did a little bit of cleaning up in the kitchen, but it's still quite a mess since it's been the clutter area of all of the work I've done on the house to date. I'm hoping that by tomorrow night I'll have much of it cleaned up.

• August 15, 2014
  
  • I stopped at Home Depot on the way home and bought a can of Minwax Tung Oil Finish to apply to some of the cabinet faces and doors. I also bought a new decorator outlet for under the sink and a slightly oversized cast metal wall plate to increase the support for it.

    I installed the new receptacle and cover plate under the sink. It's much more secure than the old one. At some point I'll probably change the wiring for this receptacle so that one of the outlets is always-on instead of being controlled by the wall switch (for the garbage disposal). That will allow a boost pump for reverse osmosis if I want to put the system under the sink instead of in the basement.

    I cut a piece of ribbed plastic shelf liner and installed it on the floor of the undersink cabinet.

    I cleaned the front of the undersink cabinet and applied a wipe-on coat of Minwax Tung Oil Finish. I cleaned the left door of the cabinet (door not installed yet). I'll clean the right one tomorrow and put Minwax Tung Oil Finish on both of them as well as the top panels and reinstall them.

    I printed the labels for the Festool Systainer 3 T-Loc that is now the case for the new belt sander (which didn't come with a case or bag). I coated them with spray gloss lacquer, cut them out, stuck them on the plastic cards and put them in the slots on the Systainer. I then put the sander away.

    Tomorrow I'm going to spend some time cleaning up the kitchen. I also need to spend some time thinking about building a cabinet to fill the space formerly occupied by a trash compactor. I've decided it's a given that I'm going to change the center island, and I can incorporate a wine refrigerator there. The space formerly occupied by a trash compactor should have a pull-out for a trash can.

• August 14, 2014
  
  • I caulked the edges of the undersink cabinet at the floor using clear silicone caulk. This is to help prevent HVAC air from leaking under the cabinet instead of going through the new register.

    I installed the new diswasher. The electrical box is mounted on the inside of the right panel of the new undersink cabinet. I had a little trouble with the hot water supply valve being corroded inside which didn't allow the Bosch supply line to fit. I cleaned the inside of the valve output with a fine-grit stone on my Dremel and all went well afterward.

    I ran a half load in the dishwasher. It works well. I do want to do something about hot moist air hitting the underside of the countertop, since it's bare MDF. Spar varnish is probably sufficient, but I may glue a piece of FRP or stainless steel there.

    I received a Festool Systainer T-Loc III for the new belt sander. The belt sander is now in it, but I need to print the label cards.

• August 13, 2014
  
  • I changed my mind on the Moen Delaney faucet with MotionSense. Too many users have had the motion sense fail, several more than once. And more than one user has reported the connectors to the control box failing, flooding their cabinet.

    So on the way home from work I picked up a Kohler Barossa. It has the features I considered essential: pull-down sprayer, magnetic docking system, high arch spout, 360 degree spout rotation, single lever control, ceramic disc valves. It also has the Sweep Spray that's handy for cleaning off plates. And it was only $199, which is much less expensive than the Moen Delaney with MotionSense.

    I successfully removed the old faucet control and side sprayer, but have not yet removed the faucet itself. I'm about to do that. The sink has a bizarre 4-hole setup that isn't suited to the new faucet; 2 in the back near the smaller sink well that were used for the old faucet and control, one in the sink well divider that had the side sprayer, and one on the left back corner for the soap dispenser. The one for the side sprayer was truly annoying, since the sprayer sticking up between the sink wells was always in the way. Until I buy a new sink, I'll be using covers to cover the two holes I won't be using. Home Depot only had crappy plastic chrome plated ones in the store, I'll need to order some decent stainless steel ones. I bought one of the crappy ones at Home Depot just to temporarily cover the hole previously occupied by the side sprayer. I'm just going to tape over the other hole until I get a better hole cover. Later I'll be installing a reverse osmosis drinking water system that will utilize this hole.

    I removed the old faucet, then installed the new one. I used the hole furthest to the right, which will allow me to fill pots on the counter by just swiveling the faucet. I hooked it all up, it works fine. Lower flow rate than the faucet I removed (which appears to have been original to the house), but that was expected since water conservation is pushing faucets toward lower flow rates.

    

    

    I'm already looking for an alternative soap dispenser because the one that came with the faucet is a low-grade plastic unit that gets negative reviews.

• August 12, 2014
  
  • The undersink cabinet still doesn't fit under the sink, despite having a decent amount of material from the bottom.

    I marked the top of the left side panel for the material that still needs to be removed, since that side needed a little bit more removed. I didn't want to take any more material off the bottom. I then used my router with a guide to take off what was necessary. The cabinet is now in position and fits perfectly, and the dishwasher is in position and fits well too. I now need a new kitchen sink faucet since the leaks are a problem, and then I can connect the dishwasher feed, exhaust and electrical and button everything up. I don't want to connect the diswasher lines yet because they'll be in the way when replacing the faucet.

• August 11, 2014
  
  • I bought a Porter-Cable 352VS belt sander on the way home from work. I used it to reduce the height of the new cabinet a bit. I believe it will now fit under the sink. I won't know until tomorrow; I put a new coat of spar varnish on the bottom edges and it will need to dry.

    I know the bottom edges are now not perfectly straight, but I'm OK with it. We'll see how it looks once it's installed.

    If I add quarter-round, I'll need a pin nailer; the Porter-Cable PIN138 would probably be fine.

• August 10, 2014
  
  • The Loctite Premium 8X is cured enough to move the new undersink cabinet. The HVAC register is firmly attached, I don't need to worry about it. I can now continue the final finish work.

    I glued in the Kreg wood plugs to fill the pocket holes inside the cabinet. They stuck out a fair amount. I sanded them down using my die grinder and then the random orbital sander.

    I cut a 2.5" tall rounded notch out of the back of the right side of the cabinet to accomodate the diswasher electrical, supply and exhaust lines. This is bigger than necessary, but the 3/4" thick oak plywood is strong so it made sense to leave myself ample room to feed things through the cabinet. I used a straight bit on my router instead of a hole saw, to get a nice clean notch with no chipping or peeling of the plywood's veneer.

    I then put another coat of Cabot spar varnish on the inside of the cabinet and the edges of the new notch.

    What's left to do on the new cabinet... caulk the floor where it meets the side panels and fascia, and install the back support after the cabinet is in place under the sink.

    I need a new faucet for the kitchen sink. I actually need a new sink too, since I hate the layout of the existing sink. But I can live with it for now. The faucet, however, leaks in use at the handle, and has solid copper feeds that also leak a tiny bit and are severely corroded. I'm hoping I can get by with the existing faucet for a bit, since the replacement I want (Moen Delaney with MotionSense) is pricey.

    I cut and installed a piece of FRP on the wall behind the sink, below the sink plumbing. This is mostly to protect the wall from water damage. I used 3M 90 adhesive, which means it's permanent. Any future wall work will mean replacing drywall.

    I attempted to install the new cabinet, but it's a bit too tall. I should have been more careful with my measurements. I used the old cabinet's panels to set my dimensions, but it appears that the old cabinet's side panels may have been buckeld at installation and not from water damage. Sigh. Now the real issue is that to adjust the height of the cabinet, I need to shave a bit off of the base. I'll want a brand new fine finish blade for my circular saw. Home Depot has the Avanta 60 tooth, which will likely work fine. Lowe's has the DeWalt 60-tooth DW3596L, which is likely a better blade. I can't use a plywood blade because I need to cut through plywood and solid oak at the same time, and my experience with plywood blades on hardwood is that they get too hot and burn the wood.

    Really, my circular saw isn't the ideal tool to remove such a small amount of material (3/32" at most). A power planer would probably work but I'm leery of using one on plywood where the visible layer would be cut across the grain. The ideal tool is probably a belt sander, but I don't own one anymore. Time to buy a new one? The Makita 9903 would likely suit my needs, but it looks like no one has one locally. I can get the Porter-Cable 352VS at Lowe's tomorrow. Or the Craftsman 8A 3x21 at Sears.

• August 9, 2014
  
  • I went to Lowe's and bought a Kreg pocket hole jig and some screws. I also bought a new bi-metal semicircular blade for my Bosch oscillating tool.

    Undersink cabinet build...

    I decided to attach the cabinet fascia today before applying more varnish. This was mainly so I can put varnish on the joints of the fascia during my next coat of varnish, as well as inside the pocket holes. I drilled 6 pocket holes in the side panels for the fascia (3 on the left panel, 3 on the right panel). I then put the cabinet on its back and ran a bead of Loctite PL Premium 8X on all of the edges that would slot into the fascia. I put the fascia on, clamped it in place, then drove in the pocket hole screws. It will take 24 hours for the Loctite to fully cure.

    I put another coat of spar varnish on the toe kick. It will probably need one more coat, only because I've had to sand more than I'd like between coats on this piece.

    I cut the Great Stuff foam flush with the floor at the wall behind the sink cabinet and dishwasher. I put a coat of polyurethane on it just to seal it up a bit. It remains flexible enough that it won't impinge on hardwood floor expansion/contraction, but the floor was stapled down anyway (not floated) so it shouldn't be moving without the subfloor moving with it.

    Much later at night, I glued the new HVAC register into the toe kick with Loctite Premium 8X. I'm not yet certain this will be sufficient, but once it dries I will know. I was cautious about using too much adhesive since I didn't want it to seep out during expansion. Hopefully I used enough. Obviously this isn't a structural piece, but I don't want it to fall out.

• August 8, 2014
  
  • On my way home from work, I stopped at Home Depot to buy some Kilz Original in a rattle-can, a bottle of Titebond III wood glue (just supply replenishment), and a couple more 2" foam paintbrushes. The Kilz is to prime the wall behind the sink cabinet and dishwasher.

    I put a fourth coat of Cabot spar varnish on the outside of the left panel of the underink cabinet I'm building. I put the third coat on the outside of the right side panel. I put the second coat on the inside of the cabinet.

    I cleaned the wall behind the sink and dishwasher with bleach water, then wiped it with a wet sponge and dried it. I then foamed the considerable gap (about 1.5") between the wall and hardwood floor edge with Great Stuff Pest Blocker. Not because it's the ideal solution, but because it's what I had on hand. I then sprayed a coat of Kilz Original primer on the areas of the wall that needed it. When the Great Stuff dries, I'll cut it flush with the floor.

    Tomorrow I hope to apply the final coat of spar varnish on the inside of the cabinet, and to glue the fascia to the cabinet.

• August 7, 2014
  
  • I put a third coat of Cabot spar varnish on the outside of the left panel of the undersink cabinet I'm building. I put the second coat on the outside of the right panel. I put the first coat on the inside of the cabinet.

    The heat register from Signature Hardware arrived. This will be installed in the toe kick of the cabinet. I checked that it fits. Unfortunately, despite their web page, it's a floor register, not a wall register. There is no means of mounting provided. It's thick and heavy, it'd work fine in a floor. Given that I don't see myself ever removing it from this cabinet, I might just glue it in place with clear silicone, which would also serve as a gasket. Or I could drill holes in it for countersunk stainless steel wood screws. Given that I like the look without screws, I think I'll just use the silicone or Loctite PL 8X construction adhesive. Or maybe just 3M VHB tape.

    I removed the old cabinet's back from the wall under the sink using my Bosch oscillating tool with a half-round blade.

• August 6, 2014
  
  • After light sanding, I put a third and final coat of spar varnish on the base of the undersink cabinet I'm building. I put a second coat on the outside of the left panel, and the first coat on the outside of the right panel. I don't think I want or need more than 2 coats on the outside of the side panels, so tomorrow I'll probably flip the cabinet upside right to put the second coat on the outside of the right panel and start coating the inside of the cabinet. Before that I'll probably cut the hole for the plumbing of the dishwasher.

    I'm starting to think I'm going to put a piece of the FRP left over from the garage on the floor of the cabinet. It's easy to clean and very resistant to chemicals (and impervious to water). It's a neutral color and it's easy to slide items on it. It doesn't need to be adhered by anything other than a bit of carpet tape, so it will be replaceable. On the other hand, I suspect I might need to use it behind the cabinet; there's water damage to the old cabinet's back, and I haven't removed that from the wall yet.

    I'm looking at how I can add on to the island to get rid of the silly two-level counter and gain storage space and room for a dual zone wine refrigerator. I'd also like room for a 36" cooktop instead of the 30", since it doesn't cost much more and a 30" 5-burner is crowded.

    I'm also looking at the Bosch HMC87151UC to replace the crappy microwave. The Bosch is a combination microwave and convection oven. Theoretically, it would kill two birds with one stone. On the other hand, it'd be somewhat of a hassle to have it tied up with cooking tasks when I need to microwave something. And the Electrolux Icon is a better but more expensive option.

• August 5, 2014
  
  • I ordered a heat register from Signature Hardware for the undersink cabinet I'm building. It's 2.25" x 10", antique design, solid brass with a brushed nickel finish.

    I sanded the base of the undersink cabinet and applied the second coat of Cabot spar varnish. I applied the first coat of spar varnish to the outside of the left panel (the panel that will be visible until I fill the space previously occupied by a trash compactor).

    I brought the diswasher in the house, unwrapped it, and roughly positioned it just so I could get an idea what I need to do for the electrical work and plumbing.

• August 4, 2014
  
  • Undersink cabinet build...

    I glued and screwed the sides to the base.

    

    I glued and nailed the floor to the base. I then placed the cabinet on its back and positioned the fascia on the cabinet. This allowed me to position the support wedges at the top and glue them to the sides.

    

    I screwed and glued together the back support pieces after routing the edges of the hardwood parts with a roundoff bit in the router. I installed the lower one in the cabinet. The upper one can't be installed until after the cabinet is under the sink.

    I put a coat of Cabot sanding sealer on the sides, back and inside of the cabinet. Once it dries, I'll put a coat on the bottom. I'm not putting any on the toe kick plate because I intend to adhere oak laminate there. I also avoided the front edges since I need to glue the fascia to the cabinet (probably using Loctite PL 8X).

    I went to Lowe's to pick up some 3M 90 spray adhesive, a small roll of real oak veneer, some clear silicone caulk, Plast-O-Mat shelf liner, #8 x 1-1/4" wood screws and more foam paint brushes.

    I flipped the cabinet upside down and put a coat of sanding sealer on the base of the cabinet.

    I cut and installed the small 1x2 pieces to hide the edge grain of the plywood and toe kick board. These pieces are just glued in place with Gorilla wood glue, hopefully that will be sufficient since I don't want to bother with biscuits or dowels. Given the surface area of the glued faces versus the size of the pieces, I think they will be fine for many years.

    I cut and intalled the real oak veneer on the front of the toe kick. I've never had good luck using an iron to do this, so I used my heat gun to heat the veneer and a scrap piece of oak to press it. I trimmed it with a sharp wood chisel, and cut out the hole for the HVAC register with a utility knife and then trimmed the hole with a wood chisel.

    I put a coat of Cabot spar varnish on the inside base of the cabinet, the toe kick and the back of the rear lower support. I used spar varnish here for its superior moisture protection and its ability to expand and contract. The base of the cabinet serves as an HVAC duct, it will get heated in the winter and cooled in the summer. And being under a sink, it's bound to get wet once in a while. I will be caulking the joints of the cabinet floor with silicone caulk to help prevent any water from seeping into the edges of the plywood.

    

    

• August 3, 2014
  
  • Undersink cabinet build...

    I went to Lowe's to pick up another oak 1x6, a 1/2" straight router bit to make the dado cuts in the plywood sides of the cabinet to accept some support wedges, and a new pair of Mechanix gloves.

    I cut the solid oak pieces for the floor support and toe kick plate. All from 1x6 pieces I ripped to 5.125" width per my design in SketchUp. Two 19" long, two 34" long and one 32.5" long.

    I used a new rabbeting bit to notch the two side panels to fit into the dado of the cabinet fascia. I tested the fit, it's fine.

    I cut the floor and rabbeted the front edge. I cut the two support pieces for the back. I cut the support wedges that will go between the sides and the fascia. I routed the dados for the support wedges in the sides using the new 1/2" straight router bit. I cut the 1x2 pieces for the back supports. I cut the notches on the lower from part of the side panels.

    I cut the rectangular hole in the front toe kick piece for the HVAC register. This hole is 2.25" tall by 10" wide to accomodate the register I've selected but not ordered yet. I cut the same size hole in the inner toe kick piece, then glued them together. I then squared, glued and screwed all of the pieces for the base.

    

    

    I later clamped the sides in position with the cabinet oriented with the back on the floor. I set the old fascia on the front to check fitment. Everything is good, I can finish assembly being confident that the cabinet replacement will be a success.

• August 2, 2014
  
  • The Bosch SHX68T55UC dishwasher arrived today. I don't have much time today, but I'm trying to do more work on the sink cabinet. I installed the new Diablo 60-tooth fine cut blade on the table saw, and made the main cuts for the sides of the cabinet. The table saw worked fine for these cuts. I need to notch the lower front corners of these pieces for the toe kick area, I'll do that tomorrow. I then need to rabbett the front edges to fit into the fascia, and put a 1/2" wide slot near the top to accomodate support wedges that go between the sides and the front fascia.

    Before I make more cuts, I need to finish my SketchUp of the cabinet so I don't make any mistakes with the joinery plans.

• August 1, 2014
  
  • I went to Lowe's and Home Depot for tools and supplies to repair the undersink cabinet. Three pieces of 3/4" thick 2' x 4' oak plywood for the sides and floor, and one piece of 1/2" thick 2' x 4' oak plywood to attempt to fix the back of the cabinet. I don't really want to replace the whole back since the plumbing was done after the cabinets were installed, which means to do it right I'd have to redo the plumbing and I don't enjoy sweating copper pipes under a cabinet.

    I bought two 6' long 1x6 oak pieces to build the support for the floor, and some 6' long 1x2 oak pieces in case I need them for whatever I do with the back.

    I bought a quart of Cabot sanding sealer and a quart of Cabot Spar Varnish to seal the plywood.

    I bought a 60-tooth fine finish 10" Diablo blade for the table saw. I bought a rabbetting bit for my router, the only one Lowe's had that fits my router. It's a wider cut than I need, but I can deal with that using one of my guides. This is just to shave a bit off the edge of the plywood sides to fit into the existing cabinet fascia.

    I bought four more of the Pass & Seymour GFCI outlets with nightlights (1595NTLTRWCC4). I don't yet know how many of these will go in the kitchen, I'm assuming at least two. Technically all of the outlets above the counter in the kitchen should be GFCI to meet current electrical code, but it's a lot of outlets and I likely don't want nightlights in all of them. One by the sink and one somewhere else should be enough light to navigate the kitchen and dining room area at night without turning on any lights. While I'm not averse to using the nightlight outlets to replace all of the existing outlets in the kitchen, it gets expensive since they're almost $18 each and there are 16 outlets in the kitchen/dining area.

    I removed the fascia from the undersink cabinet and saved it for reuse. While there's some light damage to it from the cabinet staple removal, it's all on the back side that won't be visible. It does need some minor repair since one of the glued dowel joints is loose, it's reusable so I don't need to rebuild it. Which is good news given that I don't have a planer or joiner.

    I removed the severely damaged sides of the undersink cabinet. It's worth noting that there was no floor in the cabinet, it was ripped out by the previous owner or monkey boy Howard. The toe kick plate wasn't connected to anything, it was just propped in place.

    The hardwood flooring has ancient, deep water stains. Much of the floor here never had a finish applied. There's no point in trying to remove the stains; I'm sure they're much to deep to sand out, and this floor isn't visible when the cabinet and appliances are in place. But I do want it sealed, so I scraped the deposits off with wood chisels, wiped it down with mineral spirits to remove any film, let it dry, then scuff sanded it and wiped it clean with dry microfiber. I then applied the first coat of Minwax Polyurethane for Floors with a foam brush. When it dries, I'll apply a second coat.

    Here's a picture of the damage to the right side of the cabinet, from the dishwasher side. The side had buckled from water damage. The buckling follows the dado that's cut in the other side for the cabinet floor that was unceremoniously ripped out before I bought the house.

    

    And here's a picture of it from inside the cabinet.

    

    Here's a picture of the inside of the front left of the cabinet. This side was damaged too, but it doesn't appear to be from water damage. It was damaged by whoever ripped out the cabinet floor. You can also see that the toe kick plate wasn't attached to anything, and you can sort of see how the 1/4" laminate on the front of this piece had delaminated.

    

    Here's a picture of the staples that formerly supported the back of the floor.

    

    Next, a picture with the front fascia of the cabinet removed.

    

    A picture with the sides of the cabinet removed.

    

    The replacement cabinet will have 3/4" thick oak plywood sides. A 3/4" thick oak plywood floor will be supported around its perimeter by 1x6 pieces of oak on edge. The new toe kick plate will be solid oak. I haven't decided what to do for an HVAC grill in the toe kick plate; I don't like most of the ones I've seen online. It's possible that I'll design my own out of stainless steel and order from Front Panel Express since I don't need a damper. However, I do like some of the ones from Signature Hardware. For example, the Traditional solid brass wall register in brushed nickel.

• July 31, 2014
  
  • I stopped at Restaurant Depot on Maple Road and bought a case of twenty four Libbey 16 ounce mix glasses for $22.80. I've needed new glassware for quite some time. I'll be buying more, this is just the first purchase. These particular glasses are thick and durable (heat-treated), which makes them good for day-to-day use. They're durable enough to chill in the freezer before use, and I'm a fan of simple, clear glassware.

    My dishwasher will be here on Saturday. I'm not ready for it, so I need to get moving on the cabinet repair.

    The existing veneered partical board on the sides of the sink cabinet is roughly .625" thick. It's set into a shallow dado cut in the front pieces. To use 3/4" plywood for new sides, I'll need to either buy a dado set for the table saw or buy a rabbetting bit for my router. I'm inclined to use my router since it'll yield a nicer joint, and I'm not sure I can easily get a dado insert for the table saw I've borrowed. It looks like I need to rebuild the entire cabinet under the sink except the face, including the back. That means the sink and all of the plumbing needs to come out, unless I want to get creative attaching the back of the cabinet. I'm not averse to being creative here, given that taking the sink out will be a lot of work and risks damage to the laminate countertop. A couple of 1x2's or aluminum angle could be used to hold it to the sides of the cabinet on the inside of the cabinet. Or a dado joint, but I'm not inclined to glue the back in place since it'd make it hard to remove if ever needed.

• July 29, 2014
  
  • I downloaded the installation instructions for the Bosch SHX68T55UC dishwasher. I also downloaded the operation instructions and the specification sheet. They're now in the Kitchen section of the Manauls page.

• July 28, 2014
  
  • I measured the pieces of the kitchen cabinetry that I need to replace before installing a new dishwasher. The pieces that form the sides of the undersink cabinet are 34.5" tall by 23.375" deep. Both of these pieces have water damage, but the one on the right side that was nearest the original dishwasher is severely damaged and buckled. I will be replacing them with 3/4" thick oak plywood, which will be stronger than the original pieces.

    Note that there was no dishwasher when I bought the house; it's just an empty space where a built-in dishwasher once lived.

    I also need to build the floor of the undersink cabinet. The previous owner ripped out the floor, presumably because it was severely water damaged. The original floor was simply stapled to the sides and rear of the cabinet, and it appears it was quite thin (less than 1/2"). My intent is to use 3/4" plywood here, with solid oak pieces around the entire perimeter to support the floor. They will need to be thoroughly sealed.

    It's worth noting that the space between the undersink cabinet floor and the subfloor is used as ductwork for HVAC; there's a small vent in the toe plate at the front of the cabinet. Because there is currently no cabinet floor, HVAC is going throughout the cabinet. When I rebuild this part of the cabinet and floor, I'll want to seal it effectively to prevent HVAC air from entering the cabinet. Hot air hitting cold pipes is a recipe for condensation.

    The undersink cabinet floor was approximately 35" wide. That's somewhat of a guess on my part since the floor is gone and the sides are warped/buckled. In all likelihood, I'll have to wait until the dishwasher is here before I can finalize the cabinet rebuild plan. All I know at the moment is that none of my pieces will be MDF, unlike the current cabinetry. MDF fails miserably when exposed to moisture.

• July 22, 2014
  
  • I'm starting to think I want to change the kitchen island. The shape of the current island is awkward at best, and the lower part of the top is flimsy due to the way it's mounted. It's also too low for adults, and due to its L shape, it just isn't very useful. I'd rather have a contiguous top at one level, and forget about any seating. This would yield a lot more storage space, allow a 36" cooktop, and a 24" wide undercounter dual-zone wine/beverage cooler. I would not necessarily need to build a whole new island; most of the existing island could remain if I can match the wood.

• July 19, 2014
  
  • I installed a Lutron Claro CA-1PSH-WH rocker switch for the garbage disposal.

    I installed a Lutron MACL-153M-WH for the cove light. I installed a Utilitech LR16DMLED 40W-equivalent LED bulb in the recessed fixture. I was hoping to fit an R20 bulb in here for a little bit more light, but it wouldn't fit.

    I installed a Lutron MACL-153M-WH for the light over the kitchen sink. I installed a Utilitech LR16DMLED in the fixture. Like the light over the cove, I was hoping to fit an R20 bulb here to get a bit more light, but it wouldn't fit.

    I wish I had looked at the wiring for the outdoor corner garage light switch in the kitchen before I bought the switch. The Lutron CA-3PS-WH won't work because I need a 4-way switch. So I bought a Pass & Seymour 4-way switch at Lowe's to get me by for now. Ultimately I'd like a Lutron CA-4PSH-WH.

    I tried to install a Baldwin 4741.150.CD wall plate near the sink, but I broke two of the nickel colored screws due to conflict with the backsplash. This was after cutting away some of the tile with my Dremel. I cut more of the tile away, and bought a 10-pack of screws at Lowe's. I was then able to install the wall plate.

• July 17, 2014
  
  • I ordered some R20 LED bulbs to replace the small recessed bulbs in the kitchen (both of which were burned out before I bought the house). I also ordered two Lutron Maestro MACL-153M-WH dimmers for these lights, a Lutron Claro switch for the garbage disposal and a 3-way version for the outdoor light. This will complete the kitchen light switch conversion.

• July 10, 2014
  
  • The Lutron Maestro MA-FQ4FM-WH arrived from Amazon.

    I replaced the PAR30 incandescent bulb over the door to the garage with a Cree BR30 2700K LED bulb.

    I replaced the Cree LED bulbs in the island light with Cree TW series LED bulbs. I like the higher CRI of the TW bulbs. One thing I don't like: they don't cooperate terribly well with the Lutron dimmers. They work, but if they've been off for a while and then the dimmer is activated, the bulbs flash briefly, then a second later the dimmer ramps them up.

• July 9, 2014
  
  • I installed a Lutron Maestro MSCL-OP153M-WH for the recessed light over the door to the garage.

• July 8, 2014
  
  • I ordered a Lutron Maestro MA-FQ4FM-WH for the ceiling fan above the dining room table. It should arrive on Thursday.

    I installed a Lutron Maestro MACL-153M-WH digital dimmer for the back porch area recessed lighting.

• July 6, 2014
  
  • I used some Dremel diamond cutting tools to make room for switch plate screws in the 4-gang cutout in the tile backsplash, and then installed a Baldwin 4-gang satin nickel wall plate. I no longer have any builder-grade switch plates for switches in the kitchen/dining, family room, foyer, master bedroom or upstairs office that I use daily. I still need to replace some in the kitchen, bathrooms and upstairs bedrooms.

• July 5, 2014
  
  • I installed the dimmers for the Ceiling fan light in the dining room: a Lutron Maestro MACL-153M-WH and a pair of Lutron Meastro MA-R-WH companion dimmers. After removing the original dimmer and switches, I realized why they didn't work correctly: the dimmer was miswired. I now have fully functional dimming for the ceiling fan light, island light and recessed lights, all with Lutron Maestro dimmers.

    I installed a Baldwin satin nickel triple-gang switch plate for the switches on the wall between the dining room and the family room, and another next to the door to the back yard. I have a 4-gang to install on the tile backsplash to complete the dimmer installation.

• July 4, 2014
  
  • I bought some Dremel diamond bits and cutting wheels to tweak the cutouts around the light switches in the tile backsplash in the kitchen.

• July 3, 2014
  
  • I started to install the Lutron Maestro dimmers for the ceiling fan light, but ran into an issue with the 4-gang box in the tile backsplash. The cutout for that box doesn't accomodate the switch plate screws because it's too small. The screws hit the tile before they're anywhere near fully seated in the Baldwin wall plates. I can't seem to find any of my diamond cutters for my Dremel, so I'll have to get some more tomorrow at Lowe's.

    I installed one of the Baldwin satin nickel switch plates over the volume control in the kitchen.

• June 14, 2014
  
  • I installed a Lutron MACL-153MH-WH digital dimmer for the light fixture over the island. It matches the occupancy sensing dimmer that I installed for the recessed lights.

• June 13, 2014
  
  • I finished installing the paper towel holder in the kitchen. It took me a couple of days due to needing to put multiple coats of polyurethane on the piece of oak plywood I needed to mount it to the cabinet. The plywood is adhered to the cabinet with Loctite PL Premium 3X, and the paper towel holder is screwed to the plywood. I like the holder, it's a Simple Human with a very easy mechanism to replace the roll; squeeze and click instead of screw. I bought it at Bed, Bath & Beyond last week. I have another one that I intend to install in the laundry room.

• June 7, 2014
  
  • I bought a SimpleHuman paper towel holder for the kitchen. I haven't decided where to mount it, but it will be under one of the cabinets.

• February 15, 2014
  
  • I installed a Lutron Maestro occupancy sensor dimmer and companion dimmer for the main recessed kitchen lights. The occupancy sensor is in the one nearest the door to the garage.

• January 19, 2014
  
  • I started to install the dual-gang outlet box above my tool cabinet, but it turns out that the hole in the sill plate in the basement doesn't actually make it all the way into the wall cavity. I'm not sure what the story is here, but I think I'll need a long auger bit. My guess is that this hole only enters the space between the sill and the floor, it doesn't actually penetrate the floor or the wall plate. I've already cut the hole for the 2-gang outlet box.

    I replaced 3 old outlets with new decora-style outlets, and installed solid brass nickel-plated wall plates (satin finish) on them (the Amerelle Madison series). They look better, and more importantly the outlet contacts are new and the wall plates can't crack like the nylon ones they replaced.

    I ordered a 3/4" diameter auger bit, another Hubbel AC outlet with 3.0 amp USB ports, and 2 more cans of Great Stuff Fireblack expanding foam from Home Depot for in-store pickup. While I'm there I'll likely get an oak 1x4 to make small shelves for the kitchen. I should also pick up some more adhesive-backed hooks.

• January 18, 2014
  
  • I ordered some things from Home Depot for in-store pickup. A Leviton 4-port decora USB charging outlet to replace the cable TV outlet above the counter; I have no need for cable TV in the kitchen, but do need more USB charging ports. A nylon ivory wall plate for this new outlet. A pair of small floating shelves for this area of the kitchen so I can put my devices on the shelves while charging: phone with Elevation Labs dock, Mophie battery case, Plantronics headset charging case, etc. I also ordered a pair of plastic adhesive-backed hooks for this area to hang my headset for charging. I'm only installing one in this area, the second will go in the garage.

    I installed a Hubbell AC outlet with two 3.0 amp USB ports in the kitchen using 3M mounting tape since I didn't want to drill holes in the backsplash tile for a cheap shelf that may or may not be used long-term. I installed one of the floating shelves to hold my Elevation Labs dock, and one of the adhesive-backed hooks for my headset. I now have a place for my phone and headset to charge in the kitchen.

• September 4, 2013
  
  • I bought four more Cree BR30 LED bulbs and installed them in more of the recessed light housings in the kitchen. There are now six of them in the kitchen, along with one Philips that I don't like as much and two compact fluorescent BR30 bulbs. I'll later replace the remaining bulbs with the Cree BR30 bulbs. The light quality is better than any other energy-saving BR30 I've tried, and they come on instantly (no delay like other LEDs, and of course no warm-up time).