In Closing in on Cabinet Install, I closed with the expectation that cabinet install would start on Saturday morning. Fiona had a volleyball tournament and the crew arrived before I left to drop her off to catch the bus there. By the time we got home from the tournament in the afternoon, significant progress had been made. It's starting to look like a kitchen. The custom cabinets from Fine Wood Works in "Mindful Gray" look really sharp, even in the current state. Phase 1 of cabinet install is complete.

Agenda for the Week

The rest of the cabinets are scheduled to be installed on Monday, along with the sink and faucet - at least we're hoping. Once the cabinets are set, Busenbark Flooring and Granite will come out and template the counter tops. If you're near St. Louis and looking for a custom counter, Busenbark should be on your list. I wish I photos when we visited because their showroom and warehouse are very impressive. There were so many options and Kevin Wisdom was able to walk us through what met our specifications and help us pick out exactly what we were looking for.

Prep for Painting, and Irksome Practices

The following Monday, the drywall crew was back and prepping the space to be painted. There's been an almost non-stop flurry of activity since the previous Wednesday morning, making it feel more and more like we're close to not living in a construction zone. The one thing that continues to irk me is the inconsistent maintenance of the barriers between the workspace and our living space. This was a HUGE problem this week. Lots of sanding was being done to prep the drywall for painting. No barriers were replaced nor was our sunroom covered with a barrier - so instead it was covered in drywall dust. As was our master bedroom. As is my office. It's not pleasant.

The Cabinets are In

Back to the positive. The cabinets are in. Cabinet install is complete, less some trim and finish. More progress on the electrical was made. I ordered a combination of 5/6-inch and 4-inch Philips Hue Recessed Lights for the majority of the new kitchen lighting. We still need to find our pendant lights. We're one more day of drywall prep away from ready to paint. The flooring is scheduled to be sanded on Tuesday, and then stained Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. But for now, here are the rest of the cabinets.

The Flooring Gets Sanded

The flooring was sanded on Tuesday giving us another glimpse toward what the finished space will look like. The sink and faucet had yet to be installed.

Polyurethane

Wednesday, the polyurethane was applied.

Starting to Stain

Thursday the first coat of stain was applied.

Final Coat of Stain

Friday the final coat of stain was applied.

We've been staying with my in-laws since Wednesday because the floors were being done. We're told we shouldn't walk on them until Saturday evening, so we'll see what comes next. We've also been told that the goal the following week is to get a functioning kitchen again. There's some drywall work to finish, still. Painting will happen the following week. Fit and finish the week after that (backsplash, cleanup, etc.). So again, I'm not happy with the timing, especially considering the GC has another out of town trip in the middle of the job - this time for a week.

It remains to be seen what exactly will happen next, but we're getting closer to having our kitchen back.