Remodeling Without Remorse from Floor To Ceiling®
Coping with the Remodeling Mess
There is no question that remodeling an essential room like the kitchen or a bath can be a trying experience. Careful planning by your professional designer is paramount. But, there are important steps that you can take to make the experience as stress free as possible. Here are some suggestions to help you prepare to handle your part of the process.
Choosing Floor To Ceiling® to plan and manage your entire, complex remodeling experience is your assurance that if unexpected problems are encountered they will be handled in a timely and professional manner.
Think ahead
After you have a floor plan and are ready to place your order, you can begin to prepare for a successful remodeling outcome by using the time while you are waiting for materials to arrive.
- Take inventory of everything in your present cabinets. Rid them of unneeded or outdated items now! Box up re-useable items and take them to the local GoodWill store. Discard old, out of date boxed or canned grocery goods.
- Prepare containers for items to be stored during the tear-out and installation phase. Collect boxes, large plastic bags and packing materials.
- Plan a place for discarded cabinets and counters. Consider how old appliances will be handled. Does your appliance dealer provide a trade-in or recycling service? If not, do local codes provide for disposal services? Will the installer handle disposal for you? Get the answers now.
- Purchase large plastic sheeting and tape to cover doors to other rooms. This will substantially reduce dust in the rest of the house. Some contractors may provide this service. You may want to call and find out before purchasing your own. (If there are family members with allergies, consider using old sheets. Dampen them with a spray bottle each morning before work begins to further eliminate dust.)
- Collect coupons for your favorite restaurants. Plan to eat out several times during the remodeling process.
- Plan another cooking space if you decide to eat in. Can you create a temporary food preparation area in the family room or basement? Think where you could plug in a microwave, crock pot or toaster oven. Keep a vinyl tablecloth and paper towel handy for a quick sanitary workspace and easy cleanup. Use paper or plastic plates and flatware.
- Take advantage of your outdoor grill.
- Put together a small remodeling cookbook of recipes you can cook in a microwave or crock pot or other small appliance. Plan to use boxed or canned ingredients. Plan to use lots of finger foods, like sandwiches and fruits.
- Cook and bake now. Make several meals you can freeze until needed. Bake cookies, then freeze or store in an airtight container until you need them.
Do NOT begin to tear out your old kitchen until ALL materials have arrived at your home. Even if the tear-out is your responsibility, wait until your Floor To Ceiling® professional’s notification that the time has arrived. An unexpected and uncontrollable delay could leave you without your kitchen for longer than you had planned. Keep calm and remember that when everything is on time, everyone wins. Your designer, installer, the cabinet and countertop manufacturers and appliance distributor all want you to have a delightful remodeling experience. They want your referrals to neighbors and friends!
Avoid surprises and misunderstandings
Make sure you understand who is responsible for certain steps in the remodel process.
- Is the general contractor the appliance supplier or the plumber responsible for hooking the dishwasher to the plumbing?
- Will the contractor or a sheet metal sub-contractor be supplying the ductwork for a vented hood over the range?
- Are you responsible to contact the local gas utility to hook-up a gas range? Will the contractor do this?
- Is the contractor or a sub-contracting electrician responsible for moving the 220 volt outlet if you are moving your stove?
- Will the contractor take responsibility for repairing (and repainting) ceilings or walls that may be damaged by cabinet removal?
Expect the unexpected
Some potential problems cannot be known until tear-out reveals them, such as old wiring or plumbing that must be brought up to code. Homes more than 10 years old have a greater chance of encountering some unexpected challenges. Being prepared ahead of time will help you cope with the realities of remodeling. Reserve a few investment dollars just in case. And…allow a little extra time for contractors to estimate, schedule and complete unexpected repairs or upgrades.
When It's Time to Pack-up
Notification by your designer or project manager that delivery of your materials (cabinets, appliances, etc.) is imminent, indicates it is time to pack the contents of your cabinets.
By now, you should have:
- discarded outdated and damaged items or anything you won’t keep
- donated it all to your local GoodWill store
- obtained boxes and plastic bags suitable for temporary storage.
Keep these things in mind as you pack:
- Store together items you will need to prepare meals (no matter how they will be stored in the new kitchen.)
- Store items you plan to use in clean, clear plastic zipper bags for easy identification and use. You may want to toss them in a small box or laundry basket that can easily be stored or stashed in your temporary kitchen.
- Store other items by the location you plan for them in the new kitchen. (This will make move-in much easier. Refer to your new floor plan, thinking where each item will be stored.)
- Purchase inexpensive white gift tissue for wrapping dishes. Old newspaper is handy, but newsprint can rub off and require dishes to be washed before loading in the new cabinets. (Stuff the used tissue in a plastic bag and recycle it for stuffing gift bags!)
- Place plastic table cover, paper towels, dishtowels, disposable plates and plastic flatware in a box in the temporary kitchen.
- For quick and easy clean-up in the bathroom sink or tub (your temporary kitchen), purchase a dishwashing wand – a sponge on a handle that holds and releases detergent.
- To avoid dust, close up boxes of items you will not be using and store them in another area of the house.
- For a real sense of accomplishment, take a few quick snapshots of the old kitchen to compare with the new one when it is finished.
A typical kitchen remodeling time-line:
All are different, but some things are common to most kitchen remodels.
- The water will be turned off before the sink is removed.
- The sink must be removed before the counters and cabinetry comes out.
- Flooring should be removed after everything else is out of the kitchen.
- All base cabinets must be installed before measurements can be taken and countertops fabricated.
- Your sink cannot be installed until the countertops are installed. Find out ahead about how much time will be expected to elapse between removing the sink and installation of the new one (usually several days or even a week or more, depending on the type of counters you ordered and whether or not unexpected plumbing repairs are required to be completed.) If there is an unexpected delay, you can request your installer to hook up your sink and faucet in a temporary counter arrangement (probably of plywood or a strip of the old counter may be available.) But, keep in mind that this would be additional, chargeable work. A temporary sink hook-up may not be worth the expense, since your kitchen cooking equipment will probably not be installed at this juncture. It may better to tough it out using your temporary kitchen and those restaurant coupons.
- If plumbing or electrical work must be repaired or brought up to code, the installer may be required to schedule an inspector to approve the job before the entire kitchen is complete and you can move in.
During Installation
In addition to using those restaurant coupons, and taping the plastic or fabric sheeting over doorways, relax and keep out of the way of workers as much as possible.
- Peeking now and then is allowed, but it is helpful to the installation crew if you avoid hovering around while they are working. It is also safer!
- For their safety, always keep children clear of the work area, including both the kitchen and the area being used to unbox cabinets and appliances. Keep children away from where saws and other electric tools are in use.
- At the end of each day’s work, it is OK to ask the crew supervisor to show you what was done and what happens next.
Installations usually follow this order:
- Base corner cabinets
- Wall cabinets
- Tall cabinets
- Countertops measured and fabricated
- Countertops installed
- Sink and faucet installed
- Appliances installed
- Floor covering installed. Some designers prefer to install tile and wood or laminate floors under base cabinets. (When tall cabinets, wall cabinets or moldings are designed to go to the ceiling, floor thickness impacts the total height available.)
- Decorative molding, trim and decorative hardware is usually installed last.
- Don’t panic now! The process of installation is complex. Don’t expect everything to look perfect until the job is complete. Are cabinet doors out of adjustment? Are there small surface scratches? These things will all be dealt with when the installation is nearly complete. Make a list of concerns. On the last day, check off those items that are no longer "unfinished". If some remain, discuss them with the job supervisor or your Floor To Ceiling® designer/salesperson.
After the Job is Complete
Ah! The workers are gone and the new kitchen is done! Your move-in is planned and should be easy but you may have these questions…
- Do my new cabinets require shelf paper? Cabinetry with a wipe-clean or vinyl interior surface does not require any liner. In fact, it is important NOT to use contact paper or other adhesives that could compromise the cabinet interior. Most factory-built cabinets with wood interiors will have water-resistant varnish finishes. Check with your sales person to be sure if shelf liner is recommended.
- How do I get rid of the dust on cabinets, counters and floors? Wipe counters with a damp paper towel, then dry and follow-up with manufacturer’s recommended cleaner/polish. Vacuum floors, then mop according to manufacturer’s directions. Wipe cabinetry with a dry towel, followed by a light buffing with a high quality furniture polish to restore the beauty of the finish. Do NOT use lemon oil or other oily or wax products for cleaning manufactured cabinetry. Catalyzed varnish finishes are not enhanced and can become ‘smeared’ with these kinds of products. Use only manufacturer recommended furniture polish. (Remember, the beauty of this kind of finish requires only yearly polishing, if any.)
- What is the safest way to clean glass door cabinets?To avoid damaging wood frames or brass lead caming, dampen a clean towel with a light combination of vinegar and cool water. Dry thoroughly. Avoid glass cleaners with ammonia and other harsh chemicals.
- What if shelves need adjusting for things to fit? If your new cabinets are equipped with adjustable shelving, your installer may ask you to indicate where shelves should be placed, but this is not usually considered part of the installer’s job. You can do it yourself. Most hard plastic shelf clip mechanisms have a locking feature to hold shelves securely during shipping. Release clip locks front and back on one side of one shelf, then the other. Measure the height desired between shelves. Re-place all four clips. Set the shelf atop clips, gently pushing down over the lock mechanism to snap into place.
- What if the lazy susan doesn’t rotate smoothly or doors are out of alignment?
- Lazy susan. If weight is unevenly distributed, lazy susan cabinets with center poles can fail to rotate properly. Try adjusting stored items to more evenly distribute weight for better performance. If the lazy susan does not rotate properly before loading or redistributing weight doesn’t seem to work, notify your Floor To Ceiling® designer. Many installers include door adjustment with their work. Some do not. Again, check with your Floor To Ceiling® designer.
- Keep in mind that normal loading of the cabinets and even natural settling once they are installed can cause doors or drawer fronts to go awry. Most quality cabinetry has adjustable hinging mechanisms that you can do with an ordinary screwdriver. Drawer fronts are sometimes adjustable with a screwdriver. Check with your Floor To Ceiling® designer or salesperson for proper adjustment techniques for the cabinetry brand you purchased.
Your local Floor To Ceiling® will work with you each step of the way to make sure your installation goes as smoothly as possible. Your delight is our goal! You’ll be glad you trusted your kitchen remodeling to Floor To Ceiling®.
