This weekend was at once frustrating and productive. My Dad came up and "helped" install the kitchen countertops. We arrived on Friday night and removed the old counter. In the process, Dad cut through the base cabinet with his new reciprocating saw. We didn't need the recip saw at all, but he was gung ho to use it, and before stopping to think about what he was cutting or why there was so much resistance, he took out a 2X4 cross member and a 1X2 face frame. I expressed frustration and repaired the cabinets.
When the new counters arrived on Saturday morning, we were ready to receive them. The delivery guys dropped them off in the kitchen, and Dad pulled out his framing hammer and started knocking off the protective shipping blocks. In the process he busted off a 6" section of backsplash. Thanks Dad.
I set him to work doing some painting and I ran out to get cement board to screw into teh wall to receive the backsplash that I can only hope will hide the damaged laminate. When I got home Dad had cleaned his paint brushes in the bathroom sink. For some reason, the tap now runs and the hot side water pressure is crazy low. I am loathe to blame Dad for this, but somehow it seems like he has a way with things...
While I was out, I had asked him to do some painting and to cut spacers to make up the gap between our new living room drywall and the old window frames. When we did the drywall, the walls came out 1/2" thicker than they had been previously, so I needed spacers set in teh frames to hold the trim. He hadn't bothered because he couldn't figure out how big to make the spacers. (1/2"???) but how wide? None of the drywall cutouts were the same! (Any width - drywall can be trimmed back) He had sat around instead, waiting for me. Ugh. Oh well, at least I wasn't paying him.
Back to the countertops... With everything uncrated, we lifted the cabinets into place for installation. The fit was snug. Too snug. I was thinking about where I should grind back the plaster in the wall to have the smallest repair. Dad interpreted this hesitation as "Maybe we should try ramming this mofo in there with all our weight" and proceeded to slam his hip against the new counter, only leaving the floor for a moment before coming down on it with his full body weight. The end cap on the countertop cracked and flew off. The MDF behind it arced across the room. I swore at my father.
We traded ends and I re-evaluated. Dad commented that when he did that, it must have torqued the countertop and now it was wedged in. We should get the twist out of it. I commented that this was a time for finesse. He nodded, took a step back and was airborne AGAIN. At least both ends of the counter match. This time I swore more forcefully.
Seething with anger, I pulled the counter back out from where it was wedged in and asked Dad to hold the end while I got out the grinder. Dad set it down so that the counter was now wedged down on the floor at one end and up on the cupboards at the other. It would not come back up. The cracking and splitting of the backsplash away from the countertop as we forced it back into position was plain to hear.
Getting the sink in without a cutting template also proved challenging. In the process I managed to nick a 1/2" divot in teh laminate right in front of the sink. So much angry over this thing.
Good thing I got the counter for cheap. I now have to:
- Repair 2 end caps
- repair backsplash join
- seal mitres
- repair divot from grinder (my fault)
- tile backsplash
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Once the countertop was done (Dead?) we moved on to the front entryway and trimming around living room windows. Dad left and on Sunday the boys and I kept going, getting half the living room trim up, and all teh 1/4 round in the dining room. This week I need to make cupboard doors and drawer faces. I'm hoping to sneak up after work on Thursday and get an extra 6 hours in.
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Strange things are happening in this thread.
For reasons beyond my understanding, I can no longer post to it from my phone. Updates are simply being eaten by the interwebz. I am going to ask a mod to lock down this thread by the weekend and I shall start a chapter two. I'll provide a link once that thread starts.