Kitchen opening scene

B & B Contracting arrived Wednesday evening, bringing with them a car load of kitchen renovation gear, Collard Dog display paraphernalia and a Bushey's beef tenderloin. We consumed the tenderloin that evening and planned our Thursday morning attack: off to ACE for cabinet paint at 8, followed by a stop at Home Depot for tiles, tile supplies, wall paint and cabinet drawer pulls and knobs.

The supply run went off without a hitch and we returned to 505 armed with everything we needed, including $250 worth of glass tiles.





Nary a second to waste, the slave-drivers started unloading equipment and setting up an assembly line. (Being the retired sort, they did take a coffee break first.) Check out the blue sky!









Betty Roo and Kip were tasked with removing the cabinet doors (a power drill is a key piece of equipment in this step - no laboring with a Philips, silly Maggie) which exposed my poor cabinet organization skills.

And Bob's private Gilby's stash.







Outside, Bob used the horses to craft a sanding, TSP-ing and rinsing assembly line, tended to by moi, and after organizing his harem of workers, Grandpa B.

Will was working. Somebody has to make the money to pay for this stuff...






With all of us cranking away, by 2 we'd moved the assembly line indoors (at a 42 degree outside temp this made Enlarged Marge very happy!), eaten some leftovers and started talking cabinet-painting-strategy.

I was a tad bit nervous about the ACE cabinet paint. After my initial idea to use Behr Premium Plus paint was lambasted by some pros, I turned to home forums, where the merits of various cabinet paints (including ACE) were debated: Insl-X Cabinet Coat, Benjamin Moore Impervo, Dutch Boy Cabinet and Trim, Sherwin Williams Proclassic Waterborne... Sounded like ACE held its own against the big players and was the most affordable. Downsides - it was supposedly stinky, set up fast (brush stroke worry) and required multiple coats.

Being a somewhat fussy painter, I worried about the setting up time. And being pregnant, I worried about the stinky-ness. (All the paint we used was latex-based, which is considered safe during pregnancy. The only worry is the odor and being overcome by the fumes.)

But once Betty and I got going, both worries abated. It was low-odor, and though it set up quickly, once you got into the groove, went alright. Because this is a "tide-me-over" sprucing, I opted not to paint the cabinet backs, so clean edges were important and keeping them that way, a bit tedious, but overall, we were pleased with the first coat.

Day one closed with one coat of paint on the cabinets, washed walls, prepped back splash area and a plan for day two (when I would be the one bringing home the bacon).