The Gindicate Test Kitchen

Last April we embarked on a new plan/mission: remove our outdated and dysfunctional kitchen. It seemed an easy task, IKEA had software and DIY instructions. What could be better than that? It only took us about 5 months (2 months without a stove) to get everything back in order. Because we were working so hard, doing it all ourselves, we didn’t gain any extra lbs from the fast food we were forced to eat! Also, those two months happened to be during June and July which meant that most meals were grilled.

Our poorly planned late 1940’s mess was refurbished cabinet doors that didn’t open beyond 45 degrees in the 1980’s (seen here without doors):

We demolished all the cabinets and removed the cracked tile flooring (yes, that’s the original window that now looks into the master bedroom addition):

We then laid in new walls and subflooring (some of which was missing under the original cabinets):

We then hand textured the walls with natural sponge and painted. Later laying in laminate flooring:

By this time (which is about June 2010) we have received our shipment of IKEA furniture. On the new flooring and a little padding we built all our cabinets:

There were a few setbacks in hanging the cabinets, but we were able to get it all together in the end! The countertops and sink went in smoothly:

We then put all the cabinet doors and handles on. The IKEA system is really easy, it went on in a few hours:

What ended up being the most difficult and rewarding part was tiling. We had ordered handmade clay tiles from Tiere y Fuego in San Diego. Being handmade made a huge difference in size and depth, everything was different. Each maker had a different style and I think we got at least two tile-maker’s batches. The colors were rich and vibrant which set off the wall color beautifully!

By the end of July our kitchen was usable, but we still had baseboards, touch up painting, and a fan light to install. All these things were slowly done over August. The main reason this took so long was that we still had day jobs. We worked 2 hours a night on the kitchen and all day Saturday and Sunday. Strangely enough, we have friends that had contractors take longer to complete kitchens for them. We’re grateful to be done and already making delicious food and drinks in our Gindicate Test Kitchen. I hope you will enjoy photos of our creations against the back drop of our DIY adventure.