Dec 13, 2016 3 min read

As we approach Christmas, some people like to deck the halls of their homes with boughs of holly, festive lights and beautifully adorned trees. I, on the other hand, made the infinitely unwise decision to embark on a remodel of our kitchen at this time of year and now have a home decorated with bags of tools, buckets of grout and a nice layer of sawdust as a finishing touch.

I don’t know why I decided to do this project now, except that I have been dreaming of remodeling and thinking about it for so long that I just couldn’t put it off any longer. Personally, I blame HGTV and all of the tremendously talented designers, carpenters and house flippers on that network’s shows. They make it all look so easy, and the before and after comparisons are so dramatic that they make me want to jump up and start ripping off wallpaper so no one can accuse my house of looking (gasp!) “dated” any longer.

The whole idea started so simply. We didn’t have a backsplash behind the kitchen sink, and every one of those home improvement shows I watch brainwashes me into believing that every kitchen must have a backsplash. I started staring at the kitchen and kept staring and staring for months. Finally, I went to the store and within a few minutes had made my choices: snappy new subway tile for the backsplash and fancy new handles for all of our cabinets to complement the backsplash. I even picked out shiny new face plates for the wall switches and outlets to tie everything together. Those TV design hosts got nothin’ on me!

The project seemed easy enough until I tried to attach one of the new cabinet handles. They only come in two sizes, but apparently the original handles in our kitchen were from some ancient time when handles were a third size (which they don’t sell anymore.) Drilling of new holes commenced. Then I realized that while the handles were shiny and new, our “vintage” cabinets were not. Something had to be done. Thus ensued a marathon of sanding, staining, clear-coating and spraying doors and drawers until they looked beautiful and smooth once again. We tried our best to cover everything with tarps and plastic while sanding the cabinet bases, but it was to no avail. The sawdust is everywhere. Now, the cleaning commences along with a final touch of fresh paint on the ceiling and walls. It took a lot of elbow grease, but everything looks gorgeous. Our before and after photos really should be on HGTV.

We’re taking on the bathroom remodel in the New Year, so I am hoping that Santa Claus brings me a stocking full of gift cards to home improvement stores. You know what would be even better? A gift card for a cleaning service. Merry Christmas!

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.