The Evolution of a Pantry: Part 1

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Does anyone else feel like they're going to have a stroke when that "Small Potatoes" segment comes on during the Disney Junior faux commercial break? They're these little potato things with a British accent (which aggitates me because when someone wants an intelligent character they always default to the British who in my opinion can be as stupid as us 'lowly' Americans) that sing and blather about random things. But that's not what bugs me most. They. Constantly. Pause. It's enough to put me into ungodly rage. Look them up on youtube if you've never heard them. Then join me in my hatred of singing potatoes xD
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Sorry about the complete lack of updates so soon after I began my blog! I’ve been distracted with other things (namely putting too much on my crafting plate). Seth’s work schedule is so randomized that Abigail’s care is entirely in my hands most days and she often doesn’t appreciate it when I sit down in front of the computer to write. I’d say nap time is the perfect time to get stuff done…but my little bundle of joy doesn’t nap >_>;; She sleeps fantastic during the night though so I’ve given up on naps and just feel grateful for what I’m given.

Anyway! Many projects have been underway at the Johnson house this month! This pay period is one of those dreaded “long breaks” where we have to go over 2 weeks between paychecks instead of just the standard 2. In order to compensate we’ve been starting one project up to the point where we need to buy something…and then move on to something else! It drives me absolutely crazy that we’re not finishing a project after we’ve started it but it’d drive me crazier not to have it done at all.

I'm like a dog. If you don't give me something to do you'd better crate me or I'm gonna start tearing stuff up.

And THAT’s why my kitchen floor doesn’t have tile any longer and is instead just a big, ugly concrete slab. And why there’s a brand new pantry resurrected by the fridge without anything in it (it lacks shelves) or any pretty moldings to hide the raw edges of wood. And why Abigail’s closet doesn’t have any clothes in it because the rods have been removed and the dividing wall smashed in. Or why all of the paneling in my bedroom has been ripped down to expose severely neglected sheetrock.

Oh man. We bought this house covered in paneling. With perfectly good sheetrock (by “severely neglected” I meant no paint and hundreds of pock marks from nails over time) beneath it. It’s like the guy bought sheetrock, decided he didn’t want the pressure of choosing paint colors, and just put paneling over it. Over EVERYTHING. The only rooms without paneling were Abigail’s room and the laundry room.

But I have found two different approaches to this problem.
1) Rip it down (he didn’t use adhesive just nails)
2) Spackle it

Wait. Spackle? Yes. I am if anything a person with compulsive ideas…most of them not working as I’d planned. So here’s the breakdown of how I went from “I want a pantry” to “I want a pantry but let’s save money by recycling paneling and by the way I hate that paneling so I’m going to make it look like sheetrock.”

1) I taped out the blueprint for my pantry and had Seth install the base before we put our new tile down. I was scared if we tiled and then tried to nail down the base we're have broken tiles. So of course I made Seth's work harder by forcing him to measure and cut tile to fit around the base instead of laying premade squares. He'll thank me later. Maybe. Anyway! We first had to remove the preexisting kitchen tile but we didn't want to damage it because we can use it for projects later (or perhaps donate it to a Habitat charity). We got the Spyder Reciprocating Saw Attachment Starter Kit to do the job. 

My review: Wonderful. 5/5 stars. Makes the job incredibly easy. It took us 30 minutes to get about 50 sq. ft. of tile up and we only damaged 3 of them. The grout remover wasn't all that great in my opinion because I couldn't control it and that is a precision kind of job. Seth struggled but got the grout of the first line of tiles out. After that we stopped using the grout remover and went to the scraper which made the job a breeze!

Be sure to wear a mask! It's amazing how much dust tile collects when it's been laid for 10+ years! Here's Seth sporting his "I don't want my lungs to turn black" mask and modeling his new baby: the Skil 9-Amp Variable Speed Corded Reciprocating Saw (we prefer corded tools because keeping up with a battery charge can be a pain). The saw works wonderfully by the way! Well worth the bank breaking investment of $59.97 ;D Don't forget your 10% discount (either military or using the postal office coupon tip I gave you earlier)! Also please don't judge me for painting what I could reach around the fridge...I knew we'd be pulling the fridge away later and I could finish. It is finished now =D

Stage 2: Laying down the base and tilting around it.

My fridge looked so lonely over there. And out of place. My OCD senses tingled the entire time it was out of place. And every morning my brain assumed some ass had broken in and stolen my fridge because I immediately noticed it was no longer in its designated place. 

Stage 3: Building the frame.

Sunny looks unimpressed! That middle 2x4 isn't just a random mistake by the way. I just happened to have the foresight of needing a bracer for the shelves. Nailing shelves that will someday hold heavy items (like my cans) is a terrible idea if your only anchor is the hollow space between walls! So now I have a good, sturdy 2x4 to anchor to. I rest easier knowing this.

Stage 4: More framing and shaping a doorway.

Doesn't Abigail look so helpful? 

Stage 5: Recycling paneling. Here's where it got thrifty! I immediately knew when we bought this place that I would be gradually replacing the paneling with sheetrock. Luckily the previous owner had saved me the trouble by already having sheetrock. But we didn't have the extra cash for sheetrock both inside and outside the pantry so for the outside we went and started ripping down the paneling in our bedroom and hauling it into the kitchen. Seth cut it to size and we nailed it up. And see what I meant about the neglected sheetrock? We need paint STAT.

Here's Abigail helping some more. By holding the measuring tape hostage.

Stage 6 + 7: Add a door. Seth and I bought a house with an excess of closets. Because of a (half assed) remodel by the previous owner our bedroom was combined with the adjoined guest bedroom to make one huge bedroom. But that left us with what I called "The Wall of Doors". Which had 5 doors. Half bath, closet, hallway, closet, closet. We built a master closet earlier (will have it's own special entry) so we didn't need any other closets. That's why Abigail's closet got merged with a closet meant for our bedroom. And why we had an extra door. Which we then recycled into a pantry door!

Spackle. I decided to experiment and use spackle to fill in the holes of our paneling. I will make an entry just for this process next. It's pretty easy...but it has both pros AND cons. Here's the "after spackle" and then a "painted with spackle" shot to tide you over. It really does look convincing!

I've since then painted the door Totally Teal (Gliden - Semi Gloss), spray painted the door knob oil-rubbed bronze to match our lighting and future cabinet hardwar, and added our base molding which is a gorgeous 4" craftsman model. I had to charge my camera battery but those images will be added soon. And today is the day I FINALLY get to install my shelves...so hopefully my next pantry update will be a more completed stage!