Karin you are not alone. I remember many a night when I just sat down on a can of paint and cried thinking it would never be over and the dust would never settle. It will be and it does. you may want to hire a cleaning service when it is finally over but after a few cleans, you'll laugh over this. I promise!!

We are just about at the same point you are--cabinets and floor are in, countertop goes in next week. We have been astounded by the amount of dust---had no idea how much there would be! Ours has seeped throughout the whole first floor. The other surprise for me is how much I miss the kitchen sink! I am counting the days to a clean house and functional sink.

guppy_2009 I broke into tears reading your response. That is exactly what I feel like....all I see are paint cans, trash cans, tons of tools...nothing that belongs in a kitchen (well a FINISHED kitchen.) I think I'm too paranoid to hire a cleaning crew--I'd be afraid they would use Murphy's wood soap on my floors and I'd have to kill someone. Guess I'm looking forward to the day where I can do a FINAL cleaning!

chipongo--I can only imagine what it would be like without a kitchen sink. We arent living in our remodel house yet but soon will be! The funny thing is, reading your response, I forgot that I actually WILL have a sink in the kitchen one day! Guess I'm just having a hard time looking past the ugly mess I have on my hands right now :)

Thanks

No, you're not alone, it is normal, and it will get clean and be your very own kitchen that you've worked so hard on for so long. Not only that, but you're more than halfway there! Take a deep breath, and take it one step at a time. It will be finished.

The bright side is not having to live in it while it is being done, even if your temporary home is not completely ideal. (This is not a "we have it worse"... just to let you know I understand... we are in the throes of it, reduced to one room while the workers are out there, two 11 year olds, homeschooled, and a very active baby, while the dust seeps in. Actually, I was hoping that the sheetrock work is the worst of the dust, and sorry to hear that it's not the end of it, but I am now forewarned.)

Hang in there, the end is near!

Ohhh, I feel for all of you. We're a little earlier in the process than you are, Karin, and it is all getting to me already. We have water dripping through the kitchen ceiling from the ice dams on the roof because of all of this snow. And no work is happening because of the snow. Right now it is VERY hard to believe that there will be an end to all of this.

But I did want to mention one thing related to dust that I read on this site that might save you some headaches. Just in case your countertops are granite...have you read about taping over your drawer glides before they do the install? That sounds like a very important precaution.

I wish you a beautiful, new, CLEAN kitchen very soon!!

Oh my goodness, it's awful isn't it! We're not as far along as you, and it's pretty overwhelming. I just keep telling myself 'this too shall pass'.
It will be worth it in the end. Keep your chin up!

we only have one more piece of trim to put on our cabinets and i had to dust again today after doing so three days ago! i can remember sitting on the kitchen floor a month ago crying, too. yes, it's hard and it's overwhelming but when it's finished, it's worth it...i think...? :-)

I've been damp mopping dust for 4 days. Walking through the room gives me sneezing fits. Sigh. But we should be into the drywall sanding part next week - Maybe. Or it might storm again stopping everything. Or my carpenter might be on jury duty. Once the drywall sanding part is over I'm going to prime the whole room ASAP! Then it will just be minimal saw dust.

So far our dust is mostly from tearing up part of the concrete slab to run an electric line and cutting up drywall to move a wall and run plumbing and run electric. Old insallation pokes out all over. I am supposed to be painting by the middle of the week, but there is so much dry wall work left to do I am not quite sure how we can make it. (DH is the dry wall "guy" and it is hard to give him grief for not going faster.) Here's to dust free days!

Wow...I thought demolition was bad! Yesterday, they hung the drywall. I can't get over the dust...it's everywhere! My kids, husband, and dogs don't seem to care, but I'm ready to just go to bed until it's over! Everyone keeps saying "it'll all be worth it when it's done". I know that's true but it's harder than I expected to 1) go without a dishwasher -- wash utensils, glasses? you've got to be kidding! ;-) 2) go without countertops -- my son sat his cup on the floor to pour chocolate milk into it today; that was hard to just stand there and watch! ;-) and 3) the quantity and persistance of dirt and dust. I'm only 5+ weeks into this and definitely ready for the light at the end of the tunnel ;-) Good luck.

Oh, my, you're bringing back memories of a year ago. I spent nearly four months totally overwhelmed. Constant dust, as you say. Constant small mistakes - all of which were fixable, but each of which caused so much pain. And the decisions!!! I wanted to hide out in my bedroom, because every time I came downstairs, it seemed there was another decision to be made. I thought I'd planned so well, and I did, but there was still so much that you could only decide in the moment.

Good luck, everyone. You'll be so happy when you're cooking in your new kitchens!

And remember what my carpenter says about mistakes. "You do the best you can, and then you remember that after two weeks, you won't even see the mistakes anymore." He was right.

karin, my cleaning ladies have always used Murphy's oil soap on my floors and they are fine. Even if that isn't what you would use, get someone in when the work is done to get the 'hard' cleaning done.
My MIL and I came in when it was all done. First a damp mop, then I went over it all with Murphy's by hand and wiped it dry. Within 2 days you would never have knkown I cleaned it.
It will be fine!