We had a time-line of 4 weeks and we are on week 22 now. One thing I learned while doing this reno...Nothing is on time and nothing is with in budget :)

If you can get your guys to do what they say they are going to do in the time you think, then GREAT!!! I, unfortunately was unable to do that. Tearing the kitchen down opened up a whole can or worms for us.

One thing I suggest, something please correct me if I'm wrong...But I would paint before cabinets go in.
We painted BEFORE and I was thanking my lucky stars I did because there was paint everywhere! Now my cabinets are in and I just have to do tiny touch up here or there.

hi Kristin,
I sent you an email... would love the name of your custom cabinet shop to pass on to my brother who is in the market for bathroom cabinetry.

Thanks!

Kristen... got your email... thank you!!!

I wish you a lot of luck in having that schedule work. Working at breakneck speed, I don't see how you can do a complete renovation in less than 8 weeks, 12 is more reasonable. Some of the things that slowed us:
A. We had to wait two weeks for the inspector to show up to say the plumbing and wiring was done okay so the walls could be closed up and plastered.
B. Installing the 21 cabinets took a week. Four cabinet doors came in with grain pattern I didn't care for, replacements took 3 weeks to arrive.
C. It was a week after the granite template was done before they cut the granite and then another week before the granite was installed.
D. Our floor is only 95% done because we are still waiting for 2 exterior doors to come in, then the floor in front of the doors can be completed.
E. Oh, I don't even want to mention the pipe that was found behind our upper cabinets that had to be moved. Then wait for the plumber to come to re-route that pipe.
F. The tiles for the backsplash were hand made so I had a 6-week wait for them to arrive.
G. The tile guy spent 3 days here installing them. I could go on, but I'll end it here.
It's been going on since Feb. 1 - this is June 16. But I've had a fully useable kitchen for over a month and it came out better than I imagined it would. It took months of planning before we even started and a tremendous amount of encouragement and support from a lot of great people on this forum.

You're only setting yourself up for extreme frustration and disappointment with that ambitious schedule. NEVER NEVER try to shoehorn schedule a remodel in before a certain deadline.

One of the biggest problem areas I see is the demo. It's going to take far longer than you think, and you're going to find more problems that will have to have solutions found before even thinking about the next step. Soffits are usually headaches because of the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical that inhabit them. You may find plumbing leaks, insect infestations, structural problems and who knows what else!

It will also take longer than you've scheduled for each of your steps. Electrical will take longer, plumbing will take longer, cabinet install most certainly will take longer---and that's if everything is actually there and undamaged on time. My best granite fabricator usually has a 4 week turnaround time minimum. On some stones that aren't in stock that he's waiting on shipments for, it can take 8 weeks. That's why I usually have the installer put down temporary plywood counters with the old sink hooked back up. You'll need a temporary kitchen too.

12 weeks is a reasonable amount of time to allocate to a kitchen renovation, and that's if everything goes mostly right. Ask Igloochic how long it takes if everything goes wrong! LOL!

Here a few questions to think about...
Can you guarantee that the workers will be there on those specific days? That they won't drop your appointment to handle an emergency or finish another project? Can they be easily rescheduled if you need to push the project schedule around a few days? Also, in my area, the time from granite templating to installation is close to 3 weeks. Will your place assure you this quick turnaround?

My biggest concern is that reno creates major stress - even with plenty of money and time. I fear that if you try to push this really, really, really tight schedule, you may create undue stress on yourself, your family and your workers - especially if something unexpected turns-up when doing the demo.

I hate to say it but I have to agree with the above posters. We're pretty seasoned renovators and I was fairly confident we could stick to our timeline. But we're about 6 weeks behind on the most recent schedule, and about 10 weeks behind the original one.....

You really need to plan for about 30% minimum more time than you think these things will take. All sorts of little things will crop up that will cause delays. I think you will be happier in the long run if you plan for it to take a LOT longer than you've outlined.

Agree with the other responses. I only re-stained my cabinets, replaced the countertops/sink/faucet fixtures, etc. (not a large remodel) and it ended up taking about 3 weeks beyond what I estimated to get a working kitchen again. I went through 4 defective sinks, which held up modifying the sink cabinet, which held up the re-staining. The re-staining guys took a few extra days and then the fabricator got held up and it took him an extra 2 weeks between the templating and installing. Then the UC lighting guy ordered a wrong sized light, which wasn't a big deal, but that took even more time. The wrong Rohl filter faucet came in, as well, so I've waited an extra month for filtered water at the sink -- again, not a biggie, but it's just another example of how things go. I had hoped to schedule contractors back-to-back and it either didn't work out or I had to push others back when a delay happened.

So, while I applaud your fast track scheduling (which is what I had planned for), be prepared for it not to happen in real life.

I agree with the other posters as well. Keep in mind when you rely on others (no matter who they are) there is no guarantee that they will show up as scheduled or do the job to your standards.

Some things to keep in mind...

Water supply for new fridge: will that be run at this time? What is under/above your kitchen? Depending on that answer things could take longer for not only the plumbing items but also for any HVAC and electrical. For example, if your kitchen is over a basement and the ceiling in the basement is exposed so you can run electrical, plumbing, etc below that will make these jobs easier to accomplish barring any glitch.

Cabinet removal: What are you doing with the old cabinets? Down to the basement, charity, going to the dump? It will take time to do this. You will also want to vacuum the space once everything is out - it will be a huge mess (ours was).

Flooring: The flooring will have to acclimate to your house before it is installed - do you have somewhere to put it?

Hello again-

First, thank you all for the feedback. You are totally right, I am sure there will be unexpected problems that will crop up. The new job is only 30 hrs/wk- and I'm going in for 10-15 hours for the month of July to get acclimated, so I don't forsee the job being much of a problem (its also Mon-Thurs, so I'll have Fridays off). So its not the end of the world if the kitchen reno runs over.

However- some things in my favor:

-house is only 10 years old, we are the 2nd owners. Guy has been out to check soffit placement, and in all likelihood (but no guarantee), there is nothing in there- they are just decorative.

-Kitchen is over basement w/dropped panel ceiling, so electrician feels that between that AND the soffit opening, he'll have easy access. We are not adding a ton of electrical- just pendants plus some new recessed lights, some electrical for the island. He estimated 2 days (about 1 1/2 for roughing, the a 1/2 at the end for finishing).

-Cabinet removal- the fellow removing the cabs is also a junk removal guy- he's taking them & the old appliances right out the door and into his truck- bye bye! :)

-Cabinet install is being done by the cabinet maker & his brother- I have a fairly small kitchen with about 15 cabinets. He said its about 1 to 1 1/2 days to install.

-The oak for our flooring is being delivered the week of July 3rd so it can sit in our house- we have room to stack it in our living room.

-Granite- I've chosen my slab, and its being sent over to the fabricator's shop this week. I'll be sure to visit and pet it often. And the fabricator said 1 week or less is not a problem from template to install.

-Painting- Laurie, I've heard both ways (paint before cab install or after). The painter I'm going with (great recommendation and I liked him), felt very strongly the the cabs should go in first. He said he always had to go back and repair the walls after the cabs went up.

-Plumbing. There isn't much. Currently the DW's plumbing runs over to the pennisula- that pennisula is disappearing, and the DW is moving closer to the sink, so the hoses will just be shorter. We already have the garbage disposal- I am going to have neighbor/plumber come over to double check that all will fit (10" deep single bowl).

-Demo work. To give you an idea of scope, its a small, 750$ job (soffits removed, bathroom closet made smaller to accommadate fridge recess). I will check w/the guy to see how long he'd like to me to schedule him for, and I will add time to that.

I will revise the schedule and add a little more padding though:

-July 5th (sunday): Neighbor friend/plumber will come over in the evening to disconnect sink/DW connections. Will also need water supply for new fridge location.
-July 6th: Cabinet removal 9-11:30 am (being done by friend/junk removal guy). Demo work (soffits destroyed, fridge recessed into bathroom closet) 12 pm- 5 pm?
-July 7th & 8th: [Demo guy can run into this day if needed, he can be in kitchen w/electrician]..Electrician day. Adding recessed lights, 2 pendants, extra electricity for electric range etc.
-July 9th/10th/11th: (Saturdays ok they said)Flooring guys rip up lino flooring & puts down raw oak. Will eventually do 3 coats poly. Flooring guy mentioned roughly 10 days from start to when cabinets can be installed- so I take this to mean July 9th plus 10 days= ~July 19th/20th.
-July 20th & 21st (Mon/Tues): Cabinet installation!
-July 22nd (Wed): Granite guy templates. Painter come to do ceiling plaster repair (where soffits were).
-July 30th (Thursday): Granite install (morning). Electrician finishing (afternoon)- pendants put up, electric range & GE advantium install, etc.
-July 31st/Aug 1st(Fri/Sat): Painter comes, paints ceiling, trim, walls.

Sunday August 2nd- eating in our new kitchen?? :)

Kristin,
Don't have enough experience to say if it is realistic or not, but just wanted to say GO FOR IT!! and I hope it works out. Please post the results when you are done.

I assuming the 10 days to finish the floors aren't included... absolutely do not rush them on this aspect (or allow them to rush themselves). Also, assume longer drying times between coats in the summer with humidity, etc.

If you have a good contractor and have done some reno's before, a kitchen should take somewhere around 3 months.

If not - it can take 6 or 7 months.

I have never, ever seen anything bigger than a powder room finished in one month.

Good Luck ! :)

I say go for it too! Let us know if it ends on time :)

As for the painting, sure if you have someone doing it for you. I painted myself to save some $$ and I'm SO glad I did it before cabinets. Tiny splatters of paint were everywhere from the ceiling. Your guy will have more patience than me and cover everything :)
Good luck!

1) A Sunday evening *might* work for disconnection of sink and DW, you can always put in the new water line later. But be prepared to disconnect the sink and DW yourself (not too hard) in case your neighbor can't make it that night - something might come up!

2) New range is electric, old one gas? Make sure the plumber disconnects and removes the gas line before you start rest of demo! I'm sure inspector will want to see this before walls are closed up - though I've never had gas. Allow time for inspector to come out (a week?).

3) You've only allowed 2.5 hours for cabinet (15?) and appliance removal. It could take that long to get the Dw, fridge and stove out the door and into the truck (might have to take door(s) off fridge to get out of the house, etc.)! Plan on this taking *all* day!

4) Plan an entire day not just 5 hours for demo work - even if it's a small kitchen, best to have an extra few hours for the unexpected. If you keep to this schedule, plan on working into the night, not knocking off at 5pm. What's for dinner that night?

5) 2 days for electrician is good - if he can make it those days and keep you on track. Plan for meals if your old appliances are gone - do you like your cereal/coffee without milk? Do you have kids? I lived about a week in old house w/o fridge when ours died 1st day of school, and about 10 days in new house (problem scheduling delivery even though appliances had been available for weeks and we had scheduled delivery for before we got our CO). Not fun living out of a cooler and neighbors' fridges. Get a dorm fridge or put your old one in garage/basement until the new kitchen is done.

6) Inspector will want to see new wiring before range goes in - maybe before cabinets go in, definitely before you close up the ceiling. Another week?

7) Get the painter (plasterer) there to close up the soffit area before the new cabinets go in - guaranteed there will be a huge mess. Easier for him to work with no uppers or lowers, and no risk of damaging your new cabinets.

8) Floors or cabinets first? That's always a debate, I can see how it's easier to put in floors and finish them before cabinets go in, but be prepared for scratches. 10 days to finish them and maybe you can walk on them in stocking feet - but what do your floor guys say about cabinet install and moving heavy appliances over them? You may need longer cure time on the finish, or they may want to finish them (even install them!) after the cabinets are in.

9) OK for cabinet install and granite template b/c painter has already been there to fix soffit area (and paint ceiling? Walls would be good too before cabinet install, but if he's careful it can be after. Ceilings make a huge mess - if it's just drywall and not plaster he can repair, prime, paint ceiling in 1 day.).

10) Don't plan on electrician and granite guy the same day - somebody will be running late and they'll be in each other's way. Ditto for painting if you're thinking of that.

11) Rough in electrical before repairing/painting ceiling, but paint ceiling before hanging pendants or putting the trim rings on the recessed.

12) I'm assuming cabinetmaker will bring cabinets with him (and is sticking to your schedule) - what if one is damaged in transport?

13) When are appliances being delivered?

14) 3 days between templating and granite install? Good luck. I've never had granite installed but I believe it took longer for my mom's (from HD) - at least she still had her old countertops she could set back down after templating.

I've never done a kitchen reno, but I did a master bath about 12 years ago - DIY except for plumber and tile. All the plumber had to do was drill holes in the acrylic whirlpool deck and mount the faucet and handshower (we did all the roughin, installed sinks and toilet). It delayed our tile work since every day he was supposed to come and do the tub (already set in place and drain connected!), he had something come up. I think it was 2-3 weeks delay just for him, I don't recall when tile was done since I really couldn't reschedule it until after the plumber was finished - didn't want to keep stringing the tile guy along.

2) New range is electric, old one gas? Nope, all electric. right now we have an electric cooktop & 2 wall ovens.

*****We're changing to a GE advantium (so that will use the 30 amp cooktop slot) and putting an electric range underneath. That will need a 40 amp, so he will have to add that to the panel (and yes there's room).

3) You've only allowed 2.5 hours for cabinet (15?) and appliance removal.

****DW is new, and going to sit in garage. Fridge is new, and is sliding over to dining room & being plugged in there- so we can have our cereal in the dining room in the morning :)...Also- basement is finished with kitchen cabinets and a working kitchen sink. We put a micro, hot plate, and dorm fridge down there- we'll eat there in the evenings(and exit out the bulkhead to access grill in backyard). So the only appliances leaving for good are the wall ovens & cooktop. The wall ovens are functional- I will put them on craigslist to see if anyone will come take away.

4) Plan an entire day not just 5 hours for demo work...

****it really is a small amount of demo- he's already poked a hole in the back of the bathroom closet to make sure there aren't any suprises. But if it does take more than 1/2 day, I figured he can work alongside the electrician without getting in his way(but i will double check this).

6) Inspector will want to see new wiring...

**** ok, I will likely get a lot of flak for this, but I am leaning towards no inspector/no permit. It is definitely something that will slow us down, and the professionals I've spoken with (quite a few, and no, not just the electrician) say that with such a small job, its really up to the homeowner.

7) Get the painter (plasterer) there to close up the soffit area before the new cabinets go in - guaranteed there will be a huge mess. Easier for him to work with no uppers or lowers, and no risk of damaging your new cabinets.

**** Excellent point, i will schedule that in. Will have to schedule that before the floors comes up.

8) Floors or cabinets first?

*** Flooring guys definitely want flooring first, cabs after. I really do trust my cabinet guy, and feel he will be super careful, but I can handle a scratch or two (will also put paper all over floor though to protect). Flooring guy says 10 days from start (rip up floor) to cabinet install is sufficient. But I will have cab guys remove shoes :) and delay install of appliances for a few days after that.

9) Ceilings make a huge mess - if it's just drywall and not plaster he can repair, prime, paint ceiling in 1 day.).

**** yes, I agree- I can let him paint walls after cab install if he's careful, but I will schedule ceiling painting earlier.

12) I'm assuming cabinetmaker will bring cabinets with him (and is sticking to your schedule) - what if one is damaged in transport?

*** its possible, but that's one of those things that is out of my control. If that happens, of course it will delay everything. Cab guy is a perfectionist though, he will baby them during the 30 min drive from his shop to my house I think :)

13) When are appliances being delivered?

***DW and fridge and micro are already here, the electric range is on its way from US appliance and should be sitting in garage soon.

14) 3 days between templating and granite install? Good luck.

***I have 8 days scheduled- granite guy swears its 1 week or less (yes, he said templating on a Monday and installing on a Friday is fine...but to be careful I scheduled in 8 days).

Thank you Ajsmama for such detailed advice- VERY much appreciated!!! I will update my schedule later today.

Kristin

6) Inspector will want to see new wiring..
**** ok, I will likely get a lot of flak for this, but I am leaning towards no inspector/no permit.

Ask yourself these questions:
- What would happen with your insurance company if a kitchen fire started due to the new wiring and they find you had no inspection?

- Would you be able to cover the costs out-of-pocket to rebuild if your insurance company denies your fire damage claim due to lack of permit?

Your choice and your tolerance of the risk. I just want to make sure you've thought that through.

Even if the fridge and DW aren't being removed (can you move the fridge the night b4 so it doesn't get damaged when he's taking the rest of the stuff out?), I still think with wall ovens and a cooktop you're going to be spending pretty much all day, not just 2.5 hrs, taking out appliances *and* cabinets. Maybe you'll luck out and the rest of the demo won't take long, but I still think you should schedule 2 days for the whole removal/demo, not try to squeeze them in 9-5 the day after a holiday weekend with electrician coming in for new work the next day. Why not just push the electrician off another day to give yourself some breathing room (or start the demo over the holiday w/e if you can handle that)?

I think with new 220V wiring for range, plus island wiring, you should have an inspector. I might be tempted if it were just moving/adding lighting, but for appliances and small appliance circuits in island, you want everything to be kosher. Besides the possibility of something being done wrong (or damaged in the process of putting the cabinets in - that's why inspector comes out at the end as well as reviewing plans in the beginning to make sure they're up to code), there is the little issue of taxes. When the assessor comes to see the house (during revaluation since I'm assuming you're not mentioning the improvements to town hall right now), how are you going to explain the new work? You could end up being hit with penalties for back taxes and for not pulling the proper permit(s) (maybe electrical is all that will be needed if hose length is only thing changing for DW plumbing and no gas lines). Worst case they could make you tear it all out and start over with permit!

As far as possible damage to cabinets, just wanted you to have a backup plan, know if granite guy would come and template/install perimeter if say island cabinet was damaged, come back later for island counter, or if you'd get plywood tops for some cabinets and he'd just want to come out once to template after *all* the cabinets were in place.

What about floor scratches (even if you put paper and cardboard/plywood down during cabinet/granite install)? Will your floor guys come back out? Of course they'll have to be paid - which is why I suggest asking them what's best to do, there are pros/cons either way to installing floors first, finishing first, installing floors first but finishing after cabinets are in (is this even an option?), or just waiting until after the cabinets are in (obviously harder for finish around cabinets w/o damaging them, but then there's always prefinished).

Good luck and I hope it all works out - keep us updated on the progress!

Hi - I just wanted to say that I'm estimating 5-6 weeks for my kitchen renovation, and it includes structural changes. I may be way off in my expectations, but then I am not the GC, my contractor is, so I think that's different than having to schedule the workers in yourself.

Everyone keeps asking me when it's supposed to be done, and I honestly didn't even ask. One of the estimates I got back, the contractor said it would take him about 5-6 weeks, and he was a smaller outfit than the guy I went with.

Tomorrow will be one week since they started with demo, and already they have demo'd kitchen to studs (ceiling is left), took down the walls, put in the LVL beam for the load bearing wall, plumbed for leaving me the sink and getting ready for other plumbing work, took out the old window and slider and framed them back in, and roughed in electrical. The cabinets are due next Thursday, and I believe that he will be ready to start installing on Friday (of course, given that they are all in good condition, etc. - that is a big given).

Regarding floors, I believe we are installing them before the cabinets, but not completely finishing them. I know some have said you should have them completely installed before cabinets because of dust, but supposedly the floor guys that he uses are "dustless". I had not thought of painting before the cabinets were in - I don't know if there will be time to do that, but if there is, I may attempt it.

Also, we have also opted for no permits. My contractor said basically the same thing - my call. His electrician is the electrical inspector for the town and his uncle is building inspector and DH is electrician, so I feel pretty comfortable that all is being done to code.

If all goes well, I'll be done only a couple weeks before you - so definitely keep us updated on progress.

I did have one question - why aren't you starting earlier? Why the start date of July 5th? Just to minimize time without kitchen?

Thanks again guys!

I do know that things will come up- however, I don't want to schedule in weeks in between things- because if things do go smoothly, there will end up being a lot of downtime. Lovlilynne- yes, you 're right, I'm not starting earlier due to trying to minimize time w/out kitchen. Cabinet guy has a deadline of July 10th to try to get the cabinets done- I am pretty sure he won't be able to make that, so I added on a week of padding there, anticipating we won't have the cabinets done (and they are being painted) till July 17th. Kinda worked the rest of the schedule around that. But I think I still do need to start somewhat earlier:

-June 29th (monday): Neighbor friend/plumber will come over to disconnect sink/DW connections. Will also need water supply for new fridge location. Move fridge out to dining room, move DW out to garage. Cabinet removal (being done by friend/junk removal guy).
-June 30th (tues): Demo work (soffits destroyed, fridge recessed into bathroom closet)
-July 1st/2nd (wed/thurs): Electrician days. Adding recessed lights, 2 pendants, extra electricity for electric range etc.
-July 3rd: Plastering up soffit holes(need to check- will guy work or is it holiday?)
-July 6th/7th/8th: Flooring guys rip up lino flooring & puts down raw oak. Will eventually do 3 coats poly. Flooring guy mentioned roughly 10 days from start to when cabinets can be installed- so I take this to mean July 6th plus 10 days= no earlier than ~July 16th.
-July 17th, 20th(Fri/Mon): Cabinet installation!
-July 21st (Tues): Granite guy templates. (cabinet guy can also do hardware/finishing work).
-July 29th (Wed): Granite install.
-July 30th (Thursday): Electrician finishing- pendants put up, electric range & GE advantium install, etc.
-July 31st/Aug 1st(Fri/Sat): Painter comes, paints ceiling, trim, walls.

Sunday August 2nd- eating in our new kitchen?? :)

Question- we're planning on a basic subway tile for a backsplash- got a quote of about 400$ for labor (there's about 19 sq ft of backsplash)..where does it make sense to schedule that ? ie after cab and granite install, but before painting?

Does this schedule seem more feasible? (bump!)

:)

Kristin

I'd still get the ceiling painted b4 cabinets go in, and I think you should get permits. But yes, the schedule looks more feasible to me (barring unforeseen scheduling problems with trades). At least get the ceiling painted b4 the electrician installs the pendants and the recessed can trim rings, or painter will just take them down again (or try to paint around them which just doesn't work). Actually, if the electrician just installs the boxes/cans, the trim rings just go in with springs, and it's not hard to wire a pendant so you could DIY. That way the electrician can install the wall oven b4 the painter comes. If you want behind the slide-in range painted, that just plugs in so you can put that in yourself, or have the delivery guy from appliance store level it for you..

I've never had granite installed, but if you want to really minimize the gaps on either side of range (I'm assuming slide-in freestanding, not drop-in) I'd have that in place when he comes to template. If you can get your cabinetmaker to give you plywood tops, you can even cook (maybe no sink but possibly install DW b4 granite?) while you're waiting for granite install. Hopefully someone who has gotten granite can give some insight there.

Also, no advice about backsplash since I've only done 1 tiled (low) bathroom backsplash, and the wall was already painted. You might want to post a shout-out to Bill V.

Hi guys,

Here's a before:

and AFTER!

So far, we're pretty much on track. Cabinet guy is aiming for 20th install, may or may not be able to do it.

I'll keep ya'll posted :)

Kristin

After a little glass of wine with my steak off the grill... I would say SURE!!!!
I think your reality check makes sense, because I want to believe it too!!! I am washing up in a basement bathroom, unplugging the fridge so that the microwave does not trip the switch. Walking past sheets of plastic hung around the totally gutted kitchen, (and when I have walked by at night the plastic moves and has frightened me more than once) Short on sleep because the electrician, who's wife had triplets recently, is delaying our schedule. But they are adorable!! We have very much the time line that you have. Now tomorrow we are starting with a totally new electrician, have changed the dates with the floor refinisher and trying to still hold tight on the templating date! Oh yea, and my DH has been blowing my upgrade budget with his man-yard fencing, etc... Whew! I was forewarned about rushing! And that is just part of the picture! Still, we are making progress and I am keeping my eye on the prize!
Well, if I am not making sense, I will try to explain... I hope to finish by the end of July! Is it July already? Hope your time line is easier to follow. Sounds like your remodel is more simple because your home is newer to begin with. Good luck to us both!!!

Hey Kristin, how is it going? Are you doing your floors now? I'm really curious now about your 10 day timeline for the floors, because mine are supposed to start on Thursday, but I was lead to believe that they would be done in a couple of days (2 or 3 coats - drying time is ~8-10 hours?).

Lynne

Hi Lynne-

So far, so good. Floors were started on Friday July 3rd, but only about 1/2 day. They started up again Monday July 6th, and worked M/T/W/R/F/S on them...the first coat of polyurethane didn't go down until today, July 13th! They are going to do 3 coats, and weather permitting (not too humid), it will be Mon/Tues/Wed (13/14/15). Not sure when we are allowed to walk on them again. What is your next step after your floors? did you allow for more than 2-3 days total?

It was a worse job than the flooring guys realized they were in for- under my linoleum there was a layer of plywood that was screwed down onto the plywood underneath. It was a ton of effort for them to get that up.

And my cabinet guy did indeed push the cabinet install until July 27th, which I think is for the best anyways- I can't imagine having the last coat put on the floors on Wednesday, and then installing on Monday...would the floors really be super dry/tough by that point? Not sure. So the delay is a good thing after all!

Then if the granite guy templates on the 29th, we may still be installing granite by August 4th or 5th.

I will get some pictures up by the end of this week...we're not staying in the house right now due to the fumes.

Kristin

Oh, ok, thanks Kristin, that explains it. I didn't realize that you were including the demo of the original floor. Our contractor did that a few weeks ago. They finished installing the floors on 7/2, but now they are waiting until the countertops are in before finishing them, so I'm just talking about the sanding and finishing of the floors for my timeline.

It's funny how you get such different info from everyone you talk to. My contractor says that finishing will take only 2-3 days, weather permitting - sometimes they do 2 coats in 1 day if it's not too humid and it dries. I was told if they do one coat in the morning, we could walk on it in stocking feet by the evening - obviously trying to avoid it as much as possible. He said that the finishes that they use today are water based, so dry quickly and do not have much fumes??? I didn't even think about the fumes - I am pretty sensitive to that stuff (instant head ache).

Lynne

I am not sure what our guys were using- all I know is I stopped by the house today after they left, and WOW, fume-city. As for walking on afterward, I haven't asked them when i can walk on it- hopefully I am wrong and its sooner than I think.

Your guys may use something different? maybe ours is oil-based :)

We just had floors done twice (long story!) over the past 6 weeks, so can definitely tell you that if you had major fumes and were only doing poly (no stain), it had to be oil based. Unfortunately, oil based takes longer to dry and "cure" than water based. The stain we used was oil-based and we had horrible fumes for a day, but the water-based Bona Traffic had no fumes at all! Two coats of water-based can be applied in a day since it usually dries very quickly (2-3 hours), however I think they usually have to wait at least 24 hours between coats of oil-based. According to Bona, the water-based is fully cured in 7 days. Our floors were completely finished last Friday, and we are waiting until this weekend to move any furniture back in. We've been walking on them since Friday night though, as they were completely dry.

Hi Kristin - any update? Are your cabinets being installed today? Any new pictures? If you are on time for eating in your new kitchen by 8/3, you are ahead of me now! I'm jealous. My contractor's floor guy completely blew him off, and we wasted 1.5 weeks waiting for the floors to be done (well, electrical got done in there, but not much else). In addition, it turns out that the door that we though got ordered on June 8 hadn't been ordered, so it got ordered on ~July 10, so I have at least a 4 week wait for that. :-(

We just had our first coat (sealer/urethane) put down on the floors on Friday. We could walk on it when we got home, and there was a slight smell, but I wouldn't call it strong at all, and it was gone before we went to bed.

Both the contractor and the floor guy have been all over the place on how it will go this week - the only sure thing I know is that he will buff today and put 2nd coat on. We plan to not stay in the house until Thursday night, assuming that he won't be able to do 3rd and final coat until Wednesday (this morning he mentioned doing the 3rd coat tomorrow, but given that it's so humid here, I'd be surprised if it dries enough for them to buff again).

I really, really wish that they had planned to do the floors when we were on vacation. I know that it's not the usual approach because you don't want the traffic on them, but I would have taken that risk just to have them done so that all the things that are dependent on them (appliances, toe kick, etc.) could be finished. Oh well, hind sight is 20/20.
Lynne

hi lynne!

Things are overall going well, definitely some hiccups (island hasn't arrived yet, templating for granite proceeded anyways...one LARGE cabinet has to go back to shop for another coat of paint, color was off, etc etc).

But the granite is due to be installed this Thursday- and plumbing finished on Saturday (August 9th). So not too bad! I will start another thread w/some pics of the progress. I am absolutely in love w/my cabinets :)

How did you floors go this week?

Kristin

Hi Kristin, just wanted to say good luck on your remodel. I agree with the others in just taking it easy and not pushing yourself to meet a certain deadline...better delayed and correct than on time and wrong. And good luck with your new job!!

Kristin, I saw your pictures on the other thread - your kitchen looks marvelous! I have cabinet envy.

My floors were done last week, one day ahead of schedule. I am still aggravated that I couldn't get a straight answer from anyone about what the process would be and what the best time in the overall remodel should be. The way it turned out, they did sanding and sealing on a Friday - it was dusty (my contractor originally said no dust). They did the second coat on Monday. It was very smelly. We had planned to be out of the house, so that was a good move. We could walk on them (stocking feet), though, by the end of the day because it was dry to the touch. They did the 3rd and final coat on Tuesday - originally he said he wouldn't do it until Wednesday because he liked it to be really dry. It was humid here, so I don't know what changed to make it ok to do, but we were able to get into back into the house on Wednesday night, and it still smelled very strong. It made my eyes burn.

And, yesterday they installed all my appliances, and I have a big (8") crescent shaped scratch in the floor - very noticible in the middle of the floor. :-(
Lynne

This is Thrill's friend: yup, her kitchen is 95% done! I can't wait to see it.

So only 1 week over that aggressive schedule. This is her Facebook update: "... SO happy her kitchen is 95% done= all working appliances & running water! LOVE IT!!! Will post pics soon..."

Lynne: you should ask her about HER scratch on her floor, when her and DH moved their fridge.

A

Hey Lynne- how is your remodel going? I just posed pics (will try to put link below), very very happy.

Yes, of course there are scratches on my new floors, but DH bought some hardwood floor 'refresher' that has polyurethane in it- and it did help a lot to make the scratches 'disappear'.

Good luck, hope its over soon for you!

Kristin

Here is a link that might be useful: finished kitchen pics