Slavedriver Saturday

Slavedriver Steveio was up and at em.... with a whole slew of tasks on his list.

I started out with getting some decorative wood trim stained on sawhorses down in the basement, while he started mounting a heavy iron bracket he made for our microwave.  The microwave is the type that is mounted over the stove.  It is a vent hood type, and needed to be mounted to withstand 150 pounds (combined weight of microwave unit, anything that we would have in it, and a cabinet overhead with contents)   So Steve made really really sure it would hold 150 pounds by doing some chin-ups!   hahahaha

We lifted the microwave into place, and mounted the proper hardware to secure it.   Whew... it sure was a job, but we got this part done before breakfast!

Then while Steve was downstairs wiring up the proper new outlet for it, I started cutting and fitting in the faux tin backsplash around the stove area.  It's called "Facade" and can be installed in 24x18 inch sheets (that is what I used)  or you can buy a whole long roll to go along as a backsplash behind a counter-top.  You can cut it with a scissors or utility knife.  It is adhered with their own double sided sticky tape or else you can use construction adhesive.   Once I was done, we slid the stove into place.

I applied it around all three sides of the cooking area, but I still need the trim edging strips to make the job complete.  Another run to Home Depot will take care of it.

See how the stove just clears the window sill on the left?  That is why we had to move over the cabinet base and omit part of the second tilt-out bin the other day.  It works better this way and we have a bit of space between the stove and the wall that we will put in some kind of spacer.  That can come later.  At least now I have my stove to use again.  Since we started the floor a week ago, the stove was pushed into the center of my Loom Room.  I have only been cooking with the microwave set on the counter in the butler pantry, or in the crockpot.  It will be nice to cook again on the stove!

On the shelf above the stove, I am going to set my big blue enamel soup pot, (which has a very sentimental value) then my white enamel strainer and a blue enamel mixing bowl.  It will be a nice accent to the kitchen decor and will fill up that open space for now.

I had been trying to find some kind of light fixture to put up over the window that could shine down on the sink.   I found a few that I liked, but they were too wide with multiple bulbs or too small to give enough light with a single bulb.  Most interior fixtures are only rated to 60 watt bulbs.    

There is only 28 inches of space between the two upper cabinets on each side of the window.  The more we looked, the more I was not finding anything .... in the "indoor lighting" department, that is.  We walked past the "outdoor lighting" at Home Depot and we found a perfect light fixture!  VOILA!  And it is rated for a 100 watt bulb.

Steve cut a hole in the plaster, mounted an electrical box, and we fished the wiring up inside the cabinet behind the shelves.  He was busy doing the hookups and switches and outlet boxes.  He also ran the wires for the garbage disposal at the same time.

It was perfect and it matched the hammered copper sink! 

(we will pick up a spot type light bulb for it at Home Depot) 

We decided to do a wide plank board above the window for the light fixture to hang from.  Not only does it cover the big circle of the mounted electrical box, but also because I ruined the finish on the original window frame piece trying to remove some adhesive.  So this plank filled in the space.  The nice part is that the plank was originally the countertop of the cabinets---  we saved it when we used a commercial piece of laminate counter-top instead.  We might use more of it for making the sliding trash bin door too.  So keeping it all together, just in separate pieces?

He put the light on a dimmer switch, so we can turn it down in the evenings for a soft light, or else brighten it up to do work over the sink area.  I put a tension curtain rod to put the lace back around the window. There... another job complete.  Now it was time for lunch~!

Another project was the garbage disposal.  Steve got all the wiring done up to the switch at the sink and down to the basement.

I gave the three long pieces of decorative trim a coat of polyurethane and by tomorrow I think we will be able to start nailing that up into place around the kitchen at the 5 ft transition mark where we recovered walls with new drywall.   Steve was thinking of getting an air nail gun for tacking finishing nails for the trim.  So it might be a morning trip to Home Depot, and then an afternoon of work?

But for today, we called it quits, and hit the shower, and we have been laying around all evening.  We first watched a movie on DVD, and then also we are now tuned into War of the Worlds on ABC.  Geeesh I don't like scary or suspenseful movies!

Tomorrow he will work on the drains and some of the plumbing.  Of course, before the Super Bowl comes on the tv.  Too bad it isn't the Packers playing, but we will watch anyhow.  Especially for the commercials. LOL