Kitchen Makeover: Peninsula Demo & Cabinet Installation

OFFICIALLY GETTING STARTED IN THE KITCHEN! If you missed it, the kitchen is the first space I did in our home back in 2019 with just $500. Now, time for a full on renovation! Here are my plans. I decided to start with the most intimidating thing, removing this big, granite wall top!

This is what our kitchen looked like before I started:

And this is where I’m headed:

Demo

I scored the caulk line under the trim with my utility knife and then wedged my prybar underneath it with a hammer to lift it up. It was soooo much heavier than we expected…but we got it off!

This is a two tiered workspace and I wanted it to just be one level. I drew a level line with the under part of the counter all the way around. I started by removing all the drywall because I had to access the electrical and safely remove that before doing anything crazy. To remove the drywall, I used my multi tool and my prybar. I removed the backsplash too on the inside and it was so satisfying to remove!

I removed the electrical and set it on the counter and then removed the 2×4 frame. Because I planned to put cabinets on the outside of the peninsula, I decided to remove the trim and patch the flooring so the cabinets would sit flush against the wall and there’d be a seamless transition from cabinet top to counter top.

I had a bit of a moment because I had to cut into my flooring. The reason I had to do this was so the cabinets would sit flush to the floor. I used the pieces I cut out to fill in the side where the wall extended out. Then, I used wood glue to secure them and then I put a dumbbell on them while they dried.

Cabinet Installation

I built bases for the cabinets I planned to install with 2×4’s. Then, I put the cabinets on top of the base and secured them!

I brought the outlet to the end between the existing counter and the cabinets. Then, I put a piece of plywood on the end for a seamless look. I cut out a hole where the outlet would go. After that, I installed baseboards.