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I love getting started on a new project. New year, new project. I feel like a million bucks. Even though the upstairs hall has some serious problems, I am quite happy that the majority of you voted for the Butler’s Pantry as our first project of 2017. So many of you mentioned that It would be nice to have a clean and pretty room to pass through on the way to the dining room, and I think you are right.

Demolition

In a previous post, I mentioned that we were removing the little corner shelf unit. We chose to remove it because it really is not our style. Since it is not original to the house, we had zero guilt about taking it out of the room. The only decision left was figuring out the best way to remove it.

 

Renovation shows on TV are very fond of the sledgehammer. While that would be a very satisfying method of demo, we have learned a few lessons over the years. When we first began renovating and restoring BHH in 2014, Andy and I both broke a few things inadvertently. It took us a few demo days to realize that we cannot be aggressive with this old house. Sure, BHH has stood for over 125 years, but the fact remains that everything is old. Wood is brittle. Plaster does crumble, and anything worth saving needs a gentle touch. The best course of action in BHH is to spend a few minutes figuring out the least invasive way to tear things apart.

In this case, the unit was secured to the wall with four paint-covered screws.

I softened the paint with my heat gun. Once the paint was soft, the screws came out easily.

After I removed the screws, the unit just popped off the wall in one piece. Easy! A few small pieces of plaster popped off with it, but the bulk of the wall behind it is in super condition.

There were very few surprises during this demo. However, I did find a treasure. In the darkest corner of the upper cabinet, I found a pretty wine glass. It probably belonged to Dorothy, and the packers must have missed it when they were emptying out the house. Since there is no one to return it to, it will live here permanently.

Removing all of the old contact paper was time-consuming. Some of it came off quite easily. However, there were several sections that put up more of a fight. The adhesive disintegrated over the years, and the paper merged with the wood. It was relatively easy to remove using a scraper, but there was a lot of it.  It was on every shelf and even the walls of the cabinets. (I have a favorite single-edge scraper that I use. I provided a link at the end of this post.)

Just watch how fast I worked!

We will start painting this weekend. We will be using our favorite white paint called Citilite by Sherwin Williams. It is also the most elusive SW color, it seems. Every time I do a Google search so I can share more information about this white color with you, my search turns up empty. I assure you that this shade of white really does exist. (What’s up with this mystery color, Sherwin Williams?)

In other news, we will be working with a partner for the stenciling portion of this project. Cutting Edge Stencils read about our plans for the pantry walls, and they offered to provide a stencil and additional supplies for the project. In our previous post, I was leaning towards Japanese Peonies, and that exact stencil is downstairs in a box right this minute.  I look forward to using the product and providing a proper review.

Before I sign off for today, I wanted to post the link for our new podcast survey. The idea is gaining traction, and a little buzz too. In order to produce a top-notch product from the get-go, we will release our first podcast in March instead of February. The exact air date will be forthcoming. If you would like to be a part of an upcoming episode or find out more about our podcast, please fill out this survey: Be a Part of the BHH Podcast!