Doors! Painted! Lighting! And tile backsplash - Section 2 of 4

Slowly, slowly, I am wrapping this project up.  The funny part is, I'm still just as busy as I've ever been, it just seems to not be on kitchen project stuff.  However, progress is being made.

I finally got both doors painted, both sides.  Finally had to give up on trying to do it in the garage, because it got too cold.  Had to put the cat box upstairs, block off the basement door opening, and paint on my "workbench" (aka, wonky pool table covered in plywood), while Charlie pawed at the piece of wood I had blocking off the basement doorway.

Doors painted!  And hung!  And cat door installed!  (that will be another blog shortly, since I forgot to take pictures)

Also, I did the final section of under cabinet lighting.  That one too awhile, because it was the run with the built-in microwave.  I was just going to run wires under/around the microwave, but decided at the last minute to go ahead and stick a strip of lights on the bottom of the microwave as well.  Why not, it's not going anywhere anytime soon!  That gives a nice, even light all across the cooking and prep area.

The hardest part was installing the last dimmer.  Because I could not find the dimmer.  A good hour plus, checking everywhere, basement, office, garage, cabinets, toolbox... I knew I had left it on the new counter with everything else, the anti-static bag was there, shipping bag, LED reel, etc.   I had resigned myself to having to order a new one when Sarah noticed it, still in its' bubble wrap bag, peeking out from under the table in the entryway.  From what we can piece together, Charlie got on the counter, found a toy, and played with it until it was out of her reach.

Deco strips have been removed for light installation/tiling convenience 

Just the under-cabinet LED lighting on, no overhead lighting - 20 watts total

Once the dimmer was found, and installed, it became... tile time.

The first section of tile was easy.  Long, straight shot, just 2 outlets to cut around.  This next section was similar with 2 outlets, but it also has the new window, and it's a little more cramped under the corner cabinet.  Realistically, if you can, install your tile back splash before you install your cabinets.  That's pretty unrealistic for just about anyone.

I wanted a simple trim around the windows, so I got some really small shoe moulding from Lowes.  Same thickness as the tile, so it should blend in fairly seamlessly.  I used contact glue to glue it around the window, so I wouldn't have to patch any nail holes.

Tiling this section was pretty much the same routine as the last, just a little more cramped, and a lot more cuts.  Not counting the glass accent tiles (which did need to be cut in some places), I only had 14 tiles across the whole section that didn't need cut.

There you have it.  Section 2 of 4 tiled.

 Finally, as previously referenced, our friend Ross is a Browns fan, and came over and wrote "Go Browns!" on the wall (with permission).  Apparently, his devotion to his "team" has had a negative influence on their season.  They hadn't won a game since November 20th, 2011, until the day I tiled over his graffiti.  Coincidence?  I'll let you decide.

Oh yes, I defaced his defacement before it was tiled over.

More under cabinet lighting

Still going slow on the final bits to get the kitchen all done.  Last week I installed the baseboard and door trim.  Much better looking than door gaps.  Also, I started the process of painting the doors.  Not a fast process, considering I have 2 doors, and 2 sides to each door, and need to put 2 coats of paint on each side, and each side has to wait a minimum of several hours.  And I only have 1 set of saw horses to paint the doors on..  (adds in head)  It's going to take a week or more to paint the doors, unless I want to build some fancy flipping door painting jig, or buy another set of saw horses.

So, in the mean time, I tackled the under cabinet lighting for the north/east cabinets.  There's a couple 45 degree bends as the cabinets turn the corner.  It was a test of my soldering skills, as the solder pads on the lights are rather small.

Yup, the solder pads are under there.  Somewhere.

I measured and "built" the strands in the basement, taping the strands down at the correct angle, since they're flexible and want to go everywhere.

When I was done, I had the following contraption:

Strand of lights, 45 degree angle, strand of lights, 45 degree angle, and strand of lights with power connector.

The solder stuck very well, I tested on a scrap, and was unable to pull the wire/solder off.

A quick drill through the cabinet to run the wire, and hooking it up to the dimmer, and here's the resulting light as seen from the porch:

Now I have enough light on that side, to install the tile.  I still need to cut, solder, and install the lights on the other side of the kitchen.  Then I'll have zero excuses for not finishing the tile.  :)