Surviving a live-in kitchen renovation

Before a kitchen renovation begins is a time of excitement and hope, and after the project has been completed life is great. But during the project, the real nitty gritty of your renovation is not very fun. We take a look at how to survive a live-in kitchen renovation.

tactics to keep your sanity

One of the most difficult parts of any renovation is the mess, in particular the dust. It’s unavoidable and plentiful and can easily spread throughout your whole house. Your contractor should do a reasonable job containing the dust and cleaning up at the end of each day, but that’s not always enough. Don’t worry, we have suggestions.

Plastic walls – boosted

Your contractor will most likely set up plastic sheeting or zip walls to keep the dust inside the work zone, these are important and will stop a lot of dust. You can boost their effectiveness by hanging a wet flat sheet in front of the plastic, this will act as a magical dust magnet.

the right vacuum for the job

Wood dust can cause problems for regular vacuum cleaners, use a shop vac instead. The other benefit to a shop vac is that it can also suck up larger debris that may be left behind.

Moving blankets

These are hands down the best protection for your floors, especially if your renovation is taking place during wet, muddy or snowy weather (that’s 9 months out of the year here in Maine). Lay them over contractor paper on the floor and use some double sided carpet tape if they’re slippery.

Mitt it up

Keep a dusting mitt at the ready and give your surfaces a quick wipe down every day. The mitt is easy and stops the dust from migrating to other spots. And it’s fun – have the kids do it.

Slippers – two pairs

This is my favorite tip, I can’t take the credit for it, this tip came to me via a friend. It’s genius. Leave a pair of slip on slippers at the entrance to your work zone – those are your construction slippers, wear them in the renovation area and swap back to your regular house slippers (or bare feet, or socks) when you leave the area. You’ll be in and out of the area more than you realize and unless you change your footwear you will be tracking dust out every time.

OK you’re keeping it clean, but how do you eat?

The inherent issue with a kitchen renovation is that while it’s happening you have no kitchen. Take out is an option (and even dining out now that the world is opening back up) but it’s not realistic for every meal. That’s why you need a temporary kitchen. This is made up of a few select items from your kitchen that will allow you to do some basic food prep. Want to know how to set up your temporary kitchen? Read on!

Are you ready?

Our team will be by your side throughout the renovation process, with helpful survival tips and a steady guiding hand. If you’re ready to get started on your fresh new kitchen give us a call or pop into one of our showrooms.