Kitchen Renovation Unleashed: Conquering Walls with Cement Board and Paneling

The thrill of demolition in a home renovation is undeniable. There’s a raw, almost primal satisfaction in tearing down the old to make way for the new. Yet, amidst the dust and debris, a persistent thought invariably creeps into the back of your mind: everything you just destroyed must eventually be replaced. This realization, while sobering, is merely the prelude to the exciting phase of reconstruction.

Yes, the initial mess can be a bit of a bummer.

However, we weren’t about to let that thought dampen our spirits for long. With the old tiles and plywood cleared away, we immediately pivoted to the reconstruction of our dream kitchen. In fact, even before the last bits of demo dust settled, we made a strategic dash to The Tile Shop. Utilizing my sister’s spacious SUV, we promptly acquired the essential cement board, ensuring all our supplies were ready the moment demolition was complete. This proactive approach significantly streamlined our workflow and kept the renovation momentum going.

Laying the Foundation: Why Cement Board is Key for a Durable Kitchen

Our material of choice was 1/4″ thick Permabase Ultrabacker cement board. These robust 3ft x 5ft sheets, priced around $10 each after applying a handy 10% discount code (YHL10 – always ask for available discounts!), were a crucial investment. Initially, I overestimated our needs, purchasing eight sheets due to some enthusiastic but ultimately flawed calculations. Thankfully, after returning the unused four, our total cost for this stage of the kitchen remodel came down to a manageable $40. We had a clear vision for where these boards would go: along the entire back wall above the stove, destined to be our kitchen’s focal point with floor-to-ceiling tile, a prominent range hood, and stylish open shelving. Additionally, cement board would form the foundation for our standard 18″ backsplashes on the other kitchen walls.

Precision Cutting: Tools, Techniques, and Lessons Learned for Cement Board Installation

I began with the smaller 18″ backsplash boards, finding them more manageable to handle and install. This stage required meticulous measuring to ensure precise cuts around the window frames and for the various outlet holes. For the cutting itself, I opted for my trusty jigsaw. Its convenience and my familiarity with its control made it a natural choice. A crucial safety measure I adopted was wearing a proper gas mask – not just a paper one, but a robust rubber mask with filters – to prevent inhaling the considerable amount of nasty dust generated by cutting cement board. This material is incredibly dense and creates a fine, airborne particulate that you definitely don’t want in your lungs.

While the jigsaw performed adequately, a valuable lesson was learned about blade selection. By the end of the job, my blade looked surprisingly rough:

Notice the missing teeth in the middle? The sheer coarseness of the cement board had literally sanded them off! This experience strongly suggested that a diamond blade would have been the superior choice for this material, offering cleaner cuts and preserving the blade’s integrity. Nevertheless, despite the blade sacrifice, I was immensely satisfied to have completed the cutting phase, bringing us one step closer to our dream kitchen backsplash.

Securing the Boards: A Step-by-Step Guide to a Flawless Finish

With the cutting done, setting the cement boards in place proved relatively straightforward. The existing plywood underneath, being of the same thickness, provided a perfect ledge to balance the new boards, ensuring a seamless transition. The process involved carefully leveling each sheet and then securing them firmly with screws. I took on the task of drilling, while Sherry heroically kept our little one, Clara, out of the “danger zone”—our temporarily chaotic, tore-up kitchen. Ensuring all screw heads were adequately sunk and flush with the board’s surface was paramount; any protruding heads would interfere with the flush laying of tiles later on. This meticulous step prevents unsightly bumps and ensures a smooth, professional tile installation.

Progressing around the room, I found this task to be less daunting than anticipated. My prior experience rebuilding our first home’s bathroom had involved a similar process, which hadn’t been the most enjoyable. Perhaps the old adage holds true: absence truly does make the heart grow fonder, even for DIY tasks! This time, the process felt more efficient and less frustrating, a testament to growing experience and better planning.

Strategic Placement: Designing with Cement Board for a Functional and Stylish Kitchen

A significant advantage in our kitchen renovation was the happy coincidence that the 5-foot tall cement board sheets fit almost perfectly on the 5-foot tall wall behind the stove. This meant minimal cutting for these larger boards, save for the necessary outlet holes. The reduced cutting effort somewhat offset the increased difficulty of maneuvering bigger, heavier sheets. Fortunately, Clara was napping at this point, allowing me to enlist Sherry’s help to hold the boards steady while I drilled them into place. This teamwork made the installation of these larger sections considerably faster and safer. We also strategically positioned a dangling outlet near where the vent would eventually be, anticipating its use for our future range hood. While its exact final placement isn’t 100% determined, we placed it where it could hopefully work, knowing that any minor adjustments could be hidden behind the custom vent cover we plan to build.

Looking at the photo above, you might notice that our future range hood won’t be perfectly centered on this specific tiled wall. However, it will be perfectly centered on the overall back wall of the kitchen, accounting for the space adjacent to the doorway. Once we add our chosen penny tile to the ceiling and install our open shelves and built-in range hood, we believe the way we “accessorize” the floating shelves will play a crucial role in restoring visual balance. These shelves are intended to house everyday dishes – items used so frequently they won’t have a chance to collect dust – alongside decorative elements like vases, art, and a plant or two. This functional yet aesthetic approach is central to our open shelving design philosophy (more insights on managing dust and open shelves here).

Beyond Tile: Embracing the Charm of Paneling in Our Kitchen Design

Even with the cement board expertly installed, our wall transformation wasn’t complete. We still had sections above the sink and pantry that needed attention:

While we briefly considered extending the tile to the ceiling on this wall as well, we ultimately decided against it. We felt that one dramatic focal wall with floor-to-ceiling tile, open shelves, and a large range hood would provide sufficient visual impact. For the other areas, a more traditional wall finish with a standard 18″ backsplash seemed more appropriate. This approach would create a better balance with the opposite side of the kitchen, which would also feature a standard backsplash adjacent to the refrigerator. Furthermore, tiling over the pantry felt aesthetically jarring and would have created an awkward stopping point for the rectangular tile effect. We’re confident in our decision to forego that idea.

It’s important to remember that our kitchen walls aren’t standard drywall. They are, in fact, painted paneling. This choice, which we genuinely appreciate for the soft texture and cozy feel it adds once painted, is a feature we’ve embraced – we even had similar paneling in our first home’s den. So, to complete the look, we did something rather unexpected for a modern renovation…

…we actually purchased a new sheet of paneling. And oh, how it pained us! We’re pretty sure every person at the checkout counter at Lowe’s was silently questioning our choices, thinking, “Welcome to 2011, why on earth are you buying paneling?!” Fortunately, we had a leftover piece of painted paneling from the doorway opening project that we could reuse for the section to the right of the window, above where the backsplash would go. This meant I only needed to buy one additional sheet from Lowe’s.

Indeed, that was a first for us. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be actively BUYING new wood paneling for a renovation. The silver lining is that it will be painted soon (along with that rough-looking ceiling), so matching an existing color wasn’t a concern. The primary goal was to create a consistent and cohesive wall surface.

Thankfully, that single 4ft x 8ft sheet of paneling was sufficient to cover all the remaining areas. We had a helpful associate at Lowe’s cut the pieces to size for us, which was a double win: (a) they fit perfectly into our Altima for transport, and (b) it saved us the effort of making those initial large cuts. While there, I also made sure to pick up a new jigsaw blade – the previous one had certainly seen better days – specifically for cutting the hole for our microwave outlet.

Smart Shortcuts and Finishing Touches for a Seamless Kitchen Renovation

Did you spot our moment of strategic laziness in the photo above? Since a small upper cabinet will eventually cover that particular section of the wall, we decided against going through the trouble of cutting out the piece of plywood underneath. Doing so would have involved moving the pantry, and since it won’t be visible once the cabinet, complete with crown molding, is installed, it felt like a perfectly acceptable shortcut. We’re all for efficient wall-hanging solutions when they don’t compromise the final aesthetic!

Regarding the cement board seams, our plan is to tape them and then apply thinset over them before setting the tiles. This method, recommended by The Tile Shop, ensures everything stays securely in place for the long haul. But let’s take another look at that wall head-on:

You might be curious about the seemingly off-center window. Rest assured, this is part of a carefully planned design. Once we add the small upper cabinet to the right of the pantry, there will be precisely 14 inches of wall space between the side of that cabinet and the window trim. Similarly, there will be 14 inches of wall space between the right side of the window trim and the 12-inch floating shelves that will adorn our focal wall. These shelves will jut out 12 inches to comfortably house all our larger dishes and kitchen essentials. The result will be a beautifully balanced window, framed by equal amounts of wall space on either side, creating a harmonious and functional kitchen layout.

Envisioning the Future: The Kitchen’s Evolving Look and Feel

Here’s what the kitchen looked like once all the wall panels and cement boards were installed. While still a work in progress, it’s undeniably a significant improvement. We absolutely adore how the room feels without upper cabinets crowding the space, fostering an open and airy atmosphere. It’s also incredibly rewarding to start visualizing the final look, especially anticipating how the tile backsplash will tie everything together. I regret not capturing a wider shot to showcase the paneling on the other side of the room, complete with the 18-inch backsplash area next to the fridge. The current configuration – one magnificent tiled focal wall complemented by two standard backsplashes on the adjacent side walls – already creates a wonderfully balanced and aesthetically pleasing feel.

For those who inquired in our previous kitchen post: both of these walls are interior walls. The window, surprisingly, looks into our heavily insulated sunroom, not directly outdoors. This explains why they weren’t insulated initially and why we didn’t feel the need to add insulation during this phase of the renovation. Having lived here through last winter, which was colder and snowier than most, we can attest that the sunroom maintains a comfortable temperature, and consequently, the kitchen never feels drafty or inadequately insulated. In our experience, brick ranches are generally excellent at maintaining a stable, comfortable temperature due to their solid construction, rarely suffering from drafts.

Project Timeline and Next Steps: From Frankenstein to Fabulous!

This entire process, from demolition to the installation of new wall surfaces, spanned a mere two days – one for the initial demo and cement board purchase, and another for installing the new walls. All things considered, it was a remarkably quick transformation, though I must admit, I was pretty darn sore by the end of it! Thankfully, Sherry reminded me that our next step involves paint touch-ups, a task that isn’t too strenuous. While painting ceilings is my least favorite surface, we don’t have an extensive area to contend with. We’re genuinely excited to tackle the painting, as it will hopefully transition the room from its current “Frankenstein” phase – with its mismatched appliances, cabinetry, and paneling – into a much more cohesive and inviting space. Despite its current eclectic look, it’s already a vast improvement from the “before” state we started with.

What about your own home improvement adventures? Have you ever taken on the task of hanging cement board, or perhaps, had the surprising experience of having to (gasp!) buy new paneling for a project? And is ceiling painting lurking anywhere on your current to-do list?

Pssst- We’re also over on BabyCenter, sharing details about the birthday time capsule we finally completed for Clara, which she’ll open on her 18th birthday!

Psssst- For those interested, we’ve listed our black above-the-range microwave on Craigslist. It’s only a year old, works perfectly, and is still available at Sears. Here’s the link if you’re looking for a great deal!