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From Demo to Install: Essential Tools Used in My Kitchen Renovation

Learn what 5 tools were essential to my kitchen renovation. I could not have completed my kitchen renovation without these essential tools.

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot and contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

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Well, Guys, after 7 – 8 years, it’s finally happening. I’m finally taking on the challenge and cost of renovating the kitchen. I’ve been through a few updates over the years.

Remember what the kitchen looked like when I bought the house. I hated my Kitchen! Everything was blue including the ceiling!

I mean seriously, Who paints a ceiling baby blue, especially in the kitchen?! I know the 80s were different, But that’s absolutely absurd and unappealing.

My 1st try at updating my kitchen ended in a big flop!

Well, I made some updates by painting the cabinets, replaced the old blue tile and replaced all of the flooring and paint. I even ended up painting the cabinets blue. Go figure! Haha!

But I still lived with a kitchen from 1986. No amount of patches could salvage my kitchen. The cabinets were literally falling apart. The water line to the fridge had broken for the 100th time. My microwave was so close to the stove that I had to replace them every 2_3 years because they couldn’t handle the heat being so close.

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The particleboard laminate kitchen cabinets were falling apart as you pulled on the drawer.

We took the kitchen down to the studs and transformed the space into something you’d see on Airbnb. Hahaha. But we’ll get to the reveal and everything we did later. For now, let’s talk tools. Here are the tools that were essential in my kitchen renovation.

RIDGID Cordless Drill/Driver and Impact Driver 2-Tool Combo Kit

The RIDGID Cordless Drill/Driver is extremely durable with all metal gears. It also has 2-speed settings that can be adjusted for whatever task or job your tackling. The Ridgid Impact Driver has 3-speed settings with best-in-class torque.

We really put this drill/driver and impact driver to the test. Like I stated earlier, we took the kitchen down to the studs. We removed the old soffits, so we had to reroute a few electrical wires.

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We ran a new water line through the ceiling for the ice maker. For this a drill was essential. In some instances, we had to drill through studs. That’s were the RIDGID Impact Driver with the Bosch Daredevil Standard Spade Bit set was critical.

I also installed open shelving and installed new cabinet hardware.

The enhanced hex grip micro texture made the grip feel secure enabling maximum comfort.

RIDGID 18-Volt Cordless Brushless Drywall Screwdriver with Collated Attachment

We had to put up drywall and if you’ve ever installed drywall with a hammer and drywall nails or even using a regular drill with drywall screws, you know the pain of not having a tool that would make this tedious process a little faster and uniform. Tne RIDGID 18-Volt Cordless Brushless Drywall Screwdriver with Collated Attachment vastly reduced the time it would have taken to install drywall in the past.

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Features I love include:

  • The Push-to-Drive Technology that uses a pressure-sensitive variable speed switch to control speed by pressing down on the tool. This eliminates the need for a trigger.
  • You can adjust the depth drive without the need for any extra equipment.
  • And if I wanted to I could attach the collated attachment.

The drywall looks great!

New drywall up in kitchen renovation.

Bosch BLAZE 165 ft. Laser Distance Measurer with Bluetooth and Full Color Display

When remodeling any area in the home there is a lot that needs to be measured. Of course the distance from the cabinet to the wall, linear measurement is needed, but using the Bosch BLAZE 165 ft. Laser Distance Measurer with Bluetooth and Full Color Display, we were able to check the wall cabinets to ensure the were level as we installed the cleat.

I used it to get a sense of how much paint I would need for the cabinets and the walls and ceiling. This feature saves money. The idea of buying too much or even too little paint stings. I was also able to keep track of the measurements in the Bosch Measure On app. With the Bluetooth connectivity all the data loaded directly to my phone. It was perfect.

Bosch 65 ft. Self Leveling Cross Line Laser Level with Plumb Points

Bosch 65 ft. Self Leveling Cross Line Laser Level with Plumb Points was absolutely critical. This tool was essential in measuring if the base cabinets were installed correctly and level. Your basic bar level can’t provide the kind of wrap-around laser measurements the Bosch 65 ft. Self Leveling Cross Line Laser Level can. And trust me I know first hand how effective it is (Yes there is a story behind that SMH to be shared later).

So if your DIY installing your own cabinets, this is well worth the investment and pays for itself. I also used it to install open shelves.

RIDGID 9 Gal. 18-Volt Cordless Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum with Filter, Hose and Accessories

And finally but not at all least, the RIDGID 9 Gal. 18-Volt Cordless Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum. Being able to do thorough cleanings throughout the renovation process was so important, especially after incredibly dusty days during the demo and removing drywall.

The RIDGID 9 Gal. 18-Volt Cordless Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum saved the day. I had closed off this area of my house but I didn’t want all the particulates accumulating. So every day before we called it quits, we broke out this vacuum and thoroughly cleaned the kitchen. I absolutely loved that we didn’t have to worr about tripping over cords.

It runs on 1 or 2 batteries for extended runtime and it still has the same suction power as a corded vac.

Stay Tuned… We are knee-deep into renovating the kitchen Babe! It’s gonna be Epic! And I can’t wait to have running water in my kitchen once again. Yayyyy

Till Next Time. ~T.

For more info on tool reviews and my kitchen renovation visit these posts:

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the ProSpective 2018 Campaign. As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

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