nancy3•6d ago

My parents kitchen remodel from the 80s finally got redone last month

I helped my folks gut their old kitchen last month and it was wild seeing what was underneath. That harvest gold laminate countertop hid three layers of vinyl flooring from the 70s and 80s. The cabinets were solid oak but had those brass hinges that never lined up right. My dad kept saying why fix what ain't broken but my mom pointed out the plywood rotted behind the sink from decades of leaks. We pulled out a 1987 Kenmore range that weighed like 200 pounds. The new layout got an island with outlets and soft close drawers which feels like luxury compared to the old setup. Has anyone else had to tear out that weird 80s almond tile backsplash?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_gray6d ago

That 1987 Kenmore range you mentioned hit me hard. My parents had the exact same one in avocado green, and I remember my dad swearing it would outlast us all. I used to be one of those people who thought old appliances were built better and you were dumb to replace them. But after helping my buddy tear out his grandma's kitchen last fall, I saw the truth. Beneath her shiny 50s stove was a mess of frayed wiring and a gas line that was legitimately dangerous. The new induction cooktop he put in cooks faster and doesn't heat up the whole room. I get it now, the old stuff might last forever but it doesn't mean it's better or safer. That almond tile is a nightmare too, I swear every house in my neighborhood had that exact same pattern.

mitchell.shane5d ago

So you're saying that old stove was dangerous... but how many meals did it cook without electrocuting anyone for 35 years? That's a pretty good track record if you ask me. My parents still have their 1985 Whirlpool refrigerator running in the garage, and it keeps beer colder than anything they make today. Those old appliances were built with metal and real wiring, not plastic clips and circuit boards that fry the second you have a power surge. And that almond tile... sure it's dated, but at least it was real ceramic tile that you could scrub with bleach. The stuff they sell now at the big box stores chips if you look at it wrong. Progress is fine, but sometimes new just means cheap and flimsy...