Demolition can be thrilling, but there’s always that little voice reminding you that whatever you tore out will have to be replaced. We didn’t dwell on it long—we jumped straight into rebuilding the kitchen. In fact, between ripping out the tiles and the plywood, we ran to The Tile Shop in my sister’s borrowed SUV to pick up cement board so we’d have the supplies ready as soon as demo was finished.
The cement board we used was 1/4″ Permabase Ultrabacker, about $10 per 3ft x 5ft sheet after the store’s 10% discount code. I bought more than we needed because of a miscalculation—eight sheets instead of four—but after returning the extras our cost was about $40. We planned to use the cement board along the entire back wall above the stove, which will be our focal wall with tile to the ceiling, a large range hood, and open shelves, and around the rest of the kitchen where a standard 18″ backsplash will go. I started with the 18″ backsplash pieces since they were smaller and easier to handle, carefully measuring cuts around the window and outlet openings.
To cut the cement board I used a jigsaw, which I’m comfortable controlling, and wore a proper respirator to avoid inhaling dust. In hindsight the blade I used wasn’t ideal for the coarse material—by the end the blade had lost several teeth from the abrasive surface—so next time a diamond blade might be a better choice. Even so, the cuts got done.
Installing the boards was straightforward. They balanced on the old plywood underneath and happened to be the same thickness, which helped create a seamless surface for tile. I leveled each piece and drove in screws while Sherry kept Clara out of the work zone. I made sure each screw was sunk flush—protruding screw heads would interfere with tile—and then continued around the room methodically. The process was easier than I remembered from rebuilding the bathroom in our previous house, which was a pleasant surprise.
The 5ft tall sheets fit nearly perfectly on the 5ft tall wall behind the stove, so those boards required only outlet hole cuts and no tall cuts. That saved time, though handling and maneuvering the larger boards was heavier work; with Clara napping I asked Sherry to hold a board in place while I drilled, which sped things up significantly.
The temporary, dangling outlet near the vent will eventually connect to the range hood. We weren’t yet certain of the hood’s exact placement, so we located the junction box in a spot that should work. If it needs to move, the wiring has some slack and the box will be hidden behind the vent cover we plan to build.
When the range hood and tile are installed, the hood won’t be perfectly centered on that tiled section but it will be centered on the back wall when the adjoining space next to the doorway is included. We plan to tile the ceiling with penny tile, install open shelves, and build a custom hood, and we expect styling the floating shelves with everyday dishes, vases, art, and plants will help balance the composition visually.
We considered tiling up to the ceiling on the wall above the sink and pantry too, but decided one focal wall would suffice. A standard 18″ backsplash on the other walls will balance the kitchen and avoiding tile over the pantry felt more natural for the rectangular layout.
The kitchen walls aren’t drywall—they’re painted paneling, which adds soft texture and coziness once painted. We bought a single 4ft x 8ft sheet of new paneling to match the style and reused a leftover painted panel from a previous doorway opening project for the area to the right of the window. It felt a little retro to be buying new paneling, but it covers the needed areas and will be painted soon, so exact color matching wasn’t a concern.
We had the paneling cut at the store to fit our car and to save time, and I picked up a fresh jigsaw blade to cut the outlet hole for the microwave. For one small area above the pantry that will be hidden by a future upper cabinet, we left the plywood in place to avoid moving the pantry—sometimes shortcuts that won’t be visible later make sense.
For the cement board seams we’ll use tape and thinset before installing tile, following The Tile Shop’s recommendation to ensure everything holds up long-term. The oddly placed window will be balanced once we add a small upper cabinet to the right of the pantry and 12″ floating shelves on the focal wall. The window will end up with about 14″ of wall space on each side, creating a pleasing symmetry once the cabinetry and shelves are in place.
By the end of the second day—demo and supply runs the first day, installation the second—we had the walls rebuilt. The room still needs paint touch-ups and ceiling work, but removing the upper cabinets and previewing the tile layout already makes the space feel more open and balanced. We opted not to add insulation during this step because these are interior walls; the window looks into a well-insulated sunroom, and in our experience the kitchen has stayed comfortable even through cold winters in this brick ranch.
Overall, the demolition and reconstruction took two days and left us sore but satisfied. Next up are paint touch-ups and finishing the tile and cabinet work. Have you ever installed cement board or bought paneling? Any ceiling painting on your agenda?