Kitchen Remodel Progress: Filling Gaps, Attaching a Peninsula Panel, and Paint Touch-Ups

Some parts of a kitchen remodel are more glamorous than others. Opening up a wall is exciting; the small, precise tasks that follow are less so—but they still matter. We wanted to take care of a few of those details before the countertop fabricator came to template our new counters, so the measurements would be accurate and everything would fit properly.

First on the list was filling the gaps around our stove.

The base cabinet we removed was 36″ wide, while the stove is roughly 30″, leaving just under 3″ of empty space on each side. Most pull-out drawers and accessories start at about 3″ wide, so they weren’t a good fit. Instead, we opted for simple filler strips of wood. We also wanted the range hood to remain centered, so shifting the stove and installing a wider pull-out would have complicated the ceiling hood opening, which we wanted to avoid. We considered decorative options but decided to keep these fillers simple so the penny-tile backsplash and the floating-shelf display could be the focal points.

I picked up pine project boards, cut them to size, drilled pilot holes with a Kreg jig, and screwed them into place. We added filler strips at the front for visual coverage and also one at the back on each side so the countertop fabricator would have solid support to reference during templating.

Each side ended up with three filler pieces. We likely could have managed with two, but the boards were inexpensive—about $11 for the project—so this felt like the best trade-off compared with pricier pull-out solutions.

Here are both sides completed and ready for the stove to be slid back into place:

Once the counters are installed and the cabinets are primed and painted, these fillers will blend right in. Many of our base cabinets already have similar 2.5″ fillers, so this will match the overall look.

After stepping closer with a critical eye, we spotted a thin gap of just over 1/4″. No problem—we added a final 3/8″ project board to each side for a snugger fit. That small addition increased the project cost by about $4, bringing the total to roughly $15, still much cheaper than alternative solutions.

We kept those final slivers of wood limited to the front two panels since they were purely aesthetic. Sliding the stove back in produced a nearly flush fit—tight enough that it looks finished but with enough clearance to remove the range when needed. Later, once we remove the tile behind the stove and install the toe kick across the bottom of the cabinets, the whole area will look even more seamless.

With the stove gap addressed, we turned to the peninsula. To ensure the countertop templater understood we wanted a straight edge—not an angled corner—we attached a flat panel to the back of the peninsula. This is a task we would need to do eventually, so it made sense to do it now.

I anchored a small corner blocking piece to the half wall so the plywood panel would sit flush with the back of the cabinets. The blocking is just two scrap boards screwed at a 90-degree angle and fastened to the wall—simple but effective.

The panel itself is a thin utility plywood board that I bought earlier for another project so I could transport it conveniently. Lowe’s cut it to size, and I trimmed three inches off the end with a jigsaw to match the switch from a 21″ to an 18″ end cabinet. I nailed the panel in place so the countertop templater would see a clean, straight back edge. Later we’ll add baseboard, corner trim, and possibly a board-and-batten detail, and we’ll paint it to match the cabinets. For now, it provides a squared-off edge for the countertop templates; the counters will have a 12″ overhang on two sides to accommodate four stools.

It’s easy to see how things are beginning to come together. The stools are temporary, and we’re considering lighter, more airy seating—possibly clear acrylic—to keep the peninsula feeling open.

We also did some paint touch-ups. These aren’t required for templating the counters, but they helped us feel less surrounded by unfinished surfaces. We painted the raw trim, drywall, and paneling left over from the pantry and wall-opening projects. That simple step immediately made the kitchen and dining room feel more composed.

One detail: we painted the inside edge of the half wall a soft gray to match the dining room rather than carrying the kitchen paneling color across. The subtle gray reads almost white next to the door jamb and blends neatly with the adjacent space.

The temporary threshold in the doorway is a piece of leftover paneling we cut down and nailed into place to bridge the gap left by the removed wall. It’ll eventually be covered with cork and finished with a small threshold to transition to the original hardwood, similar to work we’ve done in prior homes.

Below are a selection of “after” photos showing how the kitchen and dining room look following those paint touch-ups and the small carpentry updates. We still have more work—cabinet painting, countertop installation, and finishing touches—but these small, methodical steps make a big difference in the overall feel of the space.

Some readers asked for a view from the living room, so here’s that angle. We love the sightline to the large picture window. Widening the doorway between these rooms would be a wonderful update someday, but it’s a big structural task—so for now it stays on the “maybe someday” list. The current layout also gives the living room a bit more privacy, which can be nice.

That wraps up this round of small but important updates: filling gaps around the stove, attaching the peninsula panel, and knocking out several paint touch-ups. Small steps like these add up quickly and make a room feel more finished, even while the larger projects—counters, cabinet painting, and final trim—are still to come.

What small updates have you tackled recently in your home? Any last-minute projects you’re racing to finish this weekend or before a holiday?