Kitchen enCounters

Oh the joy of feeling like we are finally seeing something like progress in the kitchen makeover!  It seems like forever ago that we decided to take the plunge to make some drastic changes.  In memory of the way things were, here's a shot of what the kitchen used to look like on a daily basis:

I've always loved the layout of the kitchen and the view from the window is to die for.  I liked the red countertops, but they were in need of replacement or repair.  We went with repairing and painting them because there just wasn't any way we could afford to replace.

The countertop in the sink area is where we found our biggest challenges:

Chips:

Burns:

and Oooops!

When we pulled the sink out, the Formica broke on the back side.  I think a disaster like this would be most disheartening for the light hearted, but I really wasn't concerned because I knew how to fix it!

First of all - don't throw away the pieces.

Just get out the Gorilla Glue, piece it back together, clamp it and put some weight on it until it's dry.

 Then you get out the trusty wood putty and fill in all the cracks and dents and burns.

It still doesn't look very lovely, but it's going to be just fine once it is sanded down and primed.

The chip and burned spots shown above are gone!  So is the busted up piece of Formica behind the sink:

Granted, this project - just the sink area - took about two weeks to accomplish because we both work full time, and the steps are time consuming as well:  

1)      Fill burns, chips and ooopses with wood filler, sand the countertops (to remove the shine and smooth out the puttied areas)

2)     Apply the primer - here I would highly suggest and most definitely recommend the Giani products because they are made specifically for these projects and they come with complete, easy to follow instructions.

3)  Dab your color(s) onto the countertops with a sea sponge (comes with the Giani kit)

In the laundry room I used all of the colors that came with the kit... plus I added the turquoise to coordinate with the color of the walls.

 

(That is my kitchen sink, pro tem while we worked.  It was 23 paces from the stove to the sink!)

For the kitchen, I went with just the red acrylic on top of the primer.  The result, if I do say so myself, is stunning...

...especially when you take into consideration the disaster we started with.

4)  The fourth, and final step is applying the top coats.  We went with three coats... allowing each to dry overnight before applying the next.

What we ended up with made us smile : )  we find ourselves just standing there admiring the difference!  Of course, adding the beadboard backsplash made a huge difference in the appearance too.

Of course the crowing glory was installing the sink.  I really wanted to get an apron sink to give my country kitchen the Crow's Toes look with a farm sink - but they start at around $700 and have to be special ordered when you live in the middle of nowhere.  So we went crazy and decided to go with a black sink and Tuscan Bronze faucet.  

Because we opted to repair and paint the countertops, it cost us approximately $100 and a lot of patience, but it also saved us enough money to have new custom beadboard cupboard doors made for us, so all we have to do is paint and install.

The most difficult part of our project is complete and we are happy and pleased with our efforts : )  Last night we purchased a new range hood and because the weather is not conducive to outdoor work, it just might get installed today!

I hope I have done a satisfactory job of showing how easy and inexpensive it is to fix countertop problems you may enCounter and maybe even inspire you to take the plunge if your kitchen could use a facelift too.

Prime Time

My house is a mess, but I don't care. 

There's been way too much going on around here to worry about pristine surroundings.  Tax season at work is finally over.  The upper respiratory ick that usually hits right after tax season arrived a week early this year, and I'm just now starting to feel human again.  (My boss will appreciate that).  The tornado came and went, my sister is home from the hospital and we're back to giving the kitchen our undivided attention.

This contraption, which I believe is an air compressor, has taken up residency in the kitchen .  Every time it kicks in, it scares the boogers right outta me!  Glen thinks that's pretty funny, but I've seen him jump a couple times too : )  

It's purpose, of course, is for ease in nailing the beadboard paneling to the existing cupboards with the air nail gun.  Another contraption that scares the boogers right outta my head.

We bought the faux beadboard at Menard's - around $32 for a 4 x 8 panel.  Spendy, I know, but what a difference it makes.

The existing cupboards were hand crafted out of plywood.  Sturdy, for sure, but it was time for a change.  We thought about just painting them white, but we decided that would be much more difficult and time consuming.  

The countertops are coming along nicely too.  Glen is definitely the top coat man.  We had to rub down one of the countertops with steel wool because I did a horrible job!  From now on, I'm the dabber, he's the topper : )

We have four out of five of the countertops finished.  The largest one awaits our attention, the one where the sink resides.

Sorry, still can get a decent picture of the countertops!

 It's great to have a lot of counter space - but not so great when it comes to painting all of them!  We will have to remove the sink when it comes time to paint that counter - you can do it without removing the sink, but it looks so much better when you do.  Glen has promised me a new sink, so it was going to come out sooner or later anyway.

Today we are putting the primer on the new beadboard siding.  We just can't wait to get a glimpse of how it's all kida sorta gonna look when we get done : )

 

It is definitely going to look different!

I can hardly wait until we get the front sides done.  The drawers and doors are in for a nice face lift too.  That, of course will be even more time consuming.  (sigh)  But it will be ohhhhhhh soooooooo worth it when we're finished.

Stay tuned!

Ceiling vs. Countertop

Golly.  It sure takes us a long time to accomplish anything around here.  Hard to believe it has been two weeks already since our competition began.

Glen definitely has the upper hand in getting things done - but he took two weeks off so he could get his project completed.  All I was able to accomplish was one little countertop.

Glen enlisted some help getting all those boards attached to the ceiling.  Caine thought it was a bit boring, but he was a real trooper about the whole thing.

My project wasn't nearly as difficult - but it was most definitely time consuming:

Day One:  Fill all the little nicks and dents with wood filler and let dry overnight.

Day Two:  Lightly sand (fine sandpaper)  the entire surface to smooth out the wood filler and give the primer a rough surface for good adhesion.

Once it was sanded, I vacuumed, cleaned with a damp cloth, let dry and went over it with a little TSP to make sure it was nice and clean and free of any gunk that would prevent the primer from sticking.

Then it was time for the primer which was rolled on with a small foam roller that comes with the kit if you order from Giani. (You really should check out their site to see all the beautiful contertops that have been created with their great product!)

Day Three:  After the primer is nice and dry it's time to start dabbing on the design.

That's a $1.00 bottle of water base acrylic paint found in the art supply aisle at Wal-Mart.  The sponge (also comes with the kit from Giani) is a sea sponge that has been cut.  It only takes a little piece to create a beautiful countertop!

Now the fun part... creating the design.  Put a little paint on a piece of cardboard, dip the sponge in the paint, dab it on the cardboard so there is barely any paint on the sponge, dab, dab, dab on the countertop and repeat until finished.

Days Four, Five and Six:  Apply top coat, stand back and enjoy the beautiful transformation!

Before

and

After:

Sorry - these pictures really don't do the finished project justice.  The bookcase I am converting to a food locker doesn't get any direct sunlight (and I have to work at night after work ya know) and the new countertop is so shiny I just can't get a good shot of it.  I think it is going to look really sharp once it is painted white and Glen hangs the doors he's going to make.

Oh, the ceiling?  So wrapped up in MY project I almost forgot to show you Glen's beautiful ceiling!

Isn't it great?  He found a bonus while he was remodeling - wiring for a light. 

He did a great job with his project which included painting all of the trim and the walls too!

Here's a picture of the livingroom (in the background) before Glen's magic touch:

This is just kind of a sneak peak as to our progress.  (Goodness - those ugly curtains have to go! And what a difference the time of day makes in the color of the paint.  The actual color is closest to the top picture.)

Stay tuned for the day we get it all pulled together!