First of all, I know that the three people who read this have been anxiously awaiting a new entry, as it has been a full year since I have posted! Apparently life happened.
Ok, so I have been hoarding materials to re-do my kitchen. My parents house/garage became home to my new butcher block countertop, sink, and faucet. I had been waiting for a prime time to take on this project because a.) I need time to do it and b.) I need Dad to have time to help me :-)
Since it is February break, let the projects commence!
A quick "before" shot before all the fun things went down:
PROJECT #1: Countertop
First on the to-do list, get rid of the old countertop/sink/faucet. THIS WAS FUN. Have you ever ripped out a countertop before? Because you feel like this:
Next up, put in new countertop! This wasn't too challenging, but definitely a two person project. Thankfully I had Daddio!
So I bought a saw (a jigsaw) for this endeavor. Dad had done the corner cut for me at his work, but we had to jigsaw the hole for the sink. As much as I wanted to try this, I decided it was best to try sawing for the first time NOT on a $350 dollar piece of wood...
Go Dad!
Next up: sink and faucet. Again, a two person job. Lots of glue and bolts in this endeavor. After a little while, we got her up and running!
Woohoo! After some sanding and oiling, boy did that countertop look goooooooood. DROOL DROOL DROOL.
All in an evenings work!
What I learned:
-Dad is helpful.
-It takes a long time to jigsaw through butcher block.
-I am an animal when it comes to ripping out things.
-I am not good at plumbing.
PROJECT #2: Backsplash
I've always dreamed of having a backsplash! Alas, they cost mucho dinero. BUT THEN I saw what this family did and I realized my dreams of having a backsplash could soon become a reality!
Off to Home Depot I go! I bought a bunch of wall paneling with wider planks, but instead of using them vertically, I put them up horizontally (planking made easy!).
Putting it up was relatively easy (with all my new saw skillzzzzz) despite NOTHING BEING LEVEL OR SQUARE in my house. Anyways... I did all the big, easy pieces and then had to get cray cray with the saw to fill in the gaps:
Since the paneling was on the heavier side, using liquid nails alone was not enough. I used paneling nails but I have to admit, getting those suckers in was a biddy and a half! For the life of me I could not get them flush with the wall.. oh well. Our imperfections are what make us special, right???
Finally, the trim. Oh the trim. I thought the trim would be fast and easy, but I forgot that at corners one should do a 45 degree cut so it looks nice. It took a while, but it was worth it!
What I learned:
-Liquid Nails is AWESOME.
-Maybe I should get a nail gun.
-Trim work takes more time than one would think.
-My house is now permanently dusty because of sawdust.
PROJECT #3: Breakfast Bar
Ok, so once I start projects, then I can't stop. Case and point: the breakfast bar. I've been using this IKEA table for years, and though it works, its all wobbly and whatnot, so I rarely use it.
AND THEN I SAW THIS.
Like OMG I CAN CUT MY TABLE IN HALF... I AM A SAW OWNER NOW! Boom. It happened. Back to Home Depot I go.
All I really did was saw the table the long way and replace the original legs with longer ones. They aren't even true table legs... I just got some wood planks at Home Depot and cut them to pub size (42" in case you were wondering).
There were a few mishaps along the way:
1. I am not great at cutting straight for long distances... oops. I ended up adding a "lip" to cover my crappy cut job.
2. I should have purchased more appropriate screws for such an endeavor.
3. I also nearly destroyed one leg... horray for wood glue!
After some finagling of legs and cuts, I mounted a 2x4 on the wall and used some L joints to attach the table. Finally, some paint to spice it up!
All done!
(I do realize I need to purchase some stools...)
What I learned:
-Jigsaws are awesome, but a circular saw might have been better for this.
-I am bad at sanding.
-Pine is not that strong.
-Wood glue rocks.-I have so much room for activities now.
THE END RESULT:
Before we see the "after" photos, let's be reminded of what my kitchen looked like when I first moved in:
And then this happened... (the two-toned days..)
Then I realized that looked like crap and repainted the boxes and added hardware:
AND NOW....... (!!!!!!!)
On a final note, my hands have no skin left.
-Chrissy
