Kitchen project

We wanted a new kitchen counter, sink and backsplash but we didn't want to spend too much money. We priced out what it would cost for various types of counter tops and found that to outsource the project would cost too much. We were hoping to keep it under $1000 by doing it ourselves. That lead us to thinking-what did we feel comfortable installing? We came up with butcher block-the real thing not a laminate butcher block. Then we had to figure out where to purchase this. We checked out 4 stores and ended up with one in Portland. It was a great hardwood store, it sold many different kinds of hardwood but also had unfinished birch butcher block countertops sold in various lengths. That was what we wanted. We could have fitted together wood to come up with a wood countertop, building it and installing it but decided that if the price was right, we would prefer to buy it already done and just deal with installing it. So before I get too far into this story...we need a before picture.

   

The old counter top was a do it yourself laminate job that wasn't so good. Parts of it were lifting off the counter. Some of the counter sounded solid when setting down a glass but some parts sounded hollow.

So we bought all our supplies: counter top, wood glue, joint fasteners, oil for the top and a sink and faucet. We weren't sure about the backsplash so we decided to install the countertops and sink and maybe that would help us decide. We went on a trip to CA and when we came back, started our project.



I found I like destroying things. It was so nice to get rid of those old counters and sink.



We had to cut the countertops to fit our kitchen. Then we drilled all the holes for the joint fasteners to join the different sections together. We glued and tightened up the fasteners and waited 24 hours for everything to set. Some of the counters were very heavy so we had our son-in-law help us lift that part of the project.



Even the grandson (with the faithful supervisor in the background) got involved. He sanded some of the smaller pieces for us and was handy tightening joint fasteners in those hard to reach places.



While some people only put pictures up about the project install and the steps involved, I thought some reality would be a good thing. Here's what the rest of the house looked like as we worked on the kitchen.



So here are the countertops oiled and the sink installed. It was scary to cut the hole for the sink, but it all turned out good. Mr WAU did the plumbing under the sink. The previous sink was a single one, this one is a double. So things needed to be moved around down there. This is the third time we have installed countertops in a house. In our previous house we did it twice. One time we installed laminated butcher block, then in time we changed it up to granite tile. Anyway back to this house, now that this part was done we could stand back and think about the backsplash. We decided on subway tile. Our local hardware store had it predone in 1 foot sheets. Perfect. I just cut the sheets in half to go around the counters and did a larger section in back of the stove.



Mr WAU did much of the work up to this point. It was my turn to do the tile work, which I did not mind. In fact I like doing it. We left it like this to set up, went on another trip, then came back to do the grout work.

 

And there it is finished. A big difference from the start. Now how much did all this cost? It came close to $850. Could it be done cheaper? Yes, if we made our own wooden countertops, and did our own individual tiles. We could have kept the old sink but that wouldn't have looked very good. We are happy with how it turned out and were glad we spent the extra money on the unfinished countertops, pre done tile squares and the new sink and faucet. We chose not to varnish the tops but to oil them instead. We liked the idea of being able to sand out spots that were problems as time went on. We know that we will have dings and slight marks on these tops and were okay with that, but for the big problems we liked the idea of just being able to sand out problem areas and redo the oil. It seemed easier than refinishing a whole varnished countertop to get it looking good again. So far I find that oiling them has been perfect for keeping them clean. Spills are no problem. So far we've spilled coffee, grape juice, various foods and it all wipes up-even if left overnight. We also own many of the tools to get this project done so that helped to keep the cost down. The major addition to the tools was a new hardwood saw blade for the skill saw and table saw. This new blade made all the difference in the world in the quality of the cuts. How many trips to the local hardware store for this project? We made 7...but there's still one more. We need paint for the cabinets. It will be the same color so no big difference there. There's always more to do...