More Progress In The Kitchen!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted!  

I've  had a few more improvements.  I finally got curtains and a skirt for my sink thanks to my son's awesome teacher who graciously offered to sew them for me!  I couldn't find fabric I liked but I did find a shower curtain so I went with it.

I originally had blinds which weren't bad but I love the light.  The other two windows I have in the kitchen face the street so I don't really want those open.  Also, this window faces our driveway and our trash cans.  I didn't want the lower view.  Ha  I just want to see my beautiful trees and birds flying.  I wanted to bring a touch of blue to the kitchen in honor of my grandmother who loved blue and in honor of our Swedish roots.

Doing dishes isn't too awful when you have this view.

Next is my adorable sink skirt.

The other change is that I decided to paint the other cabinets.  I tried to be trendy with the two different colors but I couldn't take it.  Plus, when I had my little mishap of falling off the ladder I spilled paint which splashed up on the cabinets and it wasn't easy getting it off.

Before:

Now: 

It may not be everyone's favorite color but I love this color.  It's called Lunar Tide by Valspar.

Another big improvement is that I got the pantry door out of the shed. (thank goodness the previous owners left it)  It had flaking paint with probably at least five layers.  So yep you guessed it I got out my trusty heat gun.

At first I wanted to stain it but you see all of those white marks?  They are all flush with the door.  There are so many nicks and a big crack on the left so I painted it the same color at the screen door.

(ignore the bad quality of this picture but you get the idea)

Amazingly enough we were also left the original lock box for it.  I had to get a new door knob at the salvage place though.  It looks adorable.

The only thing we're missing is the other side that attaches to the frame.  I believe it's called the keeper.

But I'll worry about that later.  Right now I'm just glad I don't have to see the inside of my pantry every time I walk into the kitchen and the dogs are staying out of the trash. Win win!!

How I Stained and Sealed my Ikea Counter Tops

UPDATE:

I left out one very important step.  Between staining and applying the satin finished I should have used Waterlox Orginial Formula first then the satin.  Fortunately my counters have still help up well but I do plan on redoing them soon.



I really and I mean really wanted wood counter tops.  My house is a 1910 Victorian Farmhouse. Aside from  God and my family and friends it is the love of my life.  I have tried in everything I've done to preserve the look of the home while making it functional.

For a kitchen in 1910 I wanted an authentic feel.  My house would not have been fancy enough for marble. I thought maybe soapstone but I am on a budget so I thought wood.  At first I was going to make counters out of salvaged wood flooring then I found the Ikea Numerar butcher block counters.  This seemed easier.  Ha

Here is a look at my hideous backsplash with laminate backsplash and counter.

So off to Ikea I went and also got the Domsjo single bowl apron front sink:

We bought the Numerar in Beech. 

First thing I did was sand off the factory finish with 120 grit sandpaper then 220.  I recommend using a mouse sander.  It doesn't seem to leave the swirly marks like an orbital or quarter sheet sander.  Just my opinion.

Some will say to use a tack cloth to get the dust off.  I used the shop vac to vacuum then a clean t-shirt to wipe the rest off.  It seemed to work.

First we cut the counters to length: My husband put masking tape on both sides to prevent scratching and splintering.  It worked. Then I sanded the edge.

Very important step when staining butcher block is using a pre-stain conditioner.  My stain was made by Cabot so I bought the Cabot conditioner.  Make sure to read the instructions.  Cabot says to apply the stain while it's still wet, other brands say to wait until it's dry.  Check your can! It also said to work in small areas. I found that was too complicated.  Just work fast.

The Conditioner: I poured it on and wiped it.

Then I used an appropriate brush for stain and brushed it on.  (this is actually a picture from the other counter which was in the other room)

Then I went digging through my son's dresser drawers for more old t-shirts.  I waited for five minutes then wiped up the excess stain.  DO NOT let it dry like this.

This is after it was wiped up and dried.

I used Cabot Brown Mahogany.  I stained it four times.  I didn't always use the pre-stain conditioner on the other layers.  The first time is the most important.

In between stainings I would run my hand over the counters to see if they felt rough.  I then would use fine steel wool to LIGHTLY sand, wipe with a clean t-shirt and stain again.

*word of caution* The great thing about wood counters is if you get a scratch you can sand and re-do that spot. HOWEVER if you go dark you will have to stain that little scratch over and over to get it just right.

The next step was Waterlox!

http://www.waterlox.com/products/

Everything on the web said this was the best.  It's also made right here in Texas.  I was able to buy it in a woodworking store but it can also be ordered online from their website.  

I waited two days from the last staining when I applied it.  First I rolled it on with a foam roller then got out another clean t-shirt (my son needs new clothes now) and rubbed it in using a circular motion.  It then dried smooth.  It's beautiful.  I put on five coats and waited 24 hours in between coats.  AND in case you were wondering this was about a two week project.  I also did waterlox each side.  The bottom side I only did twice.  We also added a vapor barrier over our dishwasher.

BEAUTIFUL

Installing them with the Domsjo sink there has to be a little notch cut out so the sink will fit.  Put masking tape again because if you use a jigsaw it will scratch.

Here's my hard working husband having to re-do the plumbing.  That's a whole other blog post.

Finished product:  (I'm going to put a skirt under the sink)

Here is a link to the blog post that helped me with this project:

This And That Blog

they also installed an undermount sink, there's instructions for that.

Here is another blog post if you have to cut joints.

http://stillwaterstory.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-stain-butcher-block-countertops.html

Thank you for looking!  It's still a work in progress but the counters are done!!

Kitchen Reno Part 13: Semi Final Pictures!

The kitchen doesn't feel like it's mine yet even though I literally shed blood, sweat and tears over it.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After: (Johnathan being goofy)

This is more of a during picture:

After:

Ugly ceiling before:

After:

More afters:

Things left to do:

Refinish the floors of course, fix grout in a few places, one more coat of Waterlox on the counters, new curtains and skirt for sink and order more tile for behind the sink, install pantry door and actually install the screen door.  

I can't believe it's almost done!!!