New York Renovator

Chuck from Secondary Roads noticed my island in the new kitchen. So I thought I’d mention it.

The island is a big one, on great big casters. I cut a portion of the butcher block countertop slab to fit on it. Originally, I was going to use a simple table, sheesh maybe slap together wood from tv stands or something, or maybe construct a table of my own, using the butcher block as a tabletop. But as the renovation dragged on, and my list of Things To Do grew larger and larger, I decided to shell out the bucks and get one. I bought this island at my local Bargain Outlet (a chain of discount materials here in the Northeast). It cost a heck of a lot of money: $240. For that amount, I expected the materials to be first-rate and the instructions to be a breeze.

NOT.

The instructions were TERRIBLE. We had to take it apart three times due to poor or missing instructions. And the material is “OK.” But one of the stiles had been obviously cracked during manufacture, and had been glued together at the factory (in China).

We love the island– the concept of an island– and we made new parts of sturdier wood to make this work. So I don’t intend to complain about the island, per se. I just expected a lot more for my money. I wouldn’t recommend this particular island (it’s “Sunnywood”), but I do recommend the style: a big box of shelf boards with cabinet doors, and a sturdy wood countertop. We love our kitchen island for this. It also helps to direct traffic and keep passers by out of the work area. AND it makes a terrific barrier with which to play hide and seek with Livvy.

We’ve had a few curious guests drop in since we’ve started putting the house back together. Ever single person has commented on the gorgeous wood countertops (and even the photos of the counters receive praise from blog readers).

I LOVE my butcher block countertop. I had read all the pros and cons– some folks giving warnings about water damage and high maintenance. I have not had any problems with it. Sure, it’s more maintenance than the junky old laminate counters we had… but what’s so wrong about making the kids clean up the counters immediately after they use them?

I slathered Waterlox on the counters. It has really made the difference. It’s a sealer/finisher type product. The wood absorbs the sealer, and it’s water-resistant. It’s very expensive stuff, and I’ll have to re-do the counters when the Waterlox wears off, but it’s very easy to put on, and it makes the counters look gorgeous.

You can see the beautiful grain of maple. Ahhh!

The wood adds a very warm ambiance to the kitchen.

I just LOVE the wood.

You can see a glimpse of my cast iron sink in the background. We originally had a stainless steel kitchen sink, and it was “OK,” but I don’t really like the metal color. I like white sinks. The cast iron is very nice– I haven’t had a cast iron in decades– so I’m still getting used to how hard it is. The stainless steel had some “give”; no such luck with cast iron.

We’re wrapping up a LOT of loose ends this week. The kitchen still needs to be organized properly (we’re storing a lot of stuff on the gorgeous butcher block countertops right now), the dining room stuff unpacked, AND I have plans to re-paint the living room. I also hope to finish the baseboards and trim that I never finished, 3 years ago…

I cannot WAIT til it’s all over, and I can finally relax in my nice pink adirondack chair, sipping coffee and listening to the birds again. Wow. It will be SO worth it.

Well, that’s an SEO-laden title, isn’t it? :-p

In a word: IT’S OVER.

It was actually “not too bad.” The anxiety leading up to it was INTENSE, however. I am so glad it’s over. Of course, I have a small 4-foot area to do on the other side, and an island to build with the same countertop, but I am a seasoned veteran now. And THANK THE LORD I do not have to make another sink cut-out hole.

This portion of countertop was 12 feet long, weighing roughly 300 pounds. Four of us hauled it from its storage spot in the living room to the kitchen, on saw horses. From there I measured (and measured and measured and measured), and cut.

I also had to cut furring strips (I opted for stronger 3/4″ plywood strips) and secure them to the cabinet bases. I drilled half-inch holes in them with my spade bit. When we lay the countertop on the base cabinets, I will screw through these furring strips’ holes with a wood screw and washer, and into the underside of the countertop. The reason for this is to allow for the contraction and expansion of the wood countertop throughout the year. The wood can expand and contract as much as 3/8 of an inch from summer to winter; securing washers and screws through large holes allow for the wood to move on the cabinets as it expands/contracts. Failure to do this can cause warping and cracking of the wood. NEVER glue or screw in a wood countertop.

After finagaling with furring strips and scerws for a while, we set the countertop on the cabinets, and secured it.

HALLELUJAH it worked!!

Note the shoes taken off and the exhausted kid lying on the counter....

We collapsed for a while after this. It wasn’t a very difficult job, but like I said, the anxiety of doing it *perfectly* had drained our energy. I knew the hardest job lay before me yet: cutting the hole for the sink.

Cutting the sink hole requires exact measuring. If I went too far back, I would cut into the back of the cabinet, and– worse still– cut too far back for the new Delta faucet install. If I cut too close to the front, I would slice into the support stiles of the cabinet. My new Kohler cast iron sink came with a very helpful template. Believe me, I spent about an hour measuring and centering that piece of paper.

Finally, I decided to take the plunge.

*DEEP BREATH*

I drilled a starter hole with my spade bit. Then, I set my Black & Decker jigsaw (my new one!) to cut the hole.

IT TOOK FOREVER to cut through the hard maple. Holy cow. I burned through three jigsaw blades, and the wood was smoking. The kids helped me keep the tool steady, and held the flashlight so I could see (we still have no electric lights in the kitchen). When we reached the end of the cut, I screwed a scrap piece of wood across the top, to prevent the heavy cutout piece from collapsing into the cabinet.

It took three of us to haul that heavy piece out of the hole! I strained my back a little, doing so. :-p It was wedged in there tightly. But we finally grappled it out. I’ll clean it up and use it for a future cutting board.

Taaadddaaaaa!!!!

We hauled the heavy cast iron sink (like, 150 pounds?!) into the hole, to test it. Oh my goodness, it fit!

I removed the sink. The Hubs will set up the new faucet and drain baskets on the sink before we secure it to the counter. I slathered clear silicon caulk all around the inside of the opening, to seal the wood from moisture.

I am now in the process of treating the counters with Tung oil. It takes quite a bit of time (and stinks like all get-out). I’m using Waterlox sealer/finisher. It’s expensive stuff ($30 a quart), but it’s the best.

While we wait for the sink and plumbing, we’re turning our attention to the floors. I have to finish laying the underlayment (plywood sheets). I then must fill the screw holes and seams with wood putty, and sand them. THEN I can finally start laying my new floor (I chose TrafficMaster Allure flooring). Once the floors are in, we can move in the appliances and rig up the electric stove and gas dryer. I’m HOPING to get this done before school starts! Lord, help me!

WE GOT THE FIRST SECTION OF CABINETS INSTALLED!!!! Woohoooo!!! This is a monumental day. Thanks to some VERY cool dudes who are swift with measuring tapes and miter saws, my kitchen is– for the first time in a decade— looking like a KITCHEN! I’ll have photos and more gory details later.

I am currently in the “dilemma” mode. After all the meticulous planning for this project over the years, we have found that some things need tweaking. For example, the backsplash. I always planned for a laminate countertop, but at the last moment, we discovered that a stock laminate is not available for the length required (most stock counters come in 10′ max, ours is 11.5′). So I got maple butcher block at a phenomenal price, GREAT! But now that creates a new dilemma– the backsplash. I’m trying to stick with all wood in the kitchen, but suddenly I find myself thinking about tiles for the backsplash. I have always avoided tile because a.) my house is more crooked than a Washington politician, and still shifting, and b.) I don’t have a tile saw, nor do I want to use one. However, I find the small tiles and medium-sized subway tiles very attractive (very glossy and so “retro” looking), that I am reconsidering. I need a backsplash, definitely. I make a lot of Italian meals with sauce and cheese and pasta, and I tend to toss everything around in a very Italian-like manner. My old backsplash was riddled with the results of my Latin exploits. I need a hefty backsplash.

Another alternative is wainscoting, but I shudder to think of having to install ANOTHER thing in the house. I already have a huge laundry list of small jobs to do. Adding another is loathsome.

Another option is self-stick vinyl flooring tiles. Heck, the stuff is so easy to install… and the quality of the tiles has REALLY improved since my mother’s cheesy imitation parquet flooring. What do you think? I’m not afraid to be unconventional. This WHOLE HOUSE is unconventional. I’m using sawn-in-half table legs as corbels for trim and wallpaper for ceilings; I may as well get quirky with the backsplash, eh?

I don’t know what to do just yet. ANOTHER decision. ANOTHER thing to do. *sigh*

I was flipping through my latest free magazine from Lowe’s, Creative Ideas, and spotted an advertisement for “Countertop Transformations.” This stuff is amazing! It’s an epoxy/colored chip/epoxy resin-type coating for your existing laminate countertop. It’s called Countertop Transformations; Lowe’s sells it for $250 a kit. I recently helped prep and paint a garage floor, and this stuff reminds me of it.

I watched the installation video on the website (ModernMastersTransformations.com). Very intriguing.

Your countertops must be in “good” condition, but this epoxy stuff will cover burns, scratches, blemishes, get rid of blackheads and water stains, and etc. Pits or craters have to be filled with epoxy putty and sanded before applying the Countertop Transformations stuff. Your laminate must be securely laminated to the particleboard underneath it, and the laminate cannot have blisters or buckles. Of course, I can’t use this stuff. My 1970s countertops are so decayed that this wouldn’t work. Besides, I need new walls, flooring, cabinets, and everything! But maybe this can help some of you out there with ugly-but-structurally-sound countertops. This stuff apparently works on wood and metal, too. The instructions say it takes only a weekend to do, but you have to wait a week until you can do heavy-duty, normal kitchen use on them. It sure beats having to buy new countertops!

I’d probably win a contest for the world’s ugliest kitchen. I wish I would, actually…because it I did win, I wouldn’t have an ugly kitchen for long!!

Well, contest or no, I’m getting rid of this horrible kitchen. I’m still in the process of planning everything out (when I have a spare moment or two), and have decided on laminate countertops. When I was younger, I dreamed about solid surfacing countertops. I’d go to the home stores and wander through their kitchen displays.. run my hands over the gleaming, smooth solid surfacing countertops. Then, I saw the price.

*COUGH COUGH* They want HOW much?!

Laminate is looking good, REALLY good! Actually, laminate has come a long way since that disgusting orange stuff on my cabinets. Laminate is more durable. It’s more stylish. And I think it’s more waterproof than it used to be. I did some surfing and found this nice design at Wilson. It’s Kalahari Topaz. I like it.

It’s light-colored, which I like. I couldn’t ever go with a solid-white in my kitchen– those whites show every little crumb, and I’d be spending every waking minute wiping crumbs off the thing. This textured, mottled look has the brightness of white, but it’s variegated enough so that crumbs won’t stand out and scream at you as you walk through the kitchen.

Slowly, ever so slowly, my kitchen dreams are taking shape…. I still have to make a schematic of the electrical, the plumbing, and the new window… then I can delve into the cabinetry and lighting fixtures. And then I can move out of the kitchen– I hope to eventually install a nice deck with patio furnishings and matching patio cushions outside the door, for al fresco dining on hot summer evenings. Dream dream…

I must be one of the most tolerant homeowners on earth, or perhaps the stupidest, lol. You know how you get so used to something that you tend to not notice it after a while?

I went into the kitchen this afternoon, to fill the tea kettle with water for tea. I noticed a new leak spurting out of our 1970s faucet. sigh. It made me look at the sink area with new perspective. This backsplash behind the faucet is absolutely terrible. Disgusting.

Other areas of the countertop are peeling or warped. I don’t know how I can tolerate it. It’s been this way for about a decade, slowly rotting and getting worse every year. I guess I’ve blocked it out of my consciousness — probably for the retaining of my sanity– because the decay just struck me again as very repulsive. And for a fleeting moment, I wondered why I haven’t fixed it yet. What, am I crazy, letting this go on and on for years??

Then I remembered. Oh yeah.

We do want the countertop replaced, but I won’t do it. Know why? Because this crappy slab of 1972 orange laminate sits on top of crappy 1972 plywood cabinets. Almost all of the cabinets have either fallen apart or are warped. Now, why don’t I just get new cabinets, then? Well, the cabinets sit on top of a severely cracked and broken up 1972 tile floor. OK so replace the flooring, the cabinets, and the backsplash. Nope, because behind the cabinets are 1855 plaster walls, with most of their plaster behind the cabinets missing. In winter, when we open a cabinet door or drawer, the wintery outside air blasts into the room. Wild, huh? I won’t even mention the mouse problem we have here, lol…

OK that’s pretty bad, but maybe I could just replace the walls, the flooring, the cabinets, and then get the new countertops!

Um, nope. Because within the walls is 1920s knob and tube wiring, 1940s plumbing that is not properly vented, and there’s no insulation between the studs. Not to mention that the only kitchen window is broken. I’d have to entirely GUT the room before I could get new countertops. Otherwise, I’d be spending $800 on new countertops for nothing– a shaky foundation. I refuse to set a brand-new countertop on top of disgustingly broken, unlevel cabinets that rest on disgustingly broken, unlevel flooring and against disgustingly holey and broken up walls with disgusting and inadequate plumbing and electric.

So that’s why I tolerate it. Most people would have their moving boxes out already; but I do like the house and I’ve put my heart into my gardens. I just need to gut this ol’ house! Ugh!

So, how are my gardens doing this fine, sunny day!

Remember those really cool (and super-expensive) granite countertops that were ALL the fad a year ago? (Actually, they are still very popular, but concrete countertops is what is filling the wealthy homes now). A NY news story says these granite countertops have been known to emit radon and, most likely, radioactive material.

Karl Konarzik is testing this East Amherst kitchen for Radon. While the homeowner’s worry is possible Radon in the granite countertops, Karl puts his testing device in a cabinet.

While some other radon tests have been conducted on the surface of the granite counter tops, Karl told us, putting the testing machine at face level is a more accurate way of testing the radon’s effect on your health

Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that emits radiation that is found in granite, marble, and other rock formations.

Oopsie! Who came up with granite countertops, anyway?? Always seemed extravagant and inefficient to me. But then again, I’m a dish-dropper. Hehe.