Faux Butcherblock Countertops - Part 4

Materials & Costs | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Much of the weekend was spent staining, waiting for stain to dry, polyurethaning, waiting for polyurethane to dry...but we have completed the counter remodel job and it looks fantastic!

We picked up from Part 3 with fitting all the counter pieces together so we could make any needed adjustments and then wood filled the seams where each counter section met. After that dried and was sanded, I began matching the stain and polyurethane to the rest of the counters since it had to be done after installation. At this time we also began measuring out the trim pieces to go around the walls. We purchased crown molding for the trim:

Then we stained and polyurethaned the trim pieces and a strip of quarter round to go under the left side counter around the outside edges:

Jason fixed up the backsplash behind the sink with some spackle and primed it all. We also primed all the previous green paint color on the walls and window valances to prep for repainting a new blue gray color:

After we finished painting the new color and nailing up the trim, we were DONE!  And I love it!

Here are a multitude of after photos:

Now the only thing left to do is to run a bead of black silicone around all the trim edges, stove and sink and the kitchen is done! Small appliances will also go back in their appropriate places after today. We wanted to give the polyurethane plenty of time to cure before adding any weight that may mark up uncured counters.

I'll put up a comparison before/after photo along with what our final cost was once we get it totally put back together.  ;)

Materials & Costs | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Faux Butcherblock Countertops – Part 3

Materials & Costs | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

As I wait for stain coats to dry I figured I'd write up Part 3 of our kitchen counter remodel adventure. Part 4 will be the final post with final photos, which should be done sometime this weekend!

So yesterday we picked up with removing tile from the sink (and final) side of the U shaped counter. Jason removed all the plumbing attachments so he could take out the sink and then we removed all of the tiles from the counter for the last time (yay!):

While Jason made a Home Depot run I started sanding the other two counters and removing all of the backsplash tiles with a rubber mallet and putty knife. This area will be patched and prepped for a new coat of paint.  All of the green will be replaced with a light blue-gray color called "Boot Cut". (Look at that lovely wallpaper underneath all that - so glad we didn't have to deal with that mess.)

We then cut the boards for the sink side of the counter. The front and back boards are one piece that Jason jigsawed for the kitchen sink hole. The boards on either side of the sink are, of course, separate:

Once we were sure the cuts were correct and glued, we moved the entire counter to the saw horses to wood fill and dry:

While that was drying I began the first coat of black stain on the left and bottom counters:

We checked on the polyurethane status and it appears that 5 coats will get us the shine we want, so technically the island section is done and ready to install, but we want to finish up the assembly of the rest of the counters before we install it:

Before we quit for the night, Jason made some adjustments to the sink hole for a perfect fit. ( Can you spy the elusive tape measure? It never seems to be in sight when we need it... ).

So now, it's a matter of staining, waiting, polyurethane coats and waiting times five. Then after a decent dry time we'll be able to install them. I'm hoping by Saturday evening we'll have everything assembled and back in working order. We will wait a week before putting appliances on the counters to give them full time to cure without denting the finish with rubber appliance feet.

Final photos and costs will be posted in Part 4 this weekend!  I, for one, can't wait!

Materials & Costs | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 

Faux Butcherblock Countertops – Part 2

Materials & Costs | Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4

Day two of our kitchen counter remodel has fared well with good results!

We picked up first thing this morning with sanding down the wood fill and the entire island to prep it for the stain. A belt sander makes this task so much easier!

Since all of our cabinets are white and the rest of the walls are knotty pine, we decided to go with a black stain to offset the brown wood and white cabinets. This is what it looked like rag rubbing the first coat:

While the first coat of stain dried we did the measuring and cutting for the rest of the left side of the U shaped counter. You can see the lip/shelf we added on the outer edge.

Once we had the correct cuts and fittings, we once again glued the boards and clamped them to dry:

While the glue was drying and the stain was drying we began ripping out tile on the back side of the U counter:

Tiles removed, then the actual counter removed, which was dry rotted on the edges as the other one was:

Once again we measured and cut boards:

Then glued and clamped some more (see how unusable the kitchen is becoming?):

After two coats of black stain we decided we were happy with the color and temporarily put the island in place to ensure it looked ok. I'm glad we did as we found a couple of spots that needed to be sawed down in order to fit back on, which allowed me to retouch before sealing the counter.  I'm loving the color!

Since we will be sanding more tomorrow and I wanted to get a jump start on the polyurethane sealing, we moved the island into the bedroom so it can be closed off from the dust in the air. I got the first coat on tonight and it really pulls out the wood grain. It will require at least 5 more coats, applied in 12 hour intervals.  So now the waiting game begins....but I think it will be well worth it!

Materials & Costs | Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4