Kitchen Remodel Phase III: Halfway There

There is a light at the end of the tunnel! Just when I thought life was getting back to normal, we had to bite the bullet and get started on our countertops so that they would be done by Thanksgiving (which is NEXT WEEK btw). Initially we had decided to paint them with a simulated marble texturing, but after much research we could not find a topcoat that we were happy with. They all had some weakness, be it heat, yellowing, or scratching. Plus you would have to wait a week to put anything on top of it.

We admitted defeat and changed our path toward relaminating the existing countertops. This gives us the look that we want and the durability we want, all at a very affordable price. We called back our hired helper (Mark) who has done this before and would know all the tricks. He took measurements and we headed to Lowes!

They had a million samples to choose from and I was able to pick one that looked beautiful. Luckily it came in just the size sheets that we needed to do all of the countertops with NO seams! There are seams on the old countertops where water has gotten thru to the particle board underneath and caused some water damage around the sink. Our order was delivered in just a couple of days and we were ready to go!

Milano Rosso

Here, the counters are bare and they are about to remove the sink....

They spent most of the day taking out rotted particle board and replacing it with a straight piece of wood around the sink. All joints will be covered underneath the laminate and you'll never know they are there!

 

The rest of the day was spent sanding the old laminate to rough up the surface so it would bond with the contact cement. They used an electric hand sander for part of the counter and that made a ridiculously HUGE mess in the entire downstairs. DUST everywhere. I will be cleaning it up for a year...... They thankfully used sandpaper on the rest of the counters and it was much less dirty.

 

For day 2, they were able to actually start measuring and cutting the laminate to fit onto parts of the counter! This first piece was the hardest because of the uneven surface around the sink and the corner angle. Here they are slowly adhering the new laminate to the old surface and making everything fit just right!

And here is where we are the end of day 2. The most difficult piece is on, and they weighted it down to ensure a good seal. They will cut the hole for the sink out tomorrow and HOPEFULLY I will have my kitchen sink again!!

 

My bathroom is the new kitchen..... coffee anyone?

 

Stay tuned! They will be back at it tomorrow and more than likely will have it done by the end of the day. I had to be difficult and request a small addition to the countertops....I want a 5 inch extension of the laminate up on the backsplash. When all of the countertops are done then he will work on that if there is enough leftover.