The Long Awaited Kitchen

Yes, I know, I’ve been slacking.  And everyone has been asking to see the completed kitchen.  But where to begin?

When I left you last we were working on laying tile and putting in lights.

Next we began working on the concrete countertop.  This wasn’t something either of us knew how to do, but, as always, my sweet man learned.  we started by laying plywood on the countertops.

Andy cut a hole for the sink…

 

We tested the sink and faucet to see if it would fit.  It did!  By the way, this sink we got for less than $100 online (Ebay I believe).  I absolutely love it.  It’s not the apron-front or undermount I wanted, but it’s brand new and the design is awesome.  The right side is extra big and the left side is smaller, which I actually like.  It’s so nice to be able to fit my big cookie sheet in the sink without turning it diagonally.  Even my 9x13 casserole fits in the bottom (it didn’t at the old house). 

Anyways, then Andy cut strips of plywood to put on the front side under the actual plywood (so the countertops wrap around the cabinets, in essence).

Then he cut strips for the sides.  What we were doing was making a frame to pour the concrete in.

Have I mentioned my man’s a genius?  He used our old flower bed edging to make the frame around the curved sink!

TA-DA!

Finally, we nailed skinny little strips to the back against the wall, to help guide our concrete pouring efforts.

So then we worked on mixing the concrete.  Andy’s old concrete mixer tanked (some squirrel made a nest in it!)  So we had to mix it in our wheelbarrow by hand. 

Andy used some old wire fencing in the middle of the concrete to reinforce it.

Finally, we got it done and started pouring the concrete.

It was kind of hard to get it smooth, but we tried our best!

And here was what the one countertop looked like.

We sanded it, painted it black and then sealed it with polyurethane.

And here it is with the sink!  We bought the faucet at Lowe’s.

Andy had to do a lot of plumbing work, since there was no dishwasher before and all the old plumbing was bad.

Next we did the second part of the counter, which was much easier.  I think we got the hang of it!

Next we put in the range hood!

Then we worked on laying the rest of the tile.

Done!

 

Well, almost!  We had to cut the tiniest little strips of tiles ever to fit between the countertops and tile.

As a side note, we had a little work buddy who likes to watch us through the window!

Next came the grouting!

 

Proof that Andy’s not the only one working!  Emily asked if I liked green.  I do, but my work shirt just happens to be a shirt I’ll never need again. hehe!

Once the grout dries, it wipes off of the tiles really easily.

Doesn’t it look awesome?

Finally, Taylor and Lane came over to help us move our fridge into the kitchen.  And guess what?  It didn’t fit!  The old wall was so bowed that the fridge didn’t quite squeeze in.  So, we just left it in the corner.  At least it was in the kitchen!

Thankfully it wasn’t for too long!  Andy cut into the wall from the other side.

  

Look how curved the wall was!

So, to fix it, we cut into the bowed stud part of the way…

…and, ahem, pulled the stud back.

And then pushed in a wedge to hold it in place.

Then we added a brace on the wide to screw it in and make it secure.

And, guess what?  We fixed it!  Look at how level it is now!

And you know what?  The fridge fit!  We were able to move in the fridge, oven, table, chairs, and all of our other kitchen stuff. 

And so…

 

 

…without further ado…

 

 

…I present to you…

 

 

…Are you ready?…

 

…Oh, but wait!…

 

….First, let’s take a trip down memory lane and see the before…

And now…

 

Our BRAND SPANKIN NEW KITCHEN!!!

Lots of counter space! Yes, we still have one outlet to put in.

  

Our kitchen table looks great in here!  And I love the great big window.  It more than makes up for not having a window above the sink!

We were going to put the table in this corner, but we liked sitting by the window too much.  So, I think a nice baker’s rack is in our future!

I love having an oven back!  We’re going to get a stainless one to match eventually, but this white one works great for now!

Oh, and did I mention that I love all the cabinet space I have?

And more…

Andy’s going to take some pictures with the better camera so you can see it better, but until then, I hope these suffice.  I can’t believe that this is the same kitchen…and especially the same cabinets!

Can anybody guess what the final cost was?