Installing Ikea Countertops: Demo & Prep Work

I'm so excited to begin to share with you the fun things we have been up to in our kitchen!  As I began to write this post I was prepared to write a full installation of the ikea countertops we purchased but- as I began editing things and thinking through this I realized that would have been the longest post ever.  So I have decided to break down this whole process into several posts.  Today is all about the demo and prep work we needed to do to even begin to think about the installation.  Its not a glamorous post with beautiful before and afters but this is a big part of the diy process and something we spent an entire day doing so I hate to just skim over it.  

Before we get into the nitty gritty I feel like I should say this - 

1. We are by no means experts or professional kitchen remodelers.  This was a total diy project and we learned as we went.  But I'm hoping that through our process you can get inspiration and encouragement to tackle your own projects!

2.  Each house is really different (obviously) so what worked for us may not work for you.  We have a tiny kitchen with not a lot of special corners or pieces so this was fairly straight forward.  We do know that old houses can be a pain the the rear when it comes to getting things straight, level, etc so we feel your pain.

3.  Personally, I was not the brains behind this project - my wonderful husband was.  I was there each step of the way but mostly to lift things, hold things in place, double check measurements, say yes or no to what I wanted (be bossy) etc.  So as I'm typing this I will mostly likely leave something out or not know how to exactly explain each step.  I will do my best in hopes that it helps you visualize what all may be needed for a diy kitchen project. 

Ok, so now you know where I'm coming from so lets get to this thing.

First thing: ripping stuff out - this is when things get real.  This was actually a really exciting thing for us to do because after months of waiting we finally had some time to get started.  Back up just a bit - we are prepping to install the ikea karlby butcher black countertops in walnut finish and the domsjo farmhouse sink.  Here are the steps we took to get things out and prepped and ready:

1.  Remove all your mess from the cabinets - it will be everywhere and you won't have a clue where everything is but then you get to purge and organize everything when it goes back in!

2. Disconnect the plumbing (I'm not even going to pretend I know how to do this)

3. Remove the countertop - Our countertop was held in by a few screws/bolts underneath.  It was actually really simple to locate them, unscrew and lift off.

4. Check how level your cabinets are - (this is not really pictured) But we needed to see how level the base cabinets were before we started putting stuff back on.  Ours was surprisingly level except for the very end cabinet - we were able to just use a wood shim under the countertop to get things level on that end.

5. Remove the faux cabinet pieces (they pretty much just popped out)

After all of that was done we were left with a really crazy hodge lodge gross wall behind where the old countertop had been.  Out next step is to install a tile backsplash but we were not going to get there during this portion of the project and I really didn't want this nasty wall in the meantime.  So we set out to remove wallpaper, smooth out the wall and paint everything white.

Yay! Everything was all bright and clean and way more livable for the time being.

The final step in this whole process was the cut out the portion of the cabinet where the sink was going to fit.  We had already measured and knew this was going to be a good fit for the sink.  We just simple cut out the portion where the faux drawers used to be.  And with that we were ready to start the install process!  Tomorrow I will start sharing more of the fun part when you actually get to see our new countertops looking all pretty and fancy.  Can't wait!

Replacing the Kitchen Floor

Not too long ago we dove into a project to replace our junky kitchen linoleum with a bright new tile. Changing the flooring in a room is a huge game changer.  After pulling up the carpet in our house and freshening up our hardwood floors the next logical project was the kitchen floor (especially since our living room and kitchen are open together).

Here's a quick shot of how our kitchen was for a while before we repainted the walls..and changed the floor obviously.  If you look closely you can even see the duct tape that held the floor down where it had begun ripping up.  I'm pretty sure that tape drove everyone who came over crazy.  But, you do what you have to do when you have 1,000 projects in an old house waiting to be done.

I wish I had more pictures from this project but it was quite a whirlwind.  We started it a week before we were going out of the Country - so great planning on our part.  The really awesome factor in this whole thing was Justin's brother (Jason) - who happens to be a tiling professional.  We definitely needed his expertise and help.  After ripping up the floor is was very much clear that our floor was majorly slanted and laying tile down would be impossible.  There was some major floor leveling that had to happen.  So thankful for Jason.  After we had a level working surface Justin and Jason intalled the duroc and we were finally ready to tile.

Even with the floor now level it still was a difficult job considering all of the off angles and such that we still had.  But in the end it turned out so great and having a level floor is awesome.  Quickly, lets talk tile for a second.  We ended up choosing a grayish white plank type tile.  It has some lighter grey wood grain design as well.  Since we decided to keep the original flooring in the rest of the house I liked the combo of the two floors together where they meet.  I love it!

This little kitchen has come a long way!  Slowly we are checking those projects off the list.  Still on the waiting list includes countertops, a backsplash, new appliance, a new door and sink...Oh and flooring trim.  There is always something but we have enjoyed the process.  

Repainting the Kitchen a Minty Green

Over the past several weeks I have been mulling over a new kitchen wall color.  Call me crazy, but I was just ready for a change.  The previous blue is a color that I love, and even though we have only been here two years we have actually had this same blue color in our kitchen or dining room for the past 10 years (in other homes).  When you like something, you like something- but....I was finally ready for a change.  The change isn't huge - but to me it was.  Honestly, I bet some people wouldn't even had noticed.  It has taken me a few days but I can say that I looooooove the new color.  It's a little minty green color by Olympic - Misty Lake to be exact.

In case your forgot - here is a side by side of this old kitchen space, the blue color and now the new minty shade.

 I think one of the reasons I really love it is the almost neutral factor it has.  Even though it is a color it still reads neutral to me.  Lots of other colors go fantastic with it.  

I used the Olympic One paint this time.  Its a primer and paint in one and for this project I only had to do one coat - so I was pleased.  I wasn't trying to paint over red or anything dark so I'm not sure how it would do when using it over those colors but it was great at painting over a similar shade.  Since this kitchen area only includes three half walls a quart of paint was all I needed.  So one quart of paint, one coat and about one hour equals a new kitchen color - I'm good with that.

We also spent some time over the weekend enjoying Silas' first real snow!  Of course, he loved it.  It was so fun for us and it was gone by the next day.  Is it me, or have we had the craziest weather this year?

It took me several weeks, lots of paint swatches and several color samples later to finally settle on the right minty color.  I was actually really surprised it was an Olympic color - I surely thought I would love a Martha Stewart or Benjamin Moore choice - but this color just stood out to me for what I was looking for.  Whenever you aren't sure, grab a color sample and do a test run.  They are well worth the $3 or $4 to make the right choice.

I love how a little paint will just bring a room back to life.  I'm loving this newly painted space.  Anyone else mulling over paint colors?  Share with me what you are painting, I'd love to know!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful week!

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The Kitchen, So Far

So we are back after having a nice break from the ordinary and taking a visit to Nashville to visit family.  We had a great time seeing everyone and enjoyed watching Silas play with his cousin Maddux - who are 7 weeks apart and even got in a little mini trip to see Memphis, take a ride across the Mississippi and put our feet down in Arkansas.

At the Mighty Mississippi in Memphis

Now that we are back we are putting together a list of things that we want to accomplish over the next couple of months as the summer rolls in and our life gets super busy.  We have curtains we still need to hang, faucets to install, bathroom mirrors to replace, rooms left to paint, art to hang and that's just the little stuff (as I type Justin is busy working on a few of these things, what a great husband I have).  We still have the exterior painting looming in the distance.  With all of the rain lately there just hasn't been a great time to plan this kind of project.  Hopefully we will get a break from the weather and also from our busyness to start, because we are so ready for the outside to change.  We talk about this often. As you know our kitchen has gone threw a mini makeover since moving in and we have lots of plans for it in the future but we thought it was a good time to stop and take a look at how far it's come.  These are just some of the things we have done in our kitchen that we feel have made the biggest difference.

Beginnings...Oh yes, the kitchen of our dreams.  Complete paneling overload.  Painting this kitchen took almost a week to complete, but sooo worth it.  Brightening up this space helped bring it into this century and also helped open up the kitchen immensely.  All of this dark paneling was totally shrinking the space.

I'm still cringing at this monstrosity of a fan...it will be gone one day, this I promise.

Source List:  Cabinets and Trim: Off the Shelf White in Olympic No VOC paint

Back kitchen wall:  Olympic No VOC paint in Abracadabra

Side paneling wall:  Olympic No VOC paint in Tattered Sail

As you can see we added a cabinet to this long wall - this is an antique piece called a Hoosier cabinet.  We don't have a pantry so this is serving that purpose right now, it actually holds a lot more things than I thought it would, I think it's kind of cool that we are using it for it's intended purpose and not just a decor piece.

I love how this wall looks painted, It adds a lot of character to our kitchen.  Painting real wood knotty pine paneling is a pain in the butt, not gonna lie - but you can see it's well worth it.  If you are thinking of painting paneling or knotty pine in your home you can read how we did it Here and Here.  (This is also our change sorting station - we use the cash only budget method so we end up having lots of spare change by the end of the week - every penny counts.  You can read more about our envelope cash method and how we budget Here).

Oh knotty pine cabinets, how we hated thee.  And ugly cabinet hardware, and ugly faux marble back-splash and ugly countertop...ok I'll end it there although I could go on.

Ok, so all of the hated items are still not gone - like the countertops for example.  But, we are dealing with it since the cabinets looks a bajillion times better with a little lot of paint.

More Sources:  Cabinet Hardware is from Lowe's

Bamboo Blinds - "Miranda" from Home Depot

Rug - Ikea

This is the best before shot I could find of the sink/window.  I wanted you to see the reason we hung the clock where we did - not necessarily because it's a great place to check the time but because there is a huge whole behind it.  

I really love this window - I don't really love the dangling cord but once again I'm dealing because the white paint looks so great on this window trim.

Quick before shot of our backsplash.

And -after we painted over it.  It was really simple and added so much impact.  You can read about that Here.  I also love these glass canisters I picked up at Target.  I make enough sweet tea to quench five families thirsts so a huge canister of sugar at a seconds reach is awesome.  I guess I'm easy to please. 

An over the fridge shot...why not?  You can see where the two kitchen colors meet and greet.

And finally, our little eat in kitchen nook.  It's so much prettier now.

I wanted to show how we just painted right over the fuse box...no biggie and it blends in so much better now.  Eventually I plan on painting the little desk here below, still debating what color right now.

My sweet friend brought over this hydrangea from her yard, I love having fresh flowers in the house and it's so pretty I had to take a picture.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day break and we are so thankful for our wonderful Armed Forces who have served and our serving our country so humbly and honorably.  Tomorrow we have another giveaway coming at you and then we will start sharing some of the things we are getting crossed off of our list.  Take Care!