A Kitchen Re-Style: Part 2
When we left off before, in our kitchen restyle post part 1, our crazy DIY couple (that’s us) were knee-deep in attacking their kitchen, head-on, with a little bit of demo.
Holes were patched, round one of demo clean-up was done, and just as things were starting to level out the couple received the best email that they’d gotten in a long time! Remember when that wife wrote about some amazing things that she REALLY wanted in her home, but just felt like would probably never happen? Well… in the famous words of Mr. JB…
Ikea had contacted that ambitious kitchen restylin’ couple and asked if they could donate a beautiful farmhouse sink to their remodeling cause!!! The couple had to think about it for … oh, yeah, NO SECONDS and accepted the beautiful sink with open arms!
๐
Something that the couple didn’t know at the time, is that this smooth kitchen remodel was about to take a sharp turn left, because throwing a farmhouse sink into the plans and redoing their kitchens whole look, how that wife envisioned… was starting to make all of her helpers look like this…
Now, this couple does a LOT of DIY projects around their house, but there are a few things that they have decided NOT to do on their own. One of them happens to be, messing around with, painting and chopping up their expensive kitchen cabinets. So… they called in an expert; Nic and Jeff, from Copper Canyon Design.
After a few minutes of pondering, Nic decided it would be best if he just took their existing sink cabinet away to his shop, to rebuild another one with a platform (to better support the heavier Ikea sink), using a few of the old cabinet pieces and a couple of new ones… so the couple put their kids to work cleaned things up again, and got everything ready for their new cabinet to arrive.
After just a few days of hard work, thanks to Nic, the finished sink cabinet looked like this:
Side note: There were additional holes drilled out of the cabinet in the top, for the dishwasher hose drain and the faucet fixture.
Nic and the husband got to work setting up the new cabinet and placing the gorgeous farmhouse style sink into place.
ahhhhhhh! Do you hear the angel chorus singing?
It was perfect! And the wife was beyond thrilled!
Next… those new granite counter tops. Like I mentioned before, the color we picked is Giallo Ornamental.
The awesome contractors from Granite City came out measured for the couples new counters and for a small fee, hauled away the largest piece of their island granite for them.
SIDE NOTE: A lot of you asked what we did with our old granite. Honestly, we just had them take it away. We asked around to see if anyone wanted it, and also looked into listing it on a few websites, but with how heavy the pieces were, and the inconvenience of storing it all, we decided just to have Discount Granite haul it away in their truck while they were there.
No kitchen remodel goes off without a hitch right? Well, while the wife was home alone, but with counter top installers ready, she ran into one of those “hitches” once she realized that they were missing an important support board for the new sink, that the granite needed to sit on.
Handy-Dad to the Rescue!
After a quick SOS sent out to the wife’s Dad at work and a little hmm-ing and humm-ing the couples expert “handy-Dad” figured out how to rig things up so they could work properly, and a crisis was averted.
๐
In only a few hours, the new counter tops and farmhouse sink were installed!!!
It took the wife a few days of hounding the husband to get the actual faucet hooked up to her sink so she could use it, but once he experienced the “awesome-ness” of doing dishes in their hallway bathtub, like she had been doing… he felt bad and went straight to work.
๐
The couple had to change out the faucet halfway through the process as well, because they opted for a pullout option instead, but once they had that all figured out, things moved along smoothly!
Alright, so let’s get back to ‘real-time’ here. Now that our beautiful granite and farmhouse sink is installed, we’re prepping the walls for our new backsplash! Once Cason had all the walls smoothed out and sanded, from our hole repairs, I went in with a good quality primer and painted over everything, so it would be ready for the tiles.
AWESOME TIP: I don’t know if you’ve seen or heard of these bomb-diggity new Paint Brush covers, but they ROCK! No more Ziploc baggin’ it for us. These tightly sealed hard plastic covers are SO perfect for storing paint brushes between coats. They’re fairly inexpensive, and fit lots of different sized brushes too. They’d make awesome stocking stuffers for Christmas, if you have an avid DIY in your life.
So here’s what’s coming up next!
Because we are always so pleased with their work and selection, we used Granite City to order our backsplash materials through and will also have their experts install the new 2×4 matte gray tiles in a subway style layout, with alabaster white grout. We mauled over this decision the longest, I think. We really liked the look of white subway tiles, because it was clean and fresh, but with some of the other changes we were making, we thought that having the gray tiles instead would make our kitchen look a bit more grounded and a lot more unique!
In our next update, we’ll also be chatting a lot about our cabinetry, and what we decided to do there. Things are coming together and we’re getting so excited!
…till next time!
๐
Hometipster.com says
Really nice post. I love granite and with all the different colors you can choose from it really is, providing it's in the budget, the best material for a counter top in any kitchen.
The Kimball's says
Hi Shelley, we are getting ready to build a new house and I am picking out counters now, can you tell me what color your counter is? Thanks, Jodi
Heather Kirtland says
Looks awesome!!!! How deep is the ikea sink? The ones I've seen in our local Ikea are like this but seem pretty shallow. Can't wait to see the rest of it come together.
Melissa says
You guys rock, I know you mention that your projects feel like they take forever, but you are actually 'doing' them….I just dream of it!
LOVE THAT SINK!
Meg Kearney says
I love that your dad is DIYing in a tie!
The sink is amazing!
Sara Griggers says
Looks great! What is the color of your new granite?
Bekah says
Very exciting!! It is going be amazing! That sink is gorg!
Dawn says
haha at doing dishes in the tub-we just had new counter tops put in too and had to use the tub for a few days until the plumber came in to hitch up the faucet. your granite looks similiar to ours-we have amber yellow-but we have light maple cabinets. can't wait to see how your tile looks!
Unknown says
Wow love that sink. This is going to look amazing when it is all done!
Renee in Michigan says
Your granite looks very similar to ours in coloring, can you share the name of your granite? can't wait to see how it all comes together. Love the farmhouse sink, too!!
Amanda says
We had our kitchen redone and the worst part was the washing of the dishes in the bathtub!
Emily M says
SO jealous!! That is the EXACT sink I have been eyeing at Ikea!! Love love love it!! Your kitchen is looking fabulous! The backsplash is going to be amazing =)
Carrie says
It looks like you are making my exact dream kitchen as well. I always save your blog posts for last so I can mull over everything you do! I'm wondering if you are planning on doing a cost analysis at the end of your kitchen makeover? Or if you'd be wiling to share the cost of your granite countertops. We are here in UT as well, and I am desperate to replace my counters!
Jaime says
Cannot wait to see the backsplash!!
Anonymous says
My jaw was on the floor throughout this whole post! I am so envious of this kitchen! It looks amazing! -Marissa
Lil Mama Stuart says
I love how your dad drills/saws in his business attire!
Glidewell Family says
Just when I think what more can she do to the place because is looks so wonderful. You step it up! Looking very nice. – Ang
House of Smiths says
Sure thing! It's called Giallo Ornamental. Our slab happened to be quite light. It's usually a bit more golden.
I hope this helps!
House of Smiths says
Hey Heather,
The sink is actually a bit more shallow than my last one, and I was worried, but I actually really like it! No more bending over into a super deep sink. Plus, this sink is really spacious, and holds twice the dirty dishes as my deeper, (not as wide) sink.
๐
hee hee
House of Smiths says
Thanks girly! It's always taking a lot longer to actually finish things than we originally think it will… but yes, we're STILL pluggin' along ๐
House of Smiths says
I know, he's so funny ๐ His work is close to our house, so usually on his way home, if we need help, he stops by real quick. In this case, I BEGGED him to leave work to come help me. I was totally in a jam. MAN, I love that guy! ๐
House of Smiths says
The color is Giallo Ornamental ๐
House of Smiths says
Renee, the color of the granite is called Giallo Ornamental ๐
House of Smiths says
Awwh, Thanks Marissa! ๐
Kristen says
Hurray for Handy Dad! I have one of those, too. ๐ I don't think I'll ever grow out of calling my dad to help me out of a pinch.
Anonymous says
I just recently started following your blog and love your style! Can you keep us updated on how much you love the new farmhouse sink? I've been begging my husband for one, but we wanted to see how they stand the test of time before we make the investment. (Will it scratch and stain easily, etc?)
Thanks!
Kelli
Kelmak says
I love it! We have similar cabinets and granite tops (to your old one) and a stainless steel sink. I'm thinking lighter granite and a farmhouse sink are just what we need… Now to convince hubby! LOVE you dad working in a tie. A father's love…
House of Smiths says
Thanks!!! ๐
House of Smiths says
ha! I have to agree Kristen ๐
House of Smiths says
Sure will Kelli!
We've had it in for a few weeks now and so far I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I haven't been overly cautious about being careful (maybe I should) and haven't noticed any scratches or anything, so that's good!
Lucrecia says
There is your dad again, still in his tie. I think he needs a cape for Christmas….
I'm so super jealous of your sink. I think I'm putting that on my Christmas list. If I list it, only, 10 times perhaps the hubs will get the hint?
The Starbuck Family says
I am just LOVING your kitchen redo. We actually picked out the same granite for our counter tops when we built our house, but ours were a bit more yellow-yours look absolutely gorgeous! I love the gray back splash as well. We opted for the white smaller subway tiles, but when I see yours it makes me wonder if I should have chosen gray,so true about how that will definitely stand out and make the space unique. Love it! Our kitchen's look similar, even down to the faucet-here's a post on our family blog about it from last year when we first moved in. thestarbuckfamily.blogspot.com/2012/02/holiday-house-tour.html
I have yet to spice it up too much with that many accessories-I feel totally stuck in that area. Can't wait to see what you come up with for your kitchen-so I can get some inspiration. Thanks for such an amazing job on your kitchen, and thanks for always sharing that cute family of yours!=)
The Starbuck Family says
I am just LOVING your kitchen redo. We actually picked out the same granite for our counter tops when we built our house, but ours were a bit more yellow-yours look absolutely gorgeous! I love the gray back splash as well. We opted for the white smaller subway tiles, but when I see yours it makes me wonder if I should have chosen gray,so true about how that will definitely stand out and make the space unique. Love it! Our kitchen's look similar, even down to the faucet-here's a post on our family blog about it from last year when we first moved in. thestarbuckfamily.blogspot.com/2012/02/holiday-house-tour.html
I have yet to spice it up too much with that many accessories-I feel totally stuck in that area. Can't wait to see what you come up with for your kitchen-so I can get some inspiration. Thanks for such an amazing job on your kitchen, and thanks for always sharing that cute family of yours!=)
Unknown says
Thanks Shelley! Just saw the review on the cover today. It's very hectic over here because of the Hurricane. Went without internet for days. All's good though. =)
Unknown says
Thanks Shelley! Just saw the review of the cover. It's been very hectic over here since the Hurricane. We didn't have power for almost a week. All's good now. =)
Jill says
Ooh I love that sink! I was eyeing it when I was at Ikea. Your kitchen is looking great – thanks for sharing!
Laree says
It's coming along so awesomely!
Question though, why did you prime the walls if you're laying tile on top of it? My Dad laid tile professionally for 40 years, so I do know a thing or two about it. Since all the primer will just be covered up with thin set, I don't understand the why behind it.
Tricia says
What I love is the way your Dad is dressed. He didn't even change into Super Carpenter attire. Just went and got the job done. Awesome.
Ashley C. says
LOVE it!! We also did grey subway tile backsplash, and thankfully were advised by a good friend to opt for a contrasting (white) grout color and I seriously L.O.V.E. it! It will seriously MAKE your kitchen – excited to see the finished product!!
Bell Family says
I love how your dad is always in his work clothes when comes to help you out! What a great guy!
Sandi says
Love it! I have the same granite (but mine is a bit more golden than I'd like, yours is perfect)
We have white cabinets with 2×8 white glossy subway tiles and I love it. So happy with that granite, its one of the cheaper ones but who cares, it's stone! I love the natural variations.
Can't wait to see your finished kitchen!
Sandi
Unknown says
Amazing how simple it can be to communicate with people and have them understand a certain topic, you made my day.
Local plumber
Kim says
I love this project! My parents are just starting their kitchen re-do and I am trying to sell her on the lovely farmhouse sink. She looked for some the other day, but quickly gave up after finding the really expensive ones. Do you have a suggestion for where she could look for a sink?
(I love Dad working away in his shirt and tie too! What a good Daddy you have!)
Pamela says
OMG, it has been awhile since i have been over. I had your kitchen book marked because we have similar coloring cabinets and had the sam granite. We aren't fortunate enough to do away with our granite or to get a forever coveted farmhouse sink but I have been planning this week on just what we could do and so I cam over here to look over your redoes. Little did I know you really redid everything!! It all looks so lovely! I know you probably can't stay out the kitchen now!;) Happy New Year and thanx for al the fabulous inspirations!
Anonymous says
could you tell me where you got the grey subway tile? and the name of it? i have been searching for grey subway tile to go in our kitchen. love stopping by your blog… always amazing!!!
Kim says
So the sink was installed before the countertop even though it looks like it hangs on the countertop? What is the measurement from the floor to bottom of the sink? Thanks!