Counter Productive

So the final stretch is here...everything but some minor trim work is complete.  Well, everything but the kitchen sink....we can't install it yet because there are no counters for it to go in.

I decided when I was planning the kitchen to put quartz counters on all the cabinets on the north wall.  They went in about a week and a half ago and I love them.  But I wanted the kitchen island to stand out.  Everything around it is modern and sleek....it's going to be rustic and aged.  So I decided to go with wood counters for the island.  And I am going to clad the cabinets with some old doors turned on their sides.   It would add some warmth and character to the kitchen and really make a statement....Sounds easy right?

After finally finding some great boards, getting them milled down to be a consistent thickness I joined them together with the biscuit joiner.  (see previous post for details)

Once I had them together, it was time to cut the opening for the sink and do the final sanding.  I measured carefully and marked out the opening.  I drilled holes in each corner large enough for the jigsaw blade to fit into.  Then I inserted the blade and began cutting out the opening.

Much to my surprise once I was finished cutting out the sink opening, I found that there was a large section of the wood that had huge cracks and gaps in it.  I was so frustrated because the process has been slow going and this was one more thing to set back the timeline.  I mixed up another batch of filler (wood glue and sawdust I had saved from cutting the boards)....patched the cracks and gaps and let it dry...again.

There are no pictures here...I was way too upset to stop and take any!!

Finally I was able to sand off the filler and get ready for the final finish.  As with any wood surface, before you do the final coat of paint, varnish or oil you have to make sure it is really well prepped. Work in stages of coarse to fine grades of sandpaper and the wood will just get smoother as you progress.  When it feels very smooth to the touch, it is done.

I was able to put on a coat of stain on after sanding it really well and it is looking great so far....I now need to put on 3-4 coats of Waterlox (a treatment I found online that is supposed to be the best product for this application) and then they will be finally done....here's the progress so far.

Since I was a bit way-laid by the counters, I had to complete something today so I worked on my message board/calendar.

I took one of my old window frames and made it into part cork/park chalk board earlier.  Today I painted the lines and letters on it so I would have a chalkboard calendar that I can write on month by month and change it each time.  It turned out well, and took a bit of sting out of the counter dilemma.

I added two 1/2 moon vintage handles mounted upside down to hold the push pins and chalk.  I also found these great chalk markers online that will give a very fine line and wipe off the chalkboard.  They arrive next week so I can't wait to try them out!

Stay tuned for the final reveal on the counters and the complete kitchen reveal!

Almost there!!!

It's been a productive week in the Robert's household....I started working on the counters, we got the wood cladding and pendant light fixture installed and I made a phone shelf.

The counters came back from Peter at Wunderland and were levelled enough to use so I then started the process of joining the planks together.

First I had to make the edges straight and true to be able to join them together seamlessly.  I laid it out several times and measured carefully to figure out what portions of the boards were the best looking for the counter.  I aligned them so that when we did the cutout for the sink some knots and other not so desirable areas would be cut away.

I had decided to use the biscuit joiner for this project.  I must say it might be one of my fave tools.  Super easy to use, super accurate and super fun!

The biscuit joiner is a tool that cuts out 1/2 elliptical slots from the material to be joined.  You do this on both pieces and then insert a "biscuit" which is an elliptical shaped piece of wood that you glue into the slots.  It's hard to describe, but the pics below may show how it works easier than me trying to write it out....

 

 Dry fit boards together and mark where you want the center of biscuits to be                                  

Set depth of slots from top edge.   I did 2 rows, 1 at 1/4" down and 1 at 1 1/2"

  

Line up the marks with the joiner and make the cuts..repeat with all marks

First row done!  Adjust the depth setting and repeat for the second row.

 

 Put glue in slots and insert biscuits

         Put both pieces together and tighten clamp to hold while glue dries

It took some time to get it done perfectly and I almost wanted to be sick while joining them in case it didn't work and they didn't line up...but that's the beauty of this joiner....it made it so simple to align them perfectly.   They came together really well and I mixed up some sawdust I saved, from cutting the wood, with some glue and used it as a filler for the larger holes in the top.

While the counters were drying, we cut and installed the boards to go along the nub wall in the kitchen.  This was the section the previous owners cut out from the old exterior wall and now was an awkward bump in the plan.  

I had gone up to Ed's place to get some boards for this purpose...and out of this pile picked a few great ones....Here is the opening before

And here it is after.

  I love the way it adds so much warmth to the space and the way the light fixture looks on the wood.

While Fred was installing the light and boards, I installed a shelf for the telephone message center that I had made out of an old wooden ladder and a piece of old barn board.I love the metal hardware detail on the ladder.  This shelf will be the perfect spot to hold our phone and iphones, ipad etc while charging.  I am also making a chalk and cork board to hang above the shelf so it can be message central! 

Told you it was a busy week around here!  The kitchen is really coming together and now all that's left is the wood counter and sink....plus a few little finishing touches.

Island of my dreams!!

Slow week really...had to work at my "real" job to be able to pay off some of those purchases!!

Back at it this week though....We managed to install the island and get some doors and hardware on the cabinets.  It is looking fantastic!

I have always wanted an island in our kitchen.  We never thought we could do it since our space is really tight width wise, but we managed to just squeak one in.  We bought all the interior fittings with the rest of the cabinets at Ikea, and I will be covering it with some old doors on the sides and a beautiful wood top made from Hemlock flooring from an old barn.

I sent them to the neighbourhood coffee shop to be planed down...because of course that's what every neighbourhood coffee shop has right?  A portable saw mill in the back?  Well ours does, and Peter at Wunderland was amazing!!

He got the undersides prepped so they are relatively level and good to work with now.   He also gave me a handy tip for cleaning kitchens and bathrooms without chemicals...he uses a 3% peroxide solution as a cleaner and said it kills all the germs safely and quickly without harmful chemicals...great suggestion Peter!

Tomorrow I will start the process of getting the wood slabs true and then joining them...still researching the best product to seal and finish the tops so they will be impervious to water since our sink is going to be there.  I think I have a lead on a great product so when I confirm it will work, I will let you know....stay tuned for more updates....

Kitchen Update

It's been a busy week here.  We ripped out everything, put in new electrical and plumbing and then put in new drywall.

Then we starting building the cabinets and mapping out the kitchen.

Here's how it's looking so far.

I am so thrilled to finally have pot lights.  It has been said many times that lighting is one of the most important aspects of a room and that is so true.  I can honestly say that I think one of the biggest changes has been the new lighting.  It adds sparkle and interest to the space already and we aren't even completed yet.  So if you are planning a reno, don't forget to plan your lighting carefully.  I can't say enough about dimmer switches either.  Being able to control the lighting from the dimmer switch is pure magic.  

My 10 year old was playing with the switch and narrated "dinner time", "romantic dinner time" and "PARTY TIME" according to the brightness in the room.  It's a great and super inexpensive feature if you can change the mood with lighting.

Up next...more cabinets to be built...and the big kitchen island project.   I found some really great old boards from a barn that will be used for the counter top on the island...

I literally had to scrape the hay and manure from the bottoms!!  Don't worry they will be well cleaned up by the time they hit the counter top!

I am planning to  use old panel doors as the sides. Considering I have about 10 in our shed, it will be great to use some for this project.  I can't wait to get started on it.  I think the super modern and sleek cabinets and appliances will be a good backdrop for the rustic, vintage island.

Stay tuned for more updates as we progress....

Whose Idea Was This???

Well, it's too late to turn back now....and while I am really excited about how the kitchen is going to turn out...I must say I am super impatient and frustrated with the mess, work and the fact that everything we own kitchen-wise is in our living room and dining room.

The plus side is that now I have my computer, coffee, tea, toast and wine all in one handy spot!!!

On the minus side...the dust and dirt is all over everything we own.

We spent the better part of 2 days ripping out all the old stuff we didn't need and then the next 2 days putting in all the new stuff we did need.

The old kitchen is now in the back yard/trailer park waiting to be picked up by Habitat for Humanity.

 We are working on new plumbing (while correcting the mistakes of the previous owners plumbing fiascos), new electrical (finally pot lights...yay!!), and getting everything ready to go for the new wood floors and kitchen.

 Back to the plaster and lath...

 My Crew hard at work planning...

It's tons of work and I'm trying to be patient (my husband would not quite agree with this small white lie) but I can't wait to see how it comes together.  Right now the new kitchen is in boxes in the basement "assembly zone".  Okay it's really the kids' lego space but, whatever.....

I will start working on putting it together in the next few days and the wood floors go in tomorrow.

Stay tuned for the updates as we progress....it's getting a bit nutty around here as we wash dishes in the bathtub but hopefully at the end of it all we'll have a great new kitchen space.

Kitchen Reno...ready, set, go!!

After much planning and talking, google imaging, researching, drawing, sketching and many trips to Ikea....our kitchen reno is finally able to proceed.

One of the things I have learned through this process is something I think is the key to success in any home reno project.  PLANNING!!  The margin of error will decrease greatly if you plan and think things through to the very last detail.

The first step of this project was really coming up with "the Plan".  Measure the space carefully and draw up your floor plan.  This way you can play around with the configuration of the space.  I like to work on tracing paper so I can do many overlays of different plans to see which one is the best for the space.  This is the way we worked when I was at Ryerson and it's a quick and easy way to make many plans and compare.

Once we decided upon the best layout for the space we were able to start looking at design.  I always tell clients of mine, whether they are planning a full reno or a minor facelift of a space, to do their homework and find the style they love.  I find the best way to do this is to use Google Image, or magazines.  The internet is a great tool to see different looks and choose the ones you love.  Chances are you will look back at the pages you bookmarked (either in real life or the virtual world) and see a pattern.  For me it was "the white kitchen".  I kept coming back to the clean, white industrial kitchen style.

I also knew I wanted to mix a look of modern cabinets and old vintage elements.  I love the eclectic mix of using old reclaimed materials with super clean and modern elements.  

After many trips to Ikea, and the invaluable help from my genius friend Tammy....the Ikea plan was complete and I ordered the cabinets.  

We then chose a new fridge to fit into the space.  We decided that with 2 growing boys we should "go big, or go home" and we had allowed for a 36" fridge on the plan.  We found an amazing deal on a scratch 'n dent stainless fridge.  

  We also chose the countertops for the main kitchen part, but for the island I am going to use reclaimed wood from an old barn floor for the top.  I am also going to clad the island cupboards in old doors on their sides.  Set against the modern cupboards the island will be rustic and vintage looking.  I found a great light fixture online to go above the island.

We have a funny ceiling configuration where the past owners cut through the old exterior wall so I am going to clad it in some old wood and hang the light from this.
Of course this made a trip to my good friend Ed a necessity.  I got some great 2" thick, 15" wide boards that are really weathered.  They are going to look amazing in the new space.   As usual, Ed came through for me after an email to tell him what I needed.  I'm posting his contact info again since I have had many people ask me about it.

This week, demolition starts....here is the kitchen "Before"

....stay tuned for more posts as the progress continues.

Chairs catch up to the table

If you have been following my posts, then you know I spent quite a while on the banquette area in our kitchen.  Having found an old church pew and then finding the perfect table for the space and then redoing them how I wanted the area should have been complete...right?

But like any renovation or restoration or makeover project once you change something and get it just how you like it everything else doesn't look so great.  So when the table and pew were finally done and absolutely perfect....it seemed the chairs were the ugly things in the room.  They hadn't looked so bad until I redid the area, but afterwards they looked tired and in need of change.  And who am I to deny a change?  One of the best and most inexpensive ways to make a big change is by using fabric.

So...I looked in my stash of fabric finds....these are the yards I see at the fabric store that are on clearance and I love too much to pass up....and I found one that I have been waiting to use.

 It is a gorgeous pattern (I think) and the brown design is actually a raised velvet finish so it has great texture.

Because this area will be well used and around food I knew I wanted to slipcover the Parson's Chairs.  This would make it very easy to toss into the wash if food or grubby fingers got the fabric dirty.  If you have kids, you need to get to know slipcovers!!
Before you start to make the slip covers I always pre-shrink the fabric.  This way when you do have to put the slipcovers in the washer and dryer they won't shrink so much that they don't fit.  I washed the yardage on hot and put it in the drier until the fabric was completely dry.

Next step is to lay the fabric on the piece of furniture you are going to slip cover.  In my haste to finish these chairs I didn't take any photos but I will describe how I made the covers.

Step 1:  lay the fabric on the chair with the good side down and rough side out.  These chairs were easy since I could start at one end and run the fabric up and down to the other end of the chair to cover it.

Step 2:  Figure out where your seams will be and cut away excess fabric.  You basically pin the fabric around the chair where the seam/join will be and cut away the rest.  Leave about 1" to play with.

Step 3:  Pin the fabric together with lots of pins to "make" the seam.  This pin line is where you will be sewing later on.

Step 4;  take fabric off chair and then sew on a machine along the line where the pins are.  When you get to a corner, you have to round it off to finish it.

Step 5:  Hem up the bottom of the slipcover...I left it longer than the existing fabric line in case it did shrink a bit in washing and so the old fabric wouldn't show underneath.

Step 6:  Turn right side out and slip over chair!

I also found a way to slip cover this chair without any sewing...you can see it on the link below
http://loveyourroom.blogspot.ca/2011/01/my-morning-slip-cover-chair-project.html

I prefer the machine sewed on because of the durability of it and the fact you can wash it easily...just slip it off and into the wash it goes.

Here's how they look finished.

Very subtle and elegant with the table and pew.  I am also going to do another pair of slipcovers in a brighter more vibrant fabric for spring/summer.  Another benefit of slipcovers is that you can change the look of the chair often according to season, taste and trend.
This is my inspiration for the fabric for the spring/summer look...

I will keep you posted on what I find at the fabric store.  Which I must share is Designer Fabrics on Queen West in Toronto.  If you haven't been it is a must visit place.  www.designerfabrics.ca

Happy First Day of Spring!!! Don't these orangey fabrics just have you craving sun and fun?