Sunday, February 27, 2011

Countertop redo Part 2 . . .

Lord have mercy! I was fairly certain that the most difficult thing I would encounter while doing the counters would be the grouting. I was so right! It gave me hives just thinking about it all morning. I finally plunked out my first hunk of grout this afternoon and can I just say I am so thrilled I only have one counter! It was nerve-wrecking and crazy making! But I got it done.

I did buy the premixed stuff due to the fact I used grout. It is a silicone base and will not scratch the glass. It is also stain resistant and does not need sealing. I must say after I finally got the sponging down, it was fairly easy to fill holes with my fingertip. I did not take pictures because I was too busy freaking out.

After a few hours I took a just-damp towel and paper towels to get the haze off the tiles. That took FOREVER because I was fearful I would wipe out the grout lines. I decided that the wall above the back splash needed to be the wall color instead of the cabinet color like it was. Two coats later and it was time to silicone the tops of the tiles of the back splash and replace the sink. Of course that required a trip to Lowes. When I was leaving, I told the clerk it was our last trip this weekend!

Never say that! Karma comes around and you will be back in Lowes within the hour. By the time I was reconnecting the sink I was grumpy and totally DONE with this project. I was DONE doing dishes in the bathroom sink. Damn kids still want to eat even when it inconvenient for me! *wink* I was just wanting it all to be DONE. I reconnected the cold water and it decided to leak! I had to run back to Lowes for another faucet feeder. Thankfully it was half hour before closing! And thankfully the same clerk was not there to mock my second trip today.

So her she is . . .

All the sparkly bits make me happy!


It is DONE! I couldn't be more thrilled. I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I would definitely take Monday off work, boy am I pooped.


(By the way, I was asked in the comments last post why I didn't choose granite or another solid surface, easy answer . . . I am cheap! I did this all for under $120. I really wanted to replace our sink with a nice white cast iron one, but I am too cheap right now!)

7 comments:

Rachel "Lanie" said...

Love it, Sheri! Nice job!

2busyannie said...

That is gorgeous!

Lisa said...

You are so brave! The next time you come to GA can you stop over for a week or so???

They are beautiful, Sheri!!!

ms nk rey said...

That looks fantastic! You do good work my dear. I love it.

TLC4evah said...

I love it. You are one talented lady!

Carol said...

Very nice!

I admire your fortitude! I get tired just thinking about it.

Miz Kizzle said...

It looks beautiful! And the backsplash is so much prettier and fresher-looking in a light color.
How many hours did it take you to do the entire project?
As for granite I was surprised how inexpensive it turned out to be. For a small counter like yours (it's your only kitchen counter, right?} you wouldn't have had to pay much more than you did for your tile, grout, plumbing fixtures, etc. Plus, the installers do all the work while you sit idly buffing your nails and reading your K*indle.
Of course you have the satisfaction of saying that you did it all yourself.