Kitchen progress
Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12 Comments 
... baby steps remember. I finished my book cover wall for now. I sanded the collage to smooth the raised edges and sealed with an oil based polyurethane in low sheen. (I normally use a water based "varnish" because it doesn't yellow but this is what my husband brought home on his trip to the hardware store. In this case the slight discolouration worked.) Decided not to "whitewash" or tea stain for now. I want to live with it and let the kitchen develop a bit more. I really liked the very graphic effect that the unsanded covers had but I needed to smooth the wall to minimise the grease trapping effect. I can still smear or dry brush a thin coloured wash over it some time in the future. The distressed look also will help minimise any further damage or scratches (a common occurrence in a "blind" house).
The fresh white trims look soooo clean and the sliding door is done too. Just not hung yet. K misplaced the screws. (Another common occurrence in a "blind" house.) We are going to be gluing 5mm plywood to the counter tops as a cheap short term fix. I couldn't justify the couple of hundred dollars on IKEA timber tops that I may never use again or may not be the right size for the next kitchen incarnation when $20 of plywood will do for a year. I need to sand it smooooooooth, stain it to blend with the floor better, then I think I will oil it over and over and over .... so soothing. Finish with wax and a good buff. I suspect that it will stain and peel and look ugly around the sink when it gets wet but it is only a temporary (and I really mean cheap) cosmetic fix. I popped up some open shelves in the spot where the suicidal cabinet once lived. Painted them white and now my copper pieces are slugging it out to see who gets to live there. Hopefully I can get some pics on the weekend when and if it is sunny. Put my kilims back in. Style the other open shelves and we are done .... until next year after we have saved up the money for a new kitchen. All up I think if we had bought everything from scratch the kitchen will cost us about $140 but it's a lot less because we had so much of it already.
The plasterers have been. That was quick! Walls look much the same just full of wet plaster holes smoothed over. Ready to paint in 10 days. Painter is here on Friday to start the final prep work. Big job even though we have done a sizable chunk of it to cut costs.
Reader Comments (12)
It looks great! I really like the idea of wood countertops as a cheap fix, I may steal that to cover my late '60s chipped gold marble-look laminate. What are you doing at the edges? I don't know if they have it in Australia, but over here there's a marine-grade sealer you can get that's recommended for when you paint countertops in the kitchen or bath, but it'd work on wood, too.
Your book cover wallpaper is brilliant, Jo! You must be glad it's finished!!
Good call with a low cost temporary fix for the kitchen. Save the dollars for the real deal. xx
FAB!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, happiness
Jessica we are cutting the plywood 5mm larger than the tops and cutting thin strips to cover the sides which will butt up against the larger top. No mitres anywhere just butt joins.
Thanks Anita and Kim. And yes Rebecca I knew this would make you hyperventilate :)
Jo,
I made plywood countertops for our cottage (just outside Ottawa) a couple of years ago. Same situation - temporary but not sure how long. I used 3/4" (we are metrically confused here in Canada) maple plywood and glued/nailed 1x2 birch (cheaper than maple) to the sides. I did mitre but it is not essential. Then I put as many coats of high gloss urethane (not water-based) on both sides as I could get out of the 1 litre tin I had - 5 or 6 on the top. They are on their third summer and still look great. I expected scratches, etc - especially with the high gloss - but no issue. And the water around the sink, etc. has caused no problems. Now, they are only used in the summer but .... We are thinking we might do this for our final kitchen if/when we get there. And if I knew how, I would send a picture. Too technically incompetent:)
Waouwwwwwwww!
it is really unbevelievable ! Magnifique !
turquoise and red is really bright
Deb J. that's great to hear. I'm hoping that it will hold out for at least a year or two. Thanks Celine. I'm blushing. I'm hoping to get better photos tomorrow.
Looks wonderful! Remarkable results from little moolah + keen, creative style sense + major exertion of elbow grease.
Little moolah is right :) Always means elbow grease though. At my age it takes longer too :)
You could actually start by not having dead animals being stepped on on your hall. I think thats a good start for your new home - having one free of such shameful things, suchh disrespect for other beings that arent as lucky as you tohave rights.
Hi Jo - I love your unique style - especially how you have used white as the main colour and added your characteristics to the pallette - very clever. Also the variety of ideas used - very eclectic - I love it. We are renovating a unit at the beach with a French feel - all white with many white wash furnishings, both beach & french. I am loving hunting out bits and pieces and doing them up for it - so much fun.
My husband are trying to find time & money to renovate our unit around doing others - but we are loving our new found life!
I am glad I found your blog.
Jenny