Since my next slipcover project is not ready to post yet, I thought I would share a project that we completed a couple of months ago. It is changing how our kitchen/family room looks and functions, and aren't those the best kind of projects? Our kitchen has a sort-of pass through from the counter with the sink to the family room. It keeps the space open, while concealing the clean-up zone by the sink. But it always felt like it should be more of a breakfast bar, than just a pass through. I don't have a good before picture, so this was taken mid-demolition :) There was just a 6" wide board across the bottom of the pass-through, with casing trim underneath.
Fortunately, the board and trim came off easily! We added mdf beadboard paneling underneath (to match the beadboard in our hallway/command center), unfinished wood brackets to fit the new countertop, trimmed it all out, and painted it in our trim color. But, the best part is the new top we put in!
Much better! I knew I wanted a chunky, dark-stained wood countertop to go with the dark wood tones of the kitchen floor, and to add a touch of the rustic. We looked around at the home store and found this: a thick 10" wide pine plank with minimal knots and rounded corners. I think maybe it's a joist? Anyway, it was perfect for what I had in mind. The plank was 8', so we had them cut it down to 5' to fit our opening (and that left a piece perfect for testing out a variety of finishing options).
To finish the top, I started by distressing it - great fun with a hammer, screwdriver, putty knife and other tools! Then I sanded it down in preparation for staining. Since the wood was pine, I started with wood conditioner to make sure the stain went on evenly, and then added the color with 2 coats of Minwax Polyshades in Mission Oak Satin (Polyshades has the stain and polyurethane in one - perfect!). When it had dried adequately, we fastened it to the half wall with Liquid Nails and a large screw at each end. We finished the seams with a bead of clear waterproof silicon. The brackets underneath are mostly decorative :)
The last part of the project was a new faucet!!!
This new faucet (from American Standard) works SOOO much better than the builder-grade one that came with the house and I think it is helping us use less water - good looking and efficient :) (And the old sprayer will be replaced with a soap dispenser, eventually.)
One more look at the finished project...
Now, our barstools (with slipcovers!) have a home, the counter is wide enough for the boys to have snacks or meals there. And, as a bonus, it also works great as a standing desk for my laptop.
Have you made any changes to your house to make it more functional and/or more "you"?
Sherri