You Can Count On It!

My kitchen is "new!" Of course, only a little bit of it is actually new, but the aesthetic difference is incredible. Remember the broken island countertop? And the cracked sink and main counter? They are fixed, finally! We had some dear old friends (ok, I don't mean that they're exceptionally aged, but that they've been friends with us forever. By forever I mean 'friends with my mother long before I was born.') come help us. He was a cabinet-maker type back in the day before such work wore him out. And he's good, I tell ya. We had a few changes-in-plan, but they came out great. Wanna see?

Here is a 'before' shot; the island top has been removed.

No cracks in this section, but notice the gap between stove and counter.

Ok, here it is...!


You have no idea how much better these are. No cracks, no stains, no warping. That nice straight line of tile for the backsplash? Yeah, not really. Thanks to a diamond-bit angle grinder, they're straight now. We extended the island countertop to have a little snack bar area, and rounded the overhanging corners. The same with the peninsula (foreground above), though it already had an overhang along one side.

Look how it fits now!

Truly, this stove area was a challenge. The wall behind the stove is NOT at a 45-degree angle (see how the stove is not centered along it?), and the former counters did not fit it well. The counter edge to the left of the stove extended out, showing a good inch or two of the side facing the stove, while the right-hand counter edge tucked itself back behind the front corner of the stove. Now? It's perfect! The stove actually doesn't sit parallel to the rear wall now, but the amazing fit along the counter edges more than makes up for it.

Now, these pictures don't show the piles of stuff we shoved into other rooms, and I'm sorely tempted to leave it that way. :) Actually, I've replaced the mixer and moved the coffee-paraphernalia and put back the bread box, but for the most part I just want to see and enjoy every square inch of Wilsonart Laminate Crystalline Braun. Yet another undeserved blessing from above. I'm so grateful.