And I'm sure you know what that means! Our kitchen makeover is under way! Who would have thought there was so much STUFF on our counters and in the drawers. It's crazy how much stuff you accumulate, but I think we'll take this opportunity to pare down and organize.
So, we are now NO LONGER the owners of a 98% white kitchen. The white formica is GONE! And we couldn't be happier with our new lovely countertops.
Gorgeous! And we think it looks great with our chosen paint color (the one on the top right).
And wow, look at all that texture!
Plus, after we the installers left the house yesterday, we went to Lowe's to return some things and walked out with my final Christmas present (so says Brett). A beautiful new sink (on clearance for $69, regular about $150!), a faucet, and drain kit!
Now, I've posted before about our hate filled relationship with household plumbing. But the guy at Lowe's told is it was "really simple" and "much easier than you think." After spending hours wedged under the sink and after FIVE MORE trips to the hardware store, I'm starting to have serious doubts that this guy has ever even seen someone install a sink.
But after taking this bad boy apart and putting it back together about 100 times, this bad boy is leak free! Knock on wood!
See that bowl under there? That thing is bone dry. We replaced the bulk of the gaskets, some of the piping, and teflon taped every joint. Hopefully we'll end up with a leak free drain pipe for the rest of our days here.
But before we could even connect the piping, we had to get the sink in place. We tried to connect the piping first, but it was putting too much pressure and the sink and causing it to slide. This led to a lot of frustration and a lot of smeary caulk. Eventually, we just realized we should leave it disconnected, caulk it in, and let the caulk dry completely. So that's what we did. And we let it sit with our heaviest possessions keeping it in place for about four hours.
Then we hooked up the plumbing, checked for leaks, retightened everything, and now we have a beautiful new sink and faucet. That work! And look awesome! Maybe we're not as bad at plumbing as we thought.
Our new sink is offset, with one side larger and deeper (10" oh my gosh I can't wait to cook with it) for bigger pots and pans. The right side is a little shallower, but still deeper than our old standard sink, and it contains the disposal. We love our new faucet, and I no longer have to worry about splashing water everywhere every time I turn it on!
But you know how, in every project, there's that one little thing you just didn't count on budgeting for, and that always SHOCKS you? For this project, it was the drain kits. A set with a disposal drain kit in brushed nickel was FIFTY FOUR DOLLARS. Let me say that again. FIFTY FOUR DOLLARS. That's almost as much as the sink. Gulp.
I mean, they look awesome with the faucet and sink, and I love them. But the cost just amazed me. Just goes to show you should be prepared for every cost. Not that I don't enjoy my on a whim sink purchases (hint, hint)!
Next steps: paint (planned for the week I have off for Christmas) and backsplash. We have a few samples of tile coming and we'll probably get started after the New Year!
