Operation Grass Is Greener

Here is our work in progress of our kitchen:

The Before:

Here is a word to the wise: Never, and I mean N-E-V-E-R put in white countertops. They show every speck of dirt, nick, etc. And when you have had previous owners who didn't believe in cutting boards or hot pads, that leaves a lot of nicks and burn marks. Not to mention the chips and scratches the sink had. It just did not look good and would not show well, especially in this market.


So first came the granite countertops. My husband wanted to have a lip around it, since they had to remove the laminate "backsplash", but I told him no I would rather have all tile since we are planning on tiling anyway. Don't you love the yellow stripe? Yeah, that had to go.

Here is our granite close up. A word to the wise: finished (polished) granite looks a lot darker than it does in the showroom. In fact when the installers were putting it in, I had to re-check the color code on the granite because it seemed so much darker. Glad we went with the lightest colored stone there. The only bad thing is that now it is hard to tell when the countertops are dirty. ha ha ha I clean them even more now . . . maybe that is a good thing.

Here is my hubby hard at work with one of his new tools. Since I was "making" him do an all tile backsplash, I agreed to get him a wet tile cutter. He was a little nervous at first since this was his first time cutting tile, but actually became quite proficient! (That's great, because wait until you see what I have planned for the shower. hehehehehe)

The tile backsplash is up. Now we just need to seal and caulk around the edges which we can do tomorrow since we had to let the grout sit for three days. The grout ended up being a lot lighter than we had planned, but that is just the way it is going to be. We are not re-doing it. The next owner can. : ) However, I can't believe what a difference the tile makes. It looks like a different kitchen. Hopefully, one that a potential buyer will "just have to have."

When we are all done with the new hardware, the electric plates back in and the caulking and sealing done, I will put up the final before and after. (PS The flooring is being replaced too, but that is another post for another day.) 1 more step down, 3,569 more to go!