Tag: kitchen

DIY Concrete Countertop Guide – The Easy Way

Post author By WNY Handyman
Post date February 11, 2015
No Comments on DIY Concrete Countertop Guide – The Easy Way

The following is a guide to create your own concrete countertop. The nice part about this tutorial is that you don’t need to order expensive product and build your own form. This is an additive process that is often referred to as “faux crete” since it is a cement top layer and not a counter that is complete concrete. The process allows you to essentially build your counter with a wood frame along with some plywood and cement board. Once that portion is built, you can layer on a cement based product called “Feather Finish” from Ardex. When I needed a bag of this product for a project that I had, my local flooring installation supply store had it in stock and it was reasonably priced at around $12/bag. I used this product to skim coat / encapsulate a floor adhesive in the past. It is a fantastic product to use.

This tutorial comes from Sarah’s Big Idea and is described well with plenty of photos along the way. Each step of the project is very logical and the final steps give you the opportunity to bring in some customization with finishes and texture. The terrific part is that you could experiment, decide you don’t like it, and then simply add another layer to cover the prior. When building a “true” concrete countertop, the material is expensive and your form work results in a lot of wasted material. Let’s not even talk about what you would be faced with should you make a mistake when measuring/reversing your form (trust me, I mean my brother, it happens!).

If you are looking to build some custom concrete countertops on your own, take a look at this how to. Good luck.

http://www.sarahsbigidea.com/2013/09/faux-crete-counters-from-scratch/

Tags concrete, counter, kitchen

How To's Interior Design

DIY Butcher Block Counter Tops

Post author By WNY Handyman
Post date March 25, 2013
No Comments on DIY Butcher Block Counter Tops

Who doesn’t love a classic butcher block countertop. I am not talking about the 1980’s Formica version, but a classic, 1″ – 2″ thick butcher block counter top.

You could probably figure out how to build this one yourself, but a plan is always helpful. If you are going to build your own butcher block, please take a look at the plan link below. Once reviewed, you will be in a much better place to build your own version.

This is the inexpensive (cough: cheap) way to go. The material is common lumber and does not require a lot of gluing and sanding (a little). The real trick to making this look like a traditional butcher block is in the finish (stain).

One note: Please be sure to use a “food safe” finish on your own butcher block.

Free Plan: Breakfast For Dinner: Counter Tops.

Tags butcher block, counter, kitchen

Cottage Project

Cottage Before and After Projects

Post author By WNY Handyman
Post date June 26, 2012
No Comments on Cottage Before and After Projects

We have been working on our cottage project for just about 10 months now. In fact, it was father’s day weekend last year when we first looked at the listing and went under contract. Over the course of the past year, we have completed (or started) many projects.

We may have been at work on this for 10 months, but please understand that these are ‘cottage’ months. This is a seasonal place and the winter months were off limits (Late October through March). In addition to that, much of our time is spent scouring the beach for glass and rocks along with canoeing, campfires, various outings, and general chat with our neighbors and visits from friends. Given that schedule, this project should be completed (or ready for another renovation) in about 5 years time. I think I will understand what bridge painters go through at that point. Finished? Go back to the other side and start over!

In the spring of this year, we went off of our well water and tied into the new public water line. Since I knew that would be the case, I decided to force my plumbing hand and cut out the old galvanized lines rather than winterizing those lines. A galvanized line that had well water running through it for the past 70 years probably wasn’t my wife’s idea of a line that was suitable for sanitary drinking water.

During my plumbing work, I discovered the cause of a smell coming from the bathroom. It wasn’t a horrible smell, but certainly not pleasant, and I assumed it was the well water stench. Turns out, it was worse than I though (methane is deadly, after all). There was no trap in our shower drain line! This allow the sewer gas (from our septic) to head right back into the cottage. The bath is adjacent to the kitchen so the situation was not ideal. I assumed this smell was due to the well water, when in fact, it was the sewer gas. Good news. New shower + new p-trap = no more smell!

Back in the day (1940’s) things were built well. They might not have sized some things properly (headers and such), but the structures themselves were so stitched together, that demo isn’t simple (it shouldn’t be). I have heard people ask how you can have a window in a load bearing wall without a header. Look at the structure. Tongue and groove sheathing (1″) that had 4 nails in each 1″ x 6″, along with true 2″ lumber, and 5/4 window jambs and you will see why things held together.

Since people love to see before and after renovation photos, I have included a few of ours below. I would call most of these before and during rather than after since things are still a work in progress. When the kitchen is completed, I’ll add that post to the mix.

Here are some in-progress photos of our little cottage.

The cottage kitchen is coming along quite nicely. We built our own cabinets and then decided to use a Wagner power sprayer to give them a finish that was nicer than a “brushed” finish. Here is a shot of the current kitchen state. New floor, new wall covering, new cabinets, new butcher block counter (just set in place). More to come on the cottage kitchen.

Tags bath, before and after, cottage, kitchen

General Improvment

No Fuss (or grout) Tile Backsplash Project

Post author By WNY Handyman
Post date December 20, 2011
No Comments on No Fuss (or grout) Tile Backsplash Project

If you have a backsplash in your kitchen that you really don’t like, but don’t want to go to the trouble to do a major tile job, consider some of the peel and stick alternatives. If you can do it for your floors, you can do it for your walls. In addition to that, the price isn’t too bad for a real unique look. I found some tile at Amazon for between $3.50 and $5.50 per square foot (click the image below for details). The price depends on the color that you choose. Oddly enough, copper was the least expensive option.

You could even go over an existing tile backsplash. You will have to address any exposed ends in a unique way, but the look is completely new in just a few hours.

The idea behind this project came to my attention while at Home Depot. They carry a beautiful peel and stick tile product from Aspect Metal Tiles. The tiles are 3″ x 6″, come in boxes of 8, and are available in 4 colors. The price is around $20 a box, so you can see how pricey this option might be with each box covering just 1 square foot.

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You can find other options out there if you look hard enough, so if you are after something unique, you might want to give Ebay a try. There are manufacturers who well direct such as www.stainlesssteeltile.com. This company seems to have the largest variety of designs and colors available. The installation isn’t the peel and stick type, but it is still very simple with the use of a tube of construction adhesive. The unique tile shapes provided make this a great source for a unique back splash look.

Good luck with your tile backsplash project. A couple of hundred dollars and a few hours of your time can have your kitchen looking like a new, modern home.

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Tags backsplash, kitchen

Tools and Reviews

My RTA cabinet Experience

Post author By WNY Handyman
Post date October 4, 2011
No Comments on My RTA cabinet Experience

For many, the search for inexpensive kitchen cabinets draws them to the Internet. If you are like me, you LOVE a bargain (don’t we all). I had some idea of what I wanted when I started searching for my project. I was happy to hear that one of my favorite suppliers of RTA cabinets had the color and style that I was searching for. The RTA Cabinet Store was able to supply me with my cabinets.

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of the RTA Cabinet Store. If you order from there (after clicking through from WNY Handyman) we will receive a commission on your order. Because of that, we are happy to answer any questions that you have regarding your RTA cabinet purchase. Obviously, the company has its own support system, but if you would like some advice from someone who has used a variety of suppliers I would be happy to answer any questions that you have. Please post in the comments so that others are able to benefit from your questions.

Step 1: Kitchen Cabinet Layout

Step 2: Confirm inventory

Step 3: Place order

Step 4: Receive order

Step 5: Assembly

Step 6: Installation

Enjoy.

Tags assemble, cabinets, inexpensive, kitchen, ready, rta, wood

Before and After Photos

Before and After Kitchen Photo

Post author By WNY Handyman
Post date May 13, 2011
1 Comment on Before and After Kitchen Photo

Who doesn’t like before and after photo’s? Where would HGTV and DIY Network be if we didn’t love them?

The following picture is a before and after shot of a kitchen that we recently renovated. It isn’t a complete “before” shot since this was taken after an interior wall was removed, but you get the picture.

We opened up a bedroom to expand the kitchen into a modern, eat-in kitchen space. The cabinets were replaced with a Harvest Maple RTA Cabinets from the RTACabinetStore.com. Our counter top was custom built (u-shaped) using laminate from Wilsonart (Madura Gold 4923).

The sink was a great option for a tight space. Our kitchen was a bit narrow and we weren’t able to go with a full size double basin sink. This Moen top mount provided 2 basins, but didn’t have a full sized 2nd basin. It was a 25″ wide double basin which makes it ideal for a smaller kitchen (or a kitchen with a 30″-33″ sink base cabinet). The sink was less than $115 to boot (Moen Sink at Lowe’s).

For the appliances, we purchased Kenmore units for the range and microwave along with a Whirlpool dishwasher. The total appliance cost came in just under $900.

The flooring was a great find for a less formal eat-in kitchen look. We located an oak hardwood that was a builders grade product that was much higher quality than most flooring products in that price range. The boards were true and the installers loved the product. Ask most installers to put in a tavern or builders grade product and they probably won’t be happy. Many installers will refer to tavern grade flooring as “fire wood”. However, this product was far above its grade. The lower grading had to do with the color variation in the product. However we were after a casual feel and it pulled every wood tone in the space together. The hardwood came from Georgia Carpet Outlets and came in at around $2.80 a square foot plus $2 a square foot for the install. Well worth the money.

The wall color has gotten a lot of compliments and is a warm neutral tone. The color is from Sherwin-Williams and is called “bagel”. The back splash tile was done with a relatively inexpensive 2″x2″ tile from Lowe’s. It is a stock item that runs just under $4 per square foot.

Overall the kitchen remodel turned out terrific. The space works well and the colors are warm and inviting.

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Tags after, before, cabinet, kitchen, rta