November 1, 2022

A few months back we decided to revamp the kitchen island countertop. Years ago, when we first moved in and I didn’t cook much, I opted for a more decorative countertop than functional. Truth be told, I fell in love with the center tile and we built the countertop around that.

But it was never functional. To roll out pie crust or knead bread I had to put a wooden cutting board on it. And appliances had to be placed straddling grout lines to stay level. It just wasn’t a working island countertop.

We ended up going with a butcher block countertop, which we planned to install ourselves. And when we found it on sale, we ordered it. This week was installation time.

First up, remove the old countertop.

Then start the replacement. Centering it was interesting. I watched as DH carefully measured each side to the exact overhang he wanted.

Then clamp it in place and fasten it.

And finally cutting it to shape. While it was gorgeous as a solid rectangle, the placement of the island to our walls meant one side would need angled. And I admit, I didn’t have enough faith in DH’s ability to do this smoothly. (I should have, he built my studio and several pieces of furniture we own). But knowing he was going to take a skill saw to my new countertop made me nervous!

Some cleaning, a little stain on the newly cut edge, two coats of food grade mineral oil and it was ready to put back together to use. Eventually the cabinet underneath that doesn’t fit will be remade as that’s dog food storage and a necessity here! This new countertop is 10” longer and the extra space on top makes a big difference. But we had to remove the top of the freestanding cabinet that sat at the end of the island for it to temporarily slide underneath.

Tomorrow morning I use my new countertop for the first time. It’s bread baking day.

There’s still more work to do. The inside of the cabinets are getting a storage upgrade with diy slide outs custom made for what I store where.

I am a very lucky lady to have a husband who can do these projects. His skill, knowledge and strength for remodeling exceed mine by leaps and bounds!