Kitchen Update - The New Counters are in!

YES!  I am so glad that we can finally check this project off the to-do list!

We knew when we purchased the house last year that we wanted to update the kitchen, but we also knew we wanted to live in it for awhile before deciding what we would do.

New counter tops were definitely on the list, but they couldn't bust the budget....so NO granite or marble.  We went with a high definition Formica counter top that we purchased in Michigan at Menard's.  We did check out the pricing here in Canada, but at less than half the cost, buying it in the U.S. was kind of a no-brainer for us.  We are very lucky that we live in a border town and have the option to shop over there.

We went with a finish called Carrara Pearl which is a creamy white background with swirls of taupe and gray.

We purchased a ten foot straight piece and two six foot mitered pieces (one right hand mitered and one left hand mitered) for our corner section.

Before we could begin McG had to remove the odd corner cabinet that was existing at the end of our counters and install the new bank of drawers that we purchased here at our local Home Depot.

He had to add some shims to the back because the hardwood flooring was not underneath the cabinet when he took it out.

Once that was complete we installed the new counter top and clamped it down.  Then he marked the hole he needed to cut for our new sink.  We purchased the new stainless steel sink at our local Lowe's store for $99 on sale.

Once the sink was in, he reconnected the plumbing and the dishwasher.

We kept our original faucet since we had just installed that last year when we moved in.

The new counter is much lighter and brighter than the old one which was a pinky beige.  You can see the original Formica back splash is still there.  That will be dealt with soon as well!

McG and our son cut the mitered pieces to the appropriate length and then glued and clamped the corner section together.  We let it sit overnight for the glue to dry and then installed it last night.

I am LOVING how the new counters look.  I would highly recommend this Formica 180FX counter top.  It has a realistic look of stone and even has a texture to it.  While I would have preferred not to have the ridge going up the back of it, at half the price by buying it pre-fabricated in store, I feel it's a great budget friendly option.   It also has the ogee edge which was an upgrade in price when I had it quoted here in Canada.

The price that I was quoted here in Canada was $750 plus 13% tax ($847.50).  The total cost to purchase this was $305 American - add to that the exchange on the money and the $12 to cross the border and this comes in at $422.70 - so a savings of 50% - which is great for our kitchen budget!

Next up is getting the cabinet bases ready for paint and sending the cabinet doors out for painting.

Stay tuned!!

Cheryl