Monday 3 September 2012

A Bit of TLC For The Kitchen

Hello my lovelies!! How're you doing?

This past week we gave our kitchen work tops a bit of a overhaul. We had the kitchen in nearly five years ago now and I still love it, but the oak butchers block work tops were looking sorry for themselves.

Getting them oiled was all a bit of a rush before they were installed and so they weren't as water resistant as they should have been and had gone all black and mouldy looking round the taps and sink area. No amount of scrubbing would make them look better and it made me dislike the whole kitchen.


I got a quote to have them replaced with some engineered stone or granite -£1800!! The whole kitchen only cost £3500 in the first place.

I lay in bed and suddenly had the idea that perhaps if we sanded them, stained them and varnished them it would hide the damage (I don't know about you but I often have fantastical ideas as I am falling asleep but 9 times out of 10 they are ridiculous in the light of day - this was one of the rare good ideas!!)

I emailed Ronseal and to ask if any of their products would be food safe and they advised me to use their Colron Refined Wood Stain and either Quick Drying or Diamond Hard Varnish.

Once we got to Homebase we saw the sample of the shades and realised that we could perhaps skip the staining part as the varnish came coloured and the Dark Oak in the satin finish (so not too shiny) looked perfect.

We gave the tops a quick sand with 80 grit sandpaper using an orbital sander then went down to 180 grit to give a smooth finish and then slapped on the varnish. We chose the Quick Drying and I'm pleased to report it had virtually no smell and was touch dry in 20 minutes. Two coats was all in took:


How good do they look? I wish had a close up before to show you - you can see it if you zoom in on the pics in this post - not only has it hidden the horrid mouldy looking bits, but the whole surface just looks better, a nicer colour and more nourished (despite oiling it always looked "dry"):
As you can see in the above pic I've been making bunting again!! Mr G is not impressed, but I love it!!:
I used some scraps of Cath Kidston Fabric and sewed it onto the lovely Sass and Belle ribbon the boys bought me for Mothers Day.
Now Mr G and I keep walking in and saying "I can't believe how much better it looks" and "Why didn't we do it before?"!!
In other news I've been feeling a bit under the weather the past couple of weeks or so - I managed to crack my tooth clean in half and had to make a dash to the dentist. She thought she could save it and so filled it with some semi permanent stuff but it has been giving me trouble - feeling ouchy when I eat and I've been having headaches which set my health anxiety off a treat.
It's still not great, I'm going back this week and I think I'll just ask her to whip it out!!
Also, I've finished my first ever crochet blanket and will ta dah it next time!!
Hugs,
S x


 

8 comments:

  1. Sarah it looks fab! I love butchers block worktops and belfast sinks! I also love your bunting and I`m now on the lookout for mini bunting for my kitchen.
    Sorry to hear about your tooth troubles, its a real pain.
    Dx

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  2. absolutely beautiful sarah, i do love the wood with the white units...i rent, but the kitchen here made me rent it for the look of the kitchen it was so big and light and bright ;0)x

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  3. They look great! We need to do ours, not sure I have the energy at the moment! Ada :)

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  4. Evening beauty!!! LOVING your kitchen, so cute! And the bunting is pretty, why wouldn't MR G like it???!!! Tell him I think it totally enhance the kitchen...
    Got back from France yesterday afternoon. Oh god we all hate being back. Why can't life just be one long, lush holiday?!!!
    Email me when you get a mo, and hope the tooth settles down. As a former dental receptionist, I believe the dentist tries as hard as possible to save the tooth. But as a patient who once had the worst abcess imagineable, I always think better out than in. Unless it's in the front. That could look a bit Worzel Gummidge.
    Laters luv.
    x x x xx xx

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  5. Wow your kitchen looks fab and I lurve the bunting!!! Can I ask what size triangles you made???

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  6. it all looks lovely Sarah well done you xx

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  7. O my god! It looks beautiful. Thank you for this. We have the same problem! We re-oil our worktop every few months but they've still managed to get all black and mouldy around the sink.

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  8. Your countertops look amazing. Isn't it wonderful what a little elbow grease can do? And you saved so much $$$$!

    Love the bunting too. Don't listen to hubby - he ' doesn't understand how a bit of bunting can uplift the soul!!

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S x