cutting down to size
You should never cut down a kitchen island, right? You should always want a BIGGER island.
In this kitchen, maybe not. The overhang was about 10 inches on either end. On the fridge side, it meant there wasn't much space for bending over and getting food out of the freezer. On the other side, it left enough room for a single stool to sit and enjoy a drink while another person makes dinner. Not really our current lifestyle with two busy adults and two very active little children.
We are ditching a dining room and need space for a table that comfortably sits 4 and-- better still-- maybe 6 when grandparents come to visit. The current island just didn't give us enough clearance to do that and still march through with bags and backpacks in tow.
When Kevin's mom suggested replacing the counter top with a smaller remnant piece of black granite (for cheap), I was interested. When Kevin suggested cutting it down (for free), I thought it was maybe a little crazy. Would we need a professional for that? Is it just a veneer on top of something yucky under there? What million things could go wrong?
Turns out, nothing went wrong. We checked underneat and it was solid butcher block wood. We measured for a 2-inch overhang all around, cutting off about 8 inches from each side. We fired up a circular saw right there in the kitchen and just cut it off. Then I sanded down the sides to smooth them and round the edges a bit.
We swept up the saw dust and let our eardrums recover from the din of the saw. That was it. More square footage! Plenty of room still to make lunches on the countertop! Check out the difference in the open space now, even just the line of sight.
We've used a circular saw maybe 10 times ever, and 9 of them were on Thursday. So there you have it. Learning as we go.
Also, I'm obsessed with this cast trestle table from West Elm. Can you picture it by the window?
In this kitchen, maybe not. The overhang was about 10 inches on either end. On the fridge side, it meant there wasn't much space for bending over and getting food out of the freezer. On the other side, it left enough room for a single stool to sit and enjoy a drink while another person makes dinner. Not really our current lifestyle with two busy adults and two very active little children.
We are ditching a dining room and need space for a table that comfortably sits 4 and-- better still-- maybe 6 when grandparents come to visit. The current island just didn't give us enough clearance to do that and still march through with bags and backpacks in tow.
When Kevin's mom suggested replacing the counter top with a smaller remnant piece of black granite (for cheap), I was interested. When Kevin suggested cutting it down (for free), I thought it was maybe a little crazy. Would we need a professional for that? Is it just a veneer on top of something yucky under there? What million things could go wrong?
Turns out, nothing went wrong. We checked underneat and it was solid butcher block wood. We measured for a 2-inch overhang all around, cutting off about 8 inches from each side. We fired up a circular saw right there in the kitchen and just cut it off. Then I sanded down the sides to smooth them and round the edges a bit.
We swept up the saw dust and let our eardrums recover from the din of the saw. That was it. More square footage! Plenty of room still to make lunches on the countertop! Check out the difference in the open space now, even just the line of sight.
We've used a circular saw maybe 10 times ever, and 9 of them were on Thursday. So there you have it. Learning as we go.
Also, I'm obsessed with this cast trestle table from West Elm. Can you picture it by the window?
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