Merry Countermas to us!
They’re here. And they’re spectacular.
Just as a reminder, the cave room looked like this back when we moved in last December:
But back to our brand-spanking-new Corian counters. I didn’t expect them to feel as chunky, heavy, and stone-like as they do. They’re like marble without the veins. Seriously. Nothing plastic-y about them. And they’re sleek but sort of matte too if that makes sense, which looks/feels really chic and sort of honed-marble-ish (according to our installer the white matte ones are the only ones that don’t show scratches, which will definitely come in handy). So yeah, it’s safe to say that we’re completely smitten.
Of course things were looking a bit rough when they went in, but we’re used to the room looking like crazytown by now:
One of the coolest things to watch was how they made them completely seamless by filling the cracks where the slabs met with some sort of glue-caulk and getting it suuuuuper hot with these defibrillator-looking pieces:
Then they were flash cooled and the installer polished them until the seams were completely gone. Seriously, I’ll give anyone who can tell where they were a hundred bucks because it’s impossible. Oh but for this step of the project Burger, Clara, and I went for a nice long walk and John shut himself up in our bedroom because it was a little fumey while the glue-caulk was heated up and cooled and smoothed down (but it thankfully wasn’t a dusty or messy process, which was nice). So I didn’t come back to chaos, just beautiful white amazingness with the fan going and the windows open.
Here’s where one of the seams ran (right up this corner) before he worked his installer magic. No evidence of it at all, right? Three cheers for shape-shifting counters. And yes, that is a baguette. We’re fancy like that.
The guy was awesome about talking us through maintenance stuff. Here are a few of the fun things that I stood there and actually took notes about because I’m ridiculous (in my defense, the guy seemed to be entertained by my furious scribbling):
- Corian is nonporous, which means stains can’t penetrate it (and most of them can simply be scrubbed off, even if you don’t catch them right away)
- If stubborn stains (like red wine that somehow sits for a few days) do discolor the top layer of the Corian, a spray bottle full of 10 ounces of water and 1 ounce of bleach should strip the stain right out.
- The white color runs all the way through the counter, so if some insane spot refuses to come out, it can be lightly sanded in a circular motion with extremely high grit sandpaper (400 grit) and then followed with a very fine buffing pad (which was provided to us by the installer along with the sandpaper). It’s like they knew we were DIYers. So we don’t have to call anyone in to “resurface” things in a decade or two if we feel like polishing them up because they essentially taught us how to do it ourselves.
- Our counters are warranteed for 10 years, so if anything ever cracks or otherwise has issues they can come fix it for free (holla!) using the same method they used to fill the seams, which makes any prior damage completely undetectable.
So that combined with the fact that John’s sister has had the same exact counters for five years with three kids and a big dog (and zero repairs/stains) makes us deliriously excited. And I’m happy to report that we’re not being nearly as anal as we were with our first kitchen’s granite counters (the light color of them really freaked us out in the beginning). We’ve jumped right into using our kitchen even more – so things like spaghetti sauce have already made an appearance without any disastrous results.
Oh but there is one problem. Our sleek new counters make our old cabinets look like crapola by comparison…
… but once we sand, prime, and paint them (along with fiiiinally replacing the eyeball hardware) they should be worthy of such pretty countertop company. Can’t wait to rebuild/cut down some matching doors and get to the whole priming & painting step.
You can read all about why we chose white Corian and how much it costs here, and how the templating process went here. This post is just really about photos. Glorious, glorious photos of the counter that we waited 20 sinkless days for (read more about removing the old counters and sink here).
See that hulking 3 foot by 5 foot peninsula? Pictures don’t capture how big it really is (it’s larger than the wood dining table that we used to have in here). That baby is pure joy. So much space to spread out and bake/craft/eat/serve up appetizers, etc. The kitchen is pretty much 100% more functional and there aren’t even stools there yet (or any wood trim pieces on the back and side of the peninsula to hide those ugly brackets)…
Oh yeah and see those counter edges on the peninsula above? They’re gently curved, so there’s no pokey part to stab Clara in the eye or John in the hip or me in the belly (yes, we’re all dramatically different heights around here).
And for those wondering how we’ve been dealing with an in-progress kitchen and asking if we’ve been eating out every night, we’ve actually been really lucky to have a fully functional fridge, stove, and dishwasher this time around (which was not the case during our first kitchen gut job). So we’ve still been eating/cooking at home without counters and a sink (we just used a piece of plywood leaned on top of the cabinets as prep space with a cutting board and other platters and plates to keep us from actually prepping food on the plywood). But the whole washing-pots-and-pans-in-the-tub thing was getting old. So happy to have this guy back in action:
Our counter fabricators even left us a handy little cutting board that they made out of the sink hole for us, which can also be used as a trivet (super hot things shouldn’t be placed directly on Corian counters, but we never put hot stuff on our old granite counters without a cutting board or trivet, so we should be cool). Oh and for anyone local wondering who we used for installation, we were beyond thrilled with Five Star (our installers) who were hired through Home Depot (where we ordered our Corian). More on that here.
Oh but wait, before the counters went in we hid a little time capsule behind one of the cabinets (which will only be found when our counters are someday removed).
John sweetly wrote it. It reads:
Today our new countertops are being installed. We are a family of three (well, four if you count our chihuahua Hamburger). I’m John Petersik (age 30), my wife Sherry (age 29) and I moved here 11 months ago in December of 2010 with our daughter Clara (age 1.5). We write a blog about our home improvement adventures called Young House Love (www.younghouselove.com). If you’re reading this it means you’re probably getting new counters too. Hope you enjoy them!
Here’s how we hid it behind the corner cabinet by the window (stapled to the back of the cabinet in a ziplock bag).
Ah memories. We can hardly picture the top of the cabinets anymore. Isn’t it weird how your eyes adjust so fast? So next up we have to cut down and hang a cabinet for the built-in microwave next to the pantry, start trying to retrofit/build matching doors for the secondhand cabinets that we added to the room, prime and paint the cabinets, tackle the backsplash, hang our built-in range hood and floating shelves, redo all the lighting, lay the cork floors, install our new stainless dishwasher, add crown molding, etc. Whew. Might not be done until late January (we originally were aiming for early Jan) but we’re inching slowly towards the finish line. Just taking things one day at a time seems to be the secret to sanity. That and washing things in the sink again. Oh man, it’s good to have that guy back.
UPDATE: We’re officially in love with our new counters. Check out the update post about them here.
Laura @ My Pink Thumb says
OMG they look FANTASTIC!! Corian has now been added to our kitchen wish list! ;)
Teresa says
wow, I am very surprised at how your counters look!! I am nto sure why I wasn’t expecting them to be so, well, white. They look really good.
I started reading this post and that Pointer Sister song kept playing through my head… lol “I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it….” Can’t wait to see this project complete!
Patti says
wowowowowow completely crazy about your countertops!
Noreen says
Your counters look great. I have similar Corian in my house, but it is from the 80’s. It really lasts – will be a long time before anyone sees your note!
Amanda says
I loooove them. And I wish to one day have those exact counters in my future home. They’re so pretty. And that peninsula? GORGEOUS! Can’t wait to see what stools you end up choosing for that space. So.Much.Counter.Space.
caitlin says
i have been carefully following these kitchen posts with great interest—y’all are really inspiring me to see how much kitchen altering i can do on my own! (I also have to remove a wall, but my cabinets are not really cabinets, so all new cabinets AND counters and a rearranging of things.. and a new fridge, and MAYBE bricking up a door…) It’s pretty intimidating but seeing what you have done in smaller chunks has really been helpful :)
aluck89 says
Is Five Star a Richmond based company? Your counters look wonderful!
YoungHouseLove says
They’re local yes (our in Roanoke – but they service Richmond!).
xo,
s
aluck89 says
I’m in Roanoke and My Dad used to work there! Pretty neat to know who the owners are. They’ve gotten to be pretty big. :)
YoungHouseLove says
They’re amazing! We had such a great experience with them (both the templating guy and the installer).
xo,
s
Katie B. says
They look awesome! As a side note, we have Corian too, and while we do love it… do not put a pizza stone with it’s carrier thingie on it. We did, on its trivet and heard a loud POP. It was the seam popping apart from the heat. Luckily, they seam (pun) to grow back together like magic. I want a buffing pad for mine too now. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh good tip! We’ll be sure to put that on our thick wood cutting board!
xo,
s
Jeanine says
Love, love, love the new counters. I can’t get over how bright the kitchen is now from when you guys first moved in. I love being involved every step of the way with you guys as you’re redoing your kitchen. It’s making me long to redo my 1970’s style kitchen.
By the way, I love the Seinfield reference in the first line. Terri Hatcher before she was a Desperate Housewife! haha
Lauren says
I can’t get over how incredibly lighter it is in there now! So beautiful.
Ii’mmmm dreaming of a whiiiite counntteerrr…
Kath says
Lookin’ gooood!!! It’s come so far!
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
I cannot wait for you guys to paint the cabinets!! That’s going to be a total game changer now that the countertops are in!
Kelly says
Congrats! They look amazing.
Sevi says
Wow, they indeed look pretty! Cant wait to see everything finished and nice and crisp!
What interested me most at this point was to remember that, our contractors did the backsplash tiles first, then installed the counter so some of the backsplash tiles were hidden behind the counter and even behind the cabinets (does that make sense?)
How will you put the tiles without spilling anything on the countertop, I just couldnt figure that out.. Hmmm…
YoungHouseLove says
Really??? Wow – that’s unusual! The standard method is usually to do backsplash tile after the counters go in to make sure they don’t scrape,crack, or damage the more delicate backsplash when they’re getting jammed in! We’ll just cover the counters with a dropcloth to keep them clean!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Love them!! Great choice!
I have what may be a silly question – but if you can’t put hot pots on the counter itself how can you put them on a trivet made from the same material? Or is it just that any damage it causes to the trivet doesn’t really matter?
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that odd? Apparently if it’s raised up on the little cutting board feet the heat can circulate through and come out the bottom of the Corian cutting board and not crack (but a dense solid slab over a cabinet doesn’t have the same aeration).
xo,
s
Ashley says
They look so phresh!!(ha!)
I know how much you love pillows, and i just so happened to come across a brand that used your dining room curtain fabric for pillows. Its featured as the main picture but it wasnt actually listed for sale. https://www.jossandmain.com/Signature-By-Stroud~E154.html?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=http://common.csnimages.com/common/email/reapeat_use/blank150x40-(2).jpg&utm_campaign=
YoungHouseLove says
Love those! So funny!
xo,
s
Nicole says
What a transformation!! The living room and kitchen look beautiful. And, you deserve everything you purchase. You both work really hard!! Btw, I have been looking to purchase the shell you have in your kitchen and cannot find it. By chance, do you know where I can purchase one?
PS. Love, Love, Love the white.
It’s going to be a White Merry Christmas!! Well deserved!
hugs to Clara and Burger xxoo
YoungHouseLove says
That’s from ZGallerie.com a while back (but I believe they still sell it). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Natalie says
I just found your blog a couple of weeks ago and just wanted to leave a note because I am so in love with it!! My husband is a carpenter and we hope to start fixing up our home and eventually do major reno’s like you guys are doing. Your blog is filled with such awesome resources and inspiration, I think I have poured over every corner of it. Congrats on your new counters they look fabulous!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Natalie! So glad you found us.
xo,
s
Allison H. says
WOW!! they look aaaaamaaaazing!! congrats!! i have corian and love it!! welcome to the club!
Jordan@the2seasons says
They look great! I am sure you are thrilled. I really like the note idea. I am always saying I wish I knew about the history of our house such as who lived here etc. Great idea
Béa says
Niiiiice!
Funny, we left a timecapsule between two stories when our upper floor cover was placed two weeks ago too! Filled with dollar and euros cents from countries we’ve lived in, curtain swatches, a tiny toy truck and few marbles the previous owners kids had lost in the backyard…
Back to your kitchen : so fresh, so pretty, so you guys!
Can’t wait to see it finished!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so much fun!
xo,
s
Ampi says
I absolutely LOVE the idea of the time capsule. You guys are doing an awesome job.
candace says
What a site to behold – those counters are gorgeous! Merry Countermas!
Emily says
The counters look great, but will you guys get on painting those cabinets already. Slackers. :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sorry to disappoint but I’ll be happy to have those babies done in the next month! We still have to pick a color for the cabinets, cut down/rebuild some doors for a bunch of the secondhand cabinets, get hardware, hang the upper cabinet with the microwave, sand and putty and prime everything, etc. Slowly but surely = the key to our sanity!
xo,
s
Jen H says
You have so much counter-space now! It looks amazing! You guys are so cute – I love the time capsule idea.
heyruthie says
i’m tickled by the little peek of John working in the office in the “reveal” pic. proof that y’all are “on the clock” 24-7! heck, i’m tickled that you can even *see* the office at all now, compared to the segregated cave you had before. looks great.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I like the Where’s
WaldoJohn thing.xo,
s
maribel says
Sherry thank you for the suggestions on my dresser…
YoungHouseLove says
You’re welcome!
xo,
s
Lesley says
They look fantastic! I’d love to see how the peninsula looks from the dining room. Is that angle coming together like you expected? I know that was the hardest part of the decision.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we’re so glad we went with the little half-wall with the ledge on top. It looks great! More pics to come (once I clean our disaster of a dining room- haha).
xo,
s
Mandy says
I am not a fan of white counters, but those look great!! We painted our names and the date on our basement floor before they put the carpet down. Hopefully itll be a fun surprise when the next owners rip it up!
karen says
very nice! i’m really excited to see the tile go up! its going to look so great!
Jackie Toye says
Drool ……… Love the counters!
Katie says
I’ve opened my browser at least five times to stare at your new countertops and drool. If that’s wrong, then I don’t want to be right…
Vanessa says
Love them, they looks so sleek and clean. I cannot wait to see it all done!
Sarah says
We cracked our corian countertop with a crockpot… They fixed it for us, with the warranty, but fyi… If you use a crockpot put it on a trivet or cutting board! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! Good to know!
xo,
s
Monique says
It looks great!! The kitchen was so dark before, but now it’s so much lighter!
10+ years ago we actually built a huge built in desk/bookshelf/built in thing in our house, and we put a little time capsule too! We’ve moved twice since then… I’m wondering if anyone ever found the time capsule.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I hope someone did or does! We hid one in a really unassuming place in our last house and hope someone discovers it someday!
xo,
s
LaVerna DuBois says
Three cheers for a kitchen sink..HIP HIP HORRAY!
(it’s the simple things in life, right?)
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
I used to work as interior designer. I got to go to a Corian workshop and make my own cutting board by fusing two pieces together. It really is amazing how the seam disappears. If we ever replace our counters I am using Corian.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that sounds like so much fun!
xo,
s
Anabelle says
What kind of faucet did you end up getting for the new kitchen??
YoungHouseLove says
That’s actually our existing faucet by Grohe. It has a nice pull down spout and a one-handed hot/cold toggle (which we find a lot more convenient than two) so we’re happy to keep it around!
xo,
s
Daniela says
Love the counters! We are doing a renovation and I am totally considering Corian counters! Might be odd to ask you this, but considering you are so thrifty, maybe you could suggest for me a cheap place to go to to find twin beds for my kids. It’s crazy, but it seems so hard to find! I wrote about it here with some options too:
http://thisshack.blogspot.com/
My dream is the Jenny Lind bed from Land of Nod, but I can’t find anything comparable, that does not carry the hefty price tag! Thanks!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, that’s so hard! Have you tried sites like nextag.com that allow you to compare prices? Maybe that will turn up some new options? Maybe even craigslist?
xo,
s
julianna says
Sears has one.
Christy says
Beautiful. We had corian growing up and we had a counter top gas range thing so they made a cutout cover (like your sink trivet) that could go over the range. It made the huge island counter thing great and big when we were done cooking and everything could be placed on it for parties etc.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s really smart! Never seen anything like that!
xo,
s
Katrina says
They look really good!! :)
Petra says
Looks fabulous! Would the cabinets be painted the same shade of white?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re not sure if we’ll go for a soft tone on the cabinets (like a gray-taupe) or if we’ll go with white! Still debating!
xo,
s
Kathryn / Eventually Ever After says
First of all, I LOVE the counters. I am all about the white right now and these are exactly up my ally. I am sure you will really enjoy them.
Second of all, I absolutely adore the time capsule idea! I would be so excited if I found something like that in my house. It reminds me of the episode of “Beverly Hills, 90210” when Brenda finds the diary of the girl who used to live in her room in the 60s. Bueller?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I loved that show.
xo,
s
Kasey March says
I love that you put a letter and photo under the new counters. I’m currently living in a house my grandfather (he has since past) and love finding his handwriting on walls and sides of old appliances when we do things like gut a closet or replace a bathtub.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so meaningful and sweet! How awesome to see those cool reminders!
xo,
s
GreenInOC says
Stunning!
The picture looking out toward the hallway & fireplace – the difference in light from the original is kind of mind blowing!
I’m excited and I’m just reading about this stuff – you guys must be over the moon!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, who knew light was so amazing? We’re so much happier now that it’s nice and bright in there! Such an amazing difference. Wish you guys could all come over and see things in person! Haha.
xo,
s
Janelle D says
…..And the penninsula officially TRUMPS the banquette idea. Ten times over. Now you have so much prep space, fondue space, entertaining space, craft space + everything you already said space. :)
Kelly says
Oh, I can’t wait to see the finale of this beautiful kitchen! I don’t even live there and I’m excited. I have no idea how you guys can be so patient. It’s coming along splendidly. Kudos to you! :-)
Kat says
I love watching your progress. The countertops look great. I have plans to eventually update my kitchen. It was just updated when I purchased 4 years ago but they didn’t add in a dishwasher. What??? Who updates a tiny 50’s kitchen but doesn’t put in a dishwasher. Now I have to redo the base cabinets and hope to match the uppers. Anyway. I enjoy reading!
Rad Designing says
Oh lovely! i cant wait till you paint those horrible cabinets… you guys are SO patient!!
Katie says
Counters look awesome! This kitchen project gives you something to look forward to after the holidays are over. I don’t know about you but I usually go into a post-Christmas “funk” LOL
YoungHouseLove says
I DO TOO! I thought I was the only one. Then there’s not much to look forward to and it’s so cold. I love that you’ve given me something beyond the holidays to be excited about. So true!
xo,
s