Putting in the formica countertop and sink

This is the part where I show you how Mr. Maison Decor and I did the changing out of the counter tops and the sink.  If you are considering replacing your laminate counter top  with an upgraded laminate like the new patterns in the 180fx Formica, it is possible to do it yourself.  This photo above shows the finished set-up, but here is how it got that way.  Hopefully this post gives you the answers and solutions you can use doing over your own budget kitchen remodel.

 The plan was to do it on the weekend.  I was lucky enough to convince Mr. MD to start on the project while he was still in his PJs.  He had worked the night shift at the police station and was just getting up around noon~I was DYING to get this counter top and sink installed, and thank my heavens, he is a husband who likes a happy wife.  First order of business was to disconnect the faucet and then unscrew the bolts that hold in the sink.

 That took about 10 minutes and out comes the sink!!

 I just loved this picture of our hands working together on this project.  It is very romantic (to me).  Our wedding rings say it all: For better or for worse and for all home improvement projects, until death do us part.

 Once the sink was out, all we did was unscrew the cabinet from the counter tops and it came right out.

 I scraped away the layer of plaster that built up behind the back splash board.  Our new counter doesn't have a back splash because I don't like the look.  However I want to make sure the surface is smooth before I wallpaper the area with the bead board paper.

 Gotta love a guy in dog PJs that gets the job done.  You can see here that Mr. MD has set the vintage sink directly on top of the cabinets to mark the location of where it will sit when the counter is in place. Make a pencil mark on your cabinet front...

 Now the faux marble slab gets put in position. Luckily it is a pretty good fit.  It looks like heck here, but since I knew to expect that after doing the other area of the kitchen I was not freaked out this time.

 This is the scary part (for me anyway). Drill a big hole in the middle area where the sink bowl will go.

Then mark the size of the bowl and get out the jigsaw and starting at the center hole cut out towards the lines. We did not make a template because our sink did not need an exact size hole cut out. We kind of did our best guessing!! With a tape measure, of course, and those pencil marks on the cabinet underneath.

 Our sink is gonna go in that hole.  Because it has this huge overlapping metal part, our hole did not need to  be perfect.  Now take your sink and see if  you did the figuring right.  That is a scary part too.

 Oh, the other thing that ended up being lucky for us was that the back splash to the sink fit tightly underneath the window apron. That could have been a difficult and messy job cutting that out to fit the sink in~but since we are usually lucky, it went in with just a little persuasion~

 In the form of a rubber mallet! It fit like a glove!  Since we were both going to do the next part I don't have a picture of it, and it was too dangerous to try and use the remote feature on the camera~I needed to focus.  Mr. MD applied a bead of silicone adhesive under the rim of the sink while I held it up like a hinged door.  Then we set it back down and wiped away any that squirted out so there was none showing.

 Well the adhesive part took place later after we removed the sink so I could do the wallpapering behind it.  You can see what a big part this piece of the makeover is.  Of course you could do a white subway tile, but do you realize how fast and easy and inexpensive it is to use bead board wallpaper for a good looking alternative?

 As the wallpapering is going along, you can also see the nasty formica seam that I detest.  Black lines be gone!

 Black line to the left, white paint to the right. It makes the seams disappear.  It really does.

How you do it is to hold your brush on the flat and just tap it against the seam.  Don't try to paint the seam with the tip of the brush or you will want to kill yourself.  ( That is just a guess).  This is so much easier.

Voila~the $75 Craiglist drainboard sink installed in the Formica Calacutta countertop.

Look at those invisible edges~it really has the look of marble.  I have to say I am impressed with this product.

The marble look counters, the mini hutch I made out of a cabinet, an old sink and the bead board wallpaper all created a charming space out of this once dreary room.

 Every time I walk in this kitchen I feel so glad I finally made these small changes~ if you are stuck with a tired and dark kitchen, you can do it too.  Anyone can paint cabinets.  The counter tops were ordered to my measurements at Lowes and delivered one week later to our house.  You will need a helper to lift the counters, but they are manageable.  The sink we found looking around on Craigslist. You might have to hire a plumber to disconnect the faucet and then hook it back up for you, but the rest you can do yourself.  So don't be afraid.  The payoff is big and I guarantee you will be glad you did it.

This is the story of how it all went together~and the price tag was just around $1000 for everything!

A little reminder of how far that $1000 got us.