NewlyWoodwards

an unconventional home

Installing IKEA kitchen cabinets, finishing butcher block countertops and sanding floors (renovation progress)

by

Renovating a house yourself is not for the faint of house. This week’s progress included finishing cabinet installation, countertops and floor finishing.

Check out all the details below. And if you are interested in how it turned out, check out the full house renovation tour of this second historic home.

Installing IKEA kitchen cabinets

All the cabinets have been installed. They look really nice, I think. (Check out our full review about choosing IKEA kitchen cabinets.)

And here’s your countertop sneak-peak. I’m sorry that I didn’t clear anything off or make it look presentable. It’s a fruitless endeavor, so I skip it.

They haven’t been installed yet, but they are cut and ready.

How much do you love that sink? I’m adoring it, myself.

IKEA Butcher Block Countertops

We ended up going with the Numerar Oak Countertops from IKEA, after much thought. (These countertops are no longer available, but lots of others are. Check out this full post about IKEA butcher block countertops for all the gory details.)

We were waffling over countertops for a long time. Ryan and I had been leaning towards butcher block countertops, with all these great inspiration photos leading the way. (All via my Pinterest kitchen board. Beware: Time suck ahead.)

 We knew we couldn’t afford solid surfaces, and the price on the countertops at IKEA were even less expensive than laminate. And the inspiration photos don’t lie. We loved them, and we had to pull the trigger.
But several smart people told us that it wasn’t a good idea, for various (and some good) reasons. Would it get stained by water? Is it sanitary? Will it be okay for resale?
I’ve checked out a lot of online forums for recommendations and I also got some great tips and advice in an email from Jolie at Shopping Candy for My First Home. (Thanks, Jolie!) Check out her countertop post.
She said she wished she had sealed them before installing them, so that’s what I’m planning to do. We’ll also make sure to waterproof the area above the future dishwasher so it doesn’t warp.

I decided to go with Waterlox Tung Oil for sealer, after checking out reviews online and reading recommendations. (Affiliate link)

Thank you to This and That for this super detailed post about using Waterlox on countertops and around the sink. Check out these amazing countertops.

I bought Waterlox online because, much to my dismay, it’s not carried in my area. It’s a little spendy, but has great reviews and raving fans. So, I went for it. I’m a little disappointed that I have to wait to get started, but I’m living through it.

So, that’s the countertop progress and plans.

Finishing the floors in the living room and dining room

In other news, Ryan finished sanding and finishing the floors in the living and dining room.

Because these boards were thinner, Ryan chemically-stripped them by hand first. Then, he lightly sanded them.

 

They truly look beautiful. Here’s the dining room…

Unlike all the other rooms, these boards are oak and 1-inch wide. (The bedrooms, hallways and kitchen have larger pine boards.)
There was quite a bit of damage on these boards, from water to the screws in the cement board… but they turned out really great, with the character of old floors.
The middle of the dining room and living room both have simple boards that were used as filler in the late 19th and early 20th century to save costs and not spend money on the wood floors that would be covered by a rug. We’ll also cover it with a rug, but we still refinished them, and I think they look nicer than the raw wood.

And a quick before and now of the dining room:

A little better.

And here’s the living room after sanding…

And some staining…

And here’s a blurry “after” photo.

I can’t wait to get some better shots of the rooms because the floors are truly gorgeous. The stain is the same – Red Oak by Miniwax – but it looks completely different on the oak floors, which is okay. We again used satin poly to the tune of five coats.

And this is how Ryan feels after all this work.

This picture gives me a fit of giggles.

Painting stairs

My only progress this week was painting the stairs and staircase. How can painting be so much work?

But it’s beautiful – just a lot of touch up, trim and more painting to go.

Do you have any questions about these choices? Would love to answer them in the comments.

Comments

  1. Thank you so much for your kind words about my kitchen! I’m so glad I could’ve helped and been a part in some small way of your kitchen plan – it looks fabulous and I hope you enjoy the Waterlox’ed counters as much as I do!

  2. Oh those counters will be gorgeous! Looks like you really did your research (duh this is Kim Woodward we are talking about here). And the floors and the stairs are going to be amazing. It is really starting to come together!

    Congrats on the feature…how exciting to be recognized for all your hard work!

  3. love the kitchen counters and sink! and I have Vanessa’s awesome post bookmarked (ahem, Pinned …) for when we do our kitchen.

    the floors look great too! that’s so interesting that the middle is “filler.” I’ve never heard of that before, but I guess it does make sense.

    y’all are doing a great job!

  5. wow- so productive. I love the stairs, I wish mine were painted like that. I could do it but feel bad, which is odd since I never feel bad about painting wood. Maybe one day. I love the look of butch block and thought about it for our kitchen, but it does seem to work for the way I cook.

  6. Wow, you guys are really working hard! It looks like it is coming along. The stairs are looking great!

    Have a happy weekend!

  7. Thank you for linking to my post! I am glad you were able to get ahold of some waterlox. I love that sink and I am sure the space will be awesome. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. And different floor covered by a rug is so interesting, I never knew that but it makes sense.

  10. So much to comment on! Congrats on your feature, you are truly deserving.
    I’m in love with your counters! I don’t know if I would have considered wooden counters until now, but I love the cottagey/farmhouse vibe. Thanks for sharing all your tips on preparing and caring for them. Our kitchen remodel is still a ways off, but it never hurts to research well ahead of time 🙂
    Finally, your floors look amazing. So interesting to learn about the different qualities of wood.
    Well done, Woodwards!

  11. Madly in love with your stairs, cabinets, counters, and kitchen sink. Madly. (sorry was signed in as my husband the first round)

  12. What do I think? WHAT DO I THINK? I think you guys rule. Congrats on the feature, you guys are doing amazing stuff so you deserve it. Those stairs for example. I can’t take how awesome it looks and how I need to fly you guys out here to do it to my stairs.

  13. Your kitchen is really starting to take shape. I love your wooden counters – so beautiful! It certainly looks like Ryan is happy to be done with the floors! I love reading your renovation progress posts!!

  14. you have been one busy lady!

    i, too, looove butcher block countertops. i say go for it. my rationale is that they’re so inexpensive that you can always replace them if they end up wearing terribly, you know? but if you seal them and are careful you’ll probably be fine. also, what about mixing counters and only doing a section of wood block?

    kelly

  15. love the choice of the butcherblock countertops! especially with that deliciously awesome farmhouse sink. picture me drooling over here!

    and the paneled stairway…dying of envy.

  17. Love the butcher block! We have that on our island and I think it’s great. I love the wood grain/stain look. Your house is coming along quite nicely. Thanks for keeping us updated and in the loop!

  18. Yes Newlywoodward Fans….our gorgeous daughter looks like the last picture whenever she works, cleans, paints and orders us around. LOL She’s our little June Cleaver but a bit better lookin’! We are the luckiest most blessed parents on the face of this Earth!

  22. So many things to comment on…
    1. The stairs = awesomeness. Just gorgeous.
    2. The floors look wonderful! And how cool is that insert in the middle of the room? I had no idea they did that!
    3. Love the ikea butcher block idea – can’t wait to see how yours turn out!
    4. The pic of you & Ryan is adorable. Really like your dress/belt. Please tell me you don’t remodel the house looking that good…

  23. The sink makes me say YUMMM. It’s awesome. Also awesome is the history behind the floors- it makes so much sense about the filler that will be covered by a rug! I love a little history in a house (which, I’m sure you guys doo too 🙂

  24. I’m loving how the kitchen is coming together!!! We’ve been thinking about using butcherblock on the island at the flip so I’m loving seeing it in your kitchen. Also, that’s crazy about the filler boards in the floor! Makes a lot of sense but I’ve never heard of it. And CONGRATS on the Re-Nest feature!! 🙂

  26. I have convinced Mr. B that if we’re staying another month in this house (more like 3 years) we need to make our kitchen as close to our dream kitchen as possible – painting the cabs and installing new counters. We were pretty much decided on solid surface, but your gorgeous countertops and inspiration photos have me reconsidering IKEA butcher block. They’re going to be fabulous, Kim!

    And the filler boards in the rooms??? How cool is that? You learn something new everyday at Newlywoodwards.

    Also, I spit my coffee out when I saw the before of the dining room. Holy [expletive deleted], Kim. Without the before it’s a gorgeous room with gorgeous moulding. But with the before? You are a fricking renovating genius. Genius.

    And that stairway moulding? I dream about it at night. Coolest stairs I’ve ever seen.

  27. I think its about time I admit that I live for these renovation posts. Every Thursday on my drive to work I get excited to read your post before my day starts. 🙂
    I love the floors and can’t wait to see the countertops when they’re sealed!
    PS. The picture of you and Ryan is very cute.

  28. I love the counters, thanks for all the linky inspiration. Your kitchen is going to be beautiful when its done!!!!

  29. Those countertops are beautiful!! I’m glad you went for them, because I may try to convince Nick to do butcher block in the next house, so now I can say “but Kim and Ryan did it!!” : ) Seriously, though, really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them as time goes on.

    The house is looking SO GOOD. You guys are amazing.

  31. Whoa CONGRATS on the feature you guys are awesome and I love seeing you get lots of attention :o)

    I’m happy to hear about the sealer since I’ve wanted butcher block but worried about the same things. Lucky for me I have you for my guinea pig it will be 6-8 months before I can think about counter tops lol.

  32. Congrats on the feature. That is awesome. Although it doesn’t surprise me as your guys ROCK! Everything is looking great!! And that Ryan is an animal!

  34. Wowee wowsers. You guys rock! Apparently Ryan has been rocked a little too much but still….it’s all wowee wowsers so who can complain? Right? As always, you’re doing an amazing job. The stairs look awesome!! What a change.

  35. Great job, guys! That’s very interesting about the wood floor using different woods on the interior and perimeter of the floors. The perimeter is oak? Do you know what the interior boards are made of? And I love your butcher block counter tops–if we get a chance to re-do our kitchen, I want to use butcher block. I think it goes so well with older homes.

    And congrats on your Apartment Therapy mention! You all deserve it. I don’t think I’ve come across two harder working people (in real life or blog life) ever! You guys rock!

  36. You guys are awesome! I am loving those counter tops and all the great information! And the floors are beautiful 🙂