Under the Sink and In the Drawers!

Friends, when I get bored, or nervous, or anxious, or happy, or sad, or hungry, or angry or had too much caffeine, I clean. It's a good thing that our cable hasn't ever worked (it was installed a month ago). I am usually bored and hungry and at least one other emotion when I get home from work. SOOO, I find something to clean. Recently, I took on fixing under our sink. This area had been unusable: all of my cleaning products were being housed in a laundry basket on the kitchen floor. 

Under our kitchen sink! 

It should be no surprise at this point that this is what under our kitchen sink would look like. I pulled up the yucky cork board covered in soap or lotion or something. I disconnected the random light-switch dimmer under there (after checking to see if it was attached to something- it was NOT). Then I used a handsaw to cut two pieces of plywood to fit under the sink (to make it level and give it a nice sturdy base) (I forgot to take pictures!)

I installed some cheap peel and stick laminate flooring. An entire box was about $15 and included way more square feet than I'll ever need. They are super easy to cut with a sharp utility knife. I actually did this project alone in under an hour. Now, I can wipe down each cabinet as needed easily! 

Totally clean looking! 

In my cleaning frenzy I pulled out all the drawers and found this! It was a mix of crumbs, grease, and wax (so the drawers slide smoothly). 

How to remove? Grease is tricky. I personally find that the right tools and warm vinegar usually do the trick. 

A tooth brush or other firm scrub brush work wonders. If you have a really sticky mess you may want to use a Brillo pad.  I dipped the brush in a  mug with a mixture of  warm vinegar and 2 table spoons of dish soap. I put this mix in the mug so that you can keep heating it up the as needed in the micro. 

Although vinegar can smell a little funky, it is a great way to remove grease, soap scum, and shine stainless steel. 

I did this for the fridge when we moved in too. 

Stay tuned, we will have a bathroom and guest room reveal this weekend! 

New Cabinets!

Old kitchen cabinets 

Since we put the bathroom on hold (only two more weeks!) of course I needed to start another project. In my previous post I wrote about preparing the cabinets for the gel stain. I have read and been told they you must sand before staining. I've also read that lots of people didn't sand when using this project. I only sanded some latex paint drips off the cabinets. I figured because the cabinets are builder grade oak and we really did a number on cleaning them that I would take the chance.

1. Mix the gel stain. Very well.
2. Wear gloves! I used a Brillo pad to get the stain off my hands and I still have some around my nail bed.
3. If you use foam brushes like I did, buy more. I used three to apply just one coat and I don't think I'll be able to use them again. (I used three because I used a small and large brush and then James helped and used a brush too.)
4. Use smooth and even strokes in the direction of the grain. If you want a lighter color and entry to see more grain a little can go a long way. If you want a rich deep color, like we do, you can use more and really paint it on.
5.  Paint in sections. I painted the center and the border and then the angled parts last. 
6. It dries fast and you don't want to "touch-up" after the drying process starts. Try and avoid leaving visible marks in your strokes.
7. Give it time to try. We are leaving 24 hours between the first and second coat and 24 hours between the last coat and the polyurethane seal.
8. Painters tape can be your best friend when you start painting the cabinet frames.

Painting in sections

Just one coat! 

Update on the hinges; Brillo pads were the cure! No more green spots!

I can't wait to finish these cabinets! 

Working for the Weekend

Hiking with Sadie to Sunfish Pond

Sooooo- we were gonna start the bathroom demo but life happened! I went for a hike with my family and puppies yesterday morning. 8 miles later and I was totally wiped when I got home. 











While I was off galavanting in NJ, James picked up lots of goodies from Lowes and finished our dresser. The hardware looks amazing!

I started destressing the corner of this draw

Oil rubbed bronze =)

We finally got the 1/4 round and reducers. It was $25 cheaper to buy 12 foot long pieces than 8 foot. We got the 12 and just cut it down! They are yet to be installed because we need to install a Dexter style drop-cloth situation to avoid getting dust on everything! 

1 pint = $22

On Sunday, we drove an hour to pick up General Finishes Gel Stain in Java. It should take three coats to get a nice deep color but still show the grain. Apparently this stuff is made of miracles because it doesn't drip, you don't need very much, and most people have success without even sanding first! 

James is cleaning the sink, I have the best husband! 

James and our good friend JD took all the cabinet doors off. They numbered each one with painters tape so we easily knew where to re-install. Our cabinets were still covered in a greasy residue even after cleaning them multiple times. 

With the doors off the cabinets it was much easier to clean. We used Ajax cleaner with bleach and a Brillo pad. I wouldn't recommend doing this if you aren't painting or staining. I can easily see the places where I scrubbed too hard. The bleach made the coloring lighter. But it worked like a charm on de-greasing. This was all James' idea! 

Next I scrubbed LOTS of grease off the hinges  And then soaked them in hot water and dish soap. Not my best idea. They are now a little green, even after hand drying and using a hair dryer. I am going to try some baking soda and a steel wool pad. Updates to follow. Maybe we will be spending $30 on new hardware.

Tonight I will be the master of the sander!