We were a little deflated by how unfinished our “new,” tile-ready walls looked.
Mostly it was the mismatched, unpainted paneling and the ugly, stained, exposed sections of ceiling that showed up after we removed the upper cabinets.
The obvious fix: painting.
The paneling took two coats of primer and two coats of paint for good measure. The ceiling needed even more — I lost track of the exact number (probably five or six coats). Since parts of the ceiling were bare and other areas stained, we wanted everything to blend seamlessly. After multiple coats of Kilz CleanStart primer (no-VOC) and the leftover ceiling paint the previous owners left in the basement, everything matched up in the end.
The space looks much improved, though still raw. Once we install the new counters (photos hopefully coming tomorrow), reinstall molding around the window, add backsplash tile, update the lighting, paint the cabinets and lay our cork floors, the room will feel much more polished. For now, we’re happy to be inching toward the finish line.
Before the counters could go in, we had to add support brackets for the peninsula overhang. The counter templating pro warned that any overhang over 10″ needs support — our peninsula will have a 12″ overhang on two sides. We could have paid $300 to have the Corian reinforced, but the templating guy suggested a cheaper DIY option.
We bought six 10″ steel brackets from Lowe’s and Sherry spray-painted them. At about $6 each, the brackets cost $36 total — far better than $300.
When the paint dried I brought the brackets inside along with scrap wood cut into 12″ blocks. The templating pro advised against screwing the heavy brackets only into the cabinet sides; instead we were to insert thicker wood blocks inside the cabinets so the screws would bite into solid material behind the cabinet face.
After measuring and marking so the brackets would be evenly spaced, I loosely hammered the scrap wood blocks into place behind the cabinet faces. Then I used another scrap board as a temporary counter surface to set the brackets at the correct height, ensuring they would carry the overhang load without being too high or too low. Each bracket was secured with three screws.
Here’s the peninsula after the first three brackets were secured. Once the counters arrive we’ll attach them from below into the Corian’s built-in reinforcement.
Even though the cabinets will be painted white and most of the brackets will be barely visible afterward, we’re planning to add shaker-style panels to the back and possibly the side of the peninsula. That trim will add detail and let us hide the brackets by routing the panel backs to lay over them. It should be a fun challenge — I’ll share updates when we get there.
Here’s the kitchen in its counter-ready state. We also primed a small stripe of the refrigerator surround right where it meets the counter to make painting up to the counters easier after installation.
We avoided painting the full cabinets before counter installation because heavy counters often require scraping and maneuvering that leads to touch-ups. Priming that thin stripe meant that if there’s a tiny gap between paint and counter, it’ll be white instead of showing raw wood — a much cleaner finish.
It’s starting to look like a kitchen, though the temporary wood chairs are just placeholders for now.
Keeping it real: the space also looks like this right now:
When we first saw the exposed brackets our “Toddler Impalement Device!” alarms went off, so we used leftover cabinet shelves to fashion a dummy counter edge to make the drop more visible for Clara (and us). The chairs help too.
Still, we’re excited for the next update: installed counters, hopefully tomorrow morning. We can’t wait to use the sink again — washing dishes in the bathroom has gotten old. Having a working fridge, stove and dishwasher means we can still cook at home, but the sink will be a huge relief.
Have you tackled a ceiling priming project lately? Did you lose count of the coats? It feels great to be moving closer to done.
Psst — we’ve listed our old granite counters on Craigslist for anyone interested.