Small project, major satisfaction

I looked back on the blog for when I had the walnut shell counters installed. It was in January 2012. Original counter project

I had the bathroom sink counter changed at the same time, I did not have the little pillaster counter changed, however. It has only been a slight bugaboo for me that the counters did not match. You can't see much of the pillaster counter. You can see a bit of the old counter in this blog entry.
But the dumpster inspired me again. The old counter came off a bit easier than I thought it would. The counter consisted of tile, glue, plywood, more glue and nails. It all came off with minor damage to the wall and a corner of the pillaster.

There was a large section of the walnut counter left over. It was the cut-out for the kitchen sink. The walnut shell and epoxy material was not easy to saw but I really like how it all came out. Now the bathroom counters all match.

And now the bathroom

The bathroom countertop was also tiled. The problem here wasn't the grout lines. It was just ugly.

When I had the bathroom re-done in 2006/07, I couldn't come up with a good but cheap surface and settled on the same tiles that are on the floor.  It looked cheesy.

Now it looks finished.

The kitchen and bathroom cabinets are of the same Shaker style.  The kitchen cabinets are light hickory.  The bathroom are a dark finish. The crushed walnut shell countertop compliments and co-ordinates the two.

New Kitchen Counter Top

 It has already been ten years since I remodeled my kitchen.  That was a big job and I have loved my kitchen.

 I was warned about a tiled counter top.  The grout lines can be difficult to keep clean and stuff gets caught.

And it has been true.  It isn't really too bad but the grout was getting a bit grungy looking.

 So I decided last year I would replace the counter top.  I searched around for an eco-friendly surface.  I was really thinking of the crushed glass tops I've seen on HGTV but they are really expensive.

I found this surface at Natural Built Home in Minneapolis.  The counter top is made of crushed walnut shells in an epoxy.  There are many shades of browns.  The surface is polished and waxed.

I order the counter top before Christmas.  After taking detailed measurements, the counter top was fabricated and now delivered today.

 This is an interesting closeup shot which shows the pieces of the shells.

This closeup shows the different shades of brown.