We have water!!

We finally have running water in the kitchen again. It's been just over seven months since we have had a functional sink in the kitchen.

The plumber came today and finished the connections to the sink, faucet, disposal and DW. He also made the connection to the gas cooktop as well. So we can now cook in the kitchen again! I still have detail work to finish up, but I was able to get alot done in the past week or so.
I fabricated and installed the stainless backsplash this past weekend. Eventually, I will tile the wall around the SS. I still haven't made a final decision on the tile yet. I'm considering glass tile or a subway tile. Color is another story too, but I don't expect to get to this until after we have our final countertop installed anyway.















Last week, I sealed the IKEA Numerar beech butcher block countertop with three coats of Waterlox (original formula). I hope three is enough because although it creates a beautiful finish the stuff really stinks. It has been curing for over a week and we can still smell it. If I had known it was so stinky, I would have used another finish. Anyway, I really like how it turned out. After if finishes curing (4 weeks or so), I want to sand/buff it to get it smoother. It seems to have raised the wood grain in some places.

I built the temporary countertop for the penninsula and the phone nook (not shown). I still have trimwork to finish on the penninsula. That's on the list for this week.


Also on the list is installing all the cabinet pulls, getting the microwave vent ductwork fabricated (it needs to be custom made), some detail work on the closet, and touchup painting. Then next week I take off for some snowboarding in Colorado with my brother....can't wait.