Painted wood molding kitchen backsplash

This is the story of how I took a weird problem and turned it into a design feature.

I ordered our new laminate counters without that four inch integrated backsplash so they would look a bit more high-end. But our old counters had that backsplash, and we didn't know what was behind it.

It was a risky move. I expected I would have to do some wall repair (sanding and repainting), but I didn't expect to find this:

Weird holes in the paneling where the electric had been run. Under every outlet. These two walls are masonry, so the wiring isn't really inside the wall. And that left me with these unpatchable holes.

But I also didn't expect to find this.

Big gaps between where the countertops and the walls were supposed to meet. Nearly three quarters of an inch in a few places! Our countertops are square, but we discovered the room is not. Ah, old house. You got us again. So even if I had been able to patch the holes in the paneling, I would still have been left with the gaps.

I gave it a lot of thought, looked at a lot of photos for inspiration, and adding molding was the most elegant solution I could think of to solve both issues. Maybe not ideal, but making the best of the situation I got myself into.

I didn't want it to look like we were just slapping some lumber up on the wall to hide the ugly. Too obvious. So we added the decorative lip to make it look more intentional and to blend with the rest of the trim in the room.

My dad made all of this from some scrap barn wood he planed and smoothed out. (It's the same wood he used to make our cottage style shutters too!) I think he bought the decorative trim for under the lip, but all the other wood was from his stash. After he installed it all, I filled the screw holes and painted the trim and the lower half of the walls the same shade of white (Valspar's off-the-shelf Ultra White).

Throughout this entire process, I had my doubts. Would it look strange? Would it stick out? Truthfully, it wasn't until I got it all painted that I was completely sold. Now it blends right in with the rest of the trim in the room. Like it's always been there!

At last, another kitchen update!

Finally! Another kitchen remodel update. I can't believe the last one was more than a month ago. Baby was nice enough to let me put this post together for you, and hopefully she'll continue to be cooperative in these final stages of our minor renovation so we can bust this thing out.

Introducing, the new countertops, dishwasher, sink and faucet. And a new garbage disposal that doesn't sound like a garbage truck. Seriously this thing is so quiet, at first I wondered if it was actually disposing of anything at all. But it seems as though garbage disposals are a lot quieter than they used to be.

We replaced our pinkish laminate countertops with new laminate. While that might seem like a strange decision to some, it works for us and our house.

First, the home prices in our middle-class neighborhood probably wouldn't support expensive countertops. I don't think anyone would expect to find much more than laminate. Maybe the most basic granite, but I'm not particularly fond of the look of the cheapest granites anyway.

Second, I love the look of soapstone, but it's out of budget. So pricey! Luckily, this pattern is a pretty close match so it wasn't much of a concession. It's called Oiled Soapstone (Wilsonart), and it really does look like soapstone. The finish is completely matte and so smooth. A bonus: it was in the cheapest group of laminates.

Third, I've never known anything other than laminate, so I'm used to it. I didn't really want natural stone maintenance tacked onto my to-do list. Plus my husband is prone to breaking things (sorry, Dan), so laminate will probably save us many shattered dishes.

You also might notice my tall backsplash underneath the window. I'm really loving the simple, clean look it brings.

The hodge podge mess that was here before had to go, but I had a bit of trouble figuring out what to put in its place. With the counters, paneling, and plaster wall above, I thought a fourth material (such as tile) might be too much. The simplest solution for me was to order a separate, thinner piece of laminate the width of the window apron. I considered having it go the entire length of the wall, but the switch for the garbage disposal was in the way. And since that's a masonry wall, it would have been a huge huge undertaking to move.

Now that the bulk of the work is done, everything's downhill from here! Really, the only things left are some finishing details, painting and decorating. Can't say it will all get done quickly, but I'll have another update shortly!

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