It's FINALLY finished!

When we first viewed the house during the Spring 2007, I loved the floor plan, but wasn't impressed with the kitchen decor. The space was acceptable, but the white counter tops and backsplash were not my style. I've patiently, OK maybe not so patiently, waited for a kitchen remodel and now it's finally finished!!

The following four shots are of the original kitchen prior to painting and remodeling.

We decided that we would look into the cost of remodeling the kitchen BEFORE Trey's surprise party arrived. I had a hard time delaying the backsplash removal, but eventually I "won" that battle! Ted was in town again a couple days after the party and we decided that he would be a part of beginning our kitchen demolition. I have to admit that I had no idea how wonderful it would feel to remove the old tile!

A view or the original sink and faucet with the backsplash removed in the background.

The backsplash needed to be removed prior the counter top installation. After visiting the show room and seeing firsthand the process of cutting the granite/quartz, we selected a gray/tan/off white quartz counter top from a number of quartz and granite slabs.

As the guys were removing the existing laminate counter tops they mentioned that the counter tops were in the best condition they'd ever seen...just for a moment I felt a little guilt, but it was quickly replaced with the sheer excitement of seeing the new counter tops for the first time. Who knew it would take longer to disconnect/reconnect the sink and dishwasher and replace the disposal than it took for the counter tops to be installed?!

To help the hefty budget, Trey and I decided that with our tiling experience (however minimal it might be) that we could tile the backsplash--no problem. We visited Lowe's and met with a tiling specialist that helped us make our selection. We spent quite a bit of time discussing the backsplash design. After much deliberation, we decided to "frame" the wall with 2" X 12" tiles and fill in the remaining space with mosaic and solid 6" X 6" tiles. It took Trey and I 2 nights, working several hours each evening, to finish the frame--thank heavens the boys were with Trey's parent last week!

Trey used the wet saw to make all of the miter and straight edge tile cuts.

The finished frame!

Last Thursday morning we were awake early and spent almost 9 hours, solid,

working on the remaining "open space".

It was such a sense of accomplishment to have the wall finished! However, the next step, grouting, took several hours Friday morning.

We have spent HOURS working on the kitchen, but I couldn't be happier with the end result! I LOVE the paint color, counter tops, new lighting and the backsplash is a one of a kind work of art created with some tears, a little anger and LOTS of love. I can't believe that the kitchen is finally back in order--it's beautiful! The following shots were taken this afternoon--we enjoyed our first family dinner tonight in our "new" kitchen!