Tag Archives: concrete countertops

Weekend Coffee Share 4.23.17

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If we were having coffee…

I’d offer you decaf tea today instead. It’s a bit late in the day for me to have caffeine, and herbal tea sounds comforting on this dreary, cold Sunday. My mood is rather dreary to match the weather, so I may not be the best of company today.

Friday was gorgeous once the morning clouds burned off. I got some yard work done; pulled errant weeds and mowed my lawn. I mowed down all my wonderful dandelions, but I veered around the volunteer clumps of grape hyacinths that popped up throughout the yard. It looks kind of like a bad haircut with purple highlights. But it’s my bad haircut and I’m liking it that way.

My kitchen remodel has slowed markedly as I struggle with getting the concrete counter tops to look at least a bit smoother than my front lawn. I had hoped to be nearly done with the kitchen project by the end of this month, but there’s tons left to do. I’ve still got seven days ‘til May, so maybe I’ll really buckle down this week and see how much I can accomplish. Me and Trump.

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I’ve also been dealing with a water leak in the hatchback of my car. After three auto body shop visits and a few hundred dollars expended, it’s no better than when I first discovered the impromptu lake in the wheel well where the spare tire is stored. I guess I’ll be cleaning out the garage so I can fit the car back in.

The garage was clean until the kitchen remodel began spilling over. Ripped up flooring, ripped out counter tops, cardboard boxes, paint cans and supplies, cement and concrete mix, old warped shelving…  all accumulated in the garage.

Maybe cleaning out the garage is more important right now than charging ahead with the kitchen stuff. I can reap all the psychological benefits of cleaning: a greater sense of control through organizing, the buoyancy brought on by purging oneself of garbage and extraneous stuff, the satisfaction of immediate and tangible results. And a drier car.

Wow. I’m feeling better just thinking about it. Or maybe it was the tea. Or the chance to warm up in front of the space heater. Or the crackers. Help yourself to some, by the way, if you haven’t already. Where are my manners?

Here’s hoping for a productive week.

#WeekendCoffeeShare is generously hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com. 

Weekend Coffee Share 3/25/17

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If we were having coffee… well, we wouldn’t be able to make it to the kitchen right now, but I’d invite you around back. I’ve got the hose set up, so I can offer you water. I could wash out that cute little flower pot for a mug.

No? Okay, well come around back anyway, and I’ll show you what I’ve been up to.
Remember that little concrete countertop I poured a couple of weeks ago? Well, I worked on grinding and finishing it this week. And now it’s going to be a very shiny stepping stone for the yard somewhere.

Apparently there’s a kind of sweet spot with concrete finishing, right when it gets that nice smooth sheen, and before it begins getting really shiny and starts revealing even more pits than what one has already sanded out. I was going for a shiny look, and managed to polish my way right past that smooth sweet spot.

With proper training, experience and equipment, I suppose there are subtler nuances between finishing stages, but I lack all of the above. Hey, it was fun, though, and I haven’t given up!

Today, I gave it another go ‘round with a pour-in-place top. Same size as the first one, but this time instead of doing all the dirty work in the garage and then bringing it into the house to install, I built the mold right onto the counter surface and poured the concrete directly into its final resting place, doing all the dirty work in the kitchen.

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Hence the inaccessibility. It’s a small space to begin with, but once you’ve pulled both the fridge and the stove away from the walls, and have slopped impromptu concrete speed bumps all over the floor, well… I guess I’ll be going out for my morning coffees this coming week.

I’ll likely remove the forms on Wednesday, and assuming it’s functional, I’ll begin grinding and polishing. This time I’m going for that smooth sheen. Let’s hope I get it right. A girl can only use so many stepping stones.

Have a great week! Maybe I’ll see you at the coffee shop.

P.S. — If you notice that Chules looks a little straggly, it’s because he chose to take on the water hose while I was rinsing off my tools in the back yard. Despite what he tries to claim, I did NOT start a water fight! (I did win it, though. 😉  )

#WeekendCoffeeShare is hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com. Head on over to see what others are sharing this weekend. They probably won’t make you drink from the hose.