This post is what we rednecks call a three-fer. Three more steps we took in our kitchen to get it a little closer to being done. or gettin’ done. whatever language you prefer. Here’s what we are talking about here:
- How we took care of those extra holes in our granite
- How we blended our outlets into our backsplash
- How we sealed our backsplash
First up – those holes.
Yesterday I shared how we got our rusty old Goldie gone. Not to be confused with rusty old Goldie Hawn. KIDDING. I love that chick in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days….wait?WHAT?!
Seriously though – we kicked our old gold faucet to the curb and replaced it with a Pfister Wheaton simple faucet in brushed nickel.
When we pulled out the old faucet (which required four holes) and put in the new one (which only required two), we were left with two holes in our granite countertop. Two extra holes. Do you realize how many inappropriate jokes I could make with that kinda material?
The easiest and cheapest way to cover these up are with sink hole covers that are available at most home improvement stores. My local Lowe’s actually carried two types…one that clipped in and one that was a screw on version. We went with the screw on version because it looked a lot easier to install and I was worried that I would shift the clipped one with my vigorous sink cleaning.
Each one was $3.87 so this project was really easy and cheap (ringing in at under ten bones).
I climbed my 9 month pregnant booty under the sink and screwed them in about thirty seconds.
Photographic evidence that I indeed still fit under the sink with a gigantor belly.
And there she blows. Well, she doesn’t. She’s kinda awesome.
The far sink cover is under my frog scrubbie holder that is storing my fingernail brush (to remove paint under the ole cuticles).
Next up is the kitchen outlets and lightswitches. We decided that we would replace ALL the outlets and switches in the house as we tackle each room….this one was a little confusing because we had wall switches that would be getting bright white switches and bright white faceplates…and then there was the backsplash that looked a little funny with the plastic up against the marble.
First we removed all the old creamy colored switches and receptacles. We have a giant bag that we are keeping so that we can donate them all at the same time.
When we picked out our backsplash, we noticed that The Tile Shop also carried outlet covers so we called them up and checked to see if they carried outlet covers and light switch covers in polished marble. SUCCESS. They did. We went back and got enough to cover all our outlets.
See how the light switch cover blends well with the marble? Sweet, huh?
Now that all the marble was in place, it was time to seal it up. Sealing is great because it helps keep your grout clean (grout is like Charlie Sheen, it can be gross if you let it) and prevents it from breaking down over time. I recommend it because it’s a heck of a lot easier to seal grout and tile than it is to scrub dirt, grease and grime off it. All I did was pour some of this Premium Gold Marble sealer in a plastic container and wipe everything down. While I was at it, I also sealed my countertops (which is recommended for granite once a year!).
So there you have it folks…three different ways I got my kitchen just a smidge closer to being ready for it’s certificate of completion.
Speaking of fun stuff, I found a bunch of old photos of Jer and I and am posting them on Facebook over the next couple days. It’s funny. Everything from our single days to our dating years to behind the scenes adventures that we never shared here. It’s a glimpse into our personal photo album…warning, Jeremy was skinny and I made a lot of faces for the camera. Click here to check them out.
It never fails. I always laugh out loud at your posts. Your sense of humor is so snarky! I can’t believe you were crawling under sinks at 9 months pregnant. I couldn’t even crawl out of bed at that point!! I cannot wait to see this full kitchen reveal. The process has been so fun to watch!
nicely done!
Everything is looking so good! Great move with the switch plate covers. Don’t worry, three-fer, though pronounced more like threefaa, real quick, one word, is a really common Aussie saying. Nothing like economising!!
Marble outlet covers? PURE GENIUS! I’ll have to keep those in mind for when we decide to finally tackle a kitchen remodel.
Love your dish towel…so fun!!
Wow, your kitchen is looking so beautiful! I’m jelly jelly. 😛 Just wondering, where did you get that cute little polka dot tray holding the soaps?
Oooh i love the finished sink area, i didnt expect you to have the covers in stainless steel, they look very modern!
Georgia x
You’re very smart for buying a Price Pfister! We bought a similar model but with a sleeker style and we love it. Then, I went and broke the bottle for the soap dispenser! I was so upset. I tried to tape the plastic bottle together, but it wouldn’t hold. So, I called Price Pfister to buy a new one, but they shipped it to me for free! I payed nothing, even though I was the one who broke it. EXCELLENT customer service. So friendly! So, don’t worry, Pfister has your back 😉
aside from the title of this post which now has that song stuck in my head, my favoritest (yes, that’s a word) part was “like Charlie Sheen, it can get gross if you let it” BAWAHAHAHAHHA!!!
I moved into a house 4 years ago with fairly new black granite countertops and have never sealed them. I have an island that we call a continent because it’s 9 x 7, really too large to be completely functional. The counters don’t seem to wipe down as nicely as they used to.
The picture of yours look lovely so I’m going to take your advice and seal these countertops. Thanks!
Very helpful to read! Congrats on getting it done!
Do you plan to home school your boys after your experience and your education as a teacher?
Happy Thurs. to you all!
Yeah for the new server! The kitchen looks great – I can’t wait for the final reveal! Thanks for the insight on the sink hole covers – this was new to me 🙂
We’ll have to wait and see. We have a few years till we need to decide…part of me says yes and part says no.
xo – kb
It’s actually a small square plate from Crate & Barrel…I got it during a clearance sale forever ago.
xo – kb
Snarky! That’s exactly the word! I love it, too. And those stone outlet/switchplate covers just changed my entire life.
I got so distracted by the frog scrubbie holder I went shopping for one and almost forgot to come back and finish the post. Love the outlet/switch cover idea! SO smart!
Your page is so fast now! Love it! So a little bit of randomness….i love your little frog holder. Did you by chance get it somewhere i can get it from? 🙂 thanks!
I got it from Goodwill. Here is a similar one available for sale at The Frog Store.
xo – kb
Love how its all coming together and I totally get how the switchplates make a difference!
Also, not to be a debby-downer, but with the new server, I can’t pull the page up on my iPhone so that it is readable 🙁 When I pull it up, the page is huge so I only see the top corner or “BOW” and then have to swipe around to read things. Is this just me? It totally could be but maybe other people have this issue too?
Eitherway, I’ll keep reading b/c I love it that much (not in a weird, stalky way…like in a good way…okay, I should just stop LOL)
I’m totally going to start using “(blank) is like Charlie Sheen, it can be gross if you let it”!
hmmm…that’s interesting. I will look into that…oh and just a heads up – we are getting a new version for portable devices so it hopefully will be more iphone friendly soon.
xo – kb
WHAT A GREAT DAY! Normally your site takes 5-10 seconds to load, today I clicked on Bower Power and BAM there it was- no load time at all!
I’m using my iPhone and not having that issue..? Hope that helps!
I love your blog and I especially love that you did all of this 9 months pregnant. You are awesome! on the family side of things that you blog about, can you talk a smidge about what it’s like to be a two-kiddo stay -at-home mama? I’m pregnant with number 2, and reading your blog is giving me hope that I can still do things like set the table, cook, shower, and even go to a store or something. Or is it really hard and you don’t write about that part? I’m so curious as another DIYer. Cheers!
Love your new server. The last few weeks/months have been having trouble opening your website. Really slow if it would open at all. Now it opens almost instantaneously. I hate waiting for the computer, so this is much better. Thanks.
YAY! I’m so glad too! I was even kept off my own site before too!
xo – kb
THANK YOU–your site used to take FOREVER to load! This is SO much better! (and you DO know it was Kate Hudson, NOT her mom Goldie, in How to Lose a Guy…right?!? 😉
love how your kitchen is turning out, but i love your new server even more 🙂 i’m getting your posts in my reader again, and your page will load for me again!
YAY!
xo – kb
haha…I know…it was a joke that they look identical 🙂
xo – kb
My house says thank you! xo
I’m doing a 2-fer 😉 commenting on the post below too!! I can’t believe how rusted your faucets got!!! Would it be from hard water? Your kitchen is coming along and very beautiful. Can’t wait to see the pics of the whole thing. =)
Major changes in the kitchen girl! I know its a process, but you may think about spicing up the vent hood. You can have a carpenter make a panel that matches the rest of your cabinets to attach to the angled flat top- may give it a bit more custom look. Or down the road, you could even remove that whole vent hood section (the hood and cab. above) and put in a faux cabinet-hood that juts out from the rest of the cabinets and has a squared off bottom with chunky trim. Just thoughts- I know y’all are still working on it and tweaking. That kitchen has great bones- and is so large! I admire the energy your putting in!
omg I have to know where you got the frog thing that holds your sponge!!!! I’ve been looking for one ever since we bought our own place (4 years ago) and I’ve never been able to find one.
oxoox
Sarai
I got mine at Goodwill but there is a similar one for cheap at The Frog Store.
xo – kb
Wow, I had no idea there even was such a thing as marble outlet and switch covers! Such a great little finishing touch on that beautiful wall.
Love your frog scrubbie holder…I have one too, only it is a cheery shade of green with eyes that are totally like, “here’s lookin’ at ya, kid.” I just love it! You can see it here if you want: http://nicoleslifeafter20.blogspot.com/2013/01/christmas-presents-galore.html
Hi! Did you consider sealing the tile before grouting? I’ve got the 2″ x 4″ version of the same tile you installed, and am wondering whether or not I need to seal it first. I’ve read many reports online saying that some grout will get stuck on the marble when it’s floated across unless the marble has been sealed .. but I’ve read other reports saying that it’s not a concern. I appreciate any insight you can give! Thanks!
Hey Katie. We are going to replace our kitchen faucet and I came back to your page because I remember you telling us about the hole covers. How are you liking your faucet? Does the sprayer go back in easy? What about the soap dispenser? Thanks.
Surprisingly it does. I am really pleased with the faucet. The shower-sprayer is really quite hard pressure-wise so we rarely use it and the soap dispenser absolutely never gets used (I have always preferred a stand alone soap dispenser so that I can get it closer to the little boys hands at this sink and at the little sink)…but it always looks good and the magnet part of the sprayer head is still working great which was our biggest thing.
xo – kb
A friend has that Ikea sink and while it is gorgeous from a distance, it scratches and marks up so easily. She’s very frustrated that she can’t lay simple ceramic dishes in the sink without the dishes leaving marks all over the bottom of the sink. Her experience has swayed me over to just getting a stainless steel undermount. It sure is pretty though…