old country house blog

MONDAY MAKEOVER – FORMICA AND THE KITCHEN – TWO YEARS LATER

MOUNTAIN PEAK WHITE -  MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE KITCHEN
MOUNTAIN PEAK WHITE – MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE KITCHEN

I have often found myself thinking, when looking at beautiful NEW kitchens in magazines and  on blogs….on Instagram and Pinterest…

“Yeah, but how will THIS hold up over time?”  so….I thought….what better place to start answering those questions than on my OWN BLOG about my OWN

KITCHEN MAKEOVER….

KITCHEN AND THE LONG COUNTERTOP
KITCHEN AND THE LONG COUNTERTOP

What changes are still working and what purchases have not held up as well….

LET’S START WITH THE #1 QUESTION I GET:

“DO YOU STILL LIKE YOUR COUNTERTOPS?”

YES!!!!!!

WE STILL LOVE our FORMICA 180X CALACATTA MARBLE counter tops.

BEST OF 2014
BEST OF 2014

They still look fantastic and are mistaken for real marble every time.

We have had the countertops in two different edge profiles …AMORE and AEGEAN (often called PENCIL) If you have ever had formica you know that the laminate lays upon a base of pressed wood. With many edge profiles the laminate wraps AROUND the edge  completely and continues on the  underside(AMORE) AND others , the laminate stops at the bottom.

Formica 180x in Aegean edge...the laminate stops at the bottom and does not wrap around.
Formica 180x in Aegean edge…the laminate stops at the bottom and does not wrap around.

When the laminate does NOT wrap around this can allow water to gather under the counter top, especially right by the sink. For this reason, I would choose a WRAP AROUND  EDGE . To combat swelling of the wood, we primed and painted the underside of the counter in front of the sink with kitchen paint but still, it has absorbed some moisture.

MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE
MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE

CABINETS

The cabinets were the first stage of the two-year multi-stage kitchen makeover. After 4 years they do show some wear and tear, especially the cabinet that houses the trash can and the under sink cabinets…On the whole they look great and I would choose them all over again.

KITCHENAID COOKTOP AND RANGE HOOD
KITCHENAID COOKTOP AND RANGE HOOD

APPLIANCES

We have ALL KitchenAid appliances except we went with a Maytag dishwasher. We have loved our Double Oven and Cooktop. We had to replace our MAYTAG dishwasher and did so with an inexpensive  FRIDGIDARE which cost LESS than the NEW PART we needed to FIX the MAYTAG! The other disappointment has been the KITCHENAID REFRIGERATOR

WE CHOSE THE COUNTER DEPTH 19 CUBIC FT KITCHENAID FRIDGE FOR ITS COMPACT EXTERIOR SIZE AND ROOMY INTERIOR . HOWEVER, IT BEGAN LEAKING A FEW MONTHS AFTER WE GOT IT AND STILL DOES. WE HAVE A TOWEL ON THE FLOOR  24/7!!!! I have written for Kitchenaid on multiple occasions but to no avail.
WE CHOSE THE STAINLESS COUNTER DEPTH 19 CUBIC FT KITCHENAID FRIDGE FOR ITS COMPACT EXTERIOR SIZE AND ROOMY INTERIOR . HOWEVER, IT BEGAN LEAKING WATER A FEW MONTHS AFTER WE GOT IT AND STILL DOES. WE HAVE A TOWEL ON THE FLOOR 24/7!!!! I have written for Kitchenaid on multiple occasions but to no avail.

FLOOR

I PAINTED THE vinyl FLOOR with Benjamin Moore Porch and Floor paint.

PAINTED VINYL KITCHEN FLOOR
PAINTED VINYL KITCHEN FLOOR

 MY ONLY REGRET IS THAT I DID NOT DO IT SOONER!!!! IT HAS HELD UP GREAT WITH ONE RETOUCH LAST FALL WHEN WE WERE THINKING ABOUT PUTTING THE HOUSE ON THE MARKET.

SINK AND FAUCET

KITCHEN AND THE LONG COUNTERTOP
KITCHEN, KOHLER SINK AND ROHL FAUCET  AND THE LONG COUNTERTOP

LOVE them both still but I will say this…the sink does not drain as well as I think it should. I have blamed it on our crooked floors but I have nothing to compare it to. STILL I love the look, it has held up beautifully, I wash my paint brushes and dump paint in it daily and it washes out perfectly!!! I love all the brass that is around these days and might choose a faucet like my friend Suzanne did in here NYC cottage kitchen.

SUZANNE'S KITCHEN IS AMAZING. SHE CHOSE A SOFT YELLOW CABINET AND THE WALLS ARE CLASSIC GRAY
SUZANNE’S KITCHEN IS AMAZING. SHE CHOSE A SOFT YELLOW CABINET AND THE WALLS ARE CLASSIC GRAY..LOVE THE NEWPORT BRASS FAUCET!!!1

COLORS 

KITCHEN- MOUNTAIN PEAK WHITE, GOSSAMER BLUE, STONINGTON GRAY, OCEAN AIR
KITCHEN- MOUNTAIN PEAK WHITE, GOSSAMER BLUE, OCEAN AIR, STONINGTON GRAY

I am REALLY  liking the trend of navy and darker bottom cabinets,

LOVE LOVE LOVE EMILY HENDERSONS KITCHEN MAKEOVER - THE NAVY LOWERS ARE THE BOMB!
LOVE LOVE LOVE EMILY HENDERSONS KITCHEN MAKEOVER – THE NAVY LOWERS ARE THE BOMB!

….but in THIS KITCHEN, MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE KITCHEN I would do the EXACT same colors if I were starting from scratch . The room tends toward small, in that there are four walls, and no open floor plan , and the white cabinets keep the room feeling light and open and NOW.

KITCHEN ISLAND AND PAINTED VINYL FLOOR
KITCHEN ISLAND AND PAINTED VINYL FLOOR

KITCHEN ISLAND 

THE KITCHEN ISLAND STILL ROCKS …(AND ROLLS!!!) SOMETIMES I WISH THE TOP WERE A TAD LARGER BUT THEN THAT WOULD CAUSE OTHER ISSUES, SO ALL IN ALL, FOR THAT SPACE…IT WORKS. ONE DAY A WHEEL FELL OFF…BUT POPPED RIGHT BACK ON AND ALL IS STILL ROLLING!!!!!

MY DIY KITCHEN ISLAND - MADE FROM AN OLD SCHOOL DESK
MY DIY KITCHEN ISLAND – MADE FROM AN OLD SCHOOL DESK
NICE (RELATIVELY) CLEAN PEOPLE LIVE HERE!
NICE (RELATIVELY) CLEAN PEOPLE LIVE HERE!

OVERALL I STILL LOVE MY KITCHEN, YES, I still dream of a GUT RENOVATION but with one child heading to college and another Fall of 2016…I think my money will be (better) spent elsewhere.

FAMILY CIRCLE NOVEMBER OF 2012
FAMILY CIRCLE NOVEMBER OF 2013
FAMILY CIRCLE NOVEMBER 2012
FAMILY CIRCLE NOVEMBER 2013

XO

 KITCHEN MAKEOVER
KITCHEN MAKEOVER

12 thoughts on “MONDAY MAKEOVER – FORMICA AND THE KITCHEN – TWO YEARS LATER

  1. I have the same Kohler sink and LOVE it, but also have drainage issues! It almost seems the gasket over the drain makes a seal and I have to break it to let the water through! We have a disposal hooked up to it and am not sure why it does that. I also use it as my paintbrush clean-up sink as well as everything else. It does clean up so great with a little Bar Keepers Friend every so often. Thanks for the review post, love your kitchen!

    1. Thanks Leigh…the GOOD does far outweigh any draining issues, I LOVE this sink…It is so hard to find a sink that is top mount that is cool looking and this one fits the bill!!!! in my humble opinion!

  2. I have the same problem with my Kenmore refrigerator leaking on the floor, although it;s on random days we have to keep a towel there 24/7. Of course it happened as soon as the warranty ran out. A recent google search shows this is a common manufacturer defect with a part we can purchase and repair ourselves or hire Sears to repair. Thanks for the review on your kitchen, I am considering those counter tops and appreciate the info.

  3. Hi everybody!
    My name is Trung Hieu, i am an engineer. I like high-tech, with the best Counter Depth Refrigerator for my house. Thank for this article, so helpful!

  4. So hindsight 20/20 you would have stuck with the first edge you had on the countertops? I just saw this post today as I was looking it up to show a friend. Previously I had only seen the past posts on your countertop and I was sold on ordering the agean edge in this Formica marble. Like we were ordering today! Now I am thinking we need to change and sacrifice the look I wanted for the practicality of it lasting well! So do I understand you correctly in that you don’t believe painting and trying to seal it on the underside upon install would prevent moisture under there completely?

    1. GREAT QUESTION. I think in the end, I love the look of the aegean more. and if I am totally honest, I think I could have been more pro active EARLIER to protect the underside of about a 2 foot area in front of the sink where we splash water over the edge, especially when we bathe the dirty dogs!. YEPI would still go with aegean. What I wish is that formica would do an aegean edge that wrapped around … but If I had it to do over I would prime that under edge a few times and then apply a porch and floor paint which is intended to get wet and worked over.

      1. Thank you so much! Both my husband and I were so excited to read your reply. 🙂 We did go ahead and decide to pay an extra $300 to have the laminate laid on plywood instead of the particle board. We will still paint the underside for protection. I just wanted to say thanks! Our counters have been ordered and I cannot wait to see them installed. I am second guessing the overhang though. What is your overhang. The counter top installer we are dealing with from the local Home Depot said standard is 1″ and we said ok. Now I’m thinking I should call and see if we can get that bumped to 1.25 or 1.5, but not sure. What are yours?

          1. That sounds awesome! Our over hang is different in different spots because the cabinets where built right into the kitchen 45 years ago. That being said, they average – `1″> Good luck and send pics!
  5. Did you have to have a seam in the corner? If so do you kind posting a picture of it? Your kitchen turned out beautiful!

  6. Did you have to have a seam in the corner? If so do you mind posting a picture of it? Your kitchen turned out beautiful!

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