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thepaintedlady_gw

Crazy lady (that's me) wants to hone her granite

thepaintedlady_gw
12 years ago

So...

We bought this house (I'll post pictures eventually) and it's being renovated. The kitchen is on the list of things to do, but it seems like we're not going to get to it for a few more years, or maybe next fall - or whatever (you get the idea).

It's perfectly usable:

and has some nice features, and some really orange ones.

It makes me think of this internet meme:

If I were to build a kitchen it would look more like this...

But that's going to take some time. One of the things I really hate about the orange kitchen (other than the fact that it looks like the inside of a pumpkin) is the shiny, uba tuba counters, so I was thinking of getting them honed, painting the walls "Lancaster whitewash" and the cabinets (yes, clutch your pearls I'm painting the cabinets) rodeo or October mist.

Thoughts? Am I crazy?

Comments (6)

  • _sophiewheeler
    12 years ago

    Honing Uba Tuba isn't going to be a DIY project unless you want a complete disaster and have to replace the granite entirely RIGHT NOW. A pro could do it, but also with questionable results in the field. And it will be the messiest most awful experience you've ever had. Granite dust is extremely abrasive. It ruins your drawer slides. It ruins your hinges. It ruins your floors. It ruins anything it comes in contact with. And you can't keep it fully contained. Sure, you can try. You can put up zipwalls and put down masonite and take every door and drawer off and tape off the remaining drawer components, but you won't successfully foil the granite dust. It will find some victim somewhere to destroy.

    Paint your cabinets. (I'd also think about having a cabinet maker create some stacked glass cabinets for on top of yours and beef up the crown moldings.) That's 3 or 4 months of work right there unless you have a sprayer or a lot of free time. Once you're done with that, reassess how the Uba Tuba looks. It will actually look GREAT! I've done lots of white cabs and Uba Tuba counters, and it's a classic look. If you don't love it at that point, save your pennies to put in a different counter.

  • thepaintedlady_gw
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yea, I'm crazy, I'm not so crazy as to attempt to hone granite by myself. Stripping wood is as adventurous as I'd get (even that was a mess, don't ask). I once injured myself mowing the lawn (rip cord) and now hire out the job.

    I'm sorry, this made me laugh: "It will find some victim somewhere to destroy." That there is the voice of experience.

    So, paint it is, the walls have already been primed and even with the white primer and orange poking through it's already an improvement. I can't understand who decided bright orange was a good color.

  • maybeiloveyou
    12 years ago

    I agree with hollysprings, the dust will be OUT OF CONTROL! I would not recommend honing granite in the house.

    I think painting the walls and cabinets will make the space look a lot better! The counters should go well with the colors you've chosen, and the color difference will really transform the kitchen.

  • francoise47
    12 years ago

    I don't know what is involved in honing uba tuba. But, I do believe, like maybeiloveyou and hollysprings, that you will notice a huge transformation of your kitchen by painting the cabinets. Once you paint you may even find that you like the polished uba tuba granite. White cabinets and polished dark granite is a classic choice. Simple white subway tiles may also help get your kitchen closer to your inspiration kitchen.

    Even without painting the cabinets, just painting out the orange in the walls may make a big difference.

  • live_wire_oak
    12 years ago

    I liked the orange! LOL! But, yes, your view about the whole kitchen will change dramatically after the white paint goes on.

  • firstmmo
    10 years ago

    Whole Orange Juice Batman, those walls are really orange! I love orange and could not live with that. I would bet that after you paint the cabinets and the walls and put in new cabinet hardware, you will actually like this kitchen quite a bit. I think it will be a good compromise to live with the disco shiny counters (I share your distaste for the shiny).

    I agree with Hollysprings too about the upper cabinets. If you are willing to invest a bit to make the kitchen a bit more updated, putting glass-fronted cabinets above your uppers and finishing of the crown molding at the ceiling, you would have a really nice space. You may not need to change much when you do the final remodel.

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