New Counter Tops for the Kitchen

Daddy has decided to start tiling the kitchen counter tops. To start doing that we had to rip off all the laminate that was on the counter tops.

This is a picture of Joshua, Stephen and Stephen Breagy working on removing the laminate.

We invited Stephen Breagy and his father to help us rip the laminate off. It was hard to rip the laminate off. We used putty knives to get it off and Daddy cut himself once. After the laminate was ripped off, Daddy started laying the backer board on the counter top and wall. Daddy used mortar to cement the backer board onto the counter. After that was laid on, he started to lay the tile on the counter tops.
This is a picture of the tile. You can see the blue and green dots in the backsplash and the tile on the counter tops.

After the tile was laid on he started milling the wood for the trim. Joshua helped him to make the trim outside in the garage. We decided to have wood trim instead of tile trim because the wood trim wouldn't be as cold as the tile and it was hard to find a type of tile that had trim to go with it. Then he brought the wood trim inside to start finishing it with stain. When he had put on a coat of stain, he put the wood trim on the edges of the counter. Daddy working on the counter tops in the kitchen.

He drilled holes in the trim and stuck them on with wood glue, then he hammered finishing nails through the holes. As he was putting the wood trim on, he was making sure the edges were as smooth as they could be. After all the wood trim was put on, he put wood putty over the nails so they wouldn't show much. After the wood putty had dried, he took his sander and went around the border and sanded the wood putty off until it was smooth. He also smoothed the corners and trim with the sander. Rachel went behind him and helped vacuum the dust that he sanded off with a vacuum. This is a picture of the granite with the wood trim on the countertops.

Then he put stain and 2 coats of polyurethane on the trim. Daddy has plugged the stove in a couple of times for us to use. We have no sink in the kitchen. We can not get the sink in until after Daddy grouts; hopefully he will do it soon. He had to wait for the polyurethane on the trim to dry before grouting. The kitchen will look really nice when it is done.

Jamestown 400: part 2

Stephen and I are also working with three other boys from church. One recent advancement was finding the secret website. We were able to get in and have already answered some questions. The main purpose of the treasure hunt is to encourage people to learn about the providential history of America, especially in Jamestown. There are three phases to the hunt. In phrase one you must crack the mystery in the Vision Forum catalog. If you are one of the first 1000 to complete phrase 1 by March 31, you will receive a special prize. The first 100 winners of Phrase 2 before May 15 will be invited to join the actual hunt for the gold in Jamestown. We do not expect to be in the 1000 or the 100, but will be going to Jamestown for the 400th anniversary celebration with our grandparents in June. To start on the hunt, order a catalog. For more information go to this page.