DIY concrete counter tops for $150 or less

This weekend my dad and I worked on my kitchen counter tops.  I had decided on doing concrete counter tops awhile ago; probably even before I decided to start the kitchen remodel. I just love the look of the concrete counter tops and despite my perfectionist tendencies, love the imperfections and character that concrete counter tops have. I think it's perfect despite its imperfections.

I took tons of pictures, so this post will be loaded with them. I found that most of the blog posts I read about concrete counter tops did not give as much detail as I would have liked, so I will also try to be as detailed as possible for those of you out there that want details (in case you want to try this on your own!)

asparagus pesto pasta salad

I love pasta. It's a weakness. So when I ran across this recipe for pesto pasta I got really excited to try it out. As usual, we made a few changes and made it our own.

 

tasty vegan shepherds pie

I apologize for the less than attractive photos this post will bring you. Eric decided he wanted to use the BIGGEST dish we have but we did not have enough potatoes to cover the top of the shepherds pie due to this. Regardless of how it looks, it tasted spectacular.

 

We had a bunch of leftover potato insides from making potato skins over the weekend so we decided to try our hand at making shepherds pie. I found a plant based shepherds pie recipe on LettuceChance.com that we greatly adapted since we already had our "mashed potatoes." Here is our recipe.

kitchen update

I feel like the kitchen is starting to come together, even if the only thing accomplished is that it is finally painted. I even did all the wall painting by myself and surprised Eric when he got home! I know he enjoyed not having to help paint because he helped paint the ceiling, which is the worst kind of painting to do.

I'm really excited because I ordered my concrete from Amazon the other day and my concrete countertop adventure will be starting soon! Hopefully it's not a complete failure because that would be very sad. Regardless, I am excited to give it a try.

I've read numerous blog posts about how to do concrete countertops (thin coats, building boxes, over tile, over laminate, etc.) and came to the conclusion I wanted to try thin coat over the current countertops. Everyone that posted this method seemed to be please, but then again, their blog isn't called "Nailed it or Failed it," so maybe the failures out there just didn't blog about it! Anyway, I bought my supplies: Ardex Feather Finish, Cheng Concrete Sealer, and Cheng Concrete Countertop Polish.

hs photo & design - an adventure into boudoir photography

If you read my blog regularly, you've heard me talk about Heather. She's the blogger behind Confessions of a Wannabe and one of my best friends.

 

She has a new blog now, as she is starting her own photography and design company. I am unbelievably excited and proud of her. Her creativity is truly inspiring.

 

I told her just today that I wish I had sweet skills like her, something I could market, something I loved, that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. I'll get there eventually, but that is not the point of this post.

 

Just last weekend we shot a boudoir session at her parents' house. We did it at her parents' because they have really good lighting and a little more space than either of us have. It wasn't even that awkward to run around her parents house in next to nothing...

 

meal plannig done right (part 2)

This is the continuation to my last post regarding our meals this week.

 

I split this blog post up into two different posts because we had two REALLY good recipes this week for dinner and they both deserve their own posts.

 

Part 1 is Tuesday's dinner: Lentil Taco Salad

Part 2 is Wednesday dinner: Roasted Red Pepper Soup

These were both definitely "nailed its," and were both found on Pinterest.

 

 

meal planning done right (part 1)

I'm going to split this blog post up into two different posts because we had two REALLY good recipes this week for dinner and they both deserve their own posts.

 

Part 1 is Tuesday's dinner: Lentil Taco Salad

Part 2 is Wednesday dinner: Roasted Red Pepper Soup

These were both definitely "nailed its," and were both found on Pinterest.