How To Prep For Granite or Good Bye Faux Green Marble

After years of waiting... two years. I know it doesn't sound long, but it felt like an eternity because you could not scrub the ugly or the cracks and damaged surfaces off of these hideous things. Was there ever a time where people honestly thought this looked good? I don't buy it. 

I had lots of thoughts on countertops. I really wanted to try diy concrete counters or something more exciting like quartz, but for the sake of resale value and predictability (and my sanity with all of my ongoing projects) I went for granite. I wanted it to be something warm and light as the kitchen seems dark to me at times. Yellow Sunset was the granite I landed on 

I like the veining. It gives it something a little special. And speaking of special this particular granite was on "special" so it was hard to say no to. I went to my local granite supplier - Simmons Custom Granite in Conroe, Texas. Gary, the salesman, was very nice and came over to my house the very next day to measure and quote me a price. I originally asked if they could remove the countertops and install the decking too, which they would, for a price. Then my DIY mindset kicked in and I thought I could save some serious cash doing it myself. 

Check out Simmons Custom Granite HERE. They're not paying them, actually I guess you could say I paid them since I paid for the granite and install, but I really liked the job they did so if you're anywhere in the Greater Houston area they can help you out.

Meanwhile, thanks to a couple of good friends and a little elbow grease/pry bar/hammering the countertops were gone in an hour. Adios faux green marble, you will not be missed. I'm still trying to get in the habit of taking photos so little old me got carried away and ripped the old countertops out without taking a picture. But picture this on the countertops AND the backsplash and scratched to all heck with some cracks and irreversible stains. It's an overwhelming finish.

For the decking I was told to use 3/4 inch untreated plywood. This is where the adventure began. At my first local big box the saw was broken. At the second big box hardware store a helpful worker told me that I should have a man handle this for me. No comments there, but lets just say I left empty handed and not very happy. Big box store number three was just right though. I walked in and asked for help, because as strong as I like to think I am there was no way I was pulling sheets of plywood off the racks by myself. Then, to make my life easier I asked them to cut the plywood down for me. Standard counter depth, such as what I have in my kitchen, is 24 inches. Standard plywood is 4 foot by 8 foot. So I have a very nice man with a huge saw cut a few sheets for me in half lengthwise. Leaving me with several pieces of 24 inch by 8 foot pieces of plywood. 

Then all I had to do was trim down the pieces to length and I was good to go. I did this with a circular saw and set the pieces in place, marking where I needed to cut to the make the plywood flush with the edges of the cabinets. Easy peasy.And here is my kitchen in total chaos, just rocking my world.

Next up - the installation. 

Check us out in a few days to see how it turns out,