Did you know we have basement apartment?
We put it in three years ago but the finishing touches are just now coming together.
Before I show you kitchen apartment I wanted to give you a sneak peak of the island in there which is the Stenstorp from Ikea.
You can’t beat $399. for an island. It’s perfect for the small little compact space that is. While I love the look of the butcher block it’s pretty difficult to maintain (not that I ever thought it was going to be a durable surface ). Over the years it’s taken quite the counter top abuse. While shopping for counter tops for the condo and for our main bathroom I came across a remnant piece of carrera marble that of course made my heart skip a beat. Because we were doing a couple of big jobs anyway the guy did it for a very reasonable price.
Goodbye butcher block, hello carrera marble.
Diamonds ain’t got nothing on a beautiful piece of marble (in my humble opinion).
Come back on Monday to see the rest of the kitchen.
Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!
Dear Michelle,
Just love your conundrums. Totally have my sense of humor. I too have 3 boys and 1 hubby. You are on the spot with the commode. My husband could not understand why I had to have a 1 piece commode??? Wonder who cleans the bathrooms in this house. My boys are getting older, still an issue. One day we will look back and have many laughs!
Lynn
I’m convinced the person who designed the one-piece toilet was a mom with lots of sons. 🙂
It looks great with the change. Did the contractor just unscrew the butcher block & use special glue to fix the marble stone on it ? please share the details…
So he unscrewed the butcher block from the island. Then at his shop he made a larger edge and backed it with a board. Then he screwed the board in to the counter. I’m not sure how stone gets attached to the backing…I’m assuming glue.
Didn’t you just say a couple months back you’d never do marble again?
Good memory. You’re right…I did say that when I was referring to my Calacatta kitchen counter. When I reviewed my master bathroom I mentioned that the carerra has been delightful maintenance free and the stone that we put on the island is carerra. I should have done a better job to clarify and differentiate. I’m hoping this carrera is as equally as maint. free as our bathroom. I’ll for sure do another review in down the line and let you know how its held up.
Ah see, I always thought the names (like calacatta or carrera) were just the different looks, I didn’t even realize it would be different stones/ maintenances! The more you know LOL. It sure is pretty!
The ikea base didn’t need reinforcement despite the added weight of the stone compared to butcher block?
Ikea can sometimes but less sturdy than it’s custom counterparts but this thing is surprisingly strong.
What’s not to love about a gorgeous slab or marble like that?! Especially with that wooden countertop in the back- what a perfect combo!
I have a couple of questions for you as I’m debating keeping my Stenstorp and modifying as you did or buying another kitchen island with a marble top. Can I ask you what it cost to replace the butcher block with the marble? Do you know the thickness of the marble? Are you using any special cleaners on the marble?
Thanks!
Niki
http://www.fashionatforty.blogspot.com
I think it was about $200. to replace because I found a damaged remnant. I use a marble cleaner. I’m not sure the thickness. Hope that helps!
Hi Michelle,
I am looking to replace the countertop on the stenstorp island to match the countertops I currently have. Can you tell me what measurements you used for your countertop on your island?
Thanks!