If you remember our last maniacal efforts with the elders, the kitchen countertop was replaced and the sink and stove were cleaned. The old kitchen faucet was junked since it wasn't clear if it could stop water from leaking, so this is where we left it...
It is now time to install the fabulous 50s-era aluminum counter edging to the kitchen and bathroom counters. These are T-molding fittings, so you first draw your line...
Then you route your line. I should have used a router. I was too cheap to rent the router ($20) and buy the required 1/8" routing bit ($25) to complete the job so I decided to get creative. Yes, this was a shitty idea.
I managed to "route" the hole by (1) burning out the motor in my handheld dremel tool (damage and potential cost not yet determined) and (2) burning through the 5 routing disks that I bought for this purpose ($10).
It was clear the dremel was too weak-sauce to accomplish the task, so I moved onto the hand-held skill saw as it has a 1/8" thick blade. I did a decent job in the kitchen...
Below is a photo showing the fit of the edging once the rut was routed for the T-fitting. I first have to measure where to bend the edging. Also shows the "sledgehammer" that I brought to the "surgery".
Once measured, the edging was cut to size and notched in the appropriate places to bend at 90 degrees around the counter.
The kitchen turned out okay. The blue on the aluminum is the protective plastic film. Soon, the unveiling!
And after the edging was done, I added the new kitchen faucet. His name is like Sveldik or something else Swedish. Yes, of course it's Ikea! And like most Ikea items, it's classy, inexpensive, and easy to assemble. I still don't understand how they DO that! Will someone please teach the American manufacturers? It would help the economy big time.
Yeah, the bent angle around the corner isn't perfect, but trust me - unless you have a macro lens looking straight at the corner at eye-level you really don't notice.
The final product. New countertop, new faucet, new edging and all!
And the sink protectors to enable more countertop space when not using the sink.
And that's about all. I'm pretty happy I even got around to working over Thanksgiving weekend - so much sloth!
