DIY Metro Shelf Countertop

Dear Auntie Moonbeam

I love me some metro shelves for a kitchen, they’ve got a great industrial restaurant vibe.  Just the mere presence of them makes me feel like a pro-star chef.  While I burn make toast….

And they’re crazy good for storage – hanging, stacking, piling, wedging – they do it all.

What they don’t offer is much in the way of concealment or countertop space.  And since my kitchen is low on counterspace (and I’m not fond of the view of the top of my microwave) I needed some way to finish the tops.

Enter this great piece of leftover countertop from a friend’s recent home reno:

As you can see it wasn’t quite the right size, but hey, that’s why I got a skill saw for my bday (thanks Dad!)

As you can see the slab took a beating during the renovation – it has coffee watermarks, scuffs and other stuff I’m not gonna investigate too closely.

However, nothing a little sanding couldn’t fix.  Here she is all clean and new:

After the sanding I sliced off the back of the countertop to reduce the depth to match my shelf – approximately 14.5″ if anyone is wondering.

And may I just say – woo freakin’ hoo for the skill saw!!

P.S. Who loves my new outdoor  workbench?  Yet another dumpster score.  And best of all it stores my tools.  Isn’t he nice?

Here’s the countertop in place. And with the addition of a little mineral oil it looks downright lovely.

Is it perfect? Not really. But is it workable and pretty?  Oh you betcha!

Anyone else complete some tiny kitchen reno this weekend?

To see what the power of what a little coat of paint can do check out Megan’s kitchen at Rental Revival.  Or this crazy awesome pipe & wood bench from Dria at DIO Home Improvement.

Makes me feel like I gotta get working on colour and construction!

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