02/06/2026
3+ years ago my parents decided to downsize and move from their house. This greasy, gross, old work bench piece was in their garage and I envisioned it as my kitchen island someday. I've been storing it in our shop and, finally, after this Christmas I was determined to tackle it. To be honest, it was so gross, I had to have taken 17 layers of gunk off this thing. I stripped it, scrubbed it, sanded it, you name it, I did it. I was SO sore from scrubbing that thing. I contemplated what to use as the countertop, wood or stone. I finally decided after walking in a local countertop business (Blue Collar Countertops-if you are local) and finding a remnant of exactly what I wanted (and the remnant size worked for this project!). This saved so much money. If you're in the market for a small countertop job, check out the remnant section. It's Taj Mahal Quartzite and is SO beautiful. It got installed last night and I couldn't be happier. It's a beautiful natural stone and so many hues of creams, browns, greys and even rust color throughout. It fits my style and coordinates so well with the natural wood of the island. It's been a project that I knew would take a LOT of elbow grease but I'm so happy it's complete. It's a treasure.
