Our Almost-Done Kitchen

During our next visit, I spent a good part of one day sanding our countertops, feathering the joints, knocking down the edges and making the surface smooth.

Then I applied the first coat of Tung oil. The difference was immediate and drastic. It darkened the wood and brought out the richness of the colors and added a shine. The best part is that it took just a few minutes to apply.

We had to wait 24 hours to apply the recommended second coat. We had originally planned to add a third, but the directions said it would make the wood more glossy and that wasn't what we were after, so we left it at two.

Meanwhile, Gerald finished up a few spots of brickwork around our newly installed vent hood and above the refrigerator.

Our freezer had quit on our last trip and we had planned to bring up a replacement. After making a call, though, Gerald decided to give let the Desert Appliance repairman have one more shot at fixing it. He did. The freezer was well below zero in no time and the fridge was colder than ever. It cost us $100, which was well worth it.

We stood back and looked at our work. A few details remained. We needed to paint the toe kick, a couple of windows needed moulding and we still needed to install the drawer pulls. But our kitchen was very nearly done.

And so was our dining area.