We weren’t thrilled with how our “new,” tile-ready walls looked—partly because we kept catching sight of mismatched, unpainted paneling and the ugly, stained patches on the ceiling that were revealed when we removed the upper cabinets.
So we painted.
The paneling needed two coats of primer and two coats of paint to look uniform. The ceiling required even more—several coats of primer and paint—to cover areas that were totally bare alongside stained sections. We used Kilz CleanStart primer (no-VOC) and the leftover ceiling paint the previous owners had left in the basement. After multiple coats everything blended together and the ceiling matched the rest of the room.
The improvement was unmistakable, even if the space still feels raw. Once the new countertops are installed, molding is added around the window, backsplash tile goes in, lighting is redone, cabinets are painted, and cork flooring is laid, the kitchen will feel much more finished. For now, we’re glad to be inching toward the finish line.
The final task before the countertop installation was adding support brackets for the peninsula overhang. From the counter templating visit, we learned that any overhang greater than 10 inches needs reinforcement—our peninsula will have a 12-inch overhang on two sides. We could have paid $300 for factory reinforcement in the Corian, but the templating pro suggested a more affordable DIY approach.
We bought six 10-inch steel brackets from the hardware aisle at Lowe’s and spray-painted them. At about $6 apiece, the total was $36—far cheaper than having the material reinforced professionally.
After the paint dried, I cut some scrap wood into 12-inch sections. The templating pro recommended not screwing the heavy brackets solely into the cabinet sides; instead, we added thicker wood inside the cabinet so the screws would bite into a substantial surface. I measured and marked the cabinets carefully to ensure the brackets would be evenly spaced, then temporarily hammered the scrap wood into place on the interior cabinet walls.
To set each bracket at the correct height, I used another scrap board as a temporary countertop reference. That ensured the brackets would support the overhang without being too high or too low. Each bracket was secured with three screws into the internal wood backing.
With the first three brackets installed the peninsula was structurally ready for the countertops. When the Corian arrives, we’ll also secure it from beneath—the material includes reinforcement areas suitable for screw attachment at the factory for overhangs.
Once counters are in and the cabinets are painted white the brackets will be barely visible. We’re planning to add shaker-style panels to the back and possibly the side of the peninsula for a finished look. Those panels will let us hide the brackets behind routed trim, adding both detail and a cleaner appearance.
We also primed a thin stripe of the refrigerator surround where it meets the counter. We avoided priming and painting the whole cabinet set before the counter installation because, based on previous experience installing granite, heavy counters can scrape cabinet paint during installation and require touch-ups. Priming that small edge will let us paint cleanly up to the counter line later—if there’s a tiny gap it will be white instead of the exposed brown wood.
Right now the space is starting to look like a kitchen, even if some placeholder wood chairs are out of scale and color. For safety, when we first saw the exposed brackets we worried about our toddler, so we fashioned a temporary “dummy” counter out of leftover cabinet shelves to make the edges more visible. The chairs help delineate the space too.
We’re excited that the next update will likely be installed counters. Having a functioning sink again will be such a relief—the kitchen already has a working fridge, stove, and dishwasher, but washing non-dishwasher items in the bathroom sink has been inconvenient.
Have you been priming and painting ceilings lately? Did you lose track of how many coats you applied? It’s satisfying to see the transformation take shape, little by little.
P.S. We’ve listed our old granite counters for sale. If anyone’s interested, check our usual classifieds for details.