509 Design

A SPOKANE INTERIOR DESIGN COMPANY

DIY Walnut Countertops

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I’ve been dying to share the latest DIY project with you.  When planning out the finishes for this house, I knew I wanted something to contrast the travertine floors to create some impact.  Well, my friend, this is the contrast the room needed.  The DIY walnut countertop adds depth and warmth into the space with it’s rich color.

 

You will have to forgive me, but I don’t have any photos of the “in progress” countertops.  We were in such a rush to get them done, that I didn’t stop to take a photo break.  But, I will touch on the process we used.  So, if you have any questions, please let me know and I will try my best to answer them.  We still have one counter to do for the office, so stay tuned for a tutorial.

 

walnut countertop kitchen pin

 

We squared the boards up on the joiner, then used a Kreg Jig to screw and glue the pieces together.  Once we got the countertop assembled, we took it to a local woodworking shop to have the top sanded on their large machine.  I think this saved a lot of time not having to sand, but also when it came time to stain and put a topcoat on.

 

walnut countertop 2
Close up, so you can see how the stain evened the color out. The lighter streaks were pretty blond and the darker was a dark walnut color.

 

 

I know you have all been dying to see the kitchen…so another sneak peek for you.  No, we are not done…still a few finishing touches.

 

walnut countertop island 2
A peek of the kitchen and how the DIY walnut countertop works in the room.

 

 

Because of the variation of the wood color, I wanted to stain it to give it a more uniform color.  I went into Sherwin Williams with some samples of the boards and we tested out the color I thought would work.  How many times does it happen that the first color is the one that works?!  After staining it, I used SIX coats of Waterlox, sanding between each coat.  There is a sink in the island, so I wanted it to be as protected as possible from water.

 

I’m really pleased with how it turned out.  I’ll share some more photos.

 

walnut countertop kitchen island entry 2
Looking over the new countertop towards the entry.

 

 

 

walnut countertop 3
A close up showing the Roman Ogee edge.

 

 

Even though I love these counters, after having been involved with constructing the countertop, I would say it is money well spent to actually purchase a premade slab online, then do the finishing yourself.  What do you think?  Would you take on a DIY walnut countertop?

 

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