Countertops + Sink = Ikea Shenanigans

Hello and happy new year everybody!  With all the holiday festivities over with now, we're getting back to business and jumping right into our kitchen project!  We headed out to Ikea and Home Depot to get everything we needed and of course, what trip to Ikea is complete without goofy shenanigans, fighting, screaming kids, annoying shopping carts, mobs of people, unpronounceable Swedish names, and a trip to the cafeteria for some Swedish treats right?  So we had to share some of those joyous moments from our trip, here it goes...

We kicked things off by paying a visit with Ikea's lunch ladies in the cafeteria so we could fuel up before braving the maze.  Who can resist those Swedish meatballs and lingonberries anyway?!? 

With our bellies full we headed to the kitchen department to place our order for the countertops and pick out which sink we wanted. Alex and I had already settled on getting Ikea's Numerar oak countertops but we weren't decided on the sink. I had always wanted an apron style sink but the cost for that style was higher than the inset style sinks- but with the apron sink, we also wouldn't need as much of the wood countertops. 

So Alex demanded a few moments of personal time into order to crunch the numbers for the different options in a place where any man can do his best thinking.  

After completing another round of "research" in a faux toilet, Alex decided our best bet was to go with the Domsjo double bowl sink since the cost would be about the same as getting cheaper sink and buying more countertop to inset it.  We also wouldn't have as much extra waste/unused cut countertop.  Yay!!!!  


Here's a look at what we picked out (including the faucet which we bought at Home Depot). Thankfully, we only had to buy one 8 foot slab of the oak countertop because we actually had another slab at home.  Back in 2010, I bought one for a table that was in our kitchen nook but I removed it when we got the hutch. Glad it is going to go to good use now!

Glacier Bay Invee faucet: Home Depot $149.99; Numerar oak countertop: Ikea $129-$195 (priced by size of wood slab); Domsjo double bowl sink: Ikea $312

But the story doesn't end there because any Ikea trip involves packing the car and it was NOT easy... and boy it was cold out! 

The countertop section was 8' long, so we had to be creative when it came to fitting that and the sink into our car.  You might remember that we get pretty crafty when it comes to getting oversized things into our car so of course we managed.  Yea, I did have to lean my seat back and ride home with a countertop on my head but I was able to use my safety restraint :) winning!

After Ikea, we made a stop at Home Depot to get the faucet.  That shopping trip wasn't as filled with as much torture excitement so I will spare you.

Next up will be tearing this up!!!

It's going to be exciting and messy from here! Stay Tuned!