When it came time to paint my kitchen cabinets, I wanted to give some extra attention to our counter seating area. This can be a trouble area that’s prone to getting dirty with little feet brushing against it. I went to the place for all the ideas, Pinterest! I settled on adding board and batten but wanted something a little extra. There were a few texts to Trisha to make sure I wasn’t going off the deep end and I settled on adding some fun diamonds to my cabinet ends and to the center of the seating area.
This extra trim work gave my cabinets and counter seating area the elevated custom look I was after. It didn’t cost much money and you just need some simple tools to complete this project! This is the before, lots of dark wood, not pretty!
Tools
Tools you’ll need: Saw (this can be a fancy miter saw or you could get by with an inexpensive circular saw or hand saw), Air-nailer (or hammer/nails), Level.
Standard Board and Batten
The first thing I did was measure for my materials. I purchased 1×4 composite lumber for the board and batten sections, thin trim for the diamonds, baseboard trim for the bottom and 4 decorative corbels.
I used my favorite air-nailer (https://amzn.to/2Frr1aD) with 1-1/4″ brad nails to attach all of the boards to the cabinet base. You could absolutely use a good old hammer and nails to do this job! Just be sure to also use a nail punch to sink the nails into the wood and follow up with a touch of wood filler.
First, I started at the corner of my cabinet and butted the two 1×4 vertical sections to each other. I then attached the 1×4 along the top length of the cabinet area, using my level to get it straight. Next, I attached a 1×4 along the bottom of my counter seating area. I placed this lower board at a height where the trim would lap over it in just the right spot. I also added a dummy board to the very bottom of the cabinet (not shown) so that I’d have a solid back to nail my trim piece to. Then, I attached the vertical pieces of 1×4, spaced evenly and level. Finally I attached the bottom trim piece.
Diamonds – Are a Girls Best Friend!
Now you could stop here and it would be beautiful! BUT, I went just a step further and added the diamond to the center. I’ll admit, this was the hardest part and I was re-remembering the Pythagorean Theorem to try to get the angles just right! This took some trial and error but what worked for me in the end was to draw a line where I wanted my diamond board to go and then measure that angle with a protractor. I know you never thought you’d use this stuff from math class, right?!?
Before painting, I caulked all the areas where my new boards met up with the cabinet. This step really makes the project look finished. I also added a decorative corbel (found HERE) to the top of each vertical board, using wood glue and nails.
To finish off my counter seating area, I used our favorite cabinet painting technique (find the link HERE). As I write this, I’ve had this upgrade in place for 5 years!! I can tell you that even with little feet tapping the cabinet, the counter seating area has held up great!
Around the corner
A quick note about the end of this cabinet peninsula.
The Final Product!
Here’s the before and after! I hope this gives you some inspiration to add some detail to your home. With a little patience, a couple of simple tools and very little money you can absolutely recreate this look in your counter seating area!
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