Kitchen Remodel! Help me!
If I remember right, we have had a few members do a tad bit of remodeling, baths, kitchens and the like. I’m here to harvest as much advice and experience as I can get from you all. Now that I’m about to embark on the same path…. I was wondering if anyone had …..? any ideas suggestions things I need to remember things to stay away from pointers tips Here is the general layout of my kitchen in words. It’s a true 1947 Virgin. It is tiny, at 10’ 1” by 12’ 9” with two doors. It also has the original sink, counter tile with the faucet coming out of the wall above the sink. I know many will think old fashioned is charming, I’m not one of those people. It also only had a tiny counter and two upper cabinets and until Christmas it had a monstrosity from Montgomery Wards that was a stove/oven/microwave all in one and, yes, it was Harvest Gold circa the 1970’s. It got to the point that only a few of the buttons worked so you had to nuke your stuff for any combo of minutes or seconds that you could make out of 1, 3 and 7, my favorite was 3 minutes and 33 seconds… just easy, also you had no control of power, just high power. I prefered to use it as a bread box.... Keeps the dogs out of your bread... Yes I did have my thinking cap on for that one. My plan is to not change where the sink is or the stove is located to keep cost down. But to expand on counter space, and storage space, get a dishwasher, a freezer on bottom refrigerator, keep the new (since Christmas) Kenmore Elite range that I bought at the Sears Outlet center because the Harvest Gold monstrosity died on the weekend before Christmas, rendering me unable to cook the roast I had purchased for Christmas Dinner…. Long story, with happy ending. Because I have been cabinet starved, I went to Ikea and planned a kitchen with a million cabinets, I had them every where and all the way to the ceiling… I have been rethinking my space and lighting and how I cook and where I want things. So I will have to go back and re-plan my design a bit. So if anyone has any ideas of what to watch out for, I would truly appreciate it… Thanks in advance…. Leslie |
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| leslie....if you pm me and give me your email address...we can email back and forth.....especially if you send me all of your dimension...i can try to come up with something for you.........
darcy |
| One of the best savers (and I don't know how I have lived without these for so long) is to have long, flat drawers made where the toe-kick is under a couple of the cabinets. They are PERFECT for cookie sheets, skillets, lids, cutting boards, etc. Put them on magnetic closures, so you just give it a little push with my toe and it slides out.
If you have the typical fake drawer under your sink - often they're just drawer fronts, have the bottom put on a hidden hinge, so it tilts out toward you. Then install a tray on the inside and you can keep sponges, sink stoppers, etc there. I will never, ever in my life have white cabinets or white painted trim again. EVEN when my kids are grown, and even if I don't have as many dogs. Now, I realize the wood cabinets get just as dirty, but I don't have to see it as much. It hides a world of sins. White can be pretty in the catalogs, but it sucks to maintain. If you have cabinets that turn a corner, a lazy susan is wonderful. Lighting is huge. I wish I planned my lighting out ahead of time a lot better (twice now...quick learner, huh?). I have great overhead lighting but not adequate task lighting. Get under-cabinet lighting. Go with the cabinets all the way to the ceiling. Even if you do varying heights for dimension - use the space to your advantage. If you are going to do tile counter-tops, do not do white or light colored grout, and seal the hell out of them. Same goes for tile floors. I had a light grey grout on the floor, and although it was sealed to start, that wore off and before I knew it, every time I mopped the grout got darker and darker from the dirty mop water. Eventually I'd have to bleach the whole thing and seal it again - total back-breaker. No matter how much I sealed it or what pricey sealer I used, eventually it would happen again and again. I have a busy house, so I mop fairly often - grout and dirty mop water do not mix. I am SO through with tile. I detest it. Love granite but of my friends who went with the darker (mostly black), all hate it and struggle to keep it clean. It shows everything. I am not a huge fan of IKEA cabinets. I think the styling is nice on some of them, but the quality is - mediocre. They're not built for the long haul. You can find cabinet makers who can build for close to the same price, get exactly what you want and you could finish/paint them yourself. That's my vote, anyway. |
I have nothing to offer for advice but don't forget before and after pictures  |
| Go with the best quality cabinets you can afford, as well as the best quality appliances. Also, go to your local home improvement center and ask to talk with one of their professional kitchen planners. Decide on a budget and a good planner should be able to help you decide where to spend your money. If you have to start out with less expensive countertops, that's ok. They can be upgraded later, as can flooring. Cabinets and layout are more important.
I had to scrap my kitchen reno for a few years, but do have plans. I will probably go for a solid surface counter top--I'd love to have (not black) granite for part of it, but probably will not. Instead, I will probably go for Silestone or Ceasarstone solid countertops because I don't trust my hubby not to put a hot pot on any other type of counter to ruin it, and I know I do not want to deal with grout. We vacationed in a rental house that had laminate wood flooring that I really did like (thinking I'd hate it): it was attractive and looked pretty much like the real deal without the issues for water of a real wooden floor. I would consider this because I am not as young as I used to be and standing on a really hard surface (tile, stone) would just be too hard on my poor back. You can go with stock cabinets and have them custom adjusted to your height. I am short and so standard height is not comfortable for me to work on. Hubby is tall, and he likes the standard height or a bit higher. When we do it, we will have work surfaces of both heights. I agree with the lighting issue. My current kitchen has very poor lighting and it makes it less enjoyable/practical to work there. |
| The house we are in has pull-outs where the the lower counter shelves should be. They can be adjusted higher or lower. I love them.
I wish I had put in undercounter lights. Our ceiling has recessed lights, which work great. We have Corian countertops, which are easy to clean - and repair. I learned last Fall that I really should have my electric skillet sitting on a cutting board - we were in the middle of feeding 20 when we heard a loud sound, like a 22 going off and the counter cracked. A guy came out last week and repaired the crack and polished the countertop for a very reasonable price. They look brand new. Deep sink. I have one deep and one shallow bowl, which works well. I second the sink front panel holder. I have white cabinets, which have been fine with the 3 kids and 3 dogs. We used a barely off-white to hide the color change that occurs in oil-based paints over time. They started ripping out the white tile floor today that was here when moved in (the couple was older with no kids or pets at home) and will be putting in a large beige tile with beige grout. Large tiles = less grout. I like the neutrals because I decorate for Holidays - no color conflicts. And the food pops. Measure your largest plates, platters and small appliances to make sure they fit in the cabinets. You can never have enough storage space. |
| I was at Home Depot the other day and wandered thru their kitchen displays. I spied books and asked their price. Free!! Best price. Brought them home and have been thumbing thru them to get ideas, style ideas, etc.
I also suggest web crawling. Lots of kitchen design ideas. I'm still trying to get more info on limited access type kitchens...for physically unable people......I've been able to gather info here and there. One thing driving me nuts these last few days is the cabinets that don't go to the ceiling. What, they think I'm into cleaning the top of my cabinets??!! Sounds like your kitchen is worse than mine. I have several drawers that.. are now holes in the cabinets as the drawers broke beyond repair. The base cabinet is coming apart, the "wood" is chipped and let's not talk about the leak problem several years ago. At least I'm ahead of you, all appliances work. We did get rid of the coppertone frig about 15 years ago. Never did work properly after movers bounced it down the street. |
| Darcy is brilliant. Definitely take her up on her offer.
In my kitchen I love: The trash can that slides out from a cabinet. The vertical cookie sheet cabinet that was strategically stuck into a space that would have been wasted next to the dishwasher (similar to the horizontal ones mentioned earlier). My granite countertops - in fact, the pattern has so much "movement" that you can't see any food on them, even when you're trying to clean! The new lighting my husband put in - really makes working in the kitchen easier. The dark grout - I have 1100 square feet of tile and I never have to worry about the grout 
I wish I had: a bookshelf for cookbooks. And a storage thingy to manage all the pot lids. |
Wow oh wow, lots of input.... 
I'm sifting thru what I have received so far to see what I need to remember and use.... 
Lighting is something I am thinking about seriously, it's very important for good lighting in a working area. It also has to be comfortable for me to work and cook. I love to cook and I currently work under some pretty bad conditions, I am off Friday to be home for the arrival of the debris box that I'm ordering and I will take some photos of the kitchen prior to demo so you can see exactly what I have had to deal with.
I have been using the IKEA planner for the floor plan and one thing I seem to like is to have my pots and pans available to me when I'm cooking, I also love the idea of the pull out drawers instead of shelves, my dad had built my moms cabinets (:hearts: he  was a cabinet maker and carpenter) and he had designed those for her, we all loved the practicality of them. I also like open shelving, I collect very few things, but one is mixing bowls and colanders and I use them all the time. So I want to have them at hand and on display.
My space is tiny so I will be using white cabinets and slate colored flooring and slate colored counter tops, the pop of color I will use is my red stand mixer and other red accent pieces I find. But I’m really planning on a very neutral color scheme that I can mix up with color accents. I’m also opening up the wall a bit between the kitchen and dining room and I will be painting the dining room and want to use an apple or spring green color on the walls. My living, dining and kitchen will have a more open feeling once this plan actually happens… I can’t wait for the debris box… I have so much crap to get rid of. My contractor will save what cabinets he can and I will install them as pantry storage in the garage… When you see my kitchen photos…. You will all pity me and wonder how I can manage a meal out of this archaic semblance of a kitchen, and when I tell you that I have not had a working kitchen sink for over a year and have been doing dishes in the laundry sink in the garage you will really feel sorry for me…. Thanks to everyone who has dropped in to help, I will sure need all of it I'm sure. L |
| Oh, you really are serious about this! Not just talking stage like me. Of course I'm ready NOW, husband won't even talk about it.
I love drawers. Mother had them in her home, no lost items back in the bottom corner of the bottom cabinet! I like the European style cabinet, no hinges visible...I hate cleaning cabinet hinges. No center support to get in the way. Yes, the cookie sheet/bakeware supports would solve a lot of problems for me. Roll out pantry in those misc inches......or actually I'd like to have a whole separate room as a pantry for storing turkey pans, etc that get used once a year or so as well as all the dry food stuffs, extra china, etc. I like glass doors but they'd have to be frosted to hide some of my over stuffed cabinets..........bring your debris boxes over here! Interior cabinet lighting......ooooh, beind the glass, yummy. Plenty of lighting.......on different circuits so I can set the mood as well as have enough for safe cooking. Everything thing must be easy clean......dog slobber ornaments are not nice. I'm messy around the sink. I've seen where the counter can be graded down into the sink to catch all the messes I make. I haven't made up my mind on those. Definately below counter sink placement is a must. I'd love to have a tiny dog station complete with a sink so I can wash out bowls away from the kitchen sink as well as store dog food and bowls, but I'd have to add an extension onto the house. Just no room. aaahh, dreams........ |
| Serious is right! I’m so tired of this space that is referred to as a kitchen…. It must go, and soon!
Last night I thought I was all done with the planning and had settled on the cabinets.... and this morning I have a new idea that I want to layout to see how it flows and works. Reducing the actual upper cabinets and adding some open shelves for pretty bowls and dishes, my collection of mixing bowls that I use all the time, I wasn't even thinking of a place for the garbage and recycling cans to go, so now I have to think of a place to accommodate those. I was thinking of putting pantry cabinet in the kitchen, and now I'm thinking why waste the potential for more counter space. I'm now thinking of adding pantry cabinet to just outside the garage door for those items that someone pointed out, "that you use once a year" I do want to settle on this soon, I want to go down and apply for my permit. Even though replacing cabinets and a kitchen sink do not really require a permit, I have a very nosy neighbor who works for the City and so I'm getting a permit to just stop the jerk in his tracks. (Jerk is the mild form of what I normally call him) I'm really excited about this project. I will be acting as my own general contractor and manage the different people who have to come in and do what ever it is they do to save money and I will be doing a lot of the work on my own too. I will be: Finishing the dry wall Painting Laying tile (if I go with tile as the back splash) Designing the wrought iron window box for kitchen and living room windows Building the cabinets for installation What I have already purchased: Sink Window Faucet Range What I need to buy: Refrigerator Dishwasher Garbage disposal Pendant lamps Cabinets Flooring Ceiling lights Above cabinet lighting Task lighting Counter top Paint Wall paper or tile (for back splash) Wire and electrical boxes & assorted wiring items Dry wall Dry wall screws Assorted plumbing parts |
| ooooooooooooookkkkkkkk, you are way beyond me. No way I have the desire or equipment to make my own cabinets. That bus left the depot about 20 years ago. I still do become weak-kneed passing the "toy" department in Home Depot or Lowe's........"Yes, honey I really do need a new drill driver." Wait, do mean assemble the cabinets......or actually build from scratch?
Yes, get the permit. Neighbors like that can make you life miserable. Well, you have plenty of work ahead......good thing you enjoy doing it. Remember Darcy is just a click away. |
| Oh, while I am a carpenters daughter and I do know the working end of most tools, I will be assembling the cabinets... I'm not building them thank god... |
| Just another thought, we have a contractor doing our stuff right now - as in they started pulling up the old tile yesterday. We are getting out tiles for 30% off the list price and the plumbing supplies much cheaper. Because we are buying the cooktop, oven and microwave from the same vendor, we are getting the contrators price.
I do envy you knowing how to do this! The painter is going to texture the walls tomorrow and show me how to skip trowel. He was very impressed with the prep job mymother and I did before we hung the wallpaper - he was able to get it off very quickly. |
| I love two things we did...we have quartz countertops...no maintenance and can't damage them, even more durable than granite...they come in beautiful natural quartz of all colors. I chose a Jennaire gas stovewith convection oven...downdraft so you don't have a problem with heat and steam ever. Love it! Like some others, I have learned to detest tile anywhere...it's cold in the winter and hard to keep clean...I put hardwood floors in kitchen and bathrooms (we purchased extra in case of any future damage)...love it and it's so much warmer in the winter than tile...otherwise I would have gone with a vinyl floor. |
| Okay, tomorrow the Debris box arrives.... Woo Hoo... I'm thrilled, it feels like it's really going to happen.
I'm going to take some photos of the before so we can all remember what it looked like once it's all brand new... Has anyone any feed back on Horizontal cabinets? IKEA shows them alot and I love what they look like. I ask as I'm considering using them for the upper part, you know how horizontal stripes make you look wider, I'm hoping it will make my kitchen look bigger too.... don't laugh, it's my thinking, hey Darcy, what do you think? L |
| Seal off the area as much as possible. The downstairs is like a dust bowl right now. They have one more room to pull tile from and then I'm going to start cleaning. And they did tape off the areas....
The dogs and cats need baths - they are dusty. When we did the big remodel 12 years ago (added a second story and worked on each of the rooms), we moved the microwave and two ice chests into a room that we weren't working on. The frig and freezer were in the garage, but that wasn't always easy to get to when needed. One ice chest had drinks and the other had cold snacks - for the kids. I alos put cereal and other dry snacks there too. It kept the kids out of the way, which made the work go faster. |
| post some pictures!!! so i can see what your working with.....
are you going for a contemporary look? horizontal is big right now, but for a contemporary look....also using 2 different colors ie one for an island and one for the perimeter OR uppers and lowers are also huge.... you said it was a small kitchen. if you are doing that horizontal look, will you be stacking the cabs or just one row? usually those cabs arent any taller than 24''...and depending on how the door works (flip up) you have to hang them lower so they dont hit the ceiling...... post the site from ikea of the cabs that youre thinking of, that may help too!! |
| good to hear someone else is remodeling also. i have been painting walls, trim, new tile, wood floors, and a whole new bathroom. still working on it but each day is one step closer to the finished product. |
| Darcy, I think in a way it is a little on the contemporary side. It's not country. I'm looking for a neutral scheme and one that would get a second look from buyers in a few years. I also love to cook and want it to be functional for me until I retire and sell the house.
I have changed the plans a bit and I'm going for more traditional cabinets, but I really like the look and feel of the horizontal ones. I'm using a pair of them over the stove with a hood, to the left of them, I'm going with open shelves for the most used bowls and items. Also an a pot rack on the wall. A pantry cabinet, a plate rack over the dishwasher. But I did open up the look with open shelving and such to lighten up the room. Anything will be better than what I have. I purchased the refrigerator, I also put the deposit down on a Domco lino floor, that looks like slate. I really love that product, it can be applied with no glue or adhesive. I will be taking photos and posting them soon |
| I don't know how close that open shelf will be to the stove, but I would be concerned about steam and grease making buildup if you cook often. Keeping all those bowls and stuff clean could be a pain.
Or make sure you get a strong exhaust fan and use it religiously! I would use a lower cabinet next to the stove as the place for them - and have those nice slideouts for easy access. If you want to show stuff off, a glass doored cupboard next to the stove would be easier to clean. I would rather clean one door front than all the individual pieces on the shelf.  |
| I was watching HGTV and saw that you could get prefab granite counters. So I looked at the local shops and found where I could get granite counters. The granite I picked is called Tiger Skin, so warm and beautiful, goes amazing with the lino I selected for the floor. The granite will come to just under $400. and the install will be about $900. Total is a lot less than I had anticipated. For anyone contemplating granite, it's well worth looking in to getting prefab counters and haveing them installed. The finished look will help with the resale of your property if that is some place down the pike....
Cabinets are ordered Floor is ordered Kitchen is being removed now will be going with the granite french door refrig was delivered this morning ($921.) in black Stove was purchased at Christmas in black found the hood for over the stove, very modern, also in black ($248.) Dishwasher, with SS interior in black will cost about $500. I will now probably put in the breakfast counter in granite too and the built in shelving in the living room will also have granite.... as will the bath. Pictures soon, looking for my camera L |
| Choices, choices...
Help me with my choices please! here are two samples of granite, both in the same color family.. I would like to know which you prefer and most imporantly, why. Thanks in advance: spotty 
Or swirly 
My floor is a Lino that looks like slate tiles in these colors my lower cabinets are a matte white with Stainless handles Upper Cabinets are open shelving, or frosted glass with stainless edging Stainless steel bars for a pot rack to hang my stainless steel pots (me and Wolfgang Puck in the kitchen) no selection for back splash yet appliances are Kenmore Black |
| I would choose the first one. The brighter black and white would set your appliances and cabinets off better. Just my thought. |
| So pretty.
It all depends on whether you want the countertop to be a main focus. The spotty will stand out more IMO as the edges of the colors are very clearcut. It is also appears a bit darker in the pictures you took, so more contrast with the cabinets. The swirly pattern will pull in all of the colors, but be more of a backdrop. It also appears lighter. |
| Both are lovely, but my preferance is for the top choice (more spot, less swirl) because it seems more random in its pattern and while the swirl is random enough, I still see swirl when I look at it. I am sure it would be lovely in application, too, but I just find the first one to be prettier. Of course, I tend to be a sharp contrast kind of gal. |
| the first one it's brighter |
| I like the first one too for all the reasons the others have mentioned. |
| I like the second a bit more, but love both. First one looks too much like bird droppings........but then that's what I was cleaning today....outside, not inside. Maybe a night's sleep would bring me to the first. First one is a bit brighter, more cheerful, but I'd have a hard time finding things on it. |
| id say the first one...is that Luna pearl? |
| Darcy, I don't remember what the name was of the "spotty" one, I will find out and let you know. The more I think about it, I will probably go with the spotty one over the softer one. I still have time to decide and I have finally finalized the back splash.
I found a Maytag steam dishwasher in black for 399. not a bad deal |
| How's the project going? Yes, the spotty one is better. I truly was bird pooped out that night and did not appreciate it's beauty. No chance of going with the same material as a back splash? |
| Or go with a neutral backsplash with some of the granite as an accent? Pick the neutral from the colors in the granite....
I saw some tile yesterday that had a coordinating narrow band that I assume was a chair rail - it was very tall. Some of them even had a combination of high and low pieces - my first thought was that must be a ***** to grout. |
| the backsplash is going to be tile that is made to look like travertine (sp?) picking one of the neutral tones and I will probably put in an feature strip of tiles using the smaller mosaic tiles to pick some of the contrasting colors of the granite. This will be fun as I'm an artist and this will be my moment to be creative.
I'm looking at slip covers for my two sofas in the living room. I want to cover them with a Espresso brown linen slip cover and paint the room in a grey green shade, not terribly deep, but enough for a contrast. Put up crown moulding ( I bought a compound miter saw and a skill saw this weekend Woo Hoo!) in the living room and in the dining room I want to put up chair rail with bead board and also paint it in a new color, I'm thinking of doing the dining room in a blue/green color. The color I want is called Translucent and reminds me of beach glass. Next year I'm going to have the hardwoods refinished and stain them in a little darker shade than the honey oak color (the original color). I've been living in this house for 7 years and had done nothing. I also didn't have HGTV all these years. Then recently I added the level of Cable so I could get HGTV and all of a sudden I have a million ideas and can't wait to execute them... I blame HGTV for my sudden interest in my home. L |
Quote: I bought a compound miter saw and a skill saw this weekend Woo Hoo!)
YES!!! My type of gal!! |
| Oh baby, me and my tools... My father was a carpenter and I am also a jeweler in my other life, so tools I have and I would love more. I have been wanting a compound miter saw for a very long time so I decided with the work I want to do, this was the time. I also have a reciprocating saw some place in the house. I also have a drill press and I have a dremel and two flex shafts for polishing and grinding jewelry.
Tell me what you have.... I love to talk tools, I'm also a girly girl, I love make up and dressing up and cooking... |
| Powertools and jewelry usually don't mix!
Don't use large power tools while wearing rings or necklaces... I've seen what can happen.  |
| In a previous life I was very much into doing stuff and had access to a full shop including arc and gas welding. Make my own concrete flower pots, sure, let me whip up the molds! Rocking horses for my nieces and nephews, sure no problem. Dogs houses......with or without windows? Rabbit hutch or rabbit condo? Chicken coops? sure, how many hens will be in there?
Compound miter saw was my dream as I hated hand cutting those weird angles and inside cuts. Bless glue and saw dust for the booboos. I inherited my fathers WWII tool chest and had to go to a vo-tech school to learn what all the stuff was! Oh, that's what tool and die means! Alas, I married a man who is like my brothers, not a handyman brain in their head. I had to do the home repairs and projects. Through many moves the fun stuff is gone.....no more saws, drills, planes, etc. though I could get rather crazy about a lathe if it happens to find my front door. I still think I need a good cordless drill driver to hang curtain rods. Sometimes that hardboard is hard
Oh to be 40 years younger and have the $$ for all those tools one would need!!! and the space to set up a respectable shop. That's not to say if Norm Abrams needs someone to catch the lumber coming thru the planer I'd turn him down. Or if he starts talking biscuits I know to cover them with glue, not butter. Alas all my shop work now is finding the check book and paying someone else to do the work. Don't show me the Home Depot or Lowe's circular, I go straight to the tool section and dream of saws and sawdust. |
| My Dad was also a carpenter and I loved nothing better than to be with him in his workshop
Here's my list , most being birthday and christmas gifts from my sons 
skill saw table saw compound mitre saw band saw scroll saw dremel tool drill press various carving knives and the usual small tool stuff the only house reno I have done was to make a bookcase with cupboards underneath covering one wall of my computer room but some of the other things I've made are One g/daughter got a rocking horse , another got a doll house that I really got carried away with, kitchen, front room, 2 bedrooms, nursery,washroom, stairs, beds, tables, chairs, piano, etc. And as she lived in a different province from me I had to get a son to take it to her in his pickup
and for my 4 g/sons I made roll top trunks and then carved a scene of lake, trees and rocks on 3 and the 4th had fighting horses for my daughter and 2 dil made chairs that would turn into ironing boards Haven't made the family suffer in the last couple of years tho with homemade gifts |
| Roll tops, I'm impressed. |
Here's a pic of one trunk with g/son adding a bit of carving himself and the chair
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| Jean, thats a WOW from California... |
| I have been on the search for a range hood. I have been toying with the idea if a very modern updated type, but hate the cost. Today I was in Ikea I found this one.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10110507 I got it for 449.00. It's being fazed out for new models and I love it. I can take the white element that sits on top of the glass and take it to an auto body shop and have it painted black or paint it myself with a high temp paint. It will tie my black appliances in with the stainless of the flue of the hood. what do you think? I really like it because it has a small visual impact and has an updated high end look. With the granite counters and glass door cabinets on the uppers and the stainless hard ware for the drawer and door pulls I think it really will have a very updated look. |
| this is my idea for the feature strip... comments please
http://images.lowes.com/product/802084/8020841480375.jpg |
| I like it! But glass over a stove???
Get out the Windex! |
| Lee just said the same thing. I understand, but hey a couple squirts of Windex for such a cool look. I do cook every day and if I wipe it down every day, not really bad if you think of the one you don't wipe down every time you cook. YUCKY!
I was looking for something that had a less weighty look. I have a somewhat small kitchen at 10' by 12'9", my objective is to open it up visually as I can, keeping the colors and elements light. Thanks for the feed back. L |
| I like the vent hood. We did the autobody shop for a frig and it still looks great 20 years later. The glass will be high enough that it shouldn't be that bad to clean - if you are really willing to clean it after every use (shouldn't take long).
By feature strip, do you mean in addition to other tile on the backsplash or does feature strip = backsplash? Sorry, I really don't know. Though I like the feature strip, how will it look with the countertop? It's so hard to tell in a picture. And the voice of experience says to hold the feature strip and tiles upright next to the countertop - the angle makes all the differnece in colors. The carpet installer told me that I live in the beige capitol of the US. And not just in my house. The floors are wood, tile or beige carpet. And beige walls. Shall I admit that I have mostly beige walls, most of the tiles and the carpet are also beige? I promise that I do have lots of color in the house though. |
| thanks for the endorsement of the auto body shop. Gee, I would have never thought of having a refrigerator done, but it makes such sense. I will have to get in to the box and get the piece out and send it out for painting.
Feature strip: this is when you have field tiles of lets say, blue in a 6 x6" tile. Then you put a mosaic of 1 x 1" assorted blue glass tiles as a feature. It adds an interest point, takes the look up a notch and makes it look more custom. In my case, since I'm doing the work myself, it will be custom. I have been watching alot of HGTV and they keep painting rooms beige. It is amazing to me how stuff goes around again and agian, The 60's beige was all the rage in paint color. It's BACK! so you are right in the middle of current home fashion trends! I have not decided what color my walls in the kitchen wll be, and as I have very little wall that will be open, I don't think it will matter too much as long as it does not clash. The dining room is going to be in a color that really reminds me of that blue/green color of beach glass from the chair rail up, and bead board from chair rail down. Living room is going to be a grey/green sort of shade and I will have my couches slip covered in a espresso brown linen. I have two enormous trunks that my dad made a million years ago (he has been at the bridge for more than 25 years) and he made these probably in the 40's some time. They are plywood with brass corners. I painted them chinese red 30 years ago. So I'm going to take off all the brass, replace it with brushed nickel, and put them on small wheels and paint them a deep espresso brown too. Hard wood floors and I will be looking for an area rug in mostly cream with a little grey/green and brown accents. Once this is done, my public areas are done. Then it will be on to the bedrooms. I have ideas but lets wait to see what I actually do when the time comes |
| Sounds like you're pulling it all together very nicely, Leslie. I can't wait to see photos.
I've been banned from watching HGTV until all my current projects are complete.  Interesting that he bans me from HGTV but not the Food Network... 
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| Speaking of FoodNet work, did you watch last night? If you did, let me know?
Hey, did that package arrive for Haylee? |
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