OT: Kitchen Renovation

[willie99]

I heard Kevin Ollie started a home renovation company

 

[HuskyHawk]

I like the look of soapstone, but don't want to deal with the maintenance of it. It scratches easily right?

The tile work looks great. It sounds like a simple enough thing but I've seen plenty of kitchens where they don't keep a good grid.

What is the flooring? Looks like stone but there are repetitive squares.

What color are the cabinets going to be?

My soapstone scratches really easily. But there are some that are harder. I had a coffee cup fall on the counter from the cabinet two weeks ago and it gouged out a chunk of my counter top. It's gorgeous, but I'm tired of it and will probably go find some granite to replace it.

 

[tdrink]

I like the look of soapstone, but don't want to deal with the maintenance of it. It scratches easily right?

The tile work looks great. It sounds like a simple enough thing but I've seen plenty of kitchens where they don't keep a good grid.

What is the flooring? Looks like stone but there are repetitive squares.

What color are the cabinets going to be?

Flooring is a porcelain tile, Cabinets are natural maple.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Flooring is a porcelain tile, Cabinets are natural maple.

I have natural maple in my place in Vermont. Need to oil them as they are drying out. Suggestions?

 

[Excalibur]

My soapstone scratches really easily. But there are some that are harder. I had a coffee cup fall on the counter from the cabinet two weeks ago and it gouged out a chunk of my counter top. It's gorgeous, but I'm tired of it and will probably go find some granite to replace it.

We went with quartz. Caesar Stone on the outside, and the supplier had a leftover piece of some other brand that fit our island so we paid next to nothing for that part. The stuff seems indestructable so far (1 year in almost to the day).

 

[CL82]

We went with quartz. Caesar Stone on the outside, and the supplier had a leftover piece of some other brand that fit our island so we paid next to nothing for that part. The stuff seems indestructable so far (1 year in almost to the day). View attachment 45459

I like this a lot and this is very much where we're leaning. What is the color on the exterior countertop?

 

[tdrink]

I have natural maple in my place in Vermont. Need to oil them as they are drying out. Suggestions?

Finishes are not my forte. But I generally prefer a clear water based lacquer on maple. If you currently have oil your only option may be to keep applying the same product.

 

[Excalibur]

I like this a lot and this is very much where we're leaning. What is the color on the exterior countertop?

Coastal Gray. We love it and it pairs really well with the white cabinets. We went with a dark gray cabinet and the white quartz on the island -- not sure the dark cabinet shows (edit -- added a pic from just before project completion). We like the contrast and are glad we did it.

.

 

[HuskyHawk]

We went with quartz. Caesar Stone on the outside, and the supplier had a leftover piece of some other brand that fit our island so we paid next to nothing for that part. The stuff seems indestructable so far (1 year in almost to the day). View attachment 45459

We'll look at quartz too. It's come a long way from when it first came out. One of the things I loved about the soapstone was that there was no repeating pattern, so my first choice is to find granite like that, which may be difficult. I like your color scheme and those shaker cabinets.

 

[CL82]

Coastal Gray. We love it and it pairs really well with the white cabinets. We went with a dark gray cabinet and the white quartz on the island -- not sure the dark cabinet shows (edit -- added a pic from just before project completion). We like the contrast and are glad we did it. View attachment 45460 .

I'm laughing at how close this is to what we are working on. Counter depth fridge - check. Pantry beside fridge -check. Draw microwave in the island - check. The cabinets are what we started with, but we are now leaning toward a shaker style. It looks good.

 

[8893]

Coastal Gray. We love it and it pairs really well with the white cabinets. We went with a dark gray cabinet and the white quartz on the island -- not sure the dark cabinet shows (edit -- added a pic from just before project completion). We like the contrast and are glad we did it. View attachment 45460 .

Kitchen looks sweet. Question re the microwave in the island: is it a pain in the arse to bend down there to use it?

 

[Excalibur]

Kitchen looks sweet. Question re the microwave in the island: is it a pain in the arse to bend down there to use it?

I'm used to it. I didn't want it on the countertop so that was the trade off.

 

[CL82]

Kitchen looks sweet. Question re the microwave in the island: is it a pain in the arse to bend down there to use it?

Our GC says that it's easier since you don't have to pull stuff out to stir it. (Designer hates microwaves and won't use them.)

 

[UConNation]

We went with quartz. Caesar Stone on the outside, and the supplier had a leftover piece of some other brand that fit our island so we paid next to nothing for that part. The stuff seems indestructable so far (1 year in almost to the day). View attachment 45459

We just signed the paperwork with our contractor to start work at the end of the month. I was initially going to do a lot of the work myself, but this guy was only going to cost me $5-6k more than what I was planning on spending (and to save that 5-6k I was going to have to do the demo, flooring and sheetrock).

We're doing a total down to the studs gut. New cabinets, countertop, flooring, taking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room and adding a lot more lighting. We're doing a pretty similar color scheme to what you've got. Our cabinets are slate gray, white/gray quartz countertop but our floors are a darker hickory. Yours looks awesome. Hope mine comes out similarly well.

 

[Stoneman]

Being in the stone restoration business myself, I would recommend anyone in the future considering stone for the kitchen to use granite. We have found that quartz and Quartzite etches, not as readily as marble but it still etches.

 

[Excalibur]

Granite is particularly prone to etching, is it not? I suppose repairing granite is an option while repairing quartz really isn't, but quartz makes up for it in the lack of need for sealing, larger variety of colors, and lower maintenance.

 

[8893]

Granite is particularly prone to etching, is it not? I suppose repairing granite is an option while repairing quartz really isn't, but quartz makes up for it in the lack of need for sealing, larger variety of colors, and lower maintenance.

We went with granite for our kitchen renovation and that hasn't been an issue. Probably going on five years now. Very happy with our choice. Took us a couple more years to decide on and have the backsplash installed. I was annoyed not having one in the meantime, but it was kind of cool to see it pop again once we had it done.

 

[ctchamps]

Post a before and after photo please. And good luck.

Post a pict after the install? Our designer is suggesting it as an option for the laundry room. I have a healthy skepticism.

Old Tile

 

[ctchamps]

 

[ctchamps]

Foyer heading to Living Room with peak of bathroom to right.

 

[ctchamps]

Foyer looking into office. Parquet floor will get oak hardwood next week.

 

[ctchamps]

 

[ctchamps]

Old countertop.

 

[ctchamps]

New marble countertop and Moen faucet bought at Lowes and installed by one of their installers.

 

[ctchamps]

Our GC says that it's easier since you don't have to pull stuff out to stir it. (Designer hates microwaves and won't use them.)

Over stove vent and microwave combo.