Kitchen Countertops

[rickr]

Hard surfaces galore

Sorry to disagree Steve, but I think granite will never go "out" of fashion. It is a natural material, and natural never goes out of style. If you look at ads for more expensive homes, the granite in the kitchen is always listed. I would think that anyone looking for a higher priced home in a higher priced area, would just expect granite countertops these days. I think a laminate countertop might even hinder a sale in a home such as Heathers.

My fridge is indeed a Kelvinator, and the kitchen cabinets are new custom oak beadboard, to match the original beadboard in the house. The floor is ceramic B&W, and the table top is glass tile on an antique table, that was also my own design.

 

[gansky1]

A hard kitchen is good to find!

Very nice table, Rick. Did you put a frame and new top onto an older base?

I had a client once that insisted on glass tiles for her kitchen floor and was extremely picky and tedious in coming up with the design and how it was laid. The poor, berated tile guy finally got everything perfect and when her had-to-have Traulsen refrigerator was delivered, the installers shattered a few of the glass tiles. Hahahaha! Bitch!

 

[rickr]

.

Thanks Greg, The table was a dining room table from the early 20th century. My grandfather cut it down, and painted it an off white to fit this space in this kitchen in the early 1930's. It was used here as the kitchen table for many decades.(I recall eating breakfast and lunch on this table a few times as a kid. Grandparents usually had dinners in the dining room though) Was replaced with a white and gold formica table about 1964, and banished to the basement. I tossed the white formica out and brought this wooden table up from the basement about 1987,a and used it "as is" for several years. Couple of years ago I came up with this glass design, stripped and repainted the table black and took to a tile place to have the glass tile top done. They put an underlament on the table top to ease stress, however it is the same size as the top was. They also added the wood frame around the edge,which I painted black.
I love it! <:

 

[peteski50]

Kitchen

Rick,
I really love your kitchen and table and chairs. You have a really great setup.
Best Wishes
Peter

 

[toggleswitch]

I said:
Also, if YOU (Heather)love the granite and the Corian go for it.

Sorry, but to me trying to aspire to and attain what is currently a "status symbol" to others makes no sense.

Let us not forget that hot glass/ceramic pots can crack on cold stone, that shiny stone surfaces show every crumb and streak when cleaned, and can easily be chipped by a falling object.

Today's buyers also expect (or would like to see) commercial-style ranges. However these are fiercely expensive, not generally self-cleaning and generally have surfacesthat are difficult to clean, and need heavy-duty ventilation hoods above due to high BTU output. Even SS surfaces on appliances were considered upper-end. Today they are generally not wanted due to fingerprints showing.

I'm thinking these fads too will one day be out of style.

Bottom line: once a color is chosen in a material other than plastic-laminate one is pretty much stuck with it permanently.

I had to rip-out what my sellers added as a "selling feature"
such as a tree that was right over my water and sewer lines and right under my phone, cable and electric lines.

So my point is, IMHO do what YOU want/like.
Others will do what they want; tastes and desired features change, logic varies.



at one time you HAD to have TILE counters
then it was CORIAN
now it is GRANITE
tomorrow it will be.................

 

[rickr]

Well, you learn something everyday..

Steve, I would never have considered a kitchen counter to be a status symbol, but then I never would have thought of planting a tree as an added selling feature either.
That is an interesting point of view. <:

 

[toggleswitch]

Hopefully I have offended no one.

 

[rickr]

Not me Stevie/Toggle! <:

 

[andrewinorlando]

Steve - you make an excellent point: it's a matter of personal taste. Who cares what the rest of the world thinks is "in". You have to live with it!!

 

[sikiguya]

Granite it is.............

Took the hubby to Home Depot last night after dinner just to look at the different types of options and he sided with the granite. Don't worry , we will not buy from the big box! They are just a great place to look at stuff. LOL Well, we did buy a ceiling fan for our bedroom but that was it.

Tonight we are celebrating our 9th anniversary. Last night out was because the babysitter couldn't make it tonight!

Hubby now has all these ideas of painting lots of the rooms, putting tile in the laundry room (a total must have), and he wants to get rid of his plexi shower and have a tile shower put in. The size of my bathroom and shower is obscene, even I am embarassed by it but luckily no one sees it! The whole house was done very cheaply and it shows. In order to make our house stand out, we need to do the upgrades and we might as well enjoy them before we have to leave here in a couple of years due to hubby's job.

 

[rickr]

Happy anniversary Heather!
And congratulations on your wise choice of countertops. I think you will love them.
Wintertime in the Mid-Worst is the best time for interior redecorating. It lasts sooooooooooooooooo looooooooooooooong around this area anyway.... May as well make something look better, while "homebound".
So have fun with the repainting/upgrades. <:

 

[toggleswitch]

oh heather.
Do post some pics I expect it will turn out *GAWGEOUS*

 

[volvoguy87]

Congratulations

Happy anniversary. Even though I was rooting for Corian, I'm sure you will be proud of granite. It is a great material and you should enjoy it for many years. If you are re-doing your shower in tile (great idea), be sure not to go too cheap on the tile installation. Behind the tile, there should be a concrete-based board, not just drywall. Also Moen makes some great shower valves. They finally came up with a great 2-knob design. One knob for temperature, one for pressure. You can finally adjust 1 without changing the other at all. My folks installed some of these valves about 2 or 3 years ago, and I think they are the best improvement in bathroom design in the last 50 years.

Congratulations,
Dave

 

[gregm]

retro vs new ?

I went retro with the turquoise/shiny/boomerangs , although I am not a fan of laminate and would prefer silestone or something else, I wanted the true retro look in my first home. It was cheap, its easy to clean, with the gloss finish I need to be careful not to scratch or "cut" anything on the counters or put anything to hot on them whereas its "plastic". I also put the MAPLE edge on, real maple wood, couldn't find the "metal/alum" edge that I really wanted.

 

[58limited]

Silestone

I purchased black Silestone countertops two years ago and I love it. Silestone is harder than granite and is less likely to scratch, they say you can even use it as your cutting board, but it will dull your knives rather fast. My parents have lovely granite countertops, but the installer told them they could not clean with anything other than water (not even windex - ???). Silestone can be cleaned with any ordinary cleaner, but don't get oven cleaner on it!

 

[rickr]

Hi David, and welcome to the club. Love your kitchen BTW. The floor looks familiar.<:
Do not know anything about Silestone, but can tell you that real granite is almost impossible to scratch. I was told that the only stone harder than granite is a diamond. I do use my counters as a cutting board, and also set hot Corningware from the oven right on the surface without worry. I use a spray granite cleaner on my countertops about once per month. For everyday cleaning, a soapy dishcloth and just wipe it off. Don't dry it, or rinse either.

So what exactly is Silestone? And is it man made, or a natural material?
Thank you, Rick

 

[dalangdon]

I like your kitchen, Greg. That color is fun, the cabinets are great, and that wall fixture is so cool!

 

[58limited]

Hi rickr,

Silestone is crushed quartz. It is bound with an industrial epoxy. Last time I checked, it was available in 54 colors.

There are more pictures of my kitchen on my website, see link. So far, the only late model appliances I'm using are the dishwasher, Grind 'N Brew coffee maker, and microwave. Everything else is vintage 1940s/50s.

http://users2.ev1.net/~drw2980/kitchen.htm

 

[rickr]

Thanks for the information on the Silestone David. I have learned so much from others on this wonderful web space. Speaking of web sites, I love yours! Will view the rest of it, when I have the time, and can't wait! Looks very interesting and fun. I can tell from your taste in decor, that you have found the right internet club to join. You are just going to love it here! Many of us share your hobbies, and some of us have vintage cars, including myself. I look forward to getting to know you better.

Rick