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Kitchen Remodel
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Replies to: Kitchen Remodel
My sink right now is my hands-down favorite. Undermounted stainless steel, one really big basin. It's bulletproof, holds all the dirty dishes, I can wash the dogs in it, and so easy to clean because the kids can never put food down the wrong side of the drain. I can also put the entire huge turkey roaster in it and fill it full of hot water-it's so nice not having the water slop out over the sides because something is too big to fit.
My least favorite is porcelain because it chips and stains like crazy. Hated it. Farmhouse isn't worth the price to have that pretty "skirt" in the front. Copper is too hard to keep looking good. I don't know what you mean by rounded corners-my sink is one integrated piece, no seams in the metal.
Our last sink was the same configuration (but not undermount) and was while Silestone (which is like Corian). It was 15 years old and didn't have a mark on it. I would,have used it again...but I wanted undermount, and it couldn't be. We gave it to a friend to use in their cabin.
One thing...be very careful of faucets. The ones at a plumbing place are definitely not the same as at Home Depot. Our first faucet in the kitchen was a Moen...and it came from a plumbing supply place...and supposedly was guaranteed for life. After about 10 years, it started to drip. We tried to,get a replacement at the plumbing place....but of course that place was out of business. We went to HD, and the very nicely gave us a new kitchen faucet that looked exactly like our old one. It lasted maybe two years. They gave us another freebie to replace that one. There was NO way I was going with Moen when we had our counters/sink/faucet replaced!
Going to look at refrigerators tomorrow evening. Like someone else, my space is only 33", which limits.
Sinks- stainless steel! Watch the gauge- lower better than higher number. Undermount. Someday I may want a single large sink instead of the two even sized bowls as I would use a dishpan if I ever washed dishes by hand without running water. I made the cheaper decision to take the 8" deep freebie from Home Depot with other purchases instead of the 9" one I could purchase. I was reminded that the inch of granite would make the sink that much deeper. Beware of cheap sinks that are high gauge and only 7" deep.
Years ago I was replacing a Moen kitchen faucet with a Delta one I had purchased from a local big box type store. I needed to call Delta one day and found out from them that when their products have the same model numbers as those from the plumber they were identical. The worst part of the job was removing the rusted in place old faucet with my back on the cupboard edge and bifocals not set for distances and angles under the counter.
One poster listed things to get but not the many mistakes. Likewise for me. We built a house and renovated a house. There are always things we would do differently, along with different products available at different times. It amuses me to see people on House Hunters who diss houses because they have "out of date" décor, appliances and other cosmetic things. When do things (finally) become "vintage"? Then those who want houses with "character" but all of the modern design features such as closet space, larger bedrooms... One person's "character" is another's nightmare. The younger, first time buyers typically are least wise, practical.
Finally- we gain all of these shopping, renovating et al skills then never need them- expect on CC!
We are having the interior of our house painted...but,we,aren't touching the woodwork. I like it...and that is what matters.
So @fendergirl think about the look YOU want in your kitchen...and go for it!! It's going to make,you feel,good every day if it's what you like!
http://www.blanco-germany.com/en_us/en_us/sinks/sinkcollections/silgranit_sink_collections/SILGRANIT.html
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/over-the-sink-mesh-colander/s604461?b=1&a=1552&campaignid=206595536&adgroupid=13838805176&targetid=pla-75700726256&adpos=1o1&creative=44897459456&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CJ7T7tyNisoCFZY0aQodKZwAhA
I can't wait to re-do though and I'm going back to stainless. This gets marks from pans that are very difficult to remove. Our water, even with a Culligan softener, has iron and stains it.
Zodiac quartz countertops in a dark gray. This hides a lot, but I like clean, shiny countertops and wish I'd done granite. Limited countertop and I'd like to put my microwave in a lower cabinet. I'm very short; H very tall--so no great options.
For life w/o a kitchen, I highly recommend using a couple of busing bins instead of dishpans. They can be purchased at restaurant supply places. They are about the same depth as dishpans, hold quite a bit more, and are great for busing!
I recently discovered thin porcelain tile known as TPT. It comes in large sheets and can be used on counters, walls, floors and they have a style that very much resemble calacutta marble without any of negative aspects.
http://www.stonepeakceramics.com/products-collections-tiles.php?coll=PLANE&linea=CALACATTA-VENA-CLASSICO
Well, I'm glad some of you didn't abandon CC when we did the same thing a couple of years ago!
@lookingforward If you like the look of soapstone, and durability of granite, consider leathered (satin) Marron Cohiba granite. I remodeled several kitchens, and this countertop is my favorite. It has a very warm natural tone, does not stain, scratch or shine, and feels great to the touch. Mine looks similar to these:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1f/e5/a3/1fe5a3a80edf965069a61dc8fd28fd9b.jpg
http://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/41819ce0019fd87f_4-0152/kitchen-countertops.jpg
I no longer can find the finished kitchens album. Previously there was a link at the top of the kitchen forum page.