Tuesday, May 27, 2014

New Kitchen Before Counters

As promised here is a peak of our new kitchen before counters are installed. We'll have to live with plywood on the counters and the sink temporarily re-installed since it takes about three weeks before we get the counter top. We're trying to decide between quartz and granite. Several online forums have conflicting advice on which is best, some quite adamant with their opinions. Please weigh in if you have any thoughts about colors or choices in counters. Once the counters are installed we'll add the back splash. We're thinking of tumbled marble or a natural stone look, what do you think? We still have to sand the floors and coat with a clear stain and add a plug cover to the plug on the end of the counter.

Please disregard the dust and dirty dishes. Notice I have my priorities since I took time to put a few pieces of pottery on the left end of the upper cabinets. Even though end shelves are a throwback to kitchens in the sixties and earlier I decided it would had a spark of interest to the area. Notice the three inch can lights in the ceiling, those make a huge difference in this kitchen which was extremely dark. The window faces north so it can be quite dark especially in winter. We may still install some under cabinet lighting. A suggestion was made to use rope lighting, do you have any thoughts about using that type of lighting. I've never seen it used in a kitchen.

Above is the kitchen before demolition. The two lower corner cabinets now have bi-fold doors so the those cabinets are much more accessible. The right upper cabinet is also more accessible now since it's a diagonal corner. Turntables can be installed in all three to make them even more user friendly. Even though I can't reach the top shelf of the uppers without a ladder I can store dishes or appliances I use only occasionally or even stock up on canned and non-perishable food items. Thanks for reading and for all your comments..

12 comments:

  1. That looks great, I love that you created spaces to display your pottery.

    We have dark granite counter tops, I like the granite but lighter colors show less finger prints and cleaning swirl marks.

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  2. The new kitchen looks wonderful. The end shelves are nice. I like a bit of retro. The lighting in the ceiling is nice and will really brighten things up. My kitchen faces north too and it does lack light too.
    Blessings, Catherine

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  3. Other folk's hard work always looks so good! I like the new layout, looking forward to seeing the rest.

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  4. Other folk's hard work always looks so good! I like the new layout, looking forward to seeing the rest.

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  5. Lookin' good!
    If the kitchen is dark, I would avoid the darker granite and perhaps go with one of the golds. I am not familiar with the quartz.
    I am not sure your would be happy with rope lighting unless you just want the lighting as an accent. If you need it for working lighting you are better off to go with traditional under cabinet lights. I like the ones that can switch from high to low.

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  6. Hi Linda...what a great improvement...more usable space definitely. I first noticed the shelves for pottery...great! Lighter colored stone of somekind, but not white, I'd recommend for countertops.

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  7. I like the space to show some pottery. Nice touch. I have rope lighting...think you'll like regular under the counter. I wish I had done it that way, but this was just a quick fix.

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  8. Hello Linda:

    This really has been a massive undertaking but at long last you are seeing light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. The result look so very good and we imagine that, to date, you are exceptionally pleased with how it is all coming together.

    We have had granite worktops for over ten years and have never regretted the choice.

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  9. Lookin' good Linda.I have neither type of counter but I would give a lot of weight to scratch resistance. Wouldn't want an errant piece of grog on the bottom of a pot to break your heart.

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  10. Looking good. We have granite bench tops - and I love them. They take some work to look their best though.

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  11. Looking so nice, Linda! I think it a great idea to have the space to show some of your pottery! Oh now I want to renovate my old kitchen

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  12. Hi Lori, thanks, I'm glad I added those shelves, cookbooks could also be put there.

    Hi Catherine, thanks, the older I get the more light I need, lol.

    Hi Joanne, thanks, it will be a while.

    Hi Michele, thanks, that's what I was thinking on the under counter lighting, we'll have another look at the granite.

    Hi Barbara, thanks, we're going to look again at the various color choices.

    Hi Turqouisemoon, thanks, good to know about your experience with the rope lighting.

    Hi Jane and Lance, thanks, a heck of a lot of work but worth it in the end, good to know about your granite being so durable.

    Hi Dennis, thanks, oh yes must watch out for those errant pieces of grog. Ha.

    Hi Elephant's Child, thanks, well I guess the work may be worth the look of the natural stone.

    Hi Sapphire, thanks, if you shop for bargains you can remodel for not too much money, it takes a good bit of planning though and lack of a kitchen sink, for a few days I was washing dishes outside with the hose on a table, just like camping out.

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I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment