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Help! We''re remodeling our kitchen!

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Irishgrrrl

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DH and I are in the very early planning stages of remodeling our kitchen and the small half-bath off the kitchen. Our house is about 100 years old, and we''ve already redone the entire downstairs . . . except for the kitchen and half-bath. When we were repainting the rest of the rooms downstairs, we found a color palette from Olympic Paints that we really liked, and we used colors from that grouping throughout the downstairs. The color palette we used is called "Rich Beauty of Wine Country." We used the Sweet Annie and Summer Lily in our front hallway, the Covered Wagon in the living room, and the Bermuda Sand in the dining room (which is adjacent to the kitchen). We''d like to stick with this theme and use colors from this palette for the kitchen and half bath, if possible.

The things we have already decided are:

1. We already have appliances that are pretty new and we love them, so we don''t want to get new ones. They''re all black.

2. We already have dishes that we love and we want to make sure the paint and countertops match our dishes, which are Pfaltzgraff Mission Flower.

3. We''re planning to do ceramic tile on the kitchen and bathroom floor, and we plan to use the same tile in both rooms. We found some tile at Home Depot today that we really like, and it''s WAY on sale! It''s a very light ivory (almost white).

4. We don''t want to replace the existing cabinets, which are currently painted white. We''re planning to repaint them and get all new hardware for them (handles, drawer pulls, hinges, etc.). We''re thinking we''d like to paint them white again (or some other light color) and paint the trim the same color.

5. We found these really cool panels for our backsplash that look like pressed tin. We like the pattern shown on this page, and we''re considering the following colors: Polished Copper, Oil Rubbed Bronze, or Smoked Pewter. Eventually, we would probably get matching panels to cover the ceiling with.

6. We found a new faucet that we like, and the finish is brushed nickel. Also, we would be replacing our stainless-steel double-bowl sink with another one that is very similar but less ancient! LOL!

7. We''re probably going to do beadboard halfway up the walls in the half-bath, and we would paint the beadboard the same color as the trim, and the walls above would be a darker color.

So, basically, what we need to decide is:

A. Three paint colors: one for the walls, one for the trim and cabinets, and an accent color to paint inside the cabinets that have glass doors.

B. Countertops. I would LOVE to have granite or some other solid surface like Corian or Silestone, but that''s just not in the budget, especially since we don''t plan to stay in this house forever. So, we''re sticking with Formica, but we''re going to get the rolled edge so it will look higher-end. They have a new collection called the Radiance Collection that we''re interested in. It has some shiny specks in it that almost make it look a little like granite. We''re leaning toward the Mineral Jet color (which looks MUCH better in person than it does on the website), but that can change if need be. The main reason I like the Mineral Jet is because it''s dark enough to tie in with our black appliances.

C. A new ceiling light fixture. We currently have an elderly, shaky, burgundy and gold ceiling fan that needs to GO!!!
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Any advice would be VERY greatly appreciated!
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swingirl

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Don''t know how large your kitchen is but sometimes on Craigslist people sell new Corian and granite from construction boo boos or remodels. Corian can be reworked beautifully, polished and seamed. Granite can be cut into tile-sized pieces. You might be lucky and find something.

All your ideas are wonderful. I want to see before and after pictures.
 

Irishgrrrl

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Date: 2/23/2009 12:34:04 AM
Author: swingirl
Don''t know how large your kitchen is but sometimes on Craigslist people sell new Corian and granite from construction boo boos or remodels. Corian can be reworked beautifully, polished and seamed. Granite can be cut into tile-sized pieces. You might be lucky and find something.

All your ideas are wonderful. I want to see before and after pictures.
Swingirl, THANK YOU!!! I hadn''t even thought of that option, and we''ll definitely look into it! Our kitchen is pretty big, but it doesn''t have a whole lot of counter space. There are two separate sections of countertop. The longest section (which includes the sink area) is about 12 feet or so, and the shorter section is only about 6 feet. Thanks for the idea!
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steph72276

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Hey, there! We are actually still working on our kitchen and did similar things. We repainted our cabinets and used Benjamin Moore White Cloud. It is a pretty white that is not super bright, but still white if that makes sense. I love it. And they have special cabinet paint at their store that is supposed to resist chipping. They can mix it to any color you like. Hope this helps! Good luck, it was such a huge job to do, but so worth it in the end instead of paying someone $3k (our estimate) to do it!
 

Italiahaircolor

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Okay, if I may...

Countertops can make or break a kitchen, and since you're not looking to spend "slab" prices have you considered using granite tile or travertine as opposed to slab granite? It's still a higher end finish about about 1/8th the price when it's all said and done.

Stores like Home Depot or Loews or The Great Indoors sometimes have sales on granite tile, and you can pick it up for as low as $2.00 or $3.00 a square foot!! Last weekend actually, we were at The Great Indoors, and they had gold or black granite tiles for under $4.00 a square foot--and, if memory serves, the black was actually the lesser of the two pricewise! They also have travertine on sale as well for around $5.50sqf. You can do very fine, fine, fine grout line and an interesting bullnose.





 

Irishgrrrl

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Steph ~ Thanks for the tip about the cabinet paint! I was wondering what kind of finish to get, and I was leaning toward semi-gloss so it could be easily wiped down, but if there''s special paint available just for cabinets then we''ll definitely look into that!
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Italia ~ THANK YOU for this tip! I had no idea granite tile could be found for such a great price! The Formica we''re looking at is about $14 per square foot, so that would be WAY more expensive than granite tile (assuming we can find the granite tile on sale). Thanks again!
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Italiahaircolor

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Date: 2/23/2009 10:50:15 AM
Author: Irishgrrrl
Steph ~ Thanks for the tip about the cabinet paint! I was wondering what kind of finish to get, and I was leaning toward semi-gloss so it could be easily wiped down, but if there''s special paint available just for cabinets then we''ll definitely look into that!
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Italia ~ THANK YOU for this tip! I had no idea granite tile could be found for such a great price! The Formica we''re looking at is about $14 per square foot, so that would be WAY more expensive than granite tile (assuming we can find the granite tile on sale). Thanks again!
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I don''t know if granite tile would be way less because there is more product cost involved...like grout, sealant, labor and cement board/plywood...BUT all told, you could probably get right around the same price as formica tops...and hey, you have granite which is a million times more desirable than formica at resell time.

The deals are out there. Like Expo Design Center is going out of business...you could even find a higher end granite tile that is now discounted to move!
 

Irishgrrrl

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Date: 2/23/2009 2:24:06 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor

Date: 2/23/2009 10:50:15 AM
Author: Irishgrrrl
Steph ~ Thanks for the tip about the cabinet paint! I was wondering what kind of finish to get, and I was leaning toward semi-gloss so it could be easily wiped down, but if there''s special paint available just for cabinets then we''ll definitely look into that!
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Italia ~ THANK YOU for this tip! I had no idea granite tile could be found for such a great price! The Formica we''re looking at is about $14 per square foot, so that would be WAY more expensive than granite tile (assuming we can find the granite tile on sale). Thanks again!
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I don''t know if granite tile would be way less because there is more product cost involved...like grout, sealant, labor and cement board/plywood...BUT all told, you could probably get right around the same price as formica tops...and hey, you have granite which is a million times more desirable than formica at resell time.

The deals are out there. Like Expo Design Center is going out of business...you could even find a higher end granite tile that is now discounted to move!
Thanks again, Italia! I''ve been Googling "granite tile" all day, and I''ve found some really good deals already!
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brgirl

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I think everything sounds lovely as well! Three things I would consider, based on our own remodel experience:
1 - White or almost ivory tile will show a lot of dirt. Not sure where you live our how your house is setup, but our kitchen is high-traffic and we live in the north, so a lot of snow and dirt gets tracked in. We went with a light tile with subtle swirls of light-brownish gray. Honestly, I describe them as dirt-colored! It is a lot harder to tell when it is dirty, and I like it that way!
2 - For anything that you grout - including the countertops if you go that route - do not use white or very light colored grout. It stains easily and is a pain to clean as well!
3 - For the new cabinet hardware, check into ebay. We bought all new hardware and paid about 75% of what they cost at Home Depot/Lowe''s. Many sellers sell many different pieces that coordinate - drawer pulls, cabinet knobs, etc.

I think that''s it! We did do quartz countertops because they require less maintenance than granite. Big pieces of granite or travertine tile would be nice as well.
 

April20

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I put countertops in my office that I think are what you are describing- I''m pretty sure they''re Formica and the have the rolled edges. They look pretty good for what they are and are a good compromise if you really and truly can only do a laminate. I can''t remember which ones I have- Jamoca something or other.

On a side note, I have the backsplash you linked to in my kitchen. We just put it in a few weeks ago. I think mine is the crosshatch silver. The only thing issue we ran into was that NOTHING in our house, including the kitchen, is level or plumb. The cutting was time consuming and we could have done a better job. Since your house is old, you might get to have the same fun! The other thing I recommend is using a spray adhesive for the install and not the caulk gun type adheshive.

Have you looked at Rejuvenation''s light fixtures? They are my favorite for period fixtures, if you''re going in that direction.

http://www.rejuvenation.com/
 

Hera

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For the lighting fixture, I would take a hint from the colors and the plates that you have chosen. You seem to be drawn to the mission style so how about a mission or Arts and Crafts style lighting fixture? I don''t know what type of fixture you are looking for, but that may be a start. What style house do you have btw?

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Irishgrrrl

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Oh, you guys are WONDERFUL!!!
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BRGirl ~ Thanks for the tips about the grout! DH mentioned going with dark-colored grout for that very same reason. And I hadn''t even thought of eBay for cabinet hardware! Great idea! Also, I know exactly what you mean about the light colored tile showing dirt. Let''s just say, I have concerns. LOL! But, DH and I really LOVE that tile, and it is SOOOOO on sale that I just don''t know if we can pass it up. We have three dogs, so it should be . . . um . . . interesting! I can see myself becoming VERY bonded to our trusty Swiffer WetJet!
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April ~ Yes, we have the same crooked house issues that you do! LOL! I''m hoping against hope that the wall behind our sink is semi-straight . . . otherwise, we''ll be dealing with the same problems installing the backsplash that you did! And thanks for the tip on the spray adhesive!
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Hera ~ I LOVE THAT LIGHT!!! You have NO IDEA how much DH and I love Tiffany-looking glass! And we do like mission-style/arts and crafts stuff. Our house is kind of hard to describe . . . we lovingly refer to it as a "Victorian wanna-be!" LOL!
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