Scuff Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) So, forget about my thread yesterday about moving when you're under water. Dh doesn't want to do that just yet. So I guess we'll be here a bit longer. (that's ok. I was thinking next year anyway; who wants to move when prego or with a mew baby? So... We have a little $ coming from dh's gm who recently passed. He wants to redo the kitchen with it. :party: If it were up to me, I'd just throw it in the bank and look at our balance. ;) But this was his grandma, it's not that much, and it's sweet that he wants to do this. (and the house needs it!) i can't even begin to tell you how wonderful this Will be. We have 70 yr old original cabinets. Back then they made them in one big chunk. The previous owners cut a part out to put in a dishwasher and didn't do anything right when they did. The shelves didn't have support in that area and are now broken down. The whole thing was just left to cave in after that. So the tile counter has a broken, sunk in part and a door doesn't shut and another is broken. They also cut out the wall behind it because the dishwasher was too deep. Which means that area is always cold in the winter, since it's now dishwasher, siding. And it has a drop ceiling that fell apart a few years ago when mil left the water on upstairs. All that to say, :party: . If we're goin to be here awhile longer and dh wants to redo the kitchen, I'm all for it. :D So, what I want to know from you all: 1) what kind of countertop would you recommend? Right now we have tile. I like it because you can just put hot stuff on it and it's durable. I don't like the grout because it doesn't ever seem clean. I want something that is going to last, That I don't have to worry about damaging, looks inice and isn't laminate. Cost is somewhat flexible because our house isn't worth much. We don't expect to get the money back anyway. (we're over building just by doing anything) And I only have 5 ft of counter space, so it isn't going To be a huge difference. (well, as opposed to someone with a more realisticly sized kitchen) 2) has anyone ever reglazed a porcelein tub/sink/whatever? We have a big, old farmer's sink. I want to keep it. The previous owners painted it with appliance paint, so it does need help. Is this doable? Where do you find someone who does such a thing? Cost? Was it worth it or should I just buy something new? I <3 my big sink, but it would also look funny in a shiny new kitchen as is. Thanks! Edited April 11, 2012 by Scuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I personally like tile countertops, too. If you reseal the grout regularly, it's not as difficult to clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 How often do you reseal? Ours are broken, as I said, and they painted it with appliance pain also. Perhaps that has something to do with my dislike for how clean they get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 On a budget, I'd go for butcher block counters and a new sink. For more money you could go for a solid surface sink and countertop that's all on piece. For not much (in the grander scheme of kitchen remodeling) you can make a huge impact with an Ikea kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 Someone here just posted pics of a new butcher block kitchen. Pretty. How do they hold up? Can you put hot things on them, or do you have to take more care? I'll check out Ikea. Thanks for he suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 Any other opinion? Surely people have opinions. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Silestone counters - they rock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 We are looking at remodeling our kitchen, too. Granite is not cheap, but it has come down in price. Have you looked at quartz? I think it is pretty durable but less $$ than granite. Friends of ours are getting quartz because (they said) it is easier to take care of than granite. Have you considered stainless steel? That might not be the look you're going for, but it would be durable I would think. We went to a free class at Lowe's (I think Home Depot has them, too) all about different kinds of cabinets and countertops. Might be worth checking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Thought of another option. Have you considered swanstone? I've seen swanstone sinks in kitchens, and also swanstone sinks & countertops in bathrooms. The people I know who have it, love it. I don't know how expensive it is though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Someone here just posted pics of a new butcher block kitchen. Pretty. How do they hold up? Can you put hot things on them, or do you have to take more care? I'll check out Ikea. Thanks for he suggestion. I might be the one who posted pictures :). I've just had mine (they're from Ikea) for a week now, but here's my preliminary report: they're really pretty; I LOVE the way they look. They do seem kind of high maintenance compared to some surfaces, though. they can scratch or dent fairly easily (which I wouldn't really be too concerned about if we were staying....adds character! but I'm being super careful with them since we're selling the house). I don't think you're supposed to set hot stuff on them, and you have to be careful to keep them dry. I put a million layers of sealant on them and I've been retreating them with mineral oil, and I've noticed that water is beading up on them now, so it seems like as long as you keep them oiled (I've read that it's good to apply a coat every week or so) and them wipe them dry when they get wet they should be fine. It's still what I'd pick if I were doing it for me, though...WAY cheaper than granite or even corian, and so pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) Someone here just posted pics of a new butcher block kitchen. Pretty. How do they hold up? Can you put hot things on them, or do you have to take more care? I'll check out Ikea. Thanks for he suggestion. I don't know if it is mine you're referring to... I have Silestone for the main counters, and cherry wood butcher block on our island. I LOVE the butcher block. We even have an under-mount sink in it, and it has worked out fine. We did not varnish it, we only sealed with mineral oil, so that it can easily be touched up with a sander. We have to be diligent around the sink area as far as not leaving standing water - and I reseal around it using Emetts Elixir about once a week (takes literally two seconds). As for hot things - no you can't. But - I can't think of any counter surface (except maybe concrete) that you can. They can all crack or burn if you set a pot on them. We've had ours for a year now, and it looks like new. Edited April 12, 2012 by SailorMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) Silestone counters - they rock! Never heard of it. (Or swanstone) I'll have to look into it. :) Edited April 12, 2012 by Scuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 We are looking at remodeling our kitchen, too. Granite is not cheap, but it has come down in price. Have you looked at quartz? I think it is pretty durable but less $$ than granite. Friends of ours are getting quartz because (they said) it is easier to take care of than granite. Have you considered stainless steel? That might not be the look you're going for, but it would be durable I would think. We went to a free class at Lowe's (I think Home Depot has them, too) all about different kinds of cabinets and countertops. Might be worth checking out. I've heard quartz was more durable than granite. That might work. We'll have to go to a class; seems there's more to think about than I originally thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 I might be the one who posted pictures :). I've just had mine (they're from Ikea) for a week now, but here's my preliminary report: they're really pretty; I LOVE the way they look. They do seem kind of high maintenance compared to some surfaces, though. they can scratch or dent fairly easily (which I wouldn't really be too concerned about if we were staying....adds character! but I'm being super careful with them since we're selling the house). I don't think you're supposed to set hot stuff on them, and you have to be careful to keep them dry. I put a million layers of sealant on them and I've been retreating them with mineral oil, and I've noticed that water is beading up on them now, so it seems like as long as you keep them oiled (I've read that it's good to apply a coat every week or so) and them wipe them dry when they get wet they should be fine. It's still what I'd pick if I were doing it for me, though...WAY cheaper than granite or even corian, and so pretty. I think it was you. With the black cabinets? Beautiful! DH had the idea to put a row of cabinets in our dining area also. We currently have a baker's rack there. I really like this idea. (though it will up the price. If it gets out of budget we can just wait to do this part since there aren't cabinets there now.) I'm thinking we could put some kind of stone or something in the kitchen area and butcher block in the dining area. I'm thinking we'll also put glass front cabinet on the top in that area and finally have a place for our china. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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