Dave the Cook's Kitchen Reno On the Cheap

[andiesenji]

Wow! Diana, What neat ideas.

Heads up!!!

I had to go to Staples today to pick up some storage boxes (have to put away some of my books -bought 18 boxes.)

While wandering down the desk accessory aisle I found a heavy wire 5-section file folder holder/sorter which must be a new item because it isn't on their web site and I did not see in the store when I was there two weeks ago. It is much heavier than the other file sorters and will hold heavy lids without bending. I wired one to one of the steel shelves and it holds the heavy lids easily. I bought two to see how they work - they are only $8.85 and are only available in black (appears to be powder-coated) so far.

Looks like a good deal. I am going to see how they work with sheet pans and especially my cast iron cornstick pans which are so heavy they bend all the other racks.

Photos to follow....

Edited November 7, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

Good news, the cheap sorter racks from Staples hold the cast iron corn stick pans just fine.

I made some changes and switches some of my pans from one area to another so they are now on one of the shelving units and I used heavy guage, plastic coated wire to make dividers this allows for odd shaped, odd sized pans and cooling racks, pizza pans and even an odd-shaped Bundt pan. I have a bunch of snap hooks (from my dog-showing days) and put one on each end of the wire so I can move them when needed. It works great.

close up so you can see how they are made.

Using the heavy guage wire, which will support a lot of weight, means you really only have to make one turn around whatever you are attaching it to. It takes a lot to straighten it out.

[andiesenji]

I get all kinds of catalogs and earlier today was thumbing through the one from this company and came across these tool racks.

I think they will make good pot racks or in particular, skillet racks and so have ordered two, one single, one double.

I will report on how well they work. I think for someone with very tight space (or no ceiling from which to hang a pot rack) these should work very nicely. I have a spot in mind to put one up so it will be handy to the place I use the induction cooker.

[lovebenton0]

Thanks for the Staples tip, Andie. The racks you mentioned sound very workable. We are adding two workstations to my kitchen, on the lower level. Previous owners added a much appreciated dormer with window over the sink, which increased the width of the kitchen by four feet. But it is on a one step up level from the original, which is a pain for me to deal with, turning and stepping up and down to retrieve ingredients from the fridge and pantry to work with on upper level counters, which are also too full of stuff I use all the time. Both work stations will be located on that lower level. One of which will be at the end of the counter allowing me to just set prepped food on the counter for easier to-stove/sink access for me as well. The other station will be at the opposite end of the kitchen, near the oven.

Lucky to have my own mr professional carpenter and cabinetmaker. I'm thinking those $8.95 racks will be good, leaving the cabinet under the wall oven open to store other bulkier items that are now in the big walk-in pantry/closet at the end of the kitchen. There's a step down into that also and with my generally wobblyshaft gait and the cane it is not the best place for me to keep items like my cast iron skillets, dutch oven, etc. that I use frequently.

This has been such an incredible resource. I am very personally thankful to Dave for starting the thread and all who have contributed so many great ideas and info.

[Marlene]

Oh yes. Dave is our own personal hero. Notice he still hasn't posted his pictures yet?

Perhaps we should start a chant: We want pics. We want pics

Everyone feel free to join in here.

[andiesenji]

It just occurred to me that I hadn't shown the Staples sorter when I posted the earlier photos.

Here is the sorter next to a ruler so you can see the size.

and here it is loaded with 5 cast iron pans of varying shapes and sizes.

[Dave the Cook]

Ta-da!

[Marlene]

Very nice. Hey, who's the guy with the glasses? Nice dog! Did you paint your walls too? I think the floor really works well Dave. Well done.

[maggiethecat]

I love that floor. If it didn't mean blasting out ceramic tile, I'd be laying the identical floor now. Golly, what a difference it makes -- it works wonderfully with the butter-yellow walls, and makes a heck of a Statement. What with the white-painted cabinets and the floor, you're styling, my friend. It feels like a whole new chic place.

Condolences on the stove.

And: Cute doggie!

[marie-louise]

Wow-it looks GREAT!!!

And you have my favorite kind of dog, too.

[fifi]

Smashing... Absolutely smashing. I am now just about convinced to go the classic checkerboard route. The difference is amazing.

psst... Dave... Never have a dog cuter than you. It messes up the whole chick-magnet angle.

[andiesenji]

Fantastic floor, Dave.

A truly bold statement indeed. Worth all the trials and tribulations. You do super neat work.

[Marlene]

psst... Dave... Never have a dog cuter than you. It messes up the whole chick-magnet angle.    

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No kidding.

[fou de Bassan]

I agree, that is a lovely floor! And a sweet-faced dog It seems well worth the effort.

[snowangel]

OK. My floor is worse than your old one was. Way uglier harvest gold. Mine is complete with many large cigarette burns (the house was a good deal).

Off to look at flooring TOMORROW.

Thanks for the pics -- inspiration to do something about the one in our house.

[Dave the Cook]

Thanks, everyone. If I can do this stuff, pretty much anyone can (especially snowangel, who I'm sure is handier than I).

I am thrilled with the floor. I ended up using an acrylic polish. It won't be quite as shiny as wax, but it won't require five coats, either. Two are recommended; what you see here is one, and it's added a nice sheen. But more importantly, it's started to fill in the tiny cracks between the tiles, and leveled out the roughness of the raw vinyl a bit. Both of these effects should keep dirt from accumulating, thereby minimizing cleaning cycles. A further benefit: recall that the dog at first wouldn't set foot on the floor? Now he loves it. He likes the slick surface that lets him do that cartoon running wind-up, and he likes skidding across it to retrieve things. So much for the precipice reflex. (Fifi [and, erm, Marlene]: that dog is certain that he's cuter than any human that ever walked the earth. Given that attitude is 90% of the magnet thing, I'm hopeless.)

Two other things: First, it's time to settle the issue of the peninsula. I don't have access to an Ikea, unless Klc is willing to put me up for a weekend. However, I can get similar product with the Mill's Pride line from Home Depot -- frameless cabinets; a variety of sizes and configuratons. They're a little more expensive, but they come with bases attached, so I won't need to add feet or build a ladder box. Since this run won't be more than five feet, I'm not too worried about leveling issues. The problem is that I haven't had any luck scouring yard sales and antique shops, and the storage/prep situation is getting critical. Any further ideas? Having worked in this kitchen for a few weeks now, I'm convinced I need an immmovable worktop, as well as more storage -- half my batterie is still in the carport.

The second thing is more salubrious. While leaving the neighborhood today, I spotted a garage-sale notice. Sighing, I spun the steering wheel in the appropriate direction. No dressers, no sideboards. I checked for the usually-hoped-for ten-dollar Martin guitars and obscured Wyeth pentimentos, and turned to leave. Sitting on a redwood picnic table ($12) was a deep red KitchenAid stand mixer. With the exception of the orange, wheelless Cosworth Vega (as is -- on concrete blocks, u-tow-it -- $275), it was easily the most expensive item up for sale: $165. I didn't recognize the nameplate: Accolade 400, but I took the number to mean that it was a 400-watt model. Righteous power for the money, and it looks like new. It's not the color of the tile, but more of a maroon. To my eye, it's better than a perfect match; it complements and deepens the monchromatic appeal of the reds in the room.

By agreeing not to haggle over the price, I got the seller to accept the $27 I had on me as a deposit until tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I said I was broke, and this kitchen is straining my present liquidity, but I'm willing to stretch if this is good buy. The question is, am I being rash? Is this a decent model? Does anyone know anything about it?

[lovebenton0]

Cruisin' floor, Dave! What a pro job!

KitchenAid sounds perfect aesthetically. About the Accolade 400 -- think my friend has one of that model and I'll ask her. If it is the same it has been a good tool for her for several years.

I think your cute doggie was just telling you the old floor was too ugly to bear!

And, Andie, those racks look perfect for my needs. Thanks for posting the photos.

[Varmint]

The Accolade appears to be a model exclusive to Williams-Sonoma. There's a discussion about the model here.

[Marlene]

The Accolade is indeed a 400 watt model. Is it this one Dave? If so, and the garage sale one is indeed new or nearly new, it's probably not a bad deal. Make sure the attachments come with it though. My KA is an Artisan with 325 watts and I paid nearly the same amount as the 400 watt model at WS. When you can, buy an extra bowl for it. I find I use my extra one all the time.

As far as colour goes, not being a designer kind of person, I like things that coordinate perfectly. Reds should match reds, etc. But I know I'm in the minority there, so if you're comfortable with the price and how the colour will work in your kitchen, I'd say go for it.

[marie-louise]

The Accolade appears to be a model exclusive to Williams-Sonoma.  There's a discussion about the model here.

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The word "exclusive" makes me nervous. I'd call up a Williams-Sonoma & make sure that you will be able to get extra bowls & beater for it from Kitchen Aid in the future, and also that all the attachments fit. One of those comments made it sound like the bowls were a different shape. You may not think so now, but someday you will want an extra bowl, or your dough hook will accidently get thrown out-and this thing could be useless.

I have a 10-year old Kitchen Aid (the small one that tilts up.) It has much less power, but I've always felt that it was more than powerful enough. I can knead bread dough, and even this one sprays flour or cocoa all over the kitchen if you aren't careful about starting off slow...

On your budget, I'd get a new one that's the cheapest model in the red that matches your tiles. I think Amazon sells them for about $150.

[FL Heat]

The floor looks great! I was trying to convince a certain someone we should use a similar plan to cover some nasty "wood-pattern" linoleum in our ENTRYWAY (why the entryway?? WHY??), but he said he can't picture how it would look. . . .aha! Now he will be able to! Thank you much!

If you have a Lowe's as well as a Home Depot, check the prices on cabinetry at Lowe's. We got better quality for a bit less money that way.

Diana

[maggiethecat]

Go get the KA, please. I checked the thread Varmint posted and found that the attachments are the same as those on the other KAs, and it comes with a full selection of bowl sizes. Heck, if you don't want it, get it anyway; I'll swap you my butter yellow one.

(I think that when things are exclusive to W-S, it frquently, tho not always, refers to a colorway.)

[Marlene]

I-- it works wonderfully with the butter-yellow walls, and makes a heck of a Statement.  Condolences on the stove.

And: Cute doggie!

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Now you see? This is why I'd make a lousy designer. I'd paint the walls white and the trim and the kickboards under the cabinets either white or red. I'm all about symmetry.

[Daddy-A]

Now you see?  This is why I'd make a lousy designer.  I'd paint the walls white and the trim and the kickboards under the cabinets either white or red.  I'm all about symmetry.

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You gotta think outside the box Marlene! Colour is your friend!

Did you notice the way he nicely coordinated the floor with the tea towel hanging o the stove?

Well done Dave!

A.

[Marlene]

Oh no. Everyone is much better off when I stay inside my particular box Trust me. I like colour. I just want everything to be colour coordinated. Yes I noticed the towel. See that's what I mean. The towel is red and white. nice and symetrical.