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Remodeling the Perlow Kitchen


Jason Perlow

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GordonCooks - Expo offers complete home decorating services, soups to nuts, bathrooms to kitchens (including all the high-end appliances like Sub-Zero refrigerators and DCS stoves). While I don't think they offer beds and mattresses, they do have decorative pillows, drapes, flooring, some interesting sofas, etc. I don't know how complete Home Depot's services are for remodeling kitchens and baths. I know they offer installation and will computer model the kitchen, but I don't know if they have the designers and General Contractors on staff to coordinate entire projects.

Priscilla - I was planning on using an undermount stainless steel sink originally, mostly because I hate top-mounts with their germ collecting edges and seams and I prefer the metal to porceline. Then, when we were browsing through catalogs looking for the faucet and other plumbing fixtures, I saw this sink - which was not on display in any store we looked at. Both Jason and I instantly loved it and when our designer realized that by using this sink we'd be saving $600 in countertop cut-outs (they charge for each of those holes they have to make for the sink, faucet, soap dispenser, hot water dispenser, whatever), it brought its 3X a regular sink price down to only 2X the price - still more, but realistic. After the additional sale refund and the cut-out savings, the budget cost of that sink is around $600. The additional style it adds makes it totally worth it.

Jon - Yes, that's why we're leaving the blue plastic.

Miss J - I agree. :wub:

The countertop measuring guy came yesterday. Only glitch was having to decide to change the edge of the countertop. We were going to go with the regular (i.e. free) edge to the Silestone, however after looking closely at the sink, he suggested we go with the demi-bullnose edge - that is the top edge will be rounded similarly to the top edge of the front of the sink (see above how we had never actually seen the sink in person before, we ordered from picture in a catalog). This is an additional cost of $19 per linear foot, or around $400. Boo! But, I agreed that the regular eased edge wouldn't have looked correct next to the sink.

I asked him about the difference between Granite and Silestone from an installers perspective (his company works with both). He said that granite and other natural stones occasionally break during the installation process. A small bump when being moved may cause a severe break along a natural vein in the stone. He has never seen this happen with Silestone. There is more waste with the natural stones because of the variation in veining. Silestone is also easier to maintain and is more durable for the homeowner. The natural stones need to be sealed on a regular basis, which is not necessary with Silestone, which is also very stain resistant.

Here is the color we are using, Rosa Grey. tmb_1201.jpg Click it for the Silestone website.

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Sadly, it doesn't appear we can get Silestone in Canada, so I'll have to stick with Granite

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Everything looks beautiful...I am especially coveting your fridge. I'm remodeling out kitchen (not nearly as drastic as you -- keeping counters, reworking and re-configuring some of the cupboards, but it has involved some dry-walling, and electrical, and I am replacing the floor with ceramic tile). I'm doing the work myself.

I'm currently praying to the refridgerator god that my harvest gold albatross goes the way of all old appliances soon. The money I had earmarked for a new fridge just went into a new washer and dryer. The stove went to stove heaven last year, so the fridge is the last major appliance. Prayers gratefully accepted to help the beast on it's way to fridge heaven.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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Sadly, it doesn't appear we can get Silestone in Canada, so I'll have to stick with Granite.

I want to assume you've called the company and checked with your local Home Depot (do you have Home Depot in Canada?) but wanted to mention these suggestions anyway just in case you hadn't done that.

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Sadly, it doesn't appear we can get Silestone in Canada, so I'll have to stick with Granite.

I want to assume you've called the company and checked with your local Home Depot (do you have Home Depot in Canada?) but wanted to mention these suggestions anyway just in case you hadn't done that.

I havent' called the company, but they don't list Canada on their website as a place to get it. (ever other country in the world!) However, I did call Home Depot (yes we have them here) and they tell me they don't carry it.

I'll call the company next.

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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That's a shame. You could call a granite cutting company, cause HD contracts out those things anyway, and ask them if they've heard of it and if it's possible to get it. Remember though, unlike granite with its interesting natural looking veins, Silestone is very regular in pattern, kind of like the look of the fancier Corian's speckles (but not plastic). So you have to take that into consideration. Unless, you have a strong opinion (positive or negative) about the irregularity of natural stone, then it's a non-issue.

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No I don't have a strong opinion on natural stone, but I do want something durable and heat resistant etc. Upon doing a google search, it appears the product is available in BC, but I haven't found anything in Ontario yet. We haven't chosen a granite supplier yet, so I will start some calling around to see if anyone has heard of this product.

Thanks!

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Here's a link for the Silestone website's page to fill in your address for more information. Although at first glance it appears to be just the USA, Ontario, but no other Canadian provence, is listed among the states. :raz:

INTERNATIONAL SOLID SURFACE FABRICATORS ASSOCIATION list of associates, two listings say Ontario.

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There's also a company in Southern Minnesota manufacturing the same type of surface as Silestone -- Cambria.

http://www.cambriausa.com/

I've heard great things about Cambria and Silestone, and while I don't know what price point is compared to stuff like Corian, the article in our paper said that it is cheaper than granite.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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How does Silestone compare in price to granite and Corian?

Its more expensive than Corian, its about the same or slightly less expensive as granite.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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re: prices. A lot of it depends on the price group you look at. You can have very plain Corian or Silestone that would be less expensive than natural stone. Natural stone (granite, marble, limestone, etc.) come in a range of prices but their price is more determined like a commodity - the rarer or more in demand the more expensive, the more common the less expensive. Then there are the fancier versions of man-made materials that can get even more expensive than natural stone. Also, edge treatments add to the cost of all countertops.

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Pete has been here everyday since Tuesday working on the cabinets. He is working alone and is a perfectionist, so the progress seems slow, but I know the work is being done right. The correct peninsula base has been installed and finished on the back, the microwave hutch and adjoining bookcase have been installed next to the pantry, cabinets have been installed above the dishwasher area, etc. Today I believe he is going to be working on the scribe molding to make the finished cabinets look flush to the ceiling.

There are a few new pictures on the Kitchen Construction Album.

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Thank you Rachel. I will check them out.  I appreciate the effort!

I know, isn't Rachel like our own little internet librarian or something?? She is always the first to come up with the appropriate link :smile:

It's really starting to look like a kitchen now! Again, I am impressed by how the cabinets, appliances and flooring are really complimenting each other ..as a real estate agent in Princeton, I see some major kitchens...but you'd be suprised by how few really manage to blend the components together..even with the help of a decorator!

quick funny story, I was in a house this week, the owners had been there two years, and when the client went to open the oven, the factory seal was still in place...never used. The home is listed for 1.4 mil, the kitchen itself is the size of a small house, viking stove, sub zeros, $2000 worth of copper hanging from the potrack...and they never used the oven!

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quick funny story, I was in a house this week, the owners had been there two years, and when the client went to open the oven, the factory seal was still in place...never used.  The home is listed for  1.4 mil, the  kitchen itself is the size of a small house, viking stove, sub zeros, $2000 worth of copper hanging from the potrack...and they never used the oven!

most of the nice houses that i've been in, those more than a million let's say, that have the nicest kitchens like what you describe, it's clear that there isn't a lot of cooking going on. it burns me up. :angry::smile:

rachel, you had better be cooking your ass off when this thing is done. hell, i'd probably *sleep* in the freakin thing the first week.

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Opinions needed re: Garbage Disposal. Yes, I have one - it's sitting in its box in the kitchen right now. Question is which sink in which to install it? The larger and deeper sink on the left hand side or the right hand, smaller and shallower side?

Kim :blush: I just love the hunt to find those things on the internet. My theory is that in this day and age there's a website that'll answer any question, you just have to find it.

Re: real estate - I have my license with Weichert Referral. I originally worked at Weichert in Short Hills, NJ, but that was shortly after college and it was hard to get those million dollar listings from retirees at that age. My mom is a Realtor too, so I grew up looking at all sorts of houses. So, if anyone needs a Realtor anywhere I can refer you to a great one. Of course, we'll have Kim work on those in the Princeton area. :wink:

Re: Having everything complement each other - Like I said earlier, we walked samples all over Expo. Holding tile and countertop samples up to cabinet doors and appliances. That is definitely one of the benefits of working with a large store like Expo: everything is right there in one place, you don't have to lug samples all over to various stores.

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JIC I haven't discussed it yet, here's how the decisions regarding the different materials went. We knew we wanted wood cabinetry and stainless steel appliances. To go with the contemporary styling of the house, we went with very contemporary and simple styling on the doors - that is, no embellishment. We chose maple for the smooth look and fine grain. The stain is only one shade darker than natural.

fd413d5f.jpg To contrast the sharp edges and modern look of the cabinets and appliances we went with ceramic tile with a natural hue and uneven edges. Here’s a picture to show you how it is like when you tear a piece of paper vs. cutting it.

I liked the look of the tile medallion accents on display that the store - but they are very expensive. They would about double the cost of the tile. Instead the designer created a rug of tile by turning the field tile on the diagonal and using tumbled marble “River Rock” as the border. I really liked the River Rock design and was looking for a way to fit it in to the kitchen. But using it on the walls in addition to the floor was overkill, so we went with 2” x 2” faux tumbled marble in a similar color range for the backsplash.

fd413987.jpg

I’m obsessed with the little details. For example, the River Rock comes in 6” x 13” mats (small pieces of tile attached to a mesh for easier installation). You could see the edges of the mats on the sample in the store because of the straight lines interrupting the irregular stones. So, the morning before Jose was to install the boarder, I sat on the floor and moved individual tiles from the edges so that no seams show in the finished border.

Here is a close-up of the border: fd413c75.jpg “Look Ma, no seams!”

Finally, here’s how we decided on the countertop. We originally considered steel, but thought it would be too industrial looking. We were going to go with a natural stone, but were sold on Silestone due to its durability, stain resistance and ease of maintenance. We had selected another color, which had more brown in it (on the left below, Kala Hari). However, when we held up the various samples of tile and cabinets to that and the Rose Grey (on the right) field tile really brought out the pale peachy-pink bits in the Rosa Grey, while the grey background was a nice contrast to the cabinets vs. the washed out way the Kala Hari blended with them.

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So how's it going?

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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