Kitchen

[Ms X]

The kitchen person at Home Depot told me about a catalog that I think was called Renovator's something. I got bun feet for my tiny cabinet with the granite on top from it. They have things that you can paint yourself that are less expensive than if you got them from the kitchen store. My local paint store owner found the matching off-white paint color in about a minute. It would have taken me days.

Also ask the designer what area stores offer unique and quality items at deeply discounted prices. I've frequented such a store and have found unimaginable bargains. I got two big wooden shutters for my front-porch window for something like $10, far less than what some vinyl or aluminum ones would cost. A bit of paint, and I had an improvement for less. I also got two glass and wood panels that I had turned into French doors for the back of my kitchen for something like $20. They look fantastic and, again, cost much less than a new door would have cost. I was looking for a new door, and the salesman suggested these instead. This place is unbelievable, and the designer should be able to tell you about such places where you could get unique items at a reduced price.

I second the suggestion to let us know how it goes. It is very interesting to hear about these renovations.

[house_cat]

Yes, MsX, they have so many suppliers, secrets and tricks of the trade. They have been very honest with me, advising me on which changes will give me the most bang for my buck. That's very helpful.

ETA: They did a design of the entire house, based on my wish list. I can't afford to do the whole house at this time, but if I ever get around to it, I have a plan.

[LooPY]

On 1/24/2015 terrier3 said:

I have quartz that looks like white marble with slight gray veining.

Candace on HGTV uses quartz exclusively on her show.

With quartz, you have no problems with matching slabs...or the quality of the stone. Plus it never needs sealing.

I was going to go with plain white - but the owner of the kitchen store where I purchased my cabinets recommended the marble look - marble is VERY popular now too, but it stains easily.

The homes in my historic district neighborhood are all 100+ years old - I have been in a mansion that featured marble - it wasn't everywhere in the HUGE kitchen (a lot had been destroyed over the years and was replaced with granite) - but it was beautiful and authentic.

My "marble" design combines the durability of quartz with the beauty of stone - I have a small U shaped kitchen, so it wasn't very expensive either..

Good luck to you on your remodel! I would have hired a designed if I could do it all over again - they can save a lot of time and aggravation!

Hi terrier3! I live in one of those homes you were describing. Our 120 year old house is probably the littlest historic house you'll ever see! I have Calacatta marble countertops and I haven't had any problems with staining, but I'm pretty diligent about wiping up any spills. I do have to be more careful to avoid chipping, but so far so good! One issue with marble is, if anything acidic like lemon juice touches it, it etches. But I actually don't mind--to me it says, someone cooks here! But I agree--quartz gives you all the look, with none of the drama!!

[Ms X]

LoopyLoo: I would LOVE your "littlest historic house"! I rented an apartment in a huge old Victorian once with marble countertops in the bathroom. It was just beautiful. It was also full of old details that I loved. The previous owners of my tiny old house bought it in the '60s when modern was all the rage. They told me it had had flowered wallpaper and wainscoting in the kitchen and they'd ripped it out. UGH! They did put in a beautiful, large stained-glass window by the front door. That went a long way toward selling that house to me. I love stained glass.

If I could have any house I want, I'd have a smallish version of a Queen Anne. I love those round towers and the window seats, the fireplaces, etc. I made a window seat for the bay window in my living room for pennies using roughly made shelving I ripped off the wall in the back hall from the previous owner. I got a piece of plywood cut to size, topped it with some beautiful brown paisley leftover upholstery material, and then put cushions on the top, quilts, and throws. It just makes the room and provides storage.

[mousiegirl]

I was going to put quartz in my bathrooms because I thought it didn't stain, but I was told by my designer that it does stain, and is about the same cost as granite. I recently had granite installed in my kitchen.

[ID2]

If you are redecorating on a budget quartz is quite a bit more costly than granite. At least for me it was. We just rebuild our summer home last year. I picked out some beautiful granite for my kitchen and thought I'd give quartz a try for my small laundry room. I just needed a small slab, how expensive could that be?? Yikes! I almost fainted when the quote came back! I was able to go back to my granite yard and pick a slab of granite that looked almost just like the quartz for a fraction of the cost. Quartz is a manufactured product. If you want the same quartz for somewhere else years from now, you'll be able to match it perfectly. I am more for natural products. I love that my granite is real stone. Its gorgeous! AND extremely easy to take care of. I just wipe mine and it just glistens! I sealed it the day it was installed and that's it! It bothers me to hear others complain how its so hard to manage granite. I have had granite in my home here for years and, just like I said, its sooooo easy to take care of! Love it!

[Allegheny]

Funny story. We were at a large home show about 8 years ago and I saw a counter top display by a company called Cambria. I picked up a color sample. When we decided to redo our kitchen 3 years after that, guess what I used. The Cambria quartz in the same color.

There is some beautiful granite available, the more beautiful and unique colors the higher the costs. I didn't want to use granite only because at that time it was recommended that it be sealed yearly. I am very happy with the quartz. No problems with stains, little maintenance. In fact I have a left over small remnant piece of it that has been outside under our deck for years and it is still fine Check out Cambria's website, I go there occasionally to see what's new in colors and patterns.

[LTT1]

h_c... so happy for you! O/T: you deserve to have a decorator and all! It will be so much easier having someone else doing the suggesting and some of the legwork! Kudos!

[house_cat]

Maybe we're talking about different products. The quartz my decorator suggested is a composite quartz - it's half the price of the granite.

[house_cat]

On 1/24/2015 lovestoteach said:

h_c... so happy for you! O/T: you deserve to have a decorator and all! It will be so much easier having someone else doing the suggesting and some of the legwork! Kudos!

Don't think I'm not losing sleep over this, literally. DH and I have both had cancer in the last few years, and although our prognoses are good, it puts things in perspective. I decided to have a little fun now, instead of waiting, but then... in the middle of the night... I start thinking "What if this?" and "What if that?" Maybe we shouldn't be spending the money. Oh dear.