Here is a link that might be useful: Princetonian knobs

Thanks to everyone for your help with the planning. Couldn't have done it without all your wisdom, whether you shared it in response to my questions or to the questions of others. This is such a fantastic resource.

As you may recall, I was seriously worried about storage space, going topless, but there is oodles of space, thanks to the fantastic pantry built by my wonderful fiance.

Here are some of the after pictures!

Custom cabinets, teak veneer, Chroma quartz counter in 'Sandcastle', Forbo Marmoleum in Scarlet 3131

Blanco 440175 Diamond White Single Bowl Silgranit Undermount Kitchen Sink, with Kohler Karbon faucet

Futuro Futuro Murano Glow Range Hood

Kohler Karbon faucet

Custom knife block, made from Ikea KRAFTIG cutting board

Electrolux Wave Touch Induction Cooktop

Sharp R930 Microwave

Long view of the pantry

Interior of pantry!

SOSS hinges for the extra weight on the doors

Lee Valley pull out drawers

Funny about the adolescence being a second-terrible-twos. She would never have deigned to wear the former birthday-girl-crown for many years now. It was what she really, really wanted this time. go figure.

Here's some more aftermath. I love it that there's so much counter space I can dry all that stuff up there. I am constitutionally incapable, I think, of drying anything with a towel. Note the plastic bags drying on the drainer and a pile awaiting wash in the sink. Even this setup is more functional and aesthetic than my last. I would like to kick the habit altogether because I do believe dh's yowl that it wastes more energy to wash the bags than toss them (I wish I knew the actual calculations though). But at least they're not overtly in the way and disgusting this way.

Note as well, though this should take a separate thread, that the setup with the DW perpendicular to the sink is actually *great*. I was worried about it but it turns out to be better than any I've had formerly, right or left of the sink. Always, you have to twist some awkward way. This actually involves less twisting and is plenty close enough. As it happens it is also handily available from the prep sink too. I find I use both sinks almost interchageably. I regret not having more acreage in the cleanup sink:

They also offer a budget version (only 25,000 hours)...it's called "Ilo".

You can check out prices online....see link below.
Kompy

This is the mfg website: http://www.trescointernational.com/catalog.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Tresco LED Online

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: Rev-A-Shelf Spice Racks for Fillers -- Have you seen these!!!!

Enduring had commented about wanting led lights that were dim-able. I had recently gone to a showroom and they sent me home with a catalog of LED lighting by www.CreeLEDLighting.com The specific Item she told us about is the LR6-GU24 for new construction and retrofit "that installs easily in most standard six inch recessed IC or non-IC houseing." My husband did most of the talking/learning but I remember wanting it. We have new construction, but already had our recessed lights installed. I believe this light had a kit that literally clipped onto/into the existing fixture to house an LED light and it is (per catalog) dimmable to 20%. I don't think you even have to change LED lights for years and years. It would be perfect for someone with High ceilings or stairways or just plain hard to reach areas.

Our Matthews Fans ceiling fan always garners a few wows:

Our Movado wall clock, for the Movado-lovers in our family (none of whom can tell time with their watches!):

The wall hanging and grapevine and glass cocktail table in our LR--open to the kitchen (was originally the DR, pre-reno):

Here is a link that might be useful: Blum Tandembox Under Sink Drawer

Here is a link that might be useful: Bluestone by Crossville

Another aspect that is never mentioned with Ikea is their commitment to environmental friendliness. They have no formaldehyde in their products and the wood products are certified as coming from managed sources. The other beauty is that if you change your mind two years from now and want new drawer fronts or doors than you currently have, it is easy to change out.

I agree that I like Ikea because of its open pricing model. No matter where you live, the cabinets cost the same. You don't have to price shop around at four different vendors who have different books and different prices. If I could afford it, I would buy Boffi in a minute but Ikea works for this house and this kitchen. I can also get custom doors if I want for a more custom look and still pay less than many of the Kraftmaid products and have all the fancy doodads that I like. Kraftmaid in my opinion is not a comparator to Ikea because of the lack of environmental focus from Kraftmaid.

Also remember that Ikea with their door styles mainly focus on modern or contemporary styling which is not the majority of American kitchen shoppers.

Good luck!

So, to sum up, let me quote myself:

I know a lot of you use Visual Comfort lights, especially those going for a Christopher Peacock look. Visual Comfort makes most of the pieces you see on Circa lighting.
I want to warn you that if you're going to buy a Visual Comfort light, be prepared. I have a houseful of VC lighting, and have experienced problem after problem with the quality control.

- Two sconces arrived with bent candles. My electricians were only partly successful in straightening them.
- Two sconces arrived with badly mismatched shades--much darker than the others
- A large percentage of shades arrived with weird blotches all over them
- Two sconces were manufactured with bolts that protruded to different lengths on the back; my electricians had to saw them evenly to install the fixtures upright
- The clover-shaped ceiling fixture glass cracked immediately upon installation. The electrician ordered another, with all the part numbers etc. correct, and after a long delay VC sent the wrong glass entirely. They are taking their sweet leisurely time sending a new one. I'm talking months.

Today--to top it off--the reason why I'm writing this post: One of the shades on the fretwork sconces over my fireplace suddenly wrinkled badly. It looks like ____!! Not only is the correct bulb installed, but it's on a dimmer and virtually never operates at full power.

Worst of all, VC has been very unresponsive to my lighting store and everything takes FOREVER. Literally MONTHS have gone by waiting for them to replace shades and the cracked glass. The woman at my lighting store leaves messages, and no one returns her call for days, or sometimes ever.

Here's what I wrote today on the other thread--the one that didn't bump:

The nightmare continues.

As you can see from the thread above, I first received my defective VC shades last year--two of the supposedly "matching" shades are a dark, grotty color, completely different from the other shades. I have waited four months for replacements.

Today--March 16-- I got an email from the lighting store.

VC has just changed the inventory report to show that the replacement shades now have "no date" on them. No plans to make more. No concern about owing customers replacements. La la la. We're too important, we're "artists." Who are you? We're going to go wank ourselves now.

Coincidentally, a designer showed me a VC table lamp that might look good in my living room. LOL! Sorry, I only plan to live here about 20 years, it won't arrive by then.

Buyer beware. There are other good brands out there. Do you want to hold up a completed kitchen reno waiting for your light fixtures until next year? Or worse--forever?

Here is a link that might be useful: power pole

I enjoy looking at upscale spaces and trendy ones and am getting a real kick out of hearing about budgets and tastes of those of you who are "totally kitchen obsessed" but I suspect that like me, there are others who really need more modest and personalized (or quirky) mentoring.

Let's see who else is just a little different here. Show us some successful kitchen spaces that won't show up in the high-end ads and mags. Images of spaces by successful local contractors, creative do-it-yourselfers, repurposers, and the just plain resourceful. No mansions need apply.

I'll start. Today I stumbled into the House Tours for "The Kitchn" and/or "Apartment Therapy." Here we find some people who live with limitations or manias or old interesting stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: House Tours from

The house is a 1924 Tudor. Not very big by today's standards (<2K sq ft), but had a kitchen and breakfast room that we could remodel into a single kitchen without adding on. The total space is about 16' x 12'. Here's the rough floorplan we worked from:

Cabinets: http://www.seattlecustomcabinets.com/
Highly recommended if you're in the Seattle area! In addition to making beautiful, high quality cabinets, it was Tim who came up with a lot of the cool storage ideas like taking advantage of the interior walls.

Compost Bin: Blanco Solon. http://www.blancocanada.com/frames/BlancoStart.htm#/pages/wasteManagement.htm
It's out of Canada but there are US .com vendors if you do a web search.

Tile: Oregon Tile & Marble's Isole line. They have a showroom in Seattle, but also sell through retail tile stores. http://www.oregontileandmarble.com/ & http://www.oregontileandmarble.com/Tear%20Sheets/IE%20Lanka%20Isole_2pg.pdf

Here's a closeup of the backsplash:

Hardware is all in polished nickel (except the glass filler, which was the only one we could find that didn't require two hands and was only available in chrome).

Cabinet latches: http://www.lookintheattic.com/vhln250.html
We chose ones with large knobs on the advice of our cabinet maker (who said as we got older our hands might have a harder time turning a smaller knob).

Drawer pulls (incl fridge) are Restoration Hardware Aubrey: http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1283069&categoryId=cat1512023

Hinges are White Chapel Ball-tip: http://www.whitechapel-ltd.com/category/lpbtfch.html

Paint:
Cabinets/trim are Benjamin Moore Bavarian Cream
Walls are C2 Sugar Cookie
Ceiling Benjamin Moore Paper Mache

Counter: Some sort of Brazilian Soapstone. I wouldn't recommend our fabricator. If you're shopping for soapstone, definitely bring a water bottle / damp cloth with you and view each piece wet. Ours was light grey when we bought it, but turned almost jet black when we oiled it with mineral oil, and the damp cloth gave us a much better idea of the final color.

Sink: Franke GNX-110-28. http://www.frankeksd.com/productdetail.php?prodid=71&node=10&group=53&lvl=3
This was one of the few sinks we could find with a drain in the corner. The corner drain allows the plumbing to be tucked away in a corner and gives you much more usable space under the sink. Here's a shot of the sink and the usable space underneath:

Appliances:
DISHWASHER: Miele G 2183 SCVi
REFRIGERATOR: Sub-Zero 700TCi LH
HOOD: Vent-a-Hood SLH9-130SS
MAIN OVEN: Miele H4780BPSS
STEAM OVEN: Miele DG4080SS
COOKTOP: Miele KM5753+

Just let me know if you have other questions- I'm happy to tell the good and bad and it's the least I can do after all the help this forum has given me. :)

Here are some pics and a few details:
Island:

Overview:

Refrigerator and pantry:

Message center:

Breakfast nook:

Our KD wanted an extremely large window area to bring in light, but made it fit into the old house by breaking it up and using leaded glass:

Sink w/glass filler, runnels, & built-in compost bin:

Built-in compost bin close-up:

Mug shelf:

Charging drawer. This entire cabinet is deeper than it appears because it is built into the interior wall behind it, gaining an extra 4" or so of storage space without creeping into the walkway in front of it:

Island cabinets:

Miele ovens installed as flush inset (I searched and never did find pictures of this, so hopefully these will help somebody else):

Cleaning closet in "invented space" from interior wall:

Extra depth for the vacuum was made by reducing the depth of the drawers under the pantry:

The placement of the outlet underneath the music player shelf allows the nasty cordness to be hidden from eye-level:

Toe-kick heater vent. The toe-kick face under the message center & island is covered with stained oak flooring. From eye-level, the toe-kick absorbs the correct amount of light and gives the appearance of freestanding cabinets.

The freestanding appearance is clearer here:

Drawers under nook seating area:

There is a powder room off the kitchen. This wasn't our first choice, but ended up being our only choice in this old house, and has been okay, especially considering its placement is directly next to the hallway and away from the primary cooking area:

Adjacent mudroom, which became part of the kitchen remodel. The door is to a laundry chute which we use mostly for kitchen towels & napkins.

Here is a link that might be useful: More pictures

I'm also including a link to the previous post about the fireplace. Here are current pics of the eating and kitchen areas:

would you put this table in the space with the fireplace?

Here is a link that might be useful: Painting the Fireplace

Here is a link that might be useful: Simplehuman automatic soap dispenser

Here is a link that might be useful: decorative backsplash

Regarding the hardware, unfortunately, it takes a lot of looking to get just what you want. Some of my favorite places to look:

Homeportfolio.com More interesting and unusual stuff here. Not a sales site, rather referrals to the manufacturers.

Coolknobsandpulls.com Great selection.

Antropologie has some really cool knobs (probably more in the stores). They're meant to be retro chic, but some of them might work well with Modern.

Google "granite knobs" and you'll find a bunch of people who make knobs and pulls from your granite scraps if your fabricator doesn't (most probably use these same places). They can probably also mount marbles. :)

Rejuvenation is another place that has a lot of retro, but some of it is retro Modern, including this Boomerang Pull:

.

If you don't have good salvage places and are looking for something old, check out garage sales, flea markets and junk shops. Sometimes you can find a cabinet or chest that has great hardware for a price you'd spend on just the hardware. Sometimes you can just take what you want and give them back the carcass to resell. Sometimes they make you take it away.

I found my hardware on Home Portfolio when I was looking for appliance pulls to go with the cremone bolts I wasn't getting. More than two hours of trolling later, as my eyes were crossing from page after page, these knobs jumped out and shouted ME ME ME MEE ME. Turned out the same folks made pulls and appliance pulls that I liked better than any others I'd seen too. :)

It helps if you have something on TV that doesn't take a lot of looking at, if you're going to shop online, or something on the radio with a story to it.

Most of all, just keep looking around you. Things pop up in unexpected places. LightingUniverse of all places has some cool modern knobs.

I went with my installation choice because I have read that there has been issues with dimming LED lighting. This seemed to be my best guess at preventing a problem. This might not be an issue with newer installations, I don't know. I had every thing hard wired.

I did our kitchen myself working evenings and weekends so we were cooking in the laundry room for over 2 months. That would be a long time with a toaster oven and microwave.

For info on LED under cabinet lights, see: led ucl diy

Here's a link to the filter system.

Here is a link that might be useful: EWS & Faucet

As far as the uneven grout color, I think LWO hit the nail on the head that it's also a water problem. Maybe some of it was mixed with more water than the other?

Good luck! I hope that you get this resolved to your satisfaction.

Here is a link that might be useful: john bridge tile forum

Here is a link that might be useful: How-to for wine glass pullout

Here are a couple of pics of my island. Drawer fronts will be added in the future, along with a few more drawers and the prep sink. This of course brings up one of the best kitchen storage ideas ever - as many drawers as possible in your lower cabinets, preferably designed so that they don't eat up a lot of space with the drawer glides, etc.

@detroit_burb - Thanks for that. The tile comes in other colours but they're more "brown". See the link below..and yep they're rectified.

Totally wish I could do the quartz wrap-around too...just don't think I have the budget for it.

Here is a link that might be useful: tile color options

three approaches to countertops:
1) get a sample of the actual marble backsplash you want and hold it up to the quartz samples - this will give you an answer immediately. Some marble is more grey, some more brown or cream, others more white, just depends on the type and grade of marble you get. Only one of the grey or white quartz will likely "work" with the tile. subway style marble is more antique looking, but this can be changed up by laying it vertically and putting of stripe of something sleek randomly spaced.
2) pick the one you really like, then go shopping for backsplash based on your choice like someone mentioned above
3) i vote for grey for a more industrial look

either way, I definitely love "wrapping" the countertop over the side of the cabinet for impact, and the example in white where the top is 2cm material and the sides are built thicker is really visually interesting.

I like the texture of the white floor better than the grey floor, so I vote for "none of the above" and will say consider the linearly textured tile in a darker color with matching grout, and make sure it is rectified porcelain so you can do super thin grout lines.

Mine tiles seem a bit lighter but I think it is my screen. This is not where I ordered the tile from.

The pony wall is a tad over 4ft I believe.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kinetic Fog circle tiles

I'm coming in a little late to this thread and didn't read all of the responses, but wanted to weigh in with some of my experiences. First of all, happy belated birthday! I'm sorry it didn't turn out the way you would have liked.

I can relate to what you are going through, as I too am GCing our project, which brings its own set of challenges to the table. I also had to make some similar decisions for our bathroom remodel (shower size, tub deck height, etc.) and have dealt with some really nasty contractors (I remember your fireplace install problem). It also sounds like we may have the same tub. The Kohler Tea for Two? Mine is also 36" x 66", cast iron, weighs 400 pounds and holds 100 gallons.

Anyway, some of these tidbits of advice may answer questions from your other post, but here goes:

If you don't really like acrylic or fiberglass, don't get them. There are other options. I would recommend what others have said, have a custom shower pan made and tile installed on top. Definitely go bigger than a 30" wide shower. It will be too small and you will regret it. Especially if it is 72" long, it will have the impression of being long and narrow. If you have the room, make the shower bigger. Don't forget the width will be cut down by thickness of tiles and the shower curb. If you decide on the shower pan, make sure it is done properly or you will have leaks in the future. Melissastar has mentioned Bill Vincent, the resident tile expert. He usually hangs out on the Bathroom Forum and is an invaluable source of information. So is Mongoct. I've included a link below that I believe was provided by Bill Vincent, regarding how to properly install a shower pan.

Also, you may have already thought of this, but we had to install our tub not only before the walls were drywalled, but before all framing was complete, because it wouldn't fit through the door of the bathroom. Have you considered doing a marble or granite tub deck? Not to give you more decisions to make, just wanted to throw that out there.

You seem to be leaning toward the pony walls. I would go for it for all the reasons you mentioned. I'm not sure if anyone pointed out that your custom shower doors should also be less expensive if you have the pony walls.

Hope this helps and hang in there!

Here is a link that might be useful: Building a Shower Pan

Okay, here we go. These questions come from the thread on the discussions side where I solicited questions from everyone for this thread. These are in the order they were asked:

Q) What are the different types of tiles you can use in a bathroom and what are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

A) There are several types of tile available. They fall into two general groups: ceramic and natural stone. I'll take these one at a time:

Ceramic tile-- For purposes of this discussion, there's glazed conventional, unglazed porcelain, and glazed porcelain. All three are good tiles for bathroom use, but the porcelain is a better choice only because of its density and lack of water absorbsion, which makes upkeep and cleaning easier. Also, with reference to steam showers, you DO NOT want to use natural stone, being that the steam would tend to permeate into the stone even more readily than liquid water, and could end up giving you algae problems, as well as mold and mildew problems, unless you don't mind being tied down to your bathroom.

Natural Stone-- There are several types of stone that are used in bathrooms. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're all GOOD IDEAS for bathrooms, expecially the softer (and more absorbant) stones, such as slate or limestone. Now, I know I'm going to get a world of flack about this from epople who have bathrooms finished in these materials. I know they CAN be used.... so long as you're aware of the extra upkeep involved. But if you're someone who doesn't like to keep after things, you may want to pick an easier material to maintain. Generally speaking, the softer the stone, the more the upkeep. Limestone being the softer of the stones, and that would include travertine, next would be many slates (although some would actually be harder than even most marbles, such as brazilian and british slates), then marbles, with quartzite and granite rounding off the list as the harder and more dense stones that you could use.

Q) What should I be sure to look for when choosing tile for a bathroom?

A) Short answer-- something that you like! The bathroom is the one place that just about anything the showroom has can be used. The only limitations are basically the upkeep you want to put in, and slip resistance on the floors of your bathroom and shower. Now, although ceramic tile is basically maintenence free, you don't want to use something with a texture to it that will catch all kinds of junk in the shower, making it more difficult to keep clean. At the same time, you don't want to use a polished stone or bright glazed ceramic tile for the shower floor, either. These both CAN be used, but again, it comes down to upkeep for textured wall tile, and doing something to rectify the slippery floor.

Q) Where should I use tile and where not?

A) Tile can be used on every single surface in the bathroom, if that's what you like. This is all a matter of taste... for the most part. About the only place where there's a requirement is any place there's a showerhead involved. If tile is to be used either in a shower or a tub/ shower combo, The tile MUST go up to a minimum of 72" off the floor. Past that, it's up to the disgression of the owner.

Q) What size tile and what layout patterns to use in various areas?

A) Again, this is a subjective question that can really only be answered by the owner. The ONLY place where there's a recommendation for mechaincal reasons is on a shower floor. TCNA recommends that mothing bigger than 6" be used on shower floors due to the cone shape of the floor's pitch. In addition, most installers will request no bigger than 4", and prefer a 2x2 tile to work with on the shower floor. This is also advantageous to the homeowner who'll be showering in there, because the added grout joints will add more traction to the floor.

Now, I've heard many times that you shouldn't use large format tiles in a small area like a powder room floor, and if you have a wide open bathroom, you don't want to use real small tiles. My response to both is the same-- HORSEHOCKEY. I've done bathrooms both ways-- 24x24 diagonal in a 3' wide powder room, and 1" hex ceramic mosaics in an open 100 sq. ft. bathroom floor. The rule of thumb is if you like it, it's right!

Q) How do I find/choose someone to install the tile?

A) Many people will tell you to get names from the showroom you get your tile from. This is no good, unless the showroom is willing to take responsibility for the installer by either having them on payrool, or as a subcontract. Then they have something to lose if they give you a bad installer. Many people will also tell you to get references and to actually check them out. This ALSO doesn't work. I've been in this work for just under 30 years now, and I've yet to find a single installer who ever gave the name of someone they had a problem with. They say even a blind squirrel will find a nut once in a while. The same can be said for "fly-by-nights" and good work.

So if you can't trust recommendations, and checking references is a lost cause, what do you do? REVERSE THE PROCESS!! Instead of finding an installer and getting references, get references, and thru them, find your installer!! No matter where you live, if you drive around, you'll find constructions sites and developements. Stop and ask who the GC uses. Get a name and phone number. Sooner or later, after asking around enough, you're going to find that the same names will begin to show up time and time again. THESE are the guys you want to use. But don't expect a bargain price, and be prepared to wait, because these guys will be in high demand, even in the worst of times, and they may demand a bit higher price, but they'll be worth every penny, if for no other reason, just because of the peace of mind they'll give you in knowing you're getting a good quality installation. Ask anyone who's gone through this experience, good or bad-- that alone is worth its weight in gold.

Q) What are the proper underlayments for tile?

A) There are several, and I'll take them one at a time:

CBU (cementitious Backer Units)-- This is the term that generally covers all cement boards (such as Wonderboard or Durock) or cement fiber boards (such as Hardibacker). This is the most common used tile underlayment. Generally speaking, it comes in two thicknesses-- 1/2" and 1/4"-- and each has its use. !/2" must be used for wall installations, due to the fact that the 1/4" is way too flimsy with nothing to back it up, and would flex too much to last. Besides, the 1/2" CBU will usually match up nicely to most sheetrocks. The 1/4" is used for floor installations, unless the added height of the 1/2" is needed to match up to other floorings. Being that neither has very much structural strength, so long as the subfloor is 3/4" or more, the 1/4" CBU is all that's needed. Keep in mind that even though it's basically fiberglass reinforced concrete, the only thing it adds to the floor is a stable bonding surface, so the 1/4" will do just fine. One place where alot of contractors will try and shortcut is by using greenboard instead of CBU for shower walls. This is expressly forbidden in the IRC (International Residential Code) by the following code:

IRC Greenboard Code:
The 2006 International Residential Code (IRC) states in
Section R702.4.2 that "Cement, fiber-cement or glass mat
gypsum backers in compliance with ASTM C1288, C1325
or C1178 and installed in accordance with manufacturers�
recommendations shall be used as backers for wall tile in
tub and shower areas and wall panels in shower areas."

The 2006 IRC also states in Section R702.3.8.1 that
"Water-resistant gypsum backing board [Greenboard] shall
not be used where there will be direct exposure to water."

Membranes-- There are several around that work well over many different surfaces. Most of them are what's called "Crack Isolation Membranes". Just about every manufacturer has one, from trowel ons or roll ons, such as Hydroment's Ultraset or Laticrete's 9235 or Hydroban, to sheet membranes such as Noble's CIS membrane. All will give the tile a little more protection against movement than just going over CBU. However, there's another class of membranes called "uncoupling membranes" of which the most popular by far is Schluter's Ditra, that are made from bonding two layers together, usually a fabric fleece backing and a plastic sheeting with dovetailed waffling to "lock" the thinset in place ( as opposed to accepting a thinset BOND). These membranes will, as their name implies, uncouple their two layers in case of movement, to save the floor, and for thinset floors, it's the most protection you can give your tile floor.

Plywood-- This is one where I get the most flack. I'm one of a dying breed that still believes in tiling directly over plywood. However, I can very well understand the reluctance of the industry to embrace this installation method, even though the TCNA DOES approve of its use for interior installations (Those with a handbook can check Method F-149). The reason I say that is it's a very "tempermental installation method. You need to be very familiar with what you're doing, or you risk failure. There are even many pros I wouldn't trust to tile using this method. Everything you do is important, from the species of plywood used, to the direction the grain is laid with relation to the joists, to how it's gapped, and a host of other specs, as well-- many of which won't be found in the handbook, and if you miss just one of them, you're flirtin with disaster. All in all, when people ask me about it, I tell them that with the membranes available, there's no need to go directly over plywood. There are other methods that will give you just as long lasting a floor, and aren't NEARLY as sensitive.

Mudset-- This is the oldest, and still, after THOUSANDS of years of use, the strongest installation method available. In a mudset installation, a minimum of 1 1/4" of mortar called "drypack" (mixed to the consistancy of damp sand) is either bonded to a concrete slab, or laid down over tarpaper or 6 mil poly with wire reinforcement, packed, and then screaded off to flat level (or pitched) subfloor. This is what most people see when tiling a shower pan. Initially, the mud will be a somewhat soft subfloor. But over time, if mixed properly, it'll be stronger than concrete.

Q) What are the proper tile setting compounds?

A) This is one where I could write a book. It all depends on what kind fo tile you're installing, and what the underlayment is that you're going over. I'll give a generalized list:

Polymer/ latex modified thinset: For all intents and purposes, this is the "cure-all". For almost any installation the modified thinset, which is basically portland cement, silica sand, and chemical polymers added for strength, will work. There are some that are specialized, such as the lightweight non-sag thinsets (such as Laticrete's 255 or Mapei's Ultralite), or the high latex content thinsets (like Latictrete's 254 Platinum or Hydroment's Reflex), but with the exception of going over some membranes, there's a modified thinset for every installation.

Unmodified thinset: This is the same as above, but with no polymers added. It's usually used in conjunction with a liquid latex additive, but will also be used mixed with water for going over some membranes. It's also used as a bedding for all CBU's.

Medium Bed Mortars-- This is a relatively new class of setting mortars, used mainly for large format tiles, where the normal notched trowels just don't put down enough material, and with thinset, it would be too much, causing too much shrinkage as it dries, causing voids under, and poor bond to, the tile, but at the same time, there's not enoough room for a mudset installation. This mortar is usually used with either a 1/2x1/2" or 1/2x3/4" notched trowel.

Mastics and Premixed Thinsets: THESE HAVE VERY LIMITED USES!! Let me say that again-- THESE HAVE VERY LIMITED USES!! They work well for vertical installations, where the tile used is 8x8 or less, and it's not a wet area. ALL THREE of those conditions must be met!! I know just about every pail of type 1 mastic says it can be used in showers except for the floor. DON'T BELIEVE IT!! Also, both mastic and premixed thinset (which is just mastic with a fine sand mixed in to give it bulk) claim they can be used for floor installations. Unfortunately, for the amount of material needed under virtually all floor tiles to bond to the subfloor, neither of these will fully harden. I had a personal experience where I helped a sister in law across country, telling her husband exactly how to do his main floor, what to use, and how to use it. Unfortunately, he went to the big box store to get his tile and materials, and they talked him into using premixed thinset. I didn't hear about it until SIX MONTHS LATER when his tile and grout joints started showing cracks all over the floor. When he called me I asked him what he used for thinset, and sure enough, this is when he told me. I told him to pull one of the tiles, and SIX MONTHS LATER, IT WAS STILL SOFT!!! DOn't let them talk you into it!! Use the proper thinset, and don't try and shortcut your installation. You're spending alot of money for it to be "just practice"!!

Q) How do you deal with different thicknesses of tile?

A) Whatever it takes. I've used membranes, built up the amount of thinset being used, I've even doubled up tiles when it worked out that way. Whatever it takes to get the two tiles to be flush toeach other.

Q) What are the typical tools required to lay tile?

A) Generally speaking, this is a list for just about all installations. Some may require specialized tools, but this would be for all:

Proper sized notched trowel
measuring tape
chalk line
margin trowel
nippers
high amp low speed drill and mixing paddle (best would be 6 amp or better and less than 400 rpm)
several buckets
score and snap cutter for straight ceramic cuts
4 1/2" grinder with a continuous rim dry diamond blade for ceramic, anything other than straight cuts
wet saw (can be used for ALL cuts, ceramic or stone)
grout float
hydra grout sponges (2-- once for grouting, one for cleaning)
24" and 48" levels (for vertical work)
heavy duty extension cords
KINEE PADS!! :-)
screwgun or nailgun (where CBU will be used)

Q) What about tile spacing and tpes of grout?

A) According to Dave Gobis from the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation in Pendleton, South Carolina, there will finally be a new standard for ceramic tile next year. The tolerances are shrinking. There will also be a standard for rectified tile. Along with that, there will be a revision to the installation standards that will specifically recommend a grout joint no less than 3 times the variation of the tile. For rectified tile the minimum grout joint width will be .075 or just over a 1/16".

As for grout, there's only one thing that determines whether you use sanded or unsanded grout, and that's the size of the grout joint. Anything less than 1/8" you use unsanded grout. 1/8" or larger, you need to use sanded grout. The reason is that the main ingredient in grout is porland cement, which tends to shrink as it dries. In joints 1/8" or larger, the grout will shrink way too much and end up cracking ans shrinking into the joint. The sand give the grout bulk, and the sanded grout won't shrink nearly as much and therefore, can be used in the larger joints.

Melaska, to answer your questions, the broom closet is 9" across, with 7.5" of usable width inside. Perfect for a mop, broom, and some cleaning supplies. The opening in the kitchen looks into our family room, with is a few steps down, and the FR has picture windows into our backyard. It's a nice view from the sink because one can look outside as well as interact with anyone hangin' in the FR. "Are those lick marks I see on your ice cream sundae counter?" Shhh, don't tell anybody!

dianalo, thanks! Warm contemporary is exactly what I was going for. I like clean, sleek, modern lines but with natural materials such as wood and stone to keep things grounded. If and when we move, though, our next house will be a much more modern space. A really modern kitchen would not have been a good fit for this house.

beckysharp, xc60, thanks for the nice comments about the cabs. The great thing about the cabs is that they look a rich dark brown in the daylight, but at night in artificial light they take on an almost glossy red look. I really like both.

ironcook, trailrunner, sayde, sparklekitty, kiffgirl, cat-mom, ideagirl, pricklypear kitchenaddict (love that name, aren't we all?) thanks for the nice comments! We are function over form people generally, but this time I am so happy we were able to achieve both.

blfenton, thanks. The BS and marble are my favorites too. And I agree that it's a real pleasure to see everyone's kitchen come to fruition from plan to reveal!

breezygirl, thanks. We definitely plan to stick around for 8-10 more years. We live in a lovely "great place to raise a family" kind of town but we are much more "city rat" than "suburb squirrel" at heart. I suspect that once DS is out of college DH and I may want to downsize at some point and move someplace more urban.

debbie1031, of course! It's hard to tell in the pictures, but the BS is polished and has a lot of rust veining similar to the marble counter. It is called "white statuary calacatta polished, cascading waterfall mosaic". We ordered it from a Tile Showcase showroom in Watertown MA. It's not shown on their website but you can call them to order a sample. (www.tileshowcase.com)

This is a picture from the showroom

remodelfla: the cabinet pulls are the Princetonian pulls from Top Knobs. I first saw them in theanimalia's kitchen in the FKB. I think they'll look great in your kitchen as well!

sas95, the quartz is great, isn't it? Being a bit OCD about cleanliness and tidyness, I was happy to see that soap and water or a little 50% rubbing alcohol gets it sparkling. For tougher stains like greasy contractor fingerprints and blue ballpoint pen (don't ask!), a little Softscrub with bleach has worked wonders.

bostonpam, yes, you found me out! For lighting we went to Wolfers in Waltham. Highly recommend. Aaron helped us out and he was great.

bostonpam, maggie08 and doggonegardener: The awesome pan rack is from Amazon and was all of 12 bucks, a great deal (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000YB82A)!

Elba1, I also wanted a deep contrast between the floors and cabs. Maple was the only species that seemed light enough for what we wanted AND was not very grainy since I wanted the grain of the cherry to take center stage. We had it sealed with some kind of space age nano UV sealer so it will supposedly not yellow over time. We considered ash and beech as well. Oak is beautiful too and many people have done oak floors and cherry cabs.

Adrienne2011: Thanks, I love red as an accent and will be doing more of that. I repurposed one of my red water pitchers as a wooden spoon holder for the countertop and I'm currently looking for a read toaster but haven't found one yet. Alas, my dishtowels will stay white (that's my OCD talking again)!

keptoz, thanks for the comment about the hood. We now like it very much as well. This is a prime example of how something that seems a disappointment during the process can work out just fine in the end. Zephyr makes one that looks identical but with slightly fewer CFM.

florantha, thanks. "Calm" is important to me, and we tried hard not only to create a calm, uncluttered space, but also to maintain a good attitude throughout the process. Our mantra was "no complaining" as we did this to ourselves and we are fortunate to be able to do it. Were we perfect at staying zen about it? No. But if our biggest problem is not finding a quartzite slab for the kitchen or not getting a chimney hood, we are doing pretty well and we are grateful for that.

jakabedy: umm, yes! I'll be heading to the remodeling forum soon to get started! We won't be doing anything major but paint and editing of rooms can do a lot, I hope.

bellacucina, thank you! the knife organizer is from rev-a-shelf: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013AC28Y

boxer, I know you felt my anxiety about the darn island/table and I want to thank you in particular so much for the earlier confidence boost! You're right, sometimes one just has to be first.

Krisall, I really like the pulls, they are hefty and solid, you will enjoy them. The sink is a Kindred 27 inch. The faucet is the Grohe ladylux3, prep sink size.

Feel free to ask anything. I hope to be able to give back some useful information as I got so much from you guys!

First, let me say that reading trough some of the terrible experiences some of you have had during your renos, I feel fortunate to have had a cabinet maker and GC who worked well together, had a good work ethic and pride in their work, and were respectful of each other and of our family. DH has also been incredibly patient, helpful and open minded through this entire process. But since I did not have a KD I really need to THANK YOU GW-ers for being a source of endless kitchen wisdom and talent, with good humor thrown in! I turned to this forum countless times for advice, as well as reality checks and support when I was lacking confidence about some of my decisions. Without you, I would not have been brave enough to go with my desires and overcome some of the conventional opinion, such as: don't mix natural stone and quartz, and don't mix polished and honed marbles. You have been some of the kindest and most supportive people I never met.

We moved into our home 11 years ago and I have been wanting to do this and saving for it for all 11 of those years! We made some great memories in our old kitchen but she really had to go. In addition to not having enough prep space or storage, things were just starting to fall apart after 25 years as this was the original builder grade kitchen. The layout and work flow worked well for me though, so we didn't change the perimeter layout much other than centering the sink and range. We also closed in a small corner window so we could add wall ovens in its place. The zones now come very naturally given the way we cook and use the kitchen.

before:

after:

view from DR

range and ovens

view from fridge

view from windows

view from hallway

pendants

marble counter looks like a hot fudge sundae! (no etching yet)

closeup of BS

polished aluminum stool

must have: broom/mop closet

various lovely things I never had before!

recycling pullout:

knives finally off the counter

pans finally have a reasonable home:

spice storage in prep space, what a concept!

DH's favorite before and after:

We really struggled with the island. Island and freestanding table? One large single-height island? prep sink or no? Island with table attached? We changed our minds about a dozen times and drove my cabinet maker sorta' nuts (but he was very good abut it). We wanted comfortable table height eating without having the seats in a row, and we also needed the prep and storage function of an island, but we felt that a separate island and table would look too cluttered. We also needed to accommodate the angles of the window walls while maintaining enough aisle clearance around the seats. Thus our island/table was born. I was very worried because I had never seen a picture like this (even Boxerpups couldn't find one!) but now we could not be more pleased at how it turned out. My teen DS and friends are very comfortable around the table even when there are 3 or 4 of them and they even bicker over who gets to sit in the blingy stool! Once our DR is finished we will go back to eating dinners in the DR and will get rid of the chair in the aisle across the rangetop, but for now the kitchen "table" is very comfortable and spacious for the three of us, even eating family style with dishes in the middle. Many of you (boxer, rhome, buehl, dianalo, palimpsest and many others) provided great insight as we were working through these issues, and I am very grateful!

Here are the details, for any who are interested:

Floor: maple hardwood

Cabinets: custom by a local cabinet maker, cherry with cordovan stain. The doors are shaker but with a 1/4 inch offset, which is shallower than a traditional shaker style. I was very happy with my experience with them. Happy to share the name if you live in the Boston area southern 'burbs. He did a great job working around the ducts along the top of the long wall.

perimeter and table countertop: Caesarstone Blizzard. I have a "thing" about cooking on dark or busy surfaces where I can't tell if the surface is really clean or not so I definitely wanted light/white countertops for the perimeter. We searched and searched for Luna de Luce quartzite, which I fell in love with after seeing Sochi's but we never found any near us so went with our fallback: Caesarstone Blizzard, which is a warm white. Now that it's in, I love it and can't imagine having anything else. I highly advise anyone considering quartz to find a showroom with these materials on display. The small samples just don't do it justice.

island countertop: honed Imperial Danby marble from Vermont. Makes me smile every time I see it. We were originally going to use a brushed black granite, then I met this slab of marble and that was it...
Backsplash: I was all set to use either cat-mom's or prairiegirl2010's gorgeous backsplash, but at the last minute we saw this mosaic of statuary polished calacatta marble and fell in love with it. It talks to the marble on the island and the cabinet color with its grey and rust veining, but it reads very calm, which I love.

pendants: monorail pendants and spot heads from Tech Lighting. I wanted rail pendants to add an architectural element to the ceiling. We had great advice from the local lighting store where we bought all the lighting. Without them, I would have chosen the wrong pendants. The ones I first wanted were too big for the space and island, and I alone would not have been able to see that up front. They also helped us plan placement of our recessed lighting, which was wonderful help since we did not use a KD (besides GW, that is!).

Wolf 30 inch rangetop- I used a portable induction burner during the remodel and I really came to appreciate convection. I wasn't making anything too sophisticated without a kitchen, but it was great to boil pasta water fast and to simmer soups and other "simmer sauce" dishes. At the end of the remodel though, I really wanted to go back to cooking with FIRE. Compared to my old range, the Wolf is a dream.

Bosch french door fridge-so far so good, very spacious compared to our old SxS.

Miele DW: we got this last year when our old one broke, so we just changed out the front panel from black to SS.

GE Monogram Advantium 240 V speed oven/MW. It cooks with halogen, convection or MW, and combinations thereof, to speed cook almost anything you can think of. I love this thing! It's incredibly versatile and easily my favorite new appliance.

GE Monogram 30 inch wall oven. This has not gotten a good workout yet. We are a small family and so far we seem to be using the Advantium for most oven work. Did I mention I love the Advantium?

XO under-cabinet hood. The hood situation was a bummer for us, although we are fast getting over it. DH and I both really, really wanted a chimney style hood. We love the look and wanted to be able to tile all the way up the wall behind it. Alas, as our rangetop is on an internal wall, it would have been a not insubstantial added cost, as well as requiring many 90 degree turns for the ducting to find its way outdoors, making it inefficient, so in the end we decided to just go with an under-cabinet model that could vent sideways over the ovens and out the wall. DH was particularly disappointed that we couldn't make it work. It was the only thing he really felt strongly about in the entire kitchen. Now, we could care less, I think it looks fine.

chairs: Emeco chairs and polished aluminum stool. Best thing about these: I can take them with me when we move!

We've been cooking up a storm, making up for those lost months during the reno. The fun we are having in the new kitchen is fast overcoming those inevitable "shoulda, coulda, woulda" regrets. There are some things I would do differently if I could go back to square one, but why dwell on that?

THANK YOU for letting me share. Others just don't get it, ya know?

There shouldn't be an obvious stopping point where the polished sealed surface ends ... but I have seen jobs where there were kind of drippy spots under the countertop edge (not that you could see them unless you bent over and looked, but you could feel them if you ran your fingers under the edge.) That's not a quality finish, in my opinion. And if you have an overhang for an eating bar, the polished edge should extend a little further underneath - but I've still never seen one that's completely smooth and shiny like the top surface.

Now, if that is something that would really make you happy, I can't imagine it would be too difficult, but I'm not a fabricator. Definitely ask, it can't hurt! For the record, my new counters will have a straight edge finish, which is just a very slightly smoothed square corner. Just enough where you won't worry about getting cut on a sharp edge or anything. So yes, I expect a nice little continuation of "smooth and shiny" to extend under that bottom corner.

One time my fabricator really helped me was when I was at granite yards picking slabs, and getting overwhelmed. He'd helped me decide on a completely black granite as a budget-friendly choice over Caesarstone (sp?). He didn't see any reason to spend the money on a quartz composite for my kids' bathrooms when a good black granite would give me a very "solid" look (I REALLY didn't want any pattern.)

But once I got to a yard, I immediately had to get him on the phone to see if there was a difference between Indonesian and African black. IHHO, there is, and he encouraged me to choose a black from Africa. Once educated, I can see the difference in quality.

Something came up just the other day that really saved my *ss: we're doing a pretty deep eating bar, and unless he shortened the overhang on each end, he'd have to make a seam. He'd even called the granite yard to see if they had a larger slab in River White (which I'd had to search far and wide for, but that's another story), but they didn't.

So I ran over, and we adjusted the shape of the bar just a bit, he was able to change the template on the spot, and I told him I didn't have a problem at all w/a lesser overhang on each end of the bar. Some fabricators probably would've just gone w/the template in front of them, and put a seam on the end of my bar. Steve knew I would see it every day and it would bother me - even though he is fantastic and his seams are as good as anyone's - so he called me.

As far as I'm concerned, little things like that are the best reason for working directly w/a fabricator. Granted, I've never bought granite from a big box, but a fabricator keeps an eye on costs that could come back to bit him in the butt, you know? He wants to keep you happy so he doesn't end up having to re-do something. That's been my experience, anyway, and I've been nothing but happy over the years.

1) Sink reveal. We wanted a 1/4 positive reveal (didn't want to clean under the granite or risk breaking dishes -- or chip the granite -- when hand washing). The fabricator had never done a positive reveal before, but he did a great job.

2) Does "templating" include picking out exactly which parts of the slab(s) are used for each counter? We did this with our fabricator and it meant a lot. We were able, for example, to get exactly what we wanted on the Island ledges.

3) Where the seams will go. We discussed this in detail, not only where on the counters but which two pieces of granite would be seamed (to minimize differences in color or movement)

4) If, how, and when to seal the granite. Some granites (usually the blacker ones) don't need any sealing. Ours (light golden in tone) did. The fabricator sealed the granite right after installation. He also recommended a great product that we use to clean the granite about once a week. Our fabricator told us it contains a small amount of sealer and if we use it at least once of month we would never need to seal the granite again. We've been using it for the past few months and it works great.

Hope this helps.

Each drawer will need to house two different kind of things in it. For example, one drawer might be half oven mitts and half spice tins. I know I would need drawer dividers to keep everything neat and tidy.

Then Fori made a comment on another thread about how wide and shallow drawers can be awkward to use so now I'm not sure if I should break up the 39" space into two seperate drawer stacks. I would lose 3" of interior storage space, but I'm willing to do it if the wider, single drawers will be difficult to use.

Here's how my cab maker drew these from his own sense of design without my input. Maybe the upper drawers being doubled on top helps enough to leave it like this?

(Ignore my use of MS Paint on the uppers.)

Would you go with 39" drawer stacks, do what my cab maker drew, or split them up into two stacks?

I am only 5'3" and I'm concerned about getting the door to stay open. I will be stacking three 15" high cabinets on top of each other. The first one will start at just 16" above the countertop - I can hardly wait.

The second one though I'm concerned that I will have to reach up quite high to get the mechanism to latch, so I can remove/replace the cupboard items. The top one, is more for show and I know I'll have to break out a step stool.

We have decreased our upper cabinets considerable, so it's important that these be easy to use.

Our previous kitchen was not old, but painfully small. As a two cook family, it just didn't work. We didn't have much room to work with to expand and, because of a window in the bedroom below, we angled the space to minimize the overhang. We started construction in August on the small addition and finished (almost) in January. Final trim, accessories, and window treatments still to come.

Our kitchen before:

And now...

Adding seating at the island was a last minute change and it has made such a difference for us.

Products used:

Custom cherry cabinets by Mills Brothers Fine Woodworking
Luce de Luna quartzite counters
Viking Range - reused from previous kitchen
Viking Hood - reused, but added chimney
F&P dish drawers - reused
KitchenAid counter depth refrigerator
Marvel Wine Cooler
GE Advantium
Terra Verre tiles for backsplash
Artemide pendants
Knobs and pulls - Restoration Hardware
Grohe faucet main sink
Hansgrohe faucet prep sink
Fanke Orca main sink
Ticor prep sink
Eye-Vac under sink - one of my favorite things. Just sweep up to the toe kick and the mini vac automatically sucks up what is in front of it. A must with wood floors and 2 dogs and 2 cats!

Here are the other particulars:
- the dining area at the end of the kitchen has a large east-facing window, so we'll have good lighting during the morning but will be a bit dimmer in the evening
- the floor will be a medium tone with lots of color variations and movement
- we're also going for a mid-toned backsplash that will tie everything together

I'm hoping Uba Tuba works because long before I became TKO, I spotted a sample in a showroom and liked it immediately. I haven't felt that way about any other countertop samples in our price range. Also, the tones in Uba Tuba would tie in nicely with the stone fireplace in our living room, which is open to the kitchen/dining area.