Backyardamateur, I don't reccomend attempting to strip the stain applied off because you can't. Stain penetrates the redwood and will never come out. Maybe in a few years it will start to wear off, but you can't remove it. If the product your contractor used was and oil based stain, then I don't beleive that your in trouble. Oil stains are used for outside areas. Today even water based stains are used outside. Some oil stains are combined with polyurethane in the same can. Lets hope he didn't use that. I am confident that all you need to do is to seal the redwood with a sealer that will closed thae wood grain so that water will be repelled. There are many types of sealers and clear finishes you can use. Another way is to top coat the redwood with an opac stain of redwood color. Go to a good paint store and get some advise. All the best, The PorchGuy Here is a link that might be useful: lbum

I'm giving my 25 year-old original kitchen a much needed face-lift. The plan is to paint the cabinets (BM White Dove). I like their style which is frameless with flat panels, they are in great shape and the kitchen layout is fine. Then I'll replace the cabinet hardware. The countertop I'm putting down is butcher block (beech from Ikea). The walls will be painted in BM Fieldstone - it's a nice neutral gray. And I'm putting in white subway tile with a pale gray grout. Now to the real problem - what to do with the floor. What's there now is the original vinyl tile that they attached directly to the subfloor with this sticky black tar adhesive. This is the original flooring. I can get the vinyl up with a hair drier but the adhesive isn't cooperating at all. Nothing gets it up. I was originally thinking I'd put down a beautiful porcelain tile that I found but the tile store wants the vinyl and adhesive all removed. They'll do it but it has just gotten too expensive for my limited budget. Total installation cost alone is running over $20 SF! And that's with me removing appliances and the existing baseboard. So back to the drawing board. I had concerns with the hardness on my joints that tile was going to bring anyway so maybe this is a blessing. I think a floating floor that could go over the existing floor is may be the way to go. I think that means I'm limited to either engineered wood or cork. I've always loved the look of cork but I'm concerned that it's going to dent too easily. Main problem is that I have a very heavy six-burner Wolf stove that needs to be considered. Would engineered wood even hold up to it? Do I need to only look at real wood? Even though I like it, linoleum isn't great option for resale in my neighborhood. Any opinions, observations, or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Contact Springtime Builders here on Houzz - he's somewhat in your area, I think, and has good experience - he may be able to help with some references. It's possible that you only need to send your plans off to engineering. While we had a licensed architect and a fully custom build, because we were working with different materials, our architect engaged a trusted local engineer, skilled in modern homes / large expanses, using concrete / steel / glass, etc.. This engineer(-ing firm) and architect work hand in hand often. Engineer was able to help us make adjustments in our steel trusses when we wanted a little more headroom in one area (shallower truss, but same rigidity) and also help cost optimize each solution. He engineered our floor slab. When we had a couple of fabrication screw ups with our concrete panels, he was able to review the proposed fix and ensure we had what we needed / kept panel installer from glossing over structural issues.

Only plant in the large black pots, and remove the smaller ones so the focus is on the front door. Or move the smaller pots next to the black ones. It's hard to give you plant suggestions without knowing your climate, but I would add something with height (maybe a topiary rosemary or bayleaf) with colorful perennials draping over the edges.