I just bought a Kenmore black ceramic cooktop and haven't used it yet. I had what I thought was a bad gouge about 1/3" x 1/8", it even looked like one through my 10x jeweler's loupe...well turns out is wasn't. I cleaned the top with the cleaner supplied with it, then used window cleaner to remove the smearing...also, a little stainless cleaner applied to the trim peice may have gotton on the top....anyway, as I rubbed, it seemed like the "scratch" got ever so slightly smaller...I rubbed, and I rubbed, and lo and behold it's gone. Also, it appears that there is some kind of substance on the top that smears, maybe a residue from the adhesive used on the label, etc. I would imagine that if you are not absolutely "certain" your new top is absolutely clean of these deposts, etc. before firing up, you may be baking some of them, including possibly a thin coating of adhesive, onto the top rendering it "smeary." I used a tiny bit of laquer thinner to remove the adhesive and any plastic type material from the top. If I see any water deposits, I am sure CLR would remove them, a solution I haven't seen in other posts. I have some Grease Lightening to insure I have no cooked-on grease deposits and we'll have to see about the rest.

We bought our counter depth Frigidaire Gallery FGHC2342LF model at Lowes for $1200 we love it. It's very attractive and works well. We like the in door ice and water dispenser. Previously we had a Samsung RSG257AARS at our previous condo (sold with the condo). It was similar in form and function but cost $2400. So far we are just as happy with the less expensive fridge but we have not owned it very long so I can't speak to longevity. For dishwashers, I will never again buy a Whirlpool or any line made by the same company (that includes now Maytag, Frigidaire, and Kitchen Aide, possibly a few more!). We had a Whirlpool "Gold" dishwasher in our previous home, the motherboard died at 13 months of age - only 1 month out of warranty! Whirlpool would do nothing for us, not even offer us a discount on a future appliance or the part. The replacement part was $250 plus installation labor. Apparently the same motherboard is used in all the dishwashers made by Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Maytag, KA, etc. and it is notorious for failing. We chose to replace the Whirlpool with an entry level Bosch SHE43P05UC dishwasher, on sale at a local specialty appliance store for $600. I loved that dishwasher, I wish we could have taken it with us when we sold the place! Stainless inside and out, beautiful, whisper quiet, and everything came out clean, even with very hard water, every time. The Bosch warranty is 1 year complete and 5 years for parts including electronics/motherboard (which makes me feel better about the quality of the electronics). So when we bought our current home it came with a cheap-looking Frigidaire. It's "stainless look" which next to real stainless just looks silly. Anyway it stopped draining and it appears the pump is dead, and the part and labor to replace it is not worth it for a dishwasher that was not great to begin with. So I am at home today awaiting the delivery of our new Bosch SHE3AR56UC, this time in white, but still stainless inside, where it counts. Our cabinets are white so with the stainless version costing about $150 more, we opted for white this time to blend in with the cabinets. We had a Whirlpool Gold range at the old place and the new place also came with a Whirlpool range. Ours is entry level and just OK. We'll replace it some day but Whirlpool ranges seem OK based on my experience. We have an LG washer again model WM2650HWA (we had LG also at the previous home - so happy with it we bought another) and a Hotpoint cheap dryer. I didn't want to pay more for a fancy matching dryer since we didn't need to stack it- this one dries just fine! But I did want the front loading water efficient washer for 2 reasons - it is on the second floor and if the washer ever leaks, FL's have much less water in them so a disastrous flood is not as likely. Also water is expensive in CA and saving water is important, and after the $150 in rebates the LG on sale was actually cheaper than a top loader. This model WM2650HWA has steam and gets things nice and clean, they also solved the issue of smelly washers by putting a magnetic seal on the door so that when not in use it stays slightly open to dry, without endangering children or pets. It seems to me that you can't just choose one brand for each appliance, few brands make quality items for different applications. So you may want to gather some info on each type of appliance and find the best deal/quality rather than looking for a matched set. They tend to look the same once installed as long as the finish is all real stainless (some are just "stainless look" which is metallic painted plastic and I'd rather have white than that!)

The Pottery Barn system (work table top, lateral file cabinet, 2 3-drawer file cabinets) I need would cost $1500 - there's gotta be a way to either get it cheaper or get better quality for that kinda money! ******* Looking for higher quality/custom built for less money? That's a bit like looking for the Mercedes S-Class at the Toyota Camry price. Its just not going to happen. A recurring theme here on this forum is "More for Less" and I can tell you that 99.99 % of the time thats an impossibility. Here we are looking at a mass-produced (as in thousands of units) combination done by a mass marketer, made in China (where the hourly rate is .50 per hour) made of composite woods and fibers. Realistically the price is beat down as far as you are ever going to get it. This is what the American consumer has been demanding and Pottery Barn has delivered it to you. Custom built for that kind of money? Raw material alone would almost come to $ 1,500 in solid hardwoods that are stain grade, finishing material, hardware for slides, etc. A well-made custom-built unit is going to be closer to $ 5,000, regardless of what part of the country you are in. Duane Collie The Keeping Room

Hi Pie! I am sorry to know that all is not as you had visualized. All I can offer is to say don't be discouraged! I am sure it will be wonderful. We built a significant addition to this house 12 years ago (2 storey 28 x 32) and I remember thinking exactly the same way...oh no...this is not nearly large enough! Well, of course, for us it is. Our home is now 4200 sq ft...for 2 people...that's ok! We are not finished our kitchen reno yet. The cabinet maker lives an hour away from us and does not like to drive in winter weather ...that makes life difficult. However, he is absolutely fabulous at matching new stain to existing cabinets so that is why I have stayed with him. I fired our K.D. in early November...that is a long story and I should have done so weeks previous. We are no farther along than the last posting. Our tile man "Sonny" will be coming the end of the week to do the backsplash. Our cabinet maker should be here also at the end of the week. So, fingers crossed...it will all be done in the next week or so Hooray! I will definitely subit some photos