white corian/solid surface--I am crazy?
hostalover67
16 years ago
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hostalover67
16 years agoFori
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White (?) Or am I crazy? (Pics)
Comments (40)In the past we have used the living room mostly for formal entertaining with just adults. When we include the children at parties, we usually do something more casual in the family room, where we have totally kid-proof leather upholstery. Also, we have always had our den/office area set-up as a sitting room rather than an office, and I'm thinking of going for a darker, sort of english-men's-clubby look in there. For some reason, my big fear is dye transfer from blue-jeans, more so than the daily-wear-and-tear thing. I have to kind-of chuckle when I think of deciding which room to invite guests to sit in based on their attire.. I was thinking I could have a pretty throw on the white sofa for the occasional family member who might wander in to sit with a book or something. Also, the room is large enough that there will be other seating, in darker colors, so anyone with apprehension about sitting on the white will have options. Do I sound like I'm trying to talk myself into it? I suppose because it seems to me that white looks better than any of the other lighter-colored options, and also, I wonder if the concerns with stains/dirt/wear would be much less, say with pale blue or gold, than they would with white? I do not see a very dark color in that room, so the colored options are almost as light as the white. Funny, I heard a comment on "The stagers" on HGTV, where the designer was using a white sofa, and made an aside comment that they "never recommended them for their design clients"--only for staging, as they would look grungy in a few months. I thought when I posted this, that I might hear from people who had white, and then regretted it after living with it. However it's interesting that the people who responded who said they actually have a white sofa, all said they had no problems and loved it. Any more white-upholstery owners want to weigh-in? (So far only 5 white-sofa owners have responded.) It would be interesting to hear from more--I wonder if I'm needlessly concerned about the white, as those with experience living with it, (so far) unanamously seem to love it!...See MoreCorian or other solid surfaces?
Comments (22)Jdesign our project was about 20 miles north of NYC. My original impression was to much white, but when finished I will say the white Corian counter and island cabinets were unlike any kitchen I have ever seen. Normally we install the kitchens, but this was done by a Boffi installer. It took about 9 days including setting of appliances with help for 4 days. I will say that the installer was in no hurry and treated every cabinet install with the up-most care. Counter tops came with sink installs from Italy. Even the Gaggenau cooktop came installed in a stainless counter. I will say I was disappointed with their sinks which are stainless. As for as Corian being used for the counter it was the ultimate for this kitchen. The client had it seamed here rather than the Boffi install of butting it with visible seam. Like I posted earlier a 16' island with no seams is amazing! The client has large parties and it becomes a buffet table with tons of food on it. At the end of the day cleanup is a snap and the kitchen counters look as good as new. If stained or scatched a little buffing with pad and all is good. This is one kitchen that stone would not work in. Modern design in my opinion works better with solid surface. I think granite and marble work well in some kitchens, but not to the extent that I see on GW. It seems to be a must have upgrade or standard in new home construction. My take is install what makes you happy not what will impress others....See MoreWhite Cabinet Questions -- Am I crazy?
Comments (5)Here's the scoop, from my perspective, having just ordered a white kitchen. First, I'm in Canada, where there is less of a stigma attached to MDF doors. Many (all) of the highest end cabinet shops have MDF door options. Wood frame doors will expand and contract and you will get hairline cracks at the seams of the frame and gaps showing around the panel. You can reduce this by using an MDF panel with solid wood frame around. Further reduction of gap appearance can be achieved by painting the panel before assembling the door. The panels in a wood door 'float' - they are not glued into place, for this very reason. In some people's eyes, the lines are a sign of a solid wood door and they like the 'imperfect' look. I tend to agree, but the wife couldn't stomach spending this much money on cabinets and looking at cracked paint all the time. So, push come to shove, with no price difference, we went with MDF doors on plywood cabinets. While she couldn't stomach cracked paint, I couldn't stomach pretend maple plastic veneer inside a particle board box. So I paid the small upcharge for plywood (material difference only which was minor). Our upper cabinets are 47" tall. The MDF doors are custom made on a computer controlled CNC machine. Today solid wood doors are similarly machine made with minimal human assembly. For all the attention paid with most door makers, they may as well be machine made - it's like saying your Ford was made by hand. Sure it was. So if you want a perfect smooth finish, go with MDF doors. MDF is a strong environmental choice too. If you prefer the feeling that you've got solid wood doors, and like the imperfections showing up over time, go solid wood. I also learned that at least in the Toronto area, most 'custom' cabinet shops make their own cabinet carcasses (the box) but all order doors from companies that do just that - make doors. Check out Cut Right doors in Waterloo Ontario for example. So often the difference between one shop and another is the construction technique/quality of the carcass, and the finishing quality of the paint/stain, as the doors are delivered unfinished. Our 'white' kitchen is being painted Benjamin Moore Cloud White, a perennial favorite white - pretty neutral without much yellow or blue undertone but not stark. Cabinets are being installed in a week or so....See MoreSolid Surfaces - Corian etc.
Comments (21)I have white corian in my master bathroom, and a grey speckled version called Pepper Ivory in my kitchen. I am happy with both of them. Almost no chipping. Every now and then if I drop something sharp from fairly high up I do make a tiny ding, but that doesn't seem unreasonable to me. I have the satin finish, which does occasionally look "etched" (for lack of a better word). I can polish it out if I try, or more often I just ignore it and it goes away on its own over a few days as I keep normally wiping the counters down. I know some people have a deep hatred for this stuff...but it has held up well in my house for 5 years or so....See Morec9pilot
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