Care of lucky bamboo: All lucky bamboo needs to grow is a container,clean water and polished stones to keep the stalks upright. It doesnÂt do well with fluoride,so tap water is not preferable.If you must use tap water,let it sit out overnight before using.This will cause the chloride to evaporate,but wonÂt get rid of the fluoride.Change the water once a month adding a drop of fertilizer if you want rapid growth.It doesnÂt like to be over-fertilized though. DonÂt wash the stones as the nutrients are stored in the rocks. Also donÂt fill the container too full (especially a tall vase) as they will cause the bamboo to sprout roots higher on the stalk.The roots need to be totally submerged in water though. Place the bamboo in an area with bright filtered light.It will also do well in a room with no natural light. Exposure to sunlight, treated water,roots that arenÂt in the water,or sudden tem- perature changes can cause problems for lucky bamboo.If the leaves start to turn yellow,check the lighting,change the water using only filtered or distilled water,and/or move it out of drafts or away from furnace registers. Trim yellow leaves with a sharp clean scissors.This should bring it back to health. High salt levels can also burn the tips of leaves.Salt buildup can come from city water or fertilizer.Fertilize with care.

I'd probably leave the whole arch thing alone structurally and just yank off the tile, repair the drywall and cover the whole thing with stainless steel. A local metal fabricator ought to be able to do the job, or even the HVAC person that I would hire to put in a hood insert into the upper portion of the mantle. A cool stainless mantle hood echoes the traditional mantle hood that is so popular in traditional cabinetry, but the stainless updates it to modern. As for the doors, I agree that nothing about arched raised panels will work with either modern or transitional. I'd just take the doors off and paint the boxes to match the bases. Here's the key, though. Paint the cabinet back walls the same as your wall color. That will make the shelves and boxes "float" and appear more as open shelving that just cabinets without doors. I wouldn't fill the hinge hardware holes just yet though. If you can't live with keeping things tidy and dust free, then have some open frame doors made for glass and install those. If you find that you love the open shelf look, then you can fill the holes and touch up the paint. For the island, I'd pick a fun modern color and have at it with paint. Orange, eggplant, fuschia, lime, turquoise---there has to be a great color out there that you've used in the rest of the house. Even a "neutralized" color could work, like a sagey green, or a greige, or a gray-lavender or a browned orange or a blackened red. Pick up that island color with accessories for the kitchen and breakfast area. Here is a "how to" to paint those cabinets. It was originally posted in response to how to judge a professional paint job from a contractor, but the steps are the same even if you DIY. _________________ Here is how I would expect a pro to spray paint kitchen cabinets. A brush painted job would differ slightly in that you wouldn't hang the doors to paint. You'd place them on a work table or easel instead. It's time intensive work, and should take 7-14 days to accomplish completely and cost between 3K-7K depending on kitchen size and amount of detail in cabinets. Remove doors and drawer fronts. Remove hinges and hardware. Clean with TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) Rinse and let dry. Scrape any loose finish. Fill any damaged spots or hardware holes that won't be reused. Sand fill smooth. Scuff sand the rest. Tack off dust. Hang in dust free paint booth with wires through hardware points. Tack off dust again. Spray with alkyd based primer. Scuff sand again. Tack off dust. Spray with second coat of primer. Spray with first finish coat of latex enamel. Spray with second coat of latex. If glazing is to occur, that is next. Spray with conversion varnish. (If being brush painted, this step is typically skipped.) Add more molding or decorative details to boxes, filling nail holes and sanding smooth. Repeat prep process with face frames and exposed cabinet sides using plastic to create a spray booth on site. If interiors are to be done, they are done before face frames and sides. Interiors are difficult, and add both time and expense to the job. Allow everything to fully cure. Clean hinges and hardware and clear coat if you're keeping the old hardware. Install new (or old) hinges and hardware. Re-install doors and drawers and adjust for proper clearances. If you are receiving a job without this amount of effort, then you are not receiving a quality professional job.

Thanks for all your advice. I'm so glad that I didn't just rush in and start this. From the sounds of it, I WOULD HAVE ruined them . . . :^0 . . . OMGosh! I need to run all this by DH. He's been encouraging me to call up and order a set I like that I saw in Phoenix Home & Garden magazine spread. I can't imagine ordering anything that big and expensive sight unseen, though. Hmmmmmm, there may be a weekend trip to Scottsdale in the offing ;^) In the mean time, I need to decide whether I want to paint the set a brown first and them give the Gel Stain a go or just leave it as is until I get a new set. BTW, I haven't looked into having it professionally stripped and redone. I probably should. I can't imagine a red or blue table in our dining room, though. I'll have to think about that one.

honu, I was out all day, and just now responding to your questions... first of all love seeing all the other soapstone counters! I am truly a "soapy" and really enjoy my countertops. You are right, we have a corner sink, so the depth for the faucet was not an issue. Our soapstone is called "Mariana" it is Brazilian we purchased from Walker-Zanger in So Cal. I would say it is medium on the hardness scale. The picture was just after install about nine months ago, and oiled. Since then, I oiled a couple more times, but have lately decided to let it just go natural, which I'm liking very much! I think your idea of full height behind the range is a great one, sounds gorgeous! (and very practical too) ...and no, I never got around to posting a reveal, partially because my re-do was more of a freshen up, and also I don't know how to add more than one photo in a post ;) This post was edited by ctycdm on Fri, Nov 8, 13 at 22:22