remodel-mama,

Your choices sound like they will be great together, not boring at all. When you say classic, do you mean vintage in particular or just the look of so many k;tchens here that makes them seem timeless?

I am only having a hard time picturing the p@int color going with the classic look, but that is because I am biased toward subtle cooler colors. I think of warm colors as belonging to the southwest category, but that's just my gut.

I am like you, I like to be able to see things before I commit. If I can't picture it but think it will be something I like, I will hunt for a picture and delay the decision until I find one that fits with what I am imagining. (Almost everything I have looked for, someone else has already done and posted a picture somewhere online.)

Have you looked in the FKB? You can narrow it down to the 5 pages of wood countertops. I flipped thru quickly and saw a few with fl00rs a different color than the counter.

Also have you looked at the wood countertop websites? Many of those have galleries.

My opinion, I think to some degree you don't have to match up your flo ors and tops exactly but there are certain colors of wood that would work better together than others.

What color top, what kind of wood are you considering?

What is your timeline? Have you started or are you mid-remodel?

We are doing the same thing, and I am looking for the latter feel. We have two islands. On the main island and the perimeter we will have dark gray or black granite, and on the second island we will have wood. Our floors are some kind of oak, installed 15 years ago, so we will just have them refinished but not stained. They have a PU finish right now, not sure how they will be refinished, but they are a warm color. For the wood top, we're using American cherry plank. The color is similar to the flo or.

I'm not a backsplash person, but I think any kind of subway tile would look great. For our backsplash we will only do a little area of tile right behind the stove. The first 18" will be a stainless sheet, then plain white subway tile up to the hood. The rest of the splash is the apron of the window for 8', and beadboard for the remaining counter length painted a white, with the blue/gray/green on the wall above it. The BB is also on other walls as wainscoting.

I don't think I will have finished pictures soon enough to help you but maybe these pictures will give you some idea. Taking true pictures of wood color is difficult; I think the floors are a bit warmer than they show here.

Sample of cherry plank counter

Our flo ors currently

Probable granite

Cab;nets

I think the wood countertop should coordinate well with your other choices, and preferably, not match the floor color. It's a totally different thing with a different purpose...You don't want to look like you put flooring on your counter. :-) I would want something lighter, like the classic butcherblock maple, or darker...cherry, which end up subtly darker and nicely richer, or walnut or Brazilian cherry, either of which would be markedly darker than the floor. With the dark perimeter counters, I think I'd do the maple or cherry.

Thanks so much jsweenc and rhome410...

I need to start getting some samples and put them all together. Thanks for all the ideas on where to look for wood counter pics.

When I said classic look -- yes, I meant timeless. And our timeline - well, my husband is on my case to finalize the cabinet order but some how I just can't commit. I am not exactly sure when the contractor will be ready to start on the kitchen (we are doing a fairly substantial remodel), but I want to order the cabinets soon so that I don't hold up the process (the cabinet people said it will take 6 weeks to get the cabinets).

On the paint color - I too am having a hard time imaging it, but I really want to try a warm color. I think I'll buy a sample and paint it on poster board to get a better sense.

I too am thinking of only doing backsplash behind the stove and like the idea of doing stainless part way up. Will your stainless have a shelf also? Saw that the other day and it looked very convenient.

jsweenc - I love your kitchen so far! It looks great! It's a very similar to the look I am going for. Are your cabinets pure white? What brand are they? And what brand of refrigerator/appliances did you choose (sorry for all the questions... I am a mess over this kitchen and need all the help I can get!)

I am attaching a link to my kitchen plan. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the island will be antiqued black (I think ;).

Here is a link that might be useful: remodel-mama's kitchen plan

Right there with you, remodel-mama! It's just that I am past being a mess about cab;nets and now am a mess over counters! But I am so happy to answer any questions.

I tried your link but it didn't work.

I think a warm counter like cherry would look beautiful on the black island. It's also a more classic look than something like maple, beech or birch, although I have some gorgeous heirloom maple furniture that is about the same color. Depends partly on how it is finished.

Six weeks is a long time! Are they custom and local or will they be made elsewhere and shipped? It's so hard to know how to time everything. We haven't done very well at keeping things going; if you condensed all the waiting time, we'd have been finished about 3-4 weeks ago. Making the commitment to the cab;nets was the hardest part for me because I had tweaked my layout about 1000 times before then and I kept feeling like there was still surely something I was missing. But with all the thought we put into it, I figured whatever was missing didn't need to be there anyway. I felt so much better once we could not change any more without consequence and I could let that decision go.

I painted a few colors in the family I preferred right on the sheetrock, and when I chose from those few, I painted a bigger swatch of the top choice. I also painted a few stripes in various spots in the k;tchen to see how it caught the light. You can see one stripe to the right of the range. At least paint is one of the easier things to change, but I definitely think you should start in the direction you are led; there is a reason why you want it that way and have chosen that color as a starting point.

I would like to have a shelf above the stainless part. Segbrown has one and she says she wishes she had gotten one that was not solid to allow for better ventilation under it. I remember seeing one the other day here as well; I'd better go look for that thread before I lose it. Pottery Barn and Ikea both carry shelves and accessor;es. I also saw a suggestion at one point to look for a sheet metal fabricator in your area rather than buy an already made splash like Broan sells.

The cabinets are white. They are custom by a local guy (NC) who does a lot of work with our GC. I asked if he had any color options that were included in the price. He said I could pick a SW color and give it to him, but I think it would have been more and I'm not good with subtle color differences anyway, so I stayed with "Stock White".

We chose each appliance separately, not a brand package. Fridge is Whirlpool Gold (between that and an Electrolux which was a bit more). MW is GE Profile (not convection, we just wanted a straight MW) with trim kit. I like the MW just fine; we had an OTR Profile before so this one operates similarly with no learn;ng curve and no fancy functions. The fr;dge is OK. It's 19cf in the fr;dge; 27 overall. In some ways it's more accomodating than our SxS (interior space) but less in others (door space). I haven't filled it yet; the other fr;dge is still sitting on the other side of the k;tchen and I've been lazy about moving everything.

We have the new Electrolux induction range on order but it hasn't come in yet. Bosch DW in its box in the LR until we get counters and water. Vent-a-Hood PRH18. I can get you numbers if you'd like.

I'll look forward to hearing about your decisions as you move forward!

We have red oak floors as well will be installing butcher block in two places (we have soapstone on the island and part of the main wall). I have also been debating about the color for the butcherblock. I think I will probably leave it light (it is IKEA birch?) and Waterlox it in its natural color. I do like the idea of the rich walnut color as well though. I think either contrast (lighter or darker) would work, but I agree with others that it should not match the floor.

Remodel-mama,

I have seen different combinations of dark wood or light
and another wood type on the floors.
The beautiful thing about white and wood is they look
beautiful together. Whatever you do decide, be it
dark or light or both, it will be lovely.

Meanwhile here are some ideas that might help you visualize.
~boxer

Hilton Head Kitchen Designs

Hampton Designs

Reid Brothers Kitchens

Devo Woodworking

Devo Woodworking Walnut Island

Kitchen Web

Wood Countertops Google images

Fox Kitchens

Restyled Home

I am not sure which backsplash would be the one for
you. I have always been a fan of the simple look with
white kitchens dark counters. Noticing all the images
above there really are some great ideas.

Here is one more with a marble bs
Acobra289 from Photobucket (not my image)

Not Marble but really lovely

Here is a link that might be useful: Clippings from I believe Willow not exactly sure

I would absolutely NOT match them or even coordinate them. As Rhome stated...you don't want your counters to look like they came from left over floor boards :)

In our kitchen we had a soffit built out of wood. It was EXACTLY the same wood. Gad it was horribly tacky and probably colors my answer here far too much :)

Another example, with 3 different woods/finishes.

Also, was this thread (below) the one you saw about stainless shelves? If there was another, would you share (if you can find it)?.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stainless shelves

http://s873.photobucket.com/albums/ab296/remodel-mama/?action=view&current=remodel-mamaDynastyinsetcabinets.jpg

The cabinets we are planning to use are Fieldstone in Marshmallow... more later...

I will also try to post a picture of the dining room that is adjacent/open to the kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful:

boxerpups' 1st picture is lovely, and looks like an approximation of the paint you are talking about.

And here is one who actually did use leftover flooring on her counter. Scroll about 1/2 way down to marciab10.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood counter from flooring

Thanks jsweenc! I need to start getting some samples to see what will work best. Now (along with everything else I can decide on) I am questioning whether a black distressed island will work...

remodel-mama, have you posted any pictures of your finished kitchen? You plan sounds very similiar to mine and I would love to see the results!

remodel-mama, have you posted any pictures of your finished kitchen? You plan sounds very similiar to mine and I would love to see the results!

Also, if I post a picture of a box of planks left behind by the former owner, could you guys tell me if it is wood or laminate? I did the thumbtack test but it was inconclusive.

Oh, and in case your research hasn't gotten this far.

John Boos hard rock maple countertops are NSF rated as being hard enough to cut on and not harbor bacteria. They are restaurant rated.

Birch or other softer wood counters may not be.

In my world, function rules. If you want butcher block counters get one you can use.