I am doing this even as we "speak!" I am only waiting for drying time between coats. I am also painting bare-wood cabinets and will be painting them all to match. First, I totally agree with ajc71 with the harsher sandpaper. I experimented today and got that crazy polish from the 220. Second, I have also been experimenting with brush-on primer vs. spray-on, and let me tell you, the difference is night and day! I brushed Glidden Gripper onto my base cabinets and doors, and it raised the grain on my unfinished cabs. Not too big a deal, but I did have to go back and re-sand then touch up with primer. Then I spray-primed the unfinished upper cabinet doors with original Kilz (removed them and took them to the garage) and the difference was night and DAY! Not only was it faster the finish was awesome, and coverage was excellent. You can bet your sweet bippie I will be doing the rest of the doors with a spray primer, even if I have to get something better-suited to pre-finished doors. Stiles will still get the brush-on, mostly because I do not want to have to deal with spray in the house. The sanding will be bad enough. Good luck!

I agree with Live Wire that function should come first! But after that, if its still a toss up as to what to go with, I'll tell you that I've only had a black electric cooktop and stainless gas and I prefer the stainless when cleaning, and obviously gas when cooking. I have soapstone countertops and stainless gas cooktop with downdraft. That was the only layout I could work with, and have wood beams in the ceiling so I had to go with downdraft. When my husband cooks bacon it smells up the house, but other than that, I've found no issues with the downdraft.

Try posting in the Appliance forum. GL

From your other thread. You live in the northeast, family of 4 with 2 elementary age kids, and you plan to stay in the house a long time. 2 acre lot that slopes generally from the southeast corner down to the northwest. You plan to build on the higher part of the lot towards the back of the lot, and the garage will be detached to the right side. I'm encouraging you to build the house that best fits your needs, and is a pleasant place to raise your family and to be comfortable for many years. Unfortunately, the topography of the lot is less than ideal. You also seem focused on being able to watch young kids playing outside, when those kids will probably be at least 2 years older when you move in. How much longer will you feel a need to keep an eye on them? People often underestimate the power of sunlight, especially over the winter. I think mostly because our houses -- the houses we have lived in, were not designed and built with this in mind. I know its more favorable to have southern light for passive heating, but wouldn’t it increase the amount of a/c needed in the summer? Currently that is our larger expense as we prefer a cooler temperature in the house. It more the light than the heat. In the summer the sun shines generally overhead (on the roof), rising in the east and setting in the west. The east, and especially west parts of the house get the most sun. Your house has a large western exposure, so in the summer it may be warmer and take additional cooling. In a 2 story house, the upper floor will always be warmer than the lower. In winter when the sun rises later and sets sooner, the sun is lower in the southern sky allowing light to enter south facing windows, providing light and a bit of warmth. Generally, a house that is oriented along an east/west axis with minimal western exposure will be the most comfortable. Think rectangle with the long sides facing north and south. Rooms with windows on multiple sides are also nice. Utility spaces like a garage work well on the west acting as a buffer. A 3D model showing the house in place on the lot can be really helpful. You can see shadows for various times of day and year, and just see what the house will look like as built.