Newbie with some kitchen remodeling questions

11 years ago

Hi all-

Some questions for you all- I am in the process to remodel a very small kitchen. I just want to redo the counters and maybe add handles to the cabinets. I live in the bay area and apparently, we have alot of chinese suppliers of granite that sells prefab granite (they are super cheap, like 100-300/slab.

I'm not super picky about my granite selection, and my kitchen is just an L shape, nothing weird shape. My husband thinks that going this route will be subpar, but all my friends uses prefab and it's totally fine?

1. What are your thoughts on using prefab? My total square footage of the kitchen counter is 48sq ft.

2. Color selection. In order to keep the cost down, i'm not changing the cabinet color, they are still in pretty good shape. They are light maple color, with terra cotta color tiles on the floor. What are some color options for me as suggestions? Appliances are stainless steel/black.
Remember that my kitchen is very small. and it's open up to the family room with light hardwood floor.

Much appreciated!

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Comments (9)

herbflavor
11 years ago
Re counter:it depends on the selection-the cabs are really neutral...can you select a few of your preferred granites and post? I'd be wanting a new floor and get a proper toekick/maybe "furniture" toekick for a section.The floor casts a pinky orange hue to the space...hardwood or another floor will change and upgrade the kitchen.Agree with surface/cosmetic changes as your game plan.Contemplate or go ahead and pick backsplash at same time as counter is chosen so you know where you're going with that.
fayewolf
Original Author
11 years ago
I want new floors too, but the husband does not :(
I dont think it is the cost, he just doesn't want to much crap to be done? If I can convince him to redo them in a very neutral white tile, I would be very happy.

Say that I do want to upgrade the floors. Should I have that done prior to getting the granite counters?
This should be a fairly easy project, correct? (We won't be doing any of this, will hire someone to do), this is like a 100sq ft space, I'm hoping to keep it under $1500.

The counter color that I'm thinking either go darker like a tan brown or go with lighter like bordeaux.

Thoughts?
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Lavender - I didn't mean to waste your time... I'm sorry that my wording was so terse here. I've been trying to steer the conversation away from banquettes to other options. I'd previously said: "banquette seating is not desirable" "Unless we fall in love with some kind of banquette (unlikely)," "Sorry to say, but no matter how many times I bring this up, my wife is not into the idea of banquette seating" "But I"m telling you, the banquette is a stretch. It's going to be a hard sell -- we don't usually even like sitting in booths or benches in restaurants!" I'm not saying we'll never come back to the idea.. but for now I want to focus on what other options might exist. In fact, this would have been nicer phrasing than "I'm done talking about banquettes" so I apologize. I am still interested in trying out different island shapes and/or places to stick a table, in search of ideas that allow seating for 5 and better flow -- things like the oval at the end of the island, or the table against the wall, for example. I'll post some more examples later. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions.
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If you can find a client with such a narrow space for table and counter seating to interview about it, great. But you can also find out for yourself. Somewhere in your current home space, put a table with chairs and then mock up a peninsula with boxes or a piece of furniture with stools. Measure and get the dimensions the same as would be in your proposed space. And see how it feels. Try to do this with some friends or family over to see how it would feel while entertaining with some folks at the counter stools, others at the table seating, and others wanting to walk through. Or do it without other people if that isn't convenient, just pull the chairs and stools out as if people were seated in them. No cheating with pretending that people always sit in these pulled up close to the table because, in real life, that's not how people really sit. And then walk through. Again, no cheating with your arms while walking through and pretending there isn't a head in the chair that you could elbow. And remember that the table has to be positioned so that people sitting on the window side have enough room to get in and out of their chairs. I honestly don't see any way this can work in a way that is comfortable for people to move around unless you, DH and everybody you ever entertain are all super-skinny, petite people and your dining room table is only about 15" wide. There are a lot of people who design beautiful kitchens that aren't functional. And if their clients have never experienced a functional kitchen, they might even be quite pleased with them because they think kitchens tend to be dysfunctional anyway and that one must always end up putting up with something and making compromises. It's really quite amazing how many people think dysfunction is inherent in kitchens. We see it here in these forums quite often. Then if people take advice given and come up with a functional plan, they will jump for joy and share how excited they are to have a space that works for them and their lifestyle, instead of against them. That said....I'm not super pleased with the plan I created for you. I wish some of the more talented folks would pop into this discussion and offer you better options because I know there has to be something better. I have seen some of the talent here work with far more difficult spaces than you have and create kitchens of beauty that are highly functional. I hope they will join in and help you out. Personally, I would question any designer who told you that people don't like double-oven ranges and prefer two huge ovens. And then didn't even propose that you consider a combination microwave/convection oven over having two full size ovens and a separate micro. Unless you are constantly cooking, baking and need that much oven space on a regular basis, it truly is a waste of space in your size kitchen, imho. If you don't mind sharing who is designing your kitchen, I'd love to check out their Houzz page.
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gpraceman55
11 years ago
I'm not sure how you could do an L shaped kitchen with prefab slabs. You would have to cut them to fit together.

I have heard that some of the Chinese granite is dyed. The dye may wear off over time.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to check if a granite countertop has been dyed
herbflavor
11 years ago
1500? better get quotes....look on line for granite sales and installation people that quote some sale pricing/throw in a sink and install .....they'll give you a decent end product and perhaps through reviews of their products and work you can be certain of what you are getting/along with a warranty. Lowes and Home Depot are worth a trip.....if you have that much of a budget constriction I would either delay till more funds are avail or start searching ....wherever.....maybe someone has a remnant slab of something for adjacent to fridge.....Ikea as well for counters.
kiko_gw
11 years ago
Your floors seem to go so well with your cabinets. Are they in bad condition?
sweetremodel
11 years ago
You could paint the cabinets more of a creme color and find a granite that has the coral tone from the floor and some darker tones to tie it together.

Adding brushed nickel pulls or knobs to the cabinets would bring it more up to date too.

For granite, Granite Expo is a good place to check out. I bought pre-fab there and was happy with it. You may have a seam at the L though, which is not a big deal.

You might also want to update the tile that's the backsplash behind the stove. Maybe you could even use a piece of the countertop granite there to keep it simple, or find an inexpensive more ceramic tile.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shopping Tips for a Remodel
fayewolf
Original Author
11 years ago
$1500 for the floor, not the granite counter. Budget for countertop is $3000ish.

If I don't have to redo the tile, that would be ideal!

Any suggestion for granite that us med color with some coral tone?

If anyone has frabocator suggestion for Bay Area I would appreciated as well!!

Home Depot is about $70/ft installed

I've also found some slabs that I like (not prefab) that are~$30/sq ft
Gooster
11 years ago
I haven't had experience with the pre-fab suppliers, but I did see a large number of counters at Tez Marble on the Peninsula, Liberty in South SF, Granite Expo and a few other places. Many of these providers provide "blank" counter sized slabs, without an edge. Thus, you can still pick the edge of your choice. They also offer flat edges, instead of the bull-nose that is so common elsewhere. The color section was pretty good, as well. The key here, I believe, is getting a qualified fabricator.

Looking at your layout, you may be able to get by with a single slab, so don't give up on that option as well.

I echo the need for a bs replacement, once you replace the counters. This will be more important than the floor and will make a big visual impact. That and the HW that you already plan to replace.
fayewolf
Original Author
11 years ago
Absolutely a must for the black splash, I just wasn't sure if I will go with tiles or left over granite.

Gooster- since you're in the Bay Area.do you have a fabricator rec?

Newbie with some kitchen remodeling questions

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herbflavor

fayewolf
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Newbie with some kitchen remodeling questions

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herbflavor

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