The perimeter cabinets are pine, no stain was used.

Too funny - I was going to post "This kitchen reminds me of Allison's, you should ask her!"

I don't know if it's stucco, but fyi, stucco does not crack. I'm doing a similar hood with stucco and granite. It's just a thin layer of stucco and is basically made of wood (with a metal hood inside of it)

I must be going crazy, but I just looked at Allison's (Allison0704) kitchen (posted below) and it does not look like hers to me. Do I have the wrong Allison?

Thank you!

Here is a link that might be useful: Allison0704

Nope, that's the Allison I was referring to - maybe I'm off base but I think the finishes and materials are very similar in feeling and style to Allison's - that's all.

It looks like a stone hood or at least a cast similar to stone. I pondered long and hard about a wood or stone hood (really wanted stone) but had to loose the dream based only on finances. They are incredibly heavy and usually require a mason to install them. I had to draw the line somewhere! Here's a link to one I think looks almost the same as your picture:

Here is a link that might be useful: Stone Hoods

I have one made of cast limestone. It is over 800 pounds and did require a mason to install along with some structural considerations. It is a huge rock on the wall, not a skim coat so there is no way it can crack.

Someone on GW has a beautiful hacienda inspired kitchen has a hood made of plaster skim coated over a wooden frame with wire mesh. It is a newer finished kitchen in the last month. Try searching under stone hood.

Here is the link to a prior post with mo'sgal about these hoods. It should answer most questions. Let me know if you have more.

Here is a link that might be useful: stone hood discussion

It's Lynne's kitchen that has the plaster finished hood (just recently done)

Even my wood shell is very very heavy (my hood is 58" wide) and had to be hung from heavy chains wrapped around reinforced rafters (or whatever those boards are between the floors). It's bolted (not screwed) to a support beam on the wall as well with structural support a major consideration. While it may not weigh 800lbs...it's heavy (I wonder what it does weigh? It will be more when the granite is on it).

Anyhoo, I'd bet a couple guys could hang off of cleo's and do pullups :) Which is how the contractor tested mine LOL

Thank you Igloo. I couldn't remember whose kitchen it belonged to. It is lynneinnewmexico. She did have a recent post about how the contractor made the hood too. It was a great idea, a year too late for me.

Igloo,are you putting granite ON the hood? I don't know if I have seen yours yet. I can't wait to see it. I think I get mixed up with all your houses. I did love that old one with the cool butler's pantry.

Yes my mason did pullups on mine too. What amazes me the most about the installation is that the corbels do not rest on the counter at all. The one small piece of counter on the right actually slides out from under the corbel. The mason canted all the weight back onto the wall. He was worried my drawers might not work properly with the weight on the counter. I am really glad I did not DIY this one.

I can hear y'all you know! lol

Someone else had a stucco hood. They put hay in it for texture. She emailed or posted how it was done because I was considering doing something similar. It isn't in the FKB.

There are better pictures of my ktichen on Attic Mag - French Gray Island Kitchen. You can click on the pictures to enlarge. The ones on the FKB were taken when the house was first finished.

Here is a link that might be useful: More Pictures of My Ktichen

This is my favorite stone hood. Love the kitchen too. I don't know if Bosche still frequents the forum though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bosche's Kitchen

Limed pine with a glaze.

To create a whitewashed look that lets the wood tone and grain show through: Apply liming wax to bare or stained wood, even those with sealed surfaces. Some woods such as beech, maple and rubber will benefit from opening the grain with a wire brush first. Apply liming wax sparingly with a cotton cloth, rub into grain and remove the excess. Overcoat with clear wax polish or, for a more distressed, antiqued look, overcoat with a light brown wax. You can apply liming wax over waterbased stains, old driftwood, wood floors or even coarse pottery. Extreme how to

LOL Cleo I only have two houses right now, one with a future plaster and granite hood and one with a brick hood enclosure. The French House (with the butlers pantry) is still waiting to go on the market so I can arm wrestle someone for it....but I do NEED that house!)

I hesitate to show pics of my hood as it is now because it takes a vision to understand what it will look like, but to show what is (or can be) under a massive plaster hood (lynne's looked a lot like mine but different shape) this is the dead body:

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The top area (about 3" at the ceiling) will have crown molding on it that matches the crown around the room (cherry with an autumn glaze). The sloping area is now drywalled and smoothed out, and that will have venetian plaster on it to match the walls in a soft pumpkin tone. It is real venetian plaster (Marmarmino actually which has both marble and lime dust in the mixture). And then that flat area will be trimmed out mantel style with a trim on the top and the bottom (smaller but similar to the crown molding) which will sandwich about a 10" strip of nordic black antiqued granite. THe granite is the same I'm using to frame the chickens that go between the range and the hood:
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I love the stone and plaster hoods myself. They have such a presence in the room and really warm up a kitchen. Lynne's is quite pretty as well and she's done a lovely backsplash behind it. (She'll peep in here soon I'm sure...she can't avoid a hood post if her life depended on it).

IGLOO - stop posting that darn mosaic!! You're making me envious all over again and I had just finally put it out of my mind!!!!!

cleo - What a gorgeous kitchen! Can you tell me what color of paint you used on the walls? Also, is the backsplash behind the stove a mosaic? I've never seen anything like that.

igloochic - That's the 1st time I've seen your mosaic. I love it!

Laurie

Igloochick and Cleo 2007, how high are your hoods off the counter top. I love the corbels ( Cleo )

igloo: I LOVE the mosaic. Was it custom or did you find it already done. (Or did you make it?) I wanted roosters too but ended up floral. Your hood will be gorgeous. I do know what marmorino is as I was going to order marmorino for my bathrooms but haven't gotten that far yet. I have never used a trowel on finish and I am slightly nervous about it. I did read you can thin the first layer and roll it on with a 3/4 inch nap roller. Then trowel on the second coat. Have you done that?

msrose: The paint is Tumeric by BM Aura line. The mosaic is custom by a local artist.

sheilaann: The hood is 30 inches off the counter on the sides (32 with the arch). The ceilings are only 8 footers.

My hood is 33" off the surface of the counters and stove. I have 8 foot ceilings as well.

I bought that mosaic out of Lebanon cleo and nope, it wasn't custom, but I had to make them find it for me (it was an older pattern they weren't currently selling).

I've only done the trowel on version of plaster...on marmarino I guess I'd worry about that one because you're not supposed to sand it between coats, which I like to do to smooth it out, but then I'm going for a very polished finish verses a rustic one...so perhaps that's the finish technique. Be sure to do a precoat (or primer) in quartz paint in the bathroom, it makes a huge difference in the quality of your finish long term! (I'm doing it in the kitchen as well).

I can't imagine making one of those mosaics. The detail is amazing isn't it? Yours is gorgeous...and I was shooting towards a floral but DH started gagging and making funny faces...so chickens it is. Besides they match our chandelier in the dining room heh heh (elegant chickens...who'd a thunk!)

When you get to the plaster work cleo...just keep one thing in mind and you'll do great...ok two...first use rounded edge trowels..they'll make a huge difference, and if yours aren't rounded, sand them down on the sharp corners. And secondly and most important.....THIN THIN THIN! If you can't see the color of the wall under your first coat, it will be a disaster after it dries and you'll have to start over again after sanding it off (and really...new drywall is easier than removing bad plaster). I prefer a 3 coat wall to a two...and then at least one coat of a commercial grade wax (and don't skip that in the bathrooms ever). The wax protects it from all of the fingers that rub over a well done plaster job :) And they will...My powder room is always "petted" by anyone who enters...or walks by LOL

Thanks igloo. Where do you order the marmorino from? I think muralsplus.com has some but I heven't been on there in awhile. How long would a 5x8 bathroom take? 1-2 days or more? I wish I knew someone with marmorino. I have read it is a beautiful luminous finish and would love to see it in person. Maybe I'll do some sample boards before I committ. I am great at mudding drywall, so this should be doable.

You're right, Igloochic, I love looking at different hood styles and I love my own hood. It's base is a wood frame built over a Vent-a-Hood insert. Then they added drywall and carved it to round the shape. The finish is hand-troweled plaster. There's no paint and it has this wonderful waxy look and feel to it. I love it.
Here's what it looked like as they were finishing the wood part. The "legs" were just there for added support as they worked. They cut them off when they were finished. As for cracking, an actual plaster artist did this hood and he's never had one crack yet.
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Here it is after he applied the plaster. It dried to a creamy white finish, which was cool to watch.
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And this is what it looks like now:

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