Check out my Sandstone Kitchen and Bath counters

12 years ago

Ok guys, you were a lot of help on this build and I know it's been a while since I asked for help. We didn't get to move in until the end of June(was supposed to be the end of February). I'm still not done decorating but I think the kitchen is presentable enough.

Oh, please ignore the date stamp. I took these this morning but my camera had died and I didn't fix the date.

Normally it's brighter but of course the day I have time to take pics is the day that it turns off cold and rainy!!

The bar slabs actually up on a matched up when the slabs were first chosen. We spent over 3 hours with templates matching up the waving lines.(So I wouldn't have weird seams) Of the 3 on that section around sink, only the end one was cut correctly. Some of you my remember my rant earlier this year! So, I had to chose 2 more slabs for sink piece and to the right of sink. The piece that was cut correctly was my favorite piece and I still wanted it, even though now I have a strange seam.

Hope I'm not wearing you out with pics. Here's a couple of the master bath that also has sandstone.

Here's a shot showing more of the bathroom and peek of the closet. BTW, I LOVE my Elfa!! And yes, I have a chandy in the closet and over the tub!! Hubby asked "why, nobody with see them?" Answer-I WILL!! THEY ARE FOR ME!!!

Thanks again to all of you who gave me advice on my kitchen. I absolutely love it!! And a special thanks to Boxerpups for the helpful pics and the pep talk to do what I wanted even when most every one poo-pooed it!

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Comments (25)

momo7
12 years ago
Good heavens that is pretty stone. Where are you? I saw sandstone on N & G Soapstone's website but their pictures don't do it justice. But it is just gorgeous. Btw your kitchen is beautiful too and your bathroom - wow! What is this Elfa you speak of with love?
breezygirl
12 years ago
I was wondering how your kitchen turned out! Bath, too actually as we were searching for plumbing fixtures at the same time. How do you like them? (I'm doing a tub chandy too!). Do you have a pic of your tub?

You did a great job. I adore your yellow KA! I'm happy that you like your stone. Thanks for coming back to show us!
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Check out my plan.....
Q
Comments (12)
I like the openness & overall flow of your plan. I do agree with you on the kitchen space. Have you thought of doing a large island with a bar area on the family room side vs the small island and then another counter with peninsula? You could move the ovens to the opposite wall giving a framing effect for the rangetop & hood (they will be bracketed by cabinets on either side bracketed by the fridge & the ovens. I think this configuration would simplify the overall traffic flow of the kitchen space and optimize the space. I personally don't care to walk through my laundry room everytime I enter the house. I agree with some of the above comments above about putting your pantry area where you have your laundry room now. I'd then delete the door separating that space from the kitchen. You could then make your current pantry into a laundry room. The powder room is pretty far away if you're outside and need to use the facilities. If you're working or playing outside, you could be tracking dirt, mud or grass through the whole house or through the master to get to a bathroom. I'd probably see about reworking the current laundry space to make it pantry space as mentioned above and combine it with some of the storage space off the work space in the garage to create a new entry & powder room. Love the shower in the master bath, but no tub? That might hurt resale if you ever decide to move. Tub or no tub, I think the master bath could be reworked to be more efficient. Off the top of my head, maybe you could extend the walkin closet at the door down to where the sinks currently end and have 1 big closet vs. 2 smaller ones, then move the sink to the opposite wall in a straight run. I'd shift the toilet down to the end of the sink run. The door to the bath could be moved over toward the sink run a little which would allow a little extra depth in the closet on the opposite wall. If you wanted to, you could move the closet door out of the bathroom and give it a separate entrance on the bedroom wall if you wanted. Here's a visual of these potential changes for you... (Note: Shower remains same size-just relocated, tub can stay or go, pantry remains same size-just relocated, swapped refrigerator to wall bordering laundry and put double ovens where refrigerator was originally.)
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kitchen layout- check it out
Q
Comments (5)
In the second layout, you don't have enough room for the seat b/w the "island" and the wall...you need 32" to 36" to have room to pull out the stool and move your body b/w the stool and counter as you sit (despite the "swivel"). Seating will also be a little tight with the two corner stools, there's room, but it will be tight, especially with the narrow aisle (30") and the counter on two sides for the "inside" stool. In both layouts, if that's just a window on the "top" wall and there are no doors, cabinets, etc., you can get away with a few inches less behind the stools...assuming your seating overhang is at least 16" (15" clear overhang + 1" for the decorative door or panel on the back of the peninsula/island cabinets. Which, now that I look at it, it's not... Your peninsula is 38" deep, but 25.5" will be taken up by cabinets (assuming standard-depth, 24" deep cabs and 1.5" standard counter overhang on the front) PLUS another 1" by the decorative panel/door...that leaves you with only a 11.5" overhang. That will not be comfortable sitting for very long...if this is just for a few minutes of "perching" it might be OK, but not for more than a few minutes at a time. I suggest you increase the depth of your peninsula/island to 41.5". That will be 3.5" off the aisle, reducing it to 43.5"...still plenty of room if it's a "dead-end" and there is only a wall behind the seats. You said the windows will be changing but they're staying in the same location on the wall...correct? Do they have to? I'm asking b/c right now the only useful counterspace you have for prepping is b/w the sink and range. That's where you will end up prepping...b/c it's next to a water source and next to the range. You might use the peninsula if no cooking/roasting/baking is involved and no one is using the sink or DW for cleanup or other tasks, but not otherwise. Another issue I see is that you have the range (and oven) close to the door where your pet(s) will be coming in & out as well as "people" traffic...that means the potential of tripping over a pet while cooking or prepping when going to/from the refrigerator. (Or running into someone coming in/going out the slider.) Personally, I'd like to see the range more protected, like next to the peninsula, but that would mean moving the window (or switching the peninsula to the other side of the room...but that presents seating & TV location issues. What do you plan do do with the almost 6' of counterspace on the other side of the room? Does the cleanup sink have to be in front of the window? Would you consider: Moving the Cleanup Zone to other side (the "bottom" wall) Moving the pantry to the "top" wall Moving the range down closer to the window and farther from the slider (every inch helps!) Adding a prep sink on the "top" wall under the window (either in the corner or just before the corner) It would give you a lot of counter space for prepping & cooking as well as plenty in the Cleanup Zone, perhaps even enough for a Snack Center... It would also make it easy to watch TV while cleaning up! You still have the window for prep work (70% of the work/time spent in the kitchen). The DW could be switched to the other side of the sink in the above layout to get it out of the general entrance to the kitchen (b/w the peninsula and "bottom" wall of cabinets), but I was trying to keep it out of the Snack Center. The downside I see here is that the not only is the DW in the way of the Snack Center, but the trash pullout is on the other side of the sink now. Of course, it does make the trash pullout in the Cleanup Zone more accessible for others inside the house...
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Please check out my kitchen "skeleton"
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Comments (20)
As for your specific questions: i) I would center the cook top. That is basically where you want it to be for functional reasons anyway, and you'll be able to see that wall very well when you are approaching the kitchen. You will have a good vantage for seeing the symmetry, and it will look nice. (As opposed to centering something that you will never be able to see head-on, so who cares if it's centered.) Also, your stove when centered definitely isn't too far from the sink. Actually, doing that gives you an almost perfect amount of counter between the two to really have space to get some work done, but still be able to dump a pot of boiling water in the sink without having to walk too far. ii) I think you could do a combination of butcher block and soapstone quite easily by having the peninsula be butcher block. It is handy to the sink, so it'd be a great prep area. Like this: Here is a link to more photos of that finished kitchen: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2550583/bricktons-finished-kitchen If you were doing an induction range (instead of just an induction cooktop), I could also see doing everything in soapstone except doing butcher block on just that section of counter between the range and the fridge wall. Here is a new layout with all my suggestions incorporated. I also made the fridge wall cabinets a bit deeper (even counter depth fridge are not 24"). And I deepened the peninsula so you can have standard 24" cabinets under it and still have a 12" overhang, plus you have plenty of space to make that counter deeper, and a that is just more great work space, so why not?
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Comments (35)
We might have! I am 29, so your 32-year-old and I undoubtedly crossed paths. I went to Hillsborough schools and SMHS and played several sports, which meant meeting a lot of people at other schools. Did your older daughter go to Crocker? She may have known my sister, who is 38. It's surprising how many people lived in the area or were already familiar with the Flinstones House. I wasn't expecting so many people to share in my nostalgia, but it's nice! I like hearing everybody's different childhood names for it.
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bh401
Original Author
12 years ago
I'm in NE Arkansas. The Sandstone is called Ozark Mountain Gold and comes from a local quarry. There are issues with it. It will stain very easily so spills must be cleaned quickly. It is high maintenace but I fell in love with it. We've been here 3 months and no issues yet(I have 2 messy teenagers+many "extra" teens on weekends) but I seal it monthly which is a huge pain and I can't use the counter for about 12 hours afterward. But maybe I won't have to seal as often since I've found a great sealer for it this last time.

The Elfa is a closet system sold at the Container Store. It's completely interchangable. In fact, I've already moved some components since moving in.

Here's a couple shots of the closet:
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Elfa closets
bh401
Original Author
12 years ago
Hey Breezy!! I love my faucets! And I'm so glad I opted for a 5' tub instead of 6'. The shower is huge and gets used way more than the tub. Here a a couple shots of the tub. My only hang up is that I wanted the chandy to hang lower but that's as low as the cable will allow.
{{!gwi}}

sorry, it's hard to get a full shot of the tub and the chandy

{{!gwi}}
remodelfla
12 years ago
From a purely aesthetic viewpoint... your counters are absolutely breathtaking!
bahacca
12 years ago
Those are really gorgeous counters you have there! I'm loving the bathtub as well.
chiefy
12 years ago
Gorgeous!
I'm contemplating a corner sink, so glad to see someone who recently did it. How big is your sink base and how big is your sink? Is your DW directly next to the sink base and if so, is it a pain to load?

Thanks!
dianalo
12 years ago
I love your kitchen and bath and am totally jealous of your well organized closet!
Those counters are stunning and special ;) I could be hypnotized by staring at them too much, lol....
lisa_a
12 years ago
OMG, those are gorgeous counters! The pattern is so fluid, they look like they are in motion.

I love my Elfa, too. Got it in all the bedroom closets and the pantry. So versatile and easy to use.
bh401
Original Author
12 years ago
chiefy-my sink is 36" and the base is 38". Yes, the dish washer is on the right. On the left is the pull out trash. I don't have any issues with the dishwasher being right there. I do keep the detergent in the left side of the base so that the right door doesn't hit the dishwasher as you can't open it 90 degrees with the dishwasher open. I'm still very happy with the layout.

Thanks for all the oohs and ahhhs!!
User
12 years ago
Sandstone? How are you sealing it? My SO wants sandstone counters and I'm fighting it because it's rough and stains easily.
bh401
Original Author
12 years ago
The latest thing I've used is Dupont color enhancing sealer. Seems to do a much better job and really makes the colors pop. Before that I used something by Stonetech-hated it. It left them looking dull and lifeless. Since putting the Dupont on, I haven't even had any water rings from glasses.
plumberry
12 years ago
what brand/model faucets are those (bath sink)? thanks
bh401
Original Author
12 years ago
The latest thing I've used is Dupont color enhancing sealer. Seems to do a much better job and really makes the colors pop. Before that I used something by Stonetech-hated it. It left them looking dull and lifeless. Since putting the Dupont on, I haven't even had any water rings from glasses.
bh401
Original Author
12 years ago
Plumberry-The bath faucets are Delta Vero
gus5
12 years ago
GORGEOUS counters! I'm about to decide the size of my tub (new construction). How did you decide on 5ft. v. 6ft?
bh401
Original Author
12 years ago
I'm only 5'3" and 6' hubby doesn't use the tub. The plan called for a 6' tub but we would rather have the extra foot in the shower and have a seat aka foot rest when shaving:). The shower is used everyday, the tub maybe 5 times a month. Sometimes when in the tub I think a 6' would have been awesome but not really needed. For us it was an easy choice but someone taller or that takes a bath instead of a shower everyday would probably prefer a 6' tub.
dee850
12 years ago
Wow, those sandstone counters are just phenomenal.
MIssyV
12 years ago
ahhh....those counter tops take me back to the beaches of Florida! what a great thing to walk out and see every morning. enjoy!
breezygirl
12 years ago
Thanks for posting more pics of the tub. Looking at your Vero, I'm kinda wishing I had chosen them. My Grohe Allure better look as good when they're in!

You must be so excited to be done!
chocolatebunny
12 years ago
I am one that usually does not like wavy or busy countertops (so I don't like most granite), but I absolutely LOVE the sandstone countertops! I have never heard of it. But if you're saying that they are high maintenance, I can't even consider them. :( However, I absolutely love the look of them!
bh401
Original Author
12 years ago
Breezy- I really hope your happy with your Allure faucets. How much longer until your done?

Chocolatebunny-love the name. Actually, since using this new sealer, I found dried spaghetti sauce (thanks to my son) and it came right off with out a problem. No stain what so ever. No grease stains on the island even after frying chicken(I'm a messy cook) To me, they are still worth any extra work. But, I clean up like I used to in the old house. Not really any more work than the sealing. With teenagers there is an endless supply of dirty dishes and messy counters.
doonie
12 years ago
Lovely counter tops! That stone has such a beautiful flow to it. Congratulations on your new spaces!
susanlynn2012
12 years ago
I am so jealous(but happy for you) that you have a big enough closet to show off that beautiful tile in the running bond and youb have a window in the closet with great organization! Love the bigger shower stool. I have a Jacuzzi in my bathroom that I hardly use and wish it was smaller with my shower stool bigger since it is tight just for petite me so I can only imagine how tight that shower glass stool would be if I met someone. Also I love your unique faucets!

Congratulations on your new space!
bh401
Original Author
12 years ago
Lynn-I so love my bathroom and closet. To top it off it all has heated floors. My thoughts were-get out of hot shower on warm tile, who wants to walk on cold tile to get dressed?? Not ME!! My builder questioned me. I've had it on for about a week now that it got cold. Yes, I thought correctly!!
As for no carpet in closet:
For those of you who don't remember...I don't have a any carpet in this house. The whole downstairs is tile and the whole upstairs in wood except tile in baths. Sure I have area rugs but not wall to wall carpet.(Lesson learned- we put white carpet in the house we built 10 years ago-I learned very quickly to HATE carpet!!) 2 now teenagers, 2 dogs and 1 cat.

Check out my Sandstone Kitchen and Bath counters

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