Reality check needed. Custom guy is not an 'artist', am I picky?
deedles
10 years ago
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deedles
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
last message from the "am i being to picky?" girl!
Comments (3)Sorry how this has worked out for you, how frustrating! I'm not a pro, but here's my two cents. If it were me, I would get a packet of small post-it flags and use them to go around to all the detail "picky" areas, like where the shoe molding wasn't painted at the miter cut, wasn't caulked, etc., and flag ALL the areas you want the crew to fix when they come. The white shoe molding under the cabinets is just laughable. You will likely need to find a match/similar color yourself, or have the floor co custom stain new shoe to match the cabs (although they haven't proven themselves that reliable so I think the best choice is to search out the exact product you want, as you will care about the match more than them) and get it to the site and have them install it. If the floor is not level/popping, is there a warranty on their labor? That does not seem acceptable for the company to claim "level" is not a base install requirement. One pic where you asked should there be caulk - I wondered if this already had that shoe molding in place or if it was added after the install? I hope they left room for an expansion joint. Not to pile on with another complaint, but this photo that shows the flooring from a wider view looks like the joints are too repetitive, does not look very random - perhaps there were inexperienced installers involved? I would have a plumber come and reset both toilets, asap, before that leak ruins your flooring. If there is a way to turn off the water to that leaking toilet and get the water out now, I'd do that then wait for the plumber. Be advised that even with a plumber setting it, you may have some wax squeeze up through the bolt holes when weight is applied to the toilet and it settles in with initial usage. I do not think I would have expected toilet reset as part of the price I paid the floor co, unless it was specifically discussed and set out in the contract, as that is an entirely different trade and a floor co isn't necessarily qualified to do that. In our area, only licensed plumbers are permitted to do that (although I have had one tile guy color outside the lines and set a toilet for me ... shhhh!)...See MoreMarble countertop owners- I need a reality check...
Comments (10)I seem to have a sixth sense about marble questions on this forum .... We've honed Calacatta as our perimeter countertops and backsplash -- that's how confident I was with them. We've had them nearly a year and they've been used literally every single day since then: the one holiday was just me taking our children -- my husband stayed homed and deep-fried his favorite (and one I find disgusting) dish. For whatever reason he absolutely refuses to clean up after himself, rather, he refuses to wipe down the counters / backsplash, which meant the grease splatters sat for days until I came home to wipe them up. Grr, but no stains! Seriously, not a single stain. As I learned from the marble gurus here who came before me (mnhockeymom and momto4kids) I sealed with Miracle 511 and so far, knock marble, so good! The only issue I've had was when a rusty strand of steel wool was caught in a sponge and I used it to wipe -- the countertop sucked that rust right up and looked as if I'd used really bad self-tanner. I used Iron Out and literally as I applied it the stain was removed. I resealed immediately after: the whole process, from stain to running out to purchase the Iron Out, coming home to use it, reseal, was maybe forty-five minutes. A splotch of tomato sauce sat overnight on the countertop next to the cooktop; after I scraped it up the next day there was a v. faint stain. I wasn't in the mood to use the poultice right then and knew I'd get to it later, like nap time. (as if) But when I did come back to it the spot was gone, all on its own. I'm sure we must have etch marks but for the life of me, bending this way and that in various lights I cannot see them, and I'm really looking. I think our marble, in particular the (slab) backsplash, is really the visual highlight of our kitchen (and our kitchen is a lovely thing). (oh, and I think a slab backsplash is heaven! such a breeze to clean one solid surface -- no grout lines) However, I still have reservations about it but only because it was so hideously expensive: it was more than twice what the fabricator and I had budgeted for marble countertop. Gulp. Others above are right: if you can live with it (and I couldn't), the Carrara is extremely affordable! I wish I weren't so particular that I had to have the no-gold / big grey swirls (as opposed to the road map Carrara), but for me, rather than settle I'd have had plywood if I couldn't have what I wanted. It would have really ticked me of to spend $X and get something (the Carrara) which reminded me on a daily basis I didn't see my vision through. But that's me and that was my priority. So instead I have a beautiful countertop / backsplash which reminds me on a daily basis that I spent way too much! Can't win. The marble was the last thing I found for our kitchen, and I found it as the cabinets were being installed. (My patient then-one year-old visited every stone yard with me for months, searching and searching for that marble needle in the slab hay stack.) If I knew then what I know now (I know, a stupid and dangerous thought to entertain), I would've done a much less expensive cabinet but still splurged on the marble. (I think our cabs were expensive, but maybe that's just my budget.) Someone else (whose id I've forgotten) wrote in a different post not too long ago that for many kitchens it is not the cabinets which are the star: it's the countertop / backsplash, sometimes hardware and sometimes showy appliances, but rarely the cabinets themselves. I think they're right, or at least when I think of my kitchen I think they're right. My cabinet door / drawer style is lovely -- the cabinetmaker and I spent a lot of time designing it together. But to be redundant, if I had to do it again I would've done a less expensive cabinet (like IKEA with custom doors) but still splurged on the marble. So that's my sole regret about the Calacatta, and it's a bit half-assed. I've a nearly three year-old and a four year-old: I am basically a short-order cook. I spend what feels like all day every day in the kitchen, using it. My husband loves to cook and cooks elaborately, and he does that frequently. (and frequently doesn't clean up ...) Our kitchen is used and the marble is the only material in our kitchen which is not the worse for wear. The only one. (The butcherblock, which we use as a butcherblock, not a decorative countertop, shows its wear; the painted cabinets show both dirt and some wear; the stainless sink is scratched [but I kinda like it!] and our lower wall oven is covered with my youngest's hand / face prints. I still wouldn't change a thing, however!) It's also been my experience the marble requires the least maintenance; the butcherblock I "butter" every month and the cabinets I (should) wipe every week, but the marble only requires sealing every six months or so and the occasional spot-check (like my rust). I just wanted to be completely honest about my experience, loves and regrets with our marble. Good luck!...See MoreReality Check...what would you do?
Comments (21)Only get matching interiors for the glass fronted cabinets. Get plain panels for the end cabinets (i.e., not decorative/fake doors). You can always get the fake doors later if you feel you need them. There's a thread that talks about ways to save money: Scrimp on this, Splurge on that....: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg101324514831.html BTW...this is what my DH did for DVD storage.... My DH recessed these shelves into one of the walls we put up when we refinished about half the basement quite a while ago. (The shelves were done this year.) The shelves were sized to fit VHS tapes...including the oversized-Disney cases! But, we filled them up w/DVDs! [The finished basement is part media room for DH, part kids playroom.]...See MoreNeed a Reality Check on Nobilia and Leicht Cabinet Prices
Comments (57)We're in the middle of a kitchen remodel using cabinets designed and ordered through Leicht Seattle. I wish I could go back in time and choose a different cabinetmaker. There were serious mismeasurements - cabinets extending into 2 doorways - and the owner won't replace the wrong-sized cabinets or even provide a packing list of what was delivered to our house. We chose to hire different installers and Leicht Seattle is deliberately making the install as hard as possible. It's become a nightmare. We've been camped in our living room with a microwave for over 3 months. I've read about similar experiences with other Leicht dealers. If you do buy Leicht cabinets, make sure you get very clear terms and disclosures before you pay them anything. They are very much about getting paid, even if you have no kitchen due to their errors....See MoreUser
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