I have an area that I transitioned from lawn to moss over several years. The link below is to a photo of this area. Some advice that worked for me: 1. keep mowing during the transition. The weight of the mower compacts the soil which is good from the moss. 2. Don't aerate, lime, fertilize or reseed. 3. Yes, in the beginning, you'll spend time hand weeding, but once the moss takes over very little is required. 4. I had Chemlawn keep spraying the area with the weed treatment used on my lawn. Didn't hurt the moss and controlled the weeds, but not the grass. I used scissors to cut the grass to the roots. It eventually dies of starvation. 5. I use an electric leaf blower to keep the moss clean. I'd be dead without it since my moss garden is close to 1/2 of an acre. Growing moss is more rewarding than growing lawn in the long run. Hope this encourages you to give it a try. Happy gardening......jjane Here is a link that might be useful:

The chemicals in PT are poison. I would not recommend making anything of treated wood that people will touch with their bare skin. This is especially important for children as they naturally put their hands to their mouths. And a developing child is more susceptible to toxins than an adult. Even if you paint the surface of the wood, the chemicals will leach out. Consider using Redwood, Cedar, or Mahogany for decay resistance. You can use a natural oil like Tung or Boiled Linseed to help preserve the color. After a the oil is dry, the puzzle pieces should be non-toxic. If you are making wooden toys for use inside, shellac is the best top coat to use. It is actually safe enough to eat (shellac is an FDA-approved food additive).

From what I've heard, Plain and Fancy and Woodmode would come to mind -- both nice and both tend towards pricey. I've never seen Plain and Fancy in person, but I know that Woodmode's finish is wonderful. And I'm not sure what you mean by custom painted -- are you looking for fully custom cabinetry or a custom paint finish? I know you can get a custom paint finish in Woodmode because I have one. As far as why prices can be so different, sometimes the difference is in the details -- the bevels or beading of the wood, or in a hand-rubbed finish that looks like a fine piece of furniture. Sometimes it's that glaze or distressing. Sometimes it's a company that pays extra attention to details so that you get what you ordered with minimla problems. Sometimes it's the fact that they ship on their own trucks rather than tossed on a common carrier like any other package and half may arrive split or sented. If you don't need fully custom cabinets or a custom paint finish, I would look at Medallion and Brookhaven also. Brookhaven is a Woodmode product with less customiztion and a little less posh finishing. They didn't have inset when I was looking, but I think both came out with them soon after I ordered mine.

"It is always obvious that the cabs are real wood." And that is a good thing. Thermofoil and mdf look different, unnatural qualities, imo. Depends on your preferences really. I like the lines, makes it real, imo. Compare the "lines" to other painted cabinetry. Maybe the cabinet line you are looking at somehow looks bad compared to the typical appearance to be expected. Someone posted here where the separation was jagged, ragged looking where the paint broke over the top of joined areas.