Unfortuneatly it won't work as a bird feeder since it will hold water just long enough to comletely soak the seeds. I considered using it as a planter but then I thought of the mosaic and it just seemed like the perfect idea. Luna, I like the algae growing on the base too although some moss would be even better! Maybe I'll try to get some moss started growing on it. I might not clean up the base but the top will have to be cleaned before I can start on the mosaic. bright199, what do you mean by thinset? I'm fairly new to creating mosaics and so far I've only done them on flower pots. I've just been using the pre-mixed mortar that I buy at Lowes. It's the same stuff I used to install the tiles on me kitchen countertops and back splash. And I plan on using regular unsanded grout to fill in the gaps.

Gizmonike, Are those electrical outlets above the garbage pullout? How did you modify the upper drawer so that it would accommodate the outlets and so that the drawer front would slide back and then over the outlets like that? Fantastic idea. I also had the idea of putting a shredder on the garbage container in the back of the pullout cabinet so that I could use it for paper to be recycled, which would necessitate an outlet inside the trash cabinet as well. Is there room inside the cabinet to accommodate that?

I have to say that when I had a group of young (that is, younger than me) friends over and they saw our freestanding trash compactor, they laughed and said they hadn't seen one since they were kids. Thanks! In any case, we replaced it with trash cans under the sink when we did the reno. Our small kitchen didn't have space for a pullout or we might have gone that way. How many people live in your house? When all 3 kids were growing up, the trash compactor was marvelous. When it got to be just the 2 of us, it could take 3 weeks to fill. We made separate trash runs for smelly things like meat trays. If you have a houseful of people, I say replace it until you do your reno and then reevaluate. You're unlikely to be sorry you have it, and it's so much easier not trying to blend a new element into a cabinet run that you're going to replace anyway.

BTW...you're probably not receiving emails of follow-up postings, even though you checked the box requesting them. This is b/c you don't have the email option turned on in your profile. See the "Read Me" thread for more information. Scroll down to the post/topic with the subject "Getting Emails Sent To You...3-step Process". Here is a link that might be useful: New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me!