I have an idea that there are significant differences in the vinyl wall coverings used in our homes and also the adhesives on new wall coverings and probably even the formulations of paints we use. In my case, I experimented a little before painting my kitchen. I was putting up a pot rack against a wood back board so before I put the board up there I tried painting an area without primer as well as one with primer. When all was dry I could peel the paint right off the unprimed area with practically no effort. On the area that was primed first I could not only NOT peel off the paint, I could scrub it with a nylon scrub sponge without removing any paint! So in my house, with the paint I use, I prime before I paint any of the walls. I also found that it really does seem to make the paint look better and more even - especially darker colors. I guess it's one of those "your mileage may vary" things.

There is always going to be a debate about this, but I'll say what I tell most of my customers. First, what's the look you want? Most pre-finished woods will NOT(no matter what the company tells you) have a perfectly flat end result, and you will have seams. Every wood company known to the flooring world will put a disclaimer on their 'instructions' that the "use of stains or putties should be considered normal practices". So if either of those concern you, don't get pre-finished wood. On site finished, those key things will be sanded down and puttied before finishing and resulting in less if no visibility of wider seems, putty marks and scratches out of box. Second, finishes they put on pre-finished these days are considerably different in many ways. In a factory somewhere(probably China depending on the company) they can put the harshest chemicals they want on the wood because of the fact that it's in a "controlled environment" which then can(and mostly does) result in a better and stronger finish. With on-site finishing you are restricted legally on what finishes you can apply, and depending on situations and products it can take anywhere between 3 days to 2 weeks for only FINISHING. That takes a chunk out of and slows down your building or living time. And thirdly, you cannot compare Apples to Oranges, EVER. You can't go to your neighbors house and see the pre-finished Australian Cypress they purchased from Lumber Liquidators for cheap that they installed themselves and then go to the local classy, and expensive, restaurant and see their on-site darkly finished Red Oak professionally installed, and come up with what you want in your house. And honestly people, 99 times out of 100 how much you spend will determine the end result. Meaning if there is a Oak that you're looking at and it costs $1.50/sf(yeah we wish, right?) and there is another Oak that costs $4.65/sf, the more expensive one WILL have a better finish, density, and/or overall quality(like i said 99 times out of 100). There's too much to go into but the basic aspects are different companies get different quality of wood- meaning grain tightness(tighter is better less chance of damage during sawing) grain pattern, finish chemicals(if pre-finished), etc. And just some last comments to help you out. What it really all comes down to is you. It's your house, it's your likes and dislikes that matter. Joe Shmoe can try and try to sell you this product or that product, but only go for what you want(remember most companies will give a kick back, or a spiff, to the sales person to sell their product even if the sales person says they don't). You have to live in your house, nobody else does. The installer only cares if you're happy and he/she gets paid, and the salesman only cares if you're happy and he/she gets paid, but you can only be happy if you get what you really want. Also, I used to love Bamboo. I like the look and most notably it is one of the fastest growing woods(it's actually a grass) in the world. I don't like it for floors anymore because it scratches so easily, because of the nature of a grass it soaks up any liquid very quickly including finishes. If your heart is set on bamboo, go with on-site and expect a lot of finishing days and in the future refinishes. I know there is another thread on bamboo floors, so check that out. Then, as with all floors, make SURE you felt all your furniture with heavy duty felt(in Oregon it's tan, but everywhere it will be very thick) and no, plastic feet will not do- knock off all old feet and replace with heavy duty felt. A pre-finished product that I really like is hand scraped wood. Couple reasons for this is- personal preference as i like more "rustic" looking design- and also because scratches and dings and bangs don't show as easily. I've actually installed a floor that had such a dark finish and was hand scraped that we accidentally cross-grained scratched it after it was all laid with an appliance and we took a sharpie(yes the marker) and colored the scratch with it and the scratch literally disappeared even to us knowing where to look for the scratch. So a dark stained hand scraped wood is excellent for scratches. And lastly, if you "think" you can install it- get a professional, it's harder than it looks and pros have the right tricks and tools that make the final product perfect(not to mention if something goes wrong you have someone else's dollar that will have to fix it). The only reason you should do it yourself is if you "know" you can do it. Hope all that helps. Good luck with your remodels or new homes!

I found it! Finally! I am so excited, Blue! Now I know for sure that my taste and yours are in sync. I love everything you did. I love Azul Macaubus and that just might be my exotic granite for MY island. All your ideas for the island are so nifty. Mine is going to be lowered, too, because I, too, am short. In fact, the island and my L shaped baking center are both lowered. I'm (hate this term) a 'senior,' so I am having my DW raised--hate to bend over. Like you, will have the open shelves and the basket storage in island. My eating area very like yours, too, though I don't have the bay window. Do you like blue china? I have so much; lots of it will go on plate shelves indicated on plan. so many similarities but must run meet with GC. I'm putting my kit layout again so you can see what I'm talking about!

QUOTE:::: I'd love to know more about what you've seen in ceilings that you liked. I'm going to be redoing a small windowless bathroom, a hallway, and a family / entertainment room. All are on a lower level with limited natural light. Painting your ceilings or walls a darker color WILL NOT PHYSICALLY make a room smaller (I think we all understand that part) but darker colors on what we actually see may indeed have the perception of being closed in or appears smaller. In your case a 6x5 room painted a charcoal is still going to be a 6x5 room when completed. It is just going to be your final analysis of how you see the final color fits in your room. Things to consider when that might become a questionable situation for you is exactly what is the room size, how high are the ceilings, are there any windows in the room, how much natural lighting comes in the room, is there obstructions on the outside( trees, shrubs, other obstacles). I am in homes all the times with customers that have high ceilings and want to paint them a darker color just in order to try and bring the ceiling down for more closeness and just the opposite when someone has say 7' or 8' ceilings and want to make the height "APPEAR" larger. Just as a general guideline normally smaller height rooms I would JMHO stay within light to medium colors of selection and ceilings that are 10' and above can take on some stronger darker hues. As well as remembering if someone has other lighting to balance out painting with darker colors. Painting ceilings a white or leaving them a white does not have to be boring. In fact white ceilings can enhance the rooms final appearance. On the other hand, painted ceilings are just as important to some people in order to say a room is complete. As funcolors mentioned some paints labeled ceiling whites can have that artic feel and I for one don't use ceiling whites on customer's ceilings. I always opt for colors out of the fandeck. Another thing if the paint says brilliant white you can opt to have a shot or two of black in the ceiling white and it helps to bring the color down more. You brought up one of the rooms you are wanting to redo(a small windowless bathroom). Now here is where you can get creative. I say creative if this is a bathroom that would rarely get used. If the bathroom is going to be used on a daily basis, then I might reconsider going all out with a bolder color, and it being windowless. I think you understand lighting would be the upmost important thing in a smaller windowless bathroom if someone needs to use this room on a daily basis. Lighting is more important in any room as a person ages also. A person's eyesight changes more as we age. If the bathroom is used on rare occasions, JMHO then I would opt to go all out and do something a little more glamorous or bolder in the way of color or a decorative wall treatment. This goes for the ceiling and trim as well. For your hallway, I would consider again your lighting situations, height of the room for a final color selection. Again, just because you have a white ceiling doesn't mean it needs to stay white. One can choose to use a different paint color, but I would also consider some other factors as well. One last thing, nothing wrong with white ceilings also. They can look just as grand with painted walls and accessories in a room.