kleekai - Here is my major digression to answer your question - My floors are red oak with walnut pegs. Brand unknown, but I think it is somewhat generic. It is not an engineered wood. Narrow to medium red oak planks are readily available. The pegs are made with a pegging tool, very simple, I hear. I was advised by my designer to wait to refinish my kitchen floors until everything was done EXCEPT toe kicks. I was uncomfortable with that at the time but I went along. She was very insistent. If I were to do it again, I would have insisted that the floors be sanded BEFORE any cabinets are installed. Then, I'd have applied one or two coats of clear heavy duty finish. Then I'd have the kitchen finished with contractors PROTECTING the floors. Finally, I'd have the floors buffed and the last coat of finish applied before the toekicks go on. That would have been much better. Bottom line: the designer/contractor did not want to have to worry about the floors in any way. Now, refinishing the floors will be incomplete, more difficult, and messier plus my new cabinets are at risk in the process. Background on the floor - - the kitchen and service porch and bathroom red oak was probably installed about 1980 during the last kitchen remodel. I would NEVER recommend a wood floor under a washing machine or in a bathroom. Terrible idea. But, we aren't changing at this time because of continuity. I dislike grooves on the kitchen floor - they are crumb magnets - -but, again, we stayed with them for various reasons. Other rooms of the house have an older, wider red oak floor that we believe is original to the house. When we moved in, the red oak was stained a dark color and the previous homeowner told me to use TreWax Indian Sand paste wax to maintain them. Maintaining waxed floors was a hassle for a working mom, even with an Oreck. The dark color also eventually got on my nerves. My kitchen floor was dark, my Wood-Mode cherry kitchen was dark, we had navy blue and white checked wallpaper on the ceiling (also dark), it was depressing. So, I decided to replace the floors with a new, light colored wood floor. I called for bids. One of the bidders discouraged me from changing floors. He insisted that I'd probably be ahead of the game if, instead, I simply sanded the dark waxed red oak floors and put on a clear finish. He explained that 10 inch wide red oak plank floors are hard to come by and should be cherished. I decided to try it. They came, they sanded, and they refinished the floors. The rooms brightened up significantly. There were a few minor blemishes where the dark stain was not completely removed by sanding and the grooves remained dark, but, for a busy household with kids and dogs, it was good enough for now. During the course of this kitchen project, the workers have shown total disregard for our floors. There is paint, grout, and scratches from the job. Hopefully, the majority of this will clean up when the floors are refinished. A gesture of putting down drop cloths would have been nice, and my complaints were not welcomed. Polyurethane on floors like this should be redone every 2-4 years in a high traffic kitchen. Not full sanding, just polyurethane and professional buffing. I've been told that I have 2-3 more major sandings left in the floor before replacement would be suggested. That could mean decades left of wear. I think that the floors will end up being just fine after the floor men are done. They look bad right now.

Once you've finalized your basic design, it's time to analyze your storage needs in each zone. The results of that analysis will drive the size & configuration of your cabinets and drawers. First, make a list of everything you plan to store in your new kitchen, regardless of where it's stored now...kitchen, basement, dining room, etc. Next, take the list and group the items according to function. Will they be used during prep? cooking? baking? cleanup? Some items, like pot holders, may belong in two different zones (in this case, cooking & baking). You can either find storage between the two zones or have duplicates and store one in each zone. Now, determine where each of your zones will be (prep, cleanup, cooking, baking, storage, etc.) The next step depends on the stage you are in the design/order process... If you've already ordered your cabinets, then you will have to work with what you have. So... Identify the storage potential in each zone and list them on a piece of paper with a section for each cabinet (base & upper) and one line per drawer or shelf in that cabinet. This includes your pantry for your "storage" zone. Take the two lists and, while imagining yourself working in each zone, put the dishes, tools, etc. that you will be using in cabinets in that zone. Fill in the lines in the cabinet list with these items. If you are still in the design phase, you will have the opportunity to plan your storage to meet your needs in each zone. Take your list and imagine yourself working in each zone. Go through the motions to determine the best locations for each item that will be used and stored in that zone (don't forget that you will probably have both upper and lower cabinets). Now that you know where to put the items, determine what the best way is to store those items (drawer, shelf, etc.) and what size (e.g., pots & pans work best in 30" or 36" drawers) Lastly, transfer what you've done to your design & tweak as necessary. You should now have a well-thought out and highly functional kitchen! Sample storage map: This process and the resultant "map" will not only help you to "see" how things will fit, but the map will also help when you move back into the kitchen...you won't have to think about it, you'll be able to just put things away. It will also be a handy map for everyone to use when attempting to find things the first few weeks w/o having to open every drawer or door! Oh, and don't forget the Junk Drawer! Most people end up with one, so you may as well plan for it so you at least have control over where it's located! skip line Common Zones, Appliances In That Zone, and Suggestions For What To Store There: Storage--pantry & refrigerator--Tupperware, food, wraps & plastic bags Preparation--sink & trash/recyclables--utensils, measuring cups/spoons, mixing bowls, colander, jello molds, cutting boards, knives, cook books, paper towels Cooking--cooktop/range & MW (and near a water source)--utensils, pot holders, trivets, pots & pans, serving dishes (platters, bowls, etc.), paper towels Baking--ovens/range--utensils, pot holders, trivets, pots & pans, casserole dishes, roasting rack, cooling racks, cookie sheets, foils, rolling pin, cookie cutters, pizza stone, muffin tins, paper towels [often combined with Cooking Zone] Cleanup--sink & DW & trash--detergents, linens, dishes & glasses, flatware Eating/Serving--island/peninsula/table/nook/DR--table linens, placemats, napkins, dishes & glasses, flatware Utility--broom, dustpan, swifter, mop, cleaning supplies, cloths, flashlights, batteries, extension cords Message/Communication/Command Center--keys, phones/answering machine, charging station, directories/phone books, calendar, desk supplies, dry erase board or chalkboard, pens/pencils, sticky notepaper skip line Less Common Zones: Tea/Coffee Bar--tea/coffeemaker (and near a water source)--mugs, teas/coffees, sugar, teapot Snack/Beverage Center--near MW & refrigerator or small refrigerator--snacks, snack dishes, glasses [often combined with Tea/Coffee Bar] Pet Zone--feeding area--food, snacks, leashes, medicines (if no children in the home), etc. skip line Overlapping of Zones Due to space constraints, some zones often overlap. If this is the case in your kitchen, be sure there is enough work space in the overlap for both activities. Zones that commonly overlap... Prep & Cooking Zones--These zones should be adjacent to each other, so this is a common overlap and is generally not a problem. Just be sure you have enough room for prepping as well as landing space for the range/cooktop. (It is strongly advised you have enough room for emergency landing space on both sides of a range/cooktop.) Prep & Cleanup Zones--If there is only one sink in the kitchen, these zones will be adjacent to each other because of the need for a water source for both zones. However, true overlapping is not generally a good idea. Instead, try to keep the cleanup area separate from the prep area by putting the sink between them. E.g., DW on one side, Prep Zone on the other side. (You should strive to keep the DW out of the Prep Zone as well as out of the path between the sink and Prep & Cooking Zones and between the refrigerator and Prep & Cooking Zones.) Also try for at least 36" (42" or more is better) of room on the Prep Zone side of the sink for ample workspace as well as accommodating the inevitable dirty dishes that will accumulate next to the sink. skip line Commonly Used Items: pots & pans, utensils, small appliances, linens, pot holders, trivets, dish detergents, "Tupperware", knives, pitchers, water bottles, vases, picnic supplies, cook books, etc. Foods: Spices, Breads, Flours/Sugars, Teas/Coffees, Potatoes, Onions, Canned Goods, Dry Goods (rice, pasta, etc.), Cereals, Snacks Small Appliances: Toaster, Stand and/or Hand Mixer, Blender, Breadmaker, Toaster Oven, Food Processor, Crockpot, Waffle Iron, Electric Skillet, Coffeemaker, Coffee Grinder, Ricer, Steamer SPECIAL NOTE: If your ceiling or one or more of your walls is coming down, consider wiring for speakers, TV, Computer, etc. skip line Some helpful threads: forestfire..please help me with my lists [Missing In Action as of 5/16/10...if anyone has saved it, please let me know by emailing me via "My Page"] List of stuff in kitchens? What should go within easy reach of the cooktop? What goes where? Reloading the new kitchen, any tips where things should go?

18 in spacing between shelves: store seldom used large stock pot...basket with papertowels...napkins..foils..wraps purchased when on sale. Do you have summer items like plastic cups/plastic plates//trays/some place mats/etc.....we seem to have a lot of "summer grilling" stuff-tools/grill accessories...that can be placed into totes/baskets on these shelves. I stack backup supply of kitchen towels into baskets.Remember you need hand /arm maneuvering so you don't want to go too high with item or basket. Blender sits there as I don't use it too often. Mr coffee gets set there when I'm doing other kinds of coffee-pour over/etc. There are some glad food storage plastic containers that stack and when stocking up on certain things like basmati rice/pasta/oatmeal packets they go in those containers-I like that they seal well and stack. Do you have some large casserole or other odd things like old muffin tins/ cookie press...things seldom used that could go into baskets. You can place detergents/ toilet paper purchased in bulk.....get a tote and put wraps/ribbons/tissue paper on a lower shelf. I have a basket for dedicated clean rags of better quality from old tshirts when I want to do polishing/really cleaning up more delicate surfaces......how about spare vases?? shoe boxes with lids on will stack and use up your 18 in of height -label them with extension cords/light bulbs /timer/spare pens/pencils/shoelaces/desk things--labels/note cards/etc.

A few years ago, fed up with the mish-mash of various containers which either fell over, didn't fit in the carrying trays, got mangled, squashed or brittle that I ordered 1000 4inch square pots...in fairly rigid plastic. Why did I wait so long? I love it - they fit on my greenhouse bench with no gaps or waste of space, they are durable and washable, they look fantastic - I absolutely feel in charge and each one is filled with exactly one full trowel of potting mix. I also ordered 1000 5inch labels after too many labelling fails. I have been using these pots and labels (I use a chinagraph pencil) for the last 5 seasons and sowing is a joy.