My take is that it depends on how much you want your basement integrated with the rest of your home. If you want the "theme" to be the same, then the same or similar cabinetry would be in order. If your basement is considered to be another space, you can distinguish it with a different theme. That was our objective. We looked at several cabinet lines and settled upon IKEA. Certainly theirs are priced below many others but we liked the styles offered and we liked that the base units do not sit directly upon the floor. IKEA sells legs but we constructed our own risers from pressure treated lumber. This keeps the particle board from contact with the concrete in the event of water in the basement. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the response! He is due for his annual physical this month, so we will mention this issue to the vet. I'll also start making adjustments to his schedule - I walk him out anyway to do his business so that I know what he did or didn't do - I will just have to take him out more often. After you both mentioned it, I realized that he is getting older (he just doesn't "seem" old to me!), and he just may not be able to hold it as long - especially with all the stimulation of house guests! Thanks again! Jo-Ann

I started out with "the best"...Aquamix Gold but it doesn't hold a candle to what the granite company used on the new addition to the kitchen and the new master bath. I don't believe it can be bought in retail stores either. It's Tenax Ager (for an enhancing sealer) or plain Tenax if you don't want your stone darkened. Even on my lightish granite in the bathroom, water doesn't darken it and baby oil hasn't darkened it either. Six years with Aqua Mix and water would temp. darken my kitchen stone. One application of Tenax and NOTHING penetrates it :) Monica

My kitchen, when finished, will have two 10' runs of cabinets that were salvaged from an old school. I don't know if they came from a science lab, home-ec kitchen, etc., but there was residue from labels on the shelves. They aren't oak--more like cherry-stained yellow pine, but I'm painting them off-white. The one run that has been completed has a black marble top. Elsewhere in the kitchen, I plan to use epoxy resin tops from lab tables salvaged from another old school. All the salvaged materials were found on craigslist for ap. a tenth the cost of new materials. I love oak--I think that style of cabinet would look great in a kitchen. Here is a link that might be useful: Vintage school cabinet