Baltic brown countertop should go?
I want to change cabinet color to white and subway tile back splash. Should I keep Baltic brown counter top or replace it? Thank you for advance.
Comments (34)
PROBeth H. :
3 years agoFrau Kehaulani
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Backsplash and counter tops
Comments (3)what do you like? The cabinets are going to be the "in for the long haul" element. Dark counters with a little sparkle can look great, or lightish as well....I wouldn't worry about the floor.....mats end up on tile[hardness] and potentially someone would swap the tile for a more resilient product in the future, but be inclined to leave good cabinets...so I'd see what would be appealing with the cabs. What is the style of the cabs?....the stain sounds warm and nice....See MoreAny decent CounterTop microwaves in 2016?
Comments (10)I also heard that one of the Korean companies was making microwaves. Sharp and Panasonic for sure. All microwaves degrade from the jump. The magnetron (is that what it's called? Too early for me..) degrades with use. Search the forum, and you'll get good explanations from Kas about this. Investing a ton of money in a microwave, therefore, doesn't make a lot of sense. OTOH, that part will last a heck of a lot longer than a few years, if you get a kitchen grade microwave (as opposed to a desktop cutsiepoo unit for which I have no data at all). The thing that makes so many microwaves "disposable" is wear and tear. If you have family members who SLAM the door, PUNCH the buttons, etc., and constantly fiddle with it, starting and stopping and opening and closing, and just using it a lot for one mug of hot water, the box is going to wear out long before the magnetron. If you're nice to it, and use it a couple of times per day rather than all day long, it could last 20 years or more. One of the things you can get with a more expensive unit, along with looks and snooty badge, is potentially a sturdier housing. It is also potentially possible to have a built-in unit repaired (I can't imagine it being worthwhile to repair a freestanding unit). There are people who do microwave repairs and they do make replacement magnetrons. The only situation where that seems like a possible good idea, however, is when you have the beautiful built-in that matches your beautiful kitchen which still looks like new. Re convection: The initial convection microwaves didn't work well as ovens, and also didn't meet the expectations of the buyers. That was before convection ovens themselves were well understood in the US. In the time I've been researching appliances and hanging out here (coming up on ten years), the general tone from users of them has gone from not worth the money to acceptable second oven. Again, I don't know if that's a change in quality or in user expectations. Convection ovens cook with circulated hot air. They do a good job roasting. Great for "cooking" or "baking" a casserole. Even baking a loaf of bread. For small things, like cookies, a lot depends on the pan, the cookie and whether or not it really wanted bottom heat. For most, it'll do an acceptable job. Some outliers really do better with a proper baking mode. Egg rising things like angel cakes and soufflés really don't like being blown about. If you can arrange the angle of the pan to the blower just right, it's possible, but still iffy. The heated air can also bounce off the surfaces in unexpected ways leading to uneven cooking/browning, contravening the evenness that you otherwise get from the movement of the air. It's likely that there are still poor ones out there, especially at the lower end. There must also be good ones. Just familiarize yourself with the features and abilities of the unit, and use that to sift through the consumer reviews to know whether it was the oven or the user, and make your judgment from there....See MoreAre all "Baltic Brown" granite countertops the same?
Comments (6)By section I meant a seamed section that is attached by a seam to two other slabs of baltic brown. Sounds like most people think a good match would be very difficult. I went to a granite showroom recently and the folks there told me the same thing (but of course, they would love for me to by all new countertops). I kind of like matte/leather countertops. I've only got about 54 sq ft so cost for all new counters would only be ~$4,000 ish. I'll probably just either live with what I have, or get all new counters....See MoreBaltic Brown Countertops: Painting the Kitchen Island
Comments (55)Tia: I wish I could tell you. This was ten years ago. I'm pretty sure this particular style is 'out of date' like so many things go by the wayside after ten years, alas. I can say that I would upgrade. These floors take vigilant work and if I had children at home, there is no way. I have a grandchild who is a frequent visitor and not hard on floors. I have one cat; if I had a dog, these floors would take a beating. That said, I still love the color, its richness, and no regrets for us....See More- PRO
Beth H. :
3 years ago Frau Kehaulani
3 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agosince you have that gap above the cabs, and since you're getting them painted, it's pretty easy to have some boxes made (you cabinet guy should have someone that can do this).
you can have them built like this do where you can do longer doors, do a second door (usually w/glass) or you can leave them open.
I notice that you like to have things on top of your cabinets. if you leave them open like this (and maybe have an LED tape light hidden in there, it will light up the things you want to display)
the other option is to have the gap closed w/a thick crown piece
Next thing,,,the fridge. You really need a counter depth fridge. If you got one of those (they sit further back, almost even depth to the counter) then you may have room to do an island by removing the peninsula. Would you be interested in changing the layout?First, let me show you the diff in fridge.
Here is your fridge. this guy sticks out a good foot!! And those cabs above it? useless!
Look at this one. it's like yours.Now look at the After
another one. counter depth. No protrusion!
See how nice it looks inside of the panel? (your painter guy should be able to do this too)
you see how your current fridge has those useless cabs above that you can't reach?
push your fridge back or get a new one, do a panel to enclose it, and bring the cabinet forward.Now, if you do this, you'll have more room. This one has the cabinet, plus an open cubby that goes to the ceiling.
The Peninsula.
See what they did here?
the peninsula disappears, and you get a small, but longer island.
if you're able to push back the fridge, you could do an island. If that seating at the overhang isn't crucial, this would give you some extra work space. And, it may be cheaper to do the granite.Here's a basic before and after, same layout (this one has the island) and this fridge sticks way out!, but the cabs are like yours. Painted white, new hardware, new under mount sink, gap at the top still there. The granite is a simple white granite, nothing fancy, and white backsplash tile (it's a random linear bar tile in a white stone)
(if you don't like this idea, forget it, I'll move on with more pics. in any case, you need a counter depth fridge. - PRO
Beth H. :
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago Frau Kehaulani
3 years ago
PROJoseph Corlett, LLC
3 years agoFrau Kehaulani
3 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoFrau,
If you like the black and white, get a few samples of whites you'd like for the cab color.
You want a warmer, neutral white, rather than a cooler blue-white, because of your tile floors.
these are almost identical to yours, and this is how a neutral/warm white would look.
Try Simply White, Cloud White, or Oxford White (BM)
All three of these would look great w/your floors. Try Pale Oak on the Walls
This one is Alabaster, which is a SW compliment of BM White Dove.
before and afters of similar kitchens.this is how a panel around your fridge would look. If you can't replace the fridge, see if there is any way the GC can push it back into the wall a few more inches. even by turning the studs, you can gain 2-3". It's worth a shot.
I like this after because of the addition of glass in a few of the uppers. You have a lot of doors. putting in glass panels in at least 2 of them will help open things up a bit.
this duo just shows you how bright the white look. Notice too what they did w/the gap. I don't like this as much as building some boxes above the cabs, but this is an option.
you may want to pick your countertop selection first, and then pick the cabinet color.matching to your tile floor (unless you plan on changing that?) requires a warmer tone rather than blues/or yellows.
any of these would work w/the tile
Frau Kehaulani
3 years ago
PROCourtney Thomas Design
3 years agoFrau Kehaulani
3 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago Frau Kehaulani
3 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
3 years ago 
Gcubed
3 years agoFrau Kehaulani
3 years agoFrau Kehaulani
3 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoyou don't have room to do reg floating shelving there??
what about these?
not these large of brackets tho.Pier One imports Cost plus markets have some color metal brackets and wood or marble shelves
Frau Kehaulani
3 years agomxk3 z5b_MI
3 years ago
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3 years agoFrau Kehaulani
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Beth H. :
3 years ago Frau Kehaulani
3 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago Frau Kehaulani
3 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
3 years ago Frau Kehaulani
3 years ago
Frau KehaulaniOriginal Author