Textured slab cabinets? Laminate cabinets okay in 800k home?
Lisa Peterson
last year
last modified: last year
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My 'slabs' are here!
Comments (56)I love your kitchen. Using it as an inspiration for ours. I wish we could do some of the work to cut down expenses, but DH doesn't want to mess it up and hear my complaints. Got a love 'em. We've talked and looked at several different materials for a countertop but keep coming back to laminate. It just fits our budget and our lifestyle. We know we are looking for a black laminate, we just haven't narrowed down the actual one. DH doesn't want a flat finish nor a high glossy one. Decision, decisions. My question is, can you notice the seams more with the black laminate? I couldn't see any seams in your pictures. The laminate I have now has a seam right down the middle of my countertop, my eyes go to it time and time again. You also mentioned that you used 2 plywood boards (3/4" thick) to build them up to 1 1/2. Is this something a big box company will do as well, I can request the thickness ? Thanks...See MoreWhite cabinets in seasonal lake home
Comments (7)Thanks for the response! Unstained light wood has crossed my mind. We don't really want to see a lot of grain in the wood, and am not sure what options we have beyond maple or straight-grain maple that would be within our budget. I've read that maple turns amber with age, and I do not want an orange-tinted kitchen in a few years. The cabin is very small, and we are concerned about the kitchen getting busy-looking, which is why the simplicity of a white cabinet is appealing. The kitchen is part of the "great room" so to speak, which is the only living space in the cabin and is 18 x 26. The floor is polished concrete, the ceiling is vaulted with white-washed tongue and groove basswood boards, and we have also installed some rough-sawn white oak beams that have been stained with a "weathered oak" stain. I don't know that we have really defined a style but the whitewashed ceiling gives it a bit of a "beach" feel. The concrete floor is definitely a modern element, though, so I'm not afraid of a slab being too modern. I'm not sure custom cabinets are in the budget and right now have been looking at a semi-custom brand that has a slab option that is 3/4" thick veneered MDF with a 3mm wood veneer edge banding (thanks to the search function I found some good threads that discussed warping issues with slab doors). Would a slab door such as the one I've described still develop hairline cracks in the paint, or otherwise peel somewhere? Has anyone ever used a color-washed stain? I know this allows some of the grain to show through, but perhaps that is an option for our situation? Thanks again for the response!...See MoreOkay, what would you think of this cabinet install?
Comments (43)Thanks Sophie.. lol. I was telling my wife about you this morning on the way to work. I agree, the quality is not there at all. Now, I DO take into consideration that if we had bought a house vs building, we would probably have crappy stock cabinets, but, at the very least colors should match, doors should line up, holes should not be present, shaker means shaker.. i.e. I had to tell them the top drawers CAN and should have been done in shaker style as that is what we paid for. I doubt this is a 35-50k job though, so I should not expect perfection, but there should be a level standard of quality. The direction of the paint is not a huge issue with me, but will be part of what we discuss as well. My problem is being down a foot so just getting TO the dang kitchen to handle all of this during daylight is tough, so a slow process. Anyways, thanks for all your great insight. I im'd them and told them we are drawing a line in the sand and expect to get what we paid for, period. I do not care if I have to move out of the apartment and stay in a dang hotel for a month, so be it. We are going to get what we paid for. It may not be near as nice of a paint job as one might get from a $50k dollar job, but it will be good acceptable quality, and meet the promises made when we agreed to all of this two years ago. I may sound grumpy.. but I really do appreciate all the input. Thanks guys. R...See MoreCabinet finish choices not what I expected - suggestions?
Comments (64)Cool conversation, if I may. I have never used plywood or mdf for kitchen faces. Wood is wood. The little wood blocks of wood shown is European vs American oak. The red tint on is red oak from the northern states, WI area. Golden, European, is from Georgia area S E states. Difference caused by the minerals in the soil. Actually I didn't really care about the cost of the raw lumber as it was my lowest expense. Quarter sawn white oak is more expensive. But available. Custom means Custom, what you want. All solid wood except the carcus, usually used birch but oak is fine. Dove tailed drawers sanded everywhere. You won't find a sliver in my work, bottom of back door gets same treatment as face, always no matter how much I off bid. I ate it, owned it. Fixed it. Right is right. Or it drove me crazy. You could put a thousand pounds in the uppers. And they came as big, one piece, as I could get in the door. Less corners better space usage. Faces could be removed if necessary for repair. One hundred pound full extension doors self closing. Durable polyurethane faces, laquer in carcus 3 coats minimum. Standard. Custom turned posts to customers design, incorporated desk into the kitchen helps keep things organized and allows a bit of office space if needed. Many folks have to be parents and breadwinner. Teacher. Any little thing that helps make your, you're life easier. I'm a pro and will build your dreams. Pull out cutting boards, washable hard maple. Wherever you want one any size. Biggest I've done was 6'×7'×2-1/2" thick with a drop sink. Had little cut outs on the sink side. Customer had 2 little girls so I made 2 kitchen stools that slid up into the space. Then they could help mom easier. I burned in the names of each child into the stools. Nice touch. Custom turned legs matched the office space spindles and oversized 4"×6' spindles on each side of the brick behind the stove. As borders. And the legs on the dining room table. Big table too. 8' with 3ea 2' wide leafs. Took 3 sets of slides. Just an example of where my comments are coming from. That was a great job. 3 staircases with treads foot wide 4' long 4" thick. Bunch of vanities with birch tops n bed sets. Dumbwaiter doors with birch front. Fun job. Folks got exactly what they wanted and dreamed about as a young couple building their dream home with an heirloom quality kitchen. Built by a craftsman...See MoreLisa Peterson
last yearlast modified: last yearLisa Peterson
last year
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