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I'd definitely check out the GardenWeb forum and their link for "kitchens". There are many, over the top expensive kitchens but you'll also find those who have done amazing work with a small budget. You can find lots of help as far as where to find things at a great price. They were really helpful when we were updating our kitchen prior to selling and didn't want to spend a fortune that we wouldn't recoup in a sale. Definitely a must for anyone redoing a kitchen.
I've done a fair amt of fixing up my house. I am a hi functioning amateur Anyhow, I painted my bathroom solid oak cabinets, white..seemed like the best way to dress em up, everyone told me it was the way to go. Well, a couple of days later I saw HGTV had a show on staining...I coulda kicked myself. I could have sanded and stained my cabinets and they'd have looked better than painted, which after a while, yellows and tends to stain more easily. If yours are salvagable and can be sanded, I'd stain them, there are lots of color choices. Good luck!
I much prefer wood stained cabinets, but right now I have white ones.
Somewhere online I saw this color combination (that I had thought about, but I was shocked to see it in an image): Painted white uppper cabinets, medium gray painted lower cabinets, black countertops (granite, quartz, slab, tile, whatever, just black stone of some type), and white subway tile as the backsplash. Silver or pewter hardware.
They also showed a chandelier, which I have, but I'll never get DH to agree to remove the ceiling fan and replace it with the chandelier.
Some day I hope to re-do our kitchen with those colors. It definitely looked timeless.
And OF COURSE most people in their right minds would prefer top-of-the-line everything, including granite slab (not tile) countertops, wood cabinets (not painted), real wood floors (not wood-look vinyl), and stainless steel appliances (not liquid stainless steel), but not everyone -- especially in this recession -- can afford it.
But you can still make a huge difference in updating an older home by using the "lookalike" products -- and the kitchen will look much better than what you started with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ech86
Since we're talking about kitchen cabinets, just wondering what color cabinets people prefer -- white or "natural" wood. I've never liked white cabinets but I'm seeing them more and more lately. And what color counter top seems to be the most liked?
Last edited by lovebrentwood; 09-23-2009 at 06:41 PM..
I like white cabinets with black countertops. It's timeless. I'm not into trendy kitchens that need to be redone every 10 years. I also really like the glass inserts on the cabinet doors. I would go with seeded glass so my shelves don't have to look perfect.
I agree. Trends in kitchen eventually look dated. All of the stainless appliances and granite counters will eventually go out of style and be replaced even if they work fine.
If you think that these trends are here to stay, then consider how long avocado was a popular color in kitchens and the fate there.
I would go with Raleigh Premium cabinets (just google for contact info). Mine just came in yesterday and I couldn't be happier! I got quotes at I think EVERY single cabinet place in Raleigh and this place definitely had by far the most bang for your buck! We worked with Ted and he was great. He's a very trustworthy guy and he really took the time to talk with us about what we wanted and what would be the best fit for your kitchen. He was very quick with responses to emails and calls and went out of his way to help us.
I also decided on AB Stone for the granite. The owner, Amos, was very nice and really tried to make the deal work. I didn't like any of his samples so he sent me to Marva Stone yard to pick out one I liked and then purchased the slab from them. Also the cheapest I could find! The counters aren't in yet so I can't tell you how they look/what kind of job they did.
I got a custom built island distressed white with an antique butcher block top from the flea market for about $425. The builder we found at a booth inside one of the buildings. It came in yesterday and looks great! The builder, Jon, did a wonderful job. It probably would have cost me $425 alone if I had granite put on the island. You can tell him exactly what you want in the way of cabinets, shelves, size, color. It's great!
The whole kitchen with cabinets, counter top, island came in around $7,000. $1000 under our first time home buyers $8000 credit Hope this helps everyone in their searches =)
I would go with Raleigh Premium cabinets (just google for contact info). Mine just came in yesterday and I couldn't be happier! I got quotes at I think EVERY single cabinet place in Raleigh and this place definitely had by far the most bang for your buck! We worked with Ted and he was great. He's a very trustworthy guy and he really took the time to talk with us about what we wanted and what would be the best fit for your kitchen. He was very quick with responses to emails and calls and went out of his way to help us.
I also decided on AB Stone for the granite. The owner, Amos, was very nice and really tried to make the deal work. I didn't like any of his samples so he sent me to Marva Stone yard to pick out one I liked and then purchased the slab from them. Also the cheapest I could find! The counters aren't in yet so I can't tell you how they look/what kind of job they did.
I got a custom built island distressed white with an antique butcher block top from the flea market for about $425. The builder we found at a booth inside one of the buildings. It came in yesterday and looks great! The builder, Jon, did a wonderful job. It probably would have cost me $425 alone if I had granite put on the island. You can tell him exactly what you want in the way of cabinets, shelves, size, color. It's great!
The whole kitchen with cabinets, counter top, island came in around $7,000. $1000 under our first time home buyers $8000 credit Hope this helps everyone in their searches =)
How big is your kitchen, how many sq ft of granite, and did that include labor? Sounds great congrats!
daydreamzz, congrats! I love hearing stories like that.
For those of us who still don't have the budget for granite -- I was surprised to see Wilsonart makes some nice-looking laminate countertops: http://www.countertop.com/laminate
The laminate in our kitchen has lasted 40 years, with no sealing required and no radon worries, so we'll probably install that some time soon. (And if I lived in a $500,000 house, I'd order granite. ) I ordered samples, and some is very polished and shiny (like granite), and many others have a texture, which probably hides fingerprints well.
I just visited Ab Stone Boutique on Sat and the owner was very nice and the price is also within our budget.
I was wondering how the granite job went for the OP. Would you recommend this place? Feel free to DM me if you'd like.
Thanks,
tpid
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Anyhow, I painted my bathroom solid oak cabinets, white..seemed like the best way to dress em up, everyone told me it was the way to go. Well, a couple of days later I saw HGTV had a show on staining...I coulda kicked myself. I could have sanded and stained my cabinets and they'd have looked better than painted, which after a while, yellows and tends to stain more easily. If yours are salvagable and can be sanded, I'd stain them, there are lots of color choices. Good luck!
Hope this helps everyone in their searches =)
