NEW KITCHEN ADVICE

[Dublin Girl in Oz]

Hi All,

I'm hoping to get a new kitchen and at the moment I'm researching everything!  Any opinions/problems on 2-Pac versus Vinyl Wrap or on Caesar Stone?

Any comments appreciated.

Sylvia - Melbourne

[Depome]

2-pac looks great, yes, but if it chips, you need the whole door respraying = not cheap. It can chip off In the three houses that we've owned I've had Tassie Oak, 2-pac gloss (the matte looks nice, but same issue with chips) and now laminate. If I built another house, or replaced a kitchen, I think I'd choose a timber-look laminate TBH, or one of the materials that could have rounded edges, but still timber look. Not that I want to pretend it is timber, I don't. I'd want the sort that looks like laminate/floating floors so that it isn't a flat colour which looks dirty or damaged easily (like flat-coloured sofas and carpet can).

Be very careful about the door profile that you choose. Think about the need to clean some of them with a cotton wool bud and do a little assessment of your preferred style Tongue and groove look is a lovely country design to me, especially in white, but I would not want to be cotton wool budding-it, like my friend had to :p This is part of the appeal of a timber-look flat surface for me - something really smooth that is easy to wipe over. But I have two children!

[cookie1]

I don't have stone but a friend does and although this sounds dumb you must be aware that it is HARD.She has broken or had broken a lot of lovely glasses when she or friends put them down. If you have long stemmed fragile glasses as she does the stem often breaks.  Otherwise she loves it.

I only have laminate and am quite pleased with that. The only bug bear is that I can't roll pastry directly onto it and must use a mat.

[Very Happy Jan]

I had my kitchen remodelled  15 months ago & we went through the same decision torment. My old kitchen had a textured matt finish on the  cupboard doors and they were a nightmare to clean. This time I went for the smooth gloss finish Vinyl wrapped doors. Very easy to clean and no seams. I went for a true granite top as I was concerned with some of the research results regarding the glue in man made products- you know the ones where they crush stone & then form it into slabs with glue/resin. Apparently they MAY leach toxins from the resin/glue. I haven't kept any of the paperwork I had - sorry. It was a little inconclusive but as I had no intention of ever changing the top once it was in, I went for the "all natural" Cookie1 is right about the glasses. We haven't broken any as I was made aware of it before it went in but I know many who have.
One tip I was given & am happy I heeded it was to put the drawer/cupboard where you keep dinner plates ect in easy reach of your dishwasher. My plate/mug drawer is right next to the dishwasher & unloading & putting away is so easy.
Good luck

[achookwoman]

Don't know if you are interested,  but I have only pull out draws below the bench in my kitchen. Plates , mugs , baking dishes are all in draws.   This is the second kitchen that i have designed and find this a very convenient feature.   I have laminate on the benches and doors,  and the trick with this is to have a very good cabinet maker.   The firm,  contracted by the builder of our house was very poor,  and after 7 years I am looking to replace the tops,  probably with granite.   I know that you have to be careful with glasses but we have a principle of only having cheap glasses so it will not matter if some are broken.  Also , oil split on granite will stain .  You need to work out how you want your kitchen,   don't be put off by anyone.  Hope this helps depome.

[Meagan]

I only have laminate and am quite pleased with that. The only bug bear is that I can't roll pastry directly onto it and must use a mat.

You need a thermomix bread mat Cookie 

[cookie1]

You're right Meagan I do, but they are still out of stock aren't they?

[meganjane]

I love my laminate top. It looks like stone, gorgeous and shiny. I also love my vinyl wrap cupboards and drawers. I too, am a fan of big drawers chookie. They're just brilliant for cookware, plasticware and plates and cups.
I LOVE my kitchen (it's a Kitcraft one)

[Meagan]

You're right Meagan I do, but they are still out of stock aren't they?

Yes but there have been whispers they will be back in soon 

[andiesenji]

There is no hard and fast rule that says you have to have the same countertops in your entire kitchen. 
I have several surfaces - butcher block, honed (not shiny) granite, stainless steel (satin finish) and a slab of marble where I do pastry and candy work. 

I wasn't trying to economize but people with smaller kitchen can because any of the countertop suppliers always have "remnants" that are much cheaper than if they are supplying large slabs being cut to order.   
I love my butcher block counters, being able to cut and chop on a large surface is much easier than being confined to a small board.
And if it gets a few cuts and nicks, it just looks better, in my opinion.  Dents, as from the handle of a large Le Creuset French oven dinging into it because it slipped out of one hand, can be "lifted" by applying a damp cloth and a steam iron.  Try doing that with laminate.
My old kitchen had some laminate counters (Formica) and by the time I remodeled it looked awful, pitted here and there and even some of the surface design was worn away from scrubbing and there were scorch marks from hot pans. 
I have scorched the butcher block a few times but a bit of sandpaper followed up by its usual semi-annual oil dressing takes it back to its original color. 
The stainless steel - which develops a sort of "patina" from tiny scratches over time - where I can set pans hot from the grill, the hot grids themselves and where I place appliances that can get very hot (electric grills, panini grills, etc.) and anything with an exposed flame. (backsplash is also SS) .
I opted for a "timeless" look in the kitchen with cabinets with solid fronts, except for the few that have glass inserts.  The remodel was done in '94 and (in my opinion) it does not look "dated" to that period. 

[meganjane]

Photos! Photos! It sounds gorgeous andie! (hope you don't mind the abbreviation, but it's a long name to type and its quicker than copying and pasting!)

My kitchen is very small, but bigger than it was before we renovated! I had a marble chopping board, but it was so heavy and cumbersome, I stopped using it. I have very large professional vinyl boards now that slide easily away into one of my large drawers.

[jojo]

We built a new house last year and have an all white kitchen with Snow Caesarstone benches and white laminate (forget the official colour name) for the cupboards and drawers.

I love the stone. Being able to take things from the stove/oven and plonk on the benchtop is great. Also good for rolling out dough etc - which of course I have only started doing since Kermie came into my life! 

Also a big fan of drawers. I have all drawers except for under the sink and a couple of narrow cupboards. I particularly love my set of three 900mm wide drawerers - top utensils, next is foil etc and all sorts of things, bottom deeper and large mixing bowls etc. So great to be able to access everything easily with drawers.

Love my kitchen!!

Jo

[andiesenji]

Photos! Photos! It sounds gorgeous andie! (hope you don't mind the abbreviation, but it's a long name to type and its quicker than copying and pasting!)

My kitchen is very small, but bigger than it was before we renovated! I had a marble chopping board, but it was so heavy and cumbersome, I stopped using it. I have very large professional vinyl boards now that slide easily away into one of my large drawers.

This shows one end of the island that is covered with SS.  The counter on the left at this end of the range is butcher block - the counter on the other side of the range is SS and that is where the "hot" appliances are used.  It is very easy to clean.


I would never use marble as a chopping block.  My knives are very expensive and stone is one way to completely destroy an edge.
There are tempered glass cutting boards but I certainly wouldn't use one of those either. 
The other side of the kitchen has a long marble slab for pastry and candy work under the windows next to the wood-fired oven and it is 4 inches lower than standard counter height as it is easier for me to work at that level.  Beyond that is a double sink and more butcher block. 


I may be fooling myself but I don't think it looks like it is 16 years old. 

[cookie1]

It's beautiful Andie. Looks very useful and comfortable.

I wish I had had drawers when we built 5 years ago. Too late now and I don't think I will be getting it remodelled.

[Depome]

You can get slide out shelves for cupboards, which is a cheaper alternative than drawers.

Also wanted to comment that when we built a house we had granite look laminate benchtops that were gloss. The gloss looked beautiful for the first year but then started to look very dull. It's like the mirror-like stainless steel saucepans that you daren't use, and they look like your old sink within six months.