O/T: New kitchen counters

[oscarsear]

Fini... sorry for the delay. Kinda hectic around here today. I cannot view any screws in the upper cabinets that would go up into a carrier rail. The undercounter lazy susan does appear to be self contained so that's no longer an issue. When I did granite before they used 2 cm thick stone. It required a sub top. This is going to be 3 cm thick granite and I'm told no sub top will be required. So, the demo takes the under cabinets down to carcass and the granite sits on top adhered I'd imagine. There's plenty of thickness available for 3 cm of granite. My tile sits on a sub top, rock board and a thin set layer. It's wll over an inch thick. Between the options of cutting around this garage, having enough depth and having enough working space for the install they should be able to make this work without pulling any cabinetry. These people do templates before demo so I'll confirm the situation then. It's thru CostCo and it seems to be a good contractor. There sure is a lot of real pretty and really expensive granite around. We chose a nominal grade as we're upgrading to improve marketability. Looking to downsize. Then I can remodel a whole new kitchen. Yippeee!

[dtel]

Very nice kitchen, I like the way the vent above the stove is decorated, never seen anything like that before. Very nice.

[Speedball]

Those fancy "vents" are becoming very popular around here and add a big splash of style to any kitchen.......looks very nice.

[oscarsear]

That fancy vent is a pain in the arse to keep clean. It's hay stuck into a thick layer of stucko (?). Where's it located it gets that layer of gas fumeborn grease on it that dust loves to adhere to. You can't wipe it, the hay gets in the way. Best thing I've found so far is to delicately vacuum the surface. The fireplace on the other side of the room is also finished this way but it doesn't get tacky like the hood does.

[fini]

Happy New Year, oscarear!!

Your current countertop is WAY thicher than 3 cm, so if they glue it directly to the carcasses, you'll have a gap under the garage, and a hard-to-remove line at the tall oven cabinet (unless you run a side splash along there). As you probably already know, typically the thickness you see on the edge of the installed slab is created by laminating a strip of the same material to the underside of the slab, making the slab look twice as thick as it actually is (in your case, perhaps 6 cm on the edge, which would be considered your total countertop thickness). Does this make sense? What edge detail have you picked out?

[dtel's wife]

Okay guys, I am highjacking my thread back.... Here's one pic of the new counters.

[dtel's wife]

And another...

[dtel's wife]

As you can see we did not use "bullnose edging". I really want a wood edge, probably made from locally milled cypress trees. This would match the cabinets dtel built when we remodeled the kitchen.

About six months ago we almost had granite countertops installed. I am sure some, if not most of you will think I am insane, but I really don't think I would have been as satisfied with the granite. The Italian Porcelain suits the design of our home and our lifestyle perfectly.

The corner presented a challenge because the countertops and cabinets were custom built and the dimensions are a little different than standard cabinets.

BTW, oscarear your kitchen is beautiful. We have stucco above our stove vent, not mixed with hay and it can be difficult to maintain. I could not imagine having hay mixed in, that has to be a PITB.

These pics were taken in a hurry last night, right before thirty people arrived to celebrate New Years! We will try to get some more soon.

[colterphoto1]

Christy, there should be a sign at your door that reads:

" Caution- occupancy by not LESS

than 20 persons is not allowed! "

[dtel's wife]

Christy, there should be a sign at your door that reads:

" Caution- occupancy by not LESS

than 20 persons is not allowed! "

So Colter, what do you think about the countertops????

Michael, you know we love visitors. A few of our neighbors/friends from twenty five years ago came to be with us for New Year's Eve. I greeted them outside and said, "Our house is different than most houses." My friend looked at me and said, "Do you think we give a sh*t?" I replied, "If I thought you gave a sh*t I would not have invited you." And we all started laughing and giving those famous Southern hugs and kisses.

Needless to say our old friends were very surprised upon entering our home and realizing dtel and I built everything ourselves, from the slab up.

I am so glad people feel comfortable when they come to our home, that is what it's all about.

BTW, if I recall correctly you really enjoyed that "large family atmosphere" on your visit down here. If not, you did a good job of pretending,.[]

[oscarsear]

dtels wife... My apologies for hijacking your thread. The tilework was extremely well done and it is very pretty stuff. Smart to go with a larger tile too. That's one of my beefs about mine. There's alot of grout line to manage. Watch the frying pan juggling and enjoy. Speaking of frying pans do you have a good fried chicken recipe you'd be willing to share? I use Paula Deans now. It's good but a little messy and dangerous. Burnt the hell out of my hand deep frying. You only do that once though.

Fini. Yes I know what your describing. I sorta expect that I'll need to base trim mold around that garage when alls done. The drop door is already recessed so any gaps to the inside will not show. The gap in the rear can be passively filled with shim stock too. That's a much better solution than ripping it out. They don't intend to laminate the edging. The granite is to extend out further along it's finished edges (bullnose) to angle out any undercounter. Plus these cabinets are finished to their top edges. We are back splashing all areas next to walled sufaces.

[Jay481985]

Happy New Year, oscarear!!

Your current countertop is WAY thicher than 3 cm, so if they glue it directly to the carcasses, you'll have a gap under the garage, and a hard-to-remove line at the tall oven cabinet (unless you run a side splash along there). As you probably already know, typically the thickness you see on the edge of the installed slab is created by laminating a strip of the same material to the underside of the slab, making the slab look twice as thick as it actually is (in your case, perhaps 6 cm on the edge, which would be considered your total countertop thickness). Does this make sense? What edge detail have you picked out?

fini by chance do you work in the kitchen countertop business?

[fini]

No, I'm a carpenter. Have to know a lot about other trades, though.

[dtel's wife]

dtels wife... My apologies for hijacking your thread. The tilework was extremely well done and it is very pretty stuff. Smart to go with a larger tile too. That's one of my beefs about mine. There's alot of grout line to manage. Watch the frying pan juggling and enjoy. Speaking of frying pans do you have a good fried chicken recipe you'd be willing to share? I use Paula Deans now. It's good but a little messy and dangerous. Burnt the hell out of my hand deep frying. You only do that once though.

Oscarsear,

I was kidding about "hijacking" the thread. I am very happy with the tilework, it was a difficult job for the tileman. Like I said, dtel constructed the cabinets and countertops according to space available and our needs. We knew whatever countertop we eventually used would have to be "custom installation", either done by us or someone else. I am extremely blessed to have good friends for neighbors. Seems like we have always had great neighbors who became life long friends. There is a lot of grout to manage, but we are going to use the product line Fini recommended. It seems Aquamix's cleaner line maintains the grout as you clean.

BTW, Fini Aquamix's Gold Line of products does not seem to be available at Loew's. We are going to see if any specialty tile stores carry the "Gold Line".

As far as Fried Chicken recipe, here goes...no precise measurements here just wing it...Peanut Oil is the best oil to use for this recipe because the thick batter on the chicken will burn before the chicken is done. Preheat peanut oil. Place appropriate amount of flour in a large bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne (not a lot) to taste. Once flour mixture is mixed to taste, place some of the flour in a gallon size Zip Loc bag. Combine eggs, with a small amount of milk in another bowl. Completely cover piece(s) of chicken with egg/milk mixture, drop into Zip Loc bag flour mixture, shake well. Remove piece(s) from Zip Loc bag, again dip pieces in egg mixture, again drop chicken pieces into Zip Loc bag and place in preheated peanut oil. This is a "Double Battered" chicken recipe and provides a crispy crust on the chicken. (If you like additional seasoning you can season chicken before battering as well. Use recommended frying temperatures for any fried chicken recipe. Hint...a meat thermometer is essential to preparing any type of meat, especially chicken.

This recipe is not precise and is excellent for those who desire a crispy crust on thier chicken. The double batter seals in the moisture and doesn't allow the chicken to "dry out" when frying.

[oscarsear]

Yes, I use peanut oil too, 300 to 350 F. It cooks chicken and hands really well. You double batter your chicken. I've considered that too. I use self-rising flour and it works better than regular flour. Next batch-O-chicken I'll give the double batter a whirl. I've got the template process set-up for tomorrow and will get more particulars on my situation then. Thnx

[fini]

Christy,

Lowes carries that product, but they call it something else (still Aquamix), I guess so they can call it "exclusive." You could call Aquamix to be sure. Otherwise, the website I linked to above has a good "dealer finder."

[just_like_dtel]

In case some of you missed it, BECAUSE I DID THE FIRST TIME I READ IT...Christmas was DTELS WIFES BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA! ( I know its being posted late on here but I was there at your house to share it with you!! )

Love you! ~JEN~

[dtel's wife]

Hey Fini,

Lowe's carries Aquamix, but not the "Gold Series". We did call Aquamix and they said we would have to order the "Gold Series" from a dealer in Florida. Dtel really wanted the Gold Series because it specifically covered "food prep areas". However, in an attempt to get the grout sealed ASAP we opted for the Aquamix product Lowe's sold. We bought and applied it today, three coats. We will see how it stands up to the "water test" after 24 hours, if it doesn't hold up like we think it should we will go ahead and order the "gold series" out of Florida. Thanks for the help.

You are a sweetie!

BTW, I sure hope you, the wife and the girls make it to Indy in June. I miss you guys! Tell all I said hello.

Christy

[dtel's wife]

In case some of you missed it, BECAUSE I DID THE FIRST TIME I READ IT...Christmas was DTELS WIFES BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA! ( I know its being posted late on here but I was there at your house to share it with you!! )

Love you! ~JEN~

Thanks Jen. I think my birthday went relatively unnoticed with all the holiday happenings here on the Forum. However, most of my "special friends" did take note and wished me a Happy Birthday.

Kiss the girls and tell hubby I love him too.

Mom

BTW, Jen, how do you like the countertops?

[just_like_dtel]

[:'(][] Haven't seen them. They weren't done when we were down for Christmas and we didn't make it down for New Years. BUT I KNOW YOU and I KNOW DADDY so I can imagine they are beautiful. Blessings come when you least expect them and from the strangest places/people. For example, CIII's from KLIPSCH, wonderful wedding pics from COLTER, countertops from the NEIGHBOR,...etc etc etc.

I am so very happy for the blessings you have rec'd. You and daddy more than anyone I know deserve a break in life! I love yall.