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lwerner_gw

BlueStar rangetop installation

lwerner
11 years ago

Hi all!

After getting to see CC and Bluestar ranges at a local appliance store yesterday, I'm leaning toward a 36" Bluestar rangetop for new kitchen in my huge remodel that starts soon. It's going to be in a perimeter counter run. Before I decide for sure, I want to make sure I'll be able to install it the way I want.

What I'd like to do is make my countertop on that wall a couple of inches deeper than normal, so there are a couple of inches of counter behind the range top, to allow for larger pans in the back. I think that means I need to use their "island trim", since some sort of trim is required behind the rangetop. The island trim sticks up about 1" above the burner grates, which I don't really want, but I like it a lot better than the 7" or 17" high stainless steel trims.

In their dreadful installation instructions I found this: "If you are using an island trim a six inch clearance between the back of the range and a combustible surface is required. If an island trim is to be used without this six inch clear- ance the back wall must be non-combustible and heat resistant material that extends below the top surface of the range a minimum of six inches."

Has anyone else tried to do an installation like this? What did you do about the "non-combustible and heat resistant material" on the back wall? The only way I can see to avoid it would be to make my counters 30" deep, so there's 6" of space back there, but I think that would probably be too deep.

Does anyone have tips on what to do here or, better yet, photos of what you did? I've found lots of great Bluestar range photos on the forums, but rangetop photos are scarce. Unfortunately my appliance dealer didn't have the rangetops, just the ranges and the BS drop-in cooktop (which looked like a real pain to clean) so I couldn't really see exactly how the rangetop would fit into a counter.

Thanks!

Laura

Comments (7)

  • buffalotina
    11 years ago

    Others will chime in but I am pretty sure all it is saying is that if you want the island trim and there is not a six inch clearance behind it then you need to tile down at least 6 inches below the range. That is what I did with my Bluestar range even though I used the higher 6" trim rather than the island trim. So all you need to do is tile the wall behind the range top (or have it covered in something noncombustible, and make sure the tile or whatever goes down behind the counter at least 6 inches.

    Good luck!

  • friedajune
    11 years ago

    These are not my photos, but perhaps they will help.

    {{gwi:1395076}}

    Excellent idea to make your counters deeper - I would add 3" to make them 27", plus don't forget in your kitchen design calculations the counter overhang, typically 1-1/4"-1-1/2". You don't need to buy deeper lower cabinets, just buy 24" deep lowers and pull them away from the wall 3". If you will have upper cabinets over that counter run, make them 15" deep. They'll hold dishes and glasses much better than the standard 12" depth anyway.

    Also, don't forget to get your hood deep enough to cover the front burners. You can find 27" deep hoods, but they are pricey. You could also hang a 24" deep hood so that it too is pulled out a bit, I think with something behind it to push it out - that topic has been discussed on the Kitchens Forum before, so you could do a search.

  • lwerner
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the tips, and especially the photos. I really like the idea of making the counter 3" deeper along that whole run, then using a 27" hood. (Or a 24" one jacked out from the wall a bit, but that may cost more hassle than it saves money.

    The idea for 15" deep upper cabinets solves another design problem I was having too. I need a place to hide a silencer in the hood's duct, and it probably has to go either in some sacrificial stacked upper cabinets or in a soffit above the first layer of upper cabinets. Neither of those were going to work real well with 12" or 13" deep uppers, since the silencers tend to be 14" diameter. Bumping the cabinets out to 15" solves that problem nicely!

    Deeper upper cabinets will also give me a bit more space up there, which is a great bonus because I don't have a lot of wall space to hang cabinets on. If you're curious, a near-final design is here, though the oven may move to the left wall so I have room for a built-in fridge and a bit more room around the rangetop. I'm going to post some questions about this on the Kitchens forum sometime soon.

    Thanks again!

    Laura

  • sophie123
    11 years ago

    Be careful in using a 27" hood. Many times they are designed for 12" deep wall cabinets.

    I have 15" wall cabinets and 27" deep counters. I had to buy a 24" hood and pull it out to match the depth of the wall cabinets and then have a stainless steel filler installed behind it. We wanted it against the wall for head clearance but it would have required a goofy looking filler for the wall cabinet.

    So carefully plan this out!

  • lwerner
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, Sophie! It's great to hear all the details from someone who's done this. I'd forgotten that the 27" hoods would still be designed for 12" cabinets.

    Where did you get the 3" filler to put behind the hood? Did the hood manufacturer make one, or did you have to get it custom made by a sheet-metal shop?

    I think I need to do some detailed drawings of all this, or at least a detailed description, before I go talk to the kitchen / cabinet designer.

    Laura

  • sophie123
    11 years ago

    I ordered the sheet metal online and had a local shop cut it and drill holes. It wasn't too expensive. My contractor installed it.

    Think about head clearance. If i had it to do over i might have considered eliminating the cabinet over the hood (which i can still do) so i can raise the hood.

    One other comment about having the 15" deep wall cabinets - they are great in that they are deeper but i didn't anticipate the size of the doors, when being open, are in your face. Not sure the width of them, but i would check that out.

  • lwerner
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi Sophie,

    I'm almost 6' tall, so I'm definitely thinking about the height issue. If I put the hood at 36" above the top of the grates, it should end up about 1 or 2" above my head, which would be good. If I need to I can put a wooden filler up there to line up with the tops of the cabinets on either side. I haven't really given much thought to what kind of hood to get yet, so that part is still up in the air.

    I'm not sure about the doors. I don't see why they'd be more "in my face" as long as I only bump out the upper cabinets by the same amount as the counter (3" each). That way the relative depth from front of counter to front of upper cabinets is normal. Maybe it was more the width of the cabinet doors that was the issue? I'm probably going to end up with about 18" widths on most of the uppers.

    Laura