I just ordered drawer dividers for our "almost" finished kitchen this morning! I got wooden ones from the cabinet company (Merillat), which have dividers that can be configured a bunch of different ways. I got one for cutlery and one for utensils.

Many of us have made our own using these brass divider makers from Lee Valley. They are fairly cheap to make (you need the brass dividers and strips of wood which I got at Lowes) and pretty easy, too. Best of all, they are custom. I did several drawers with these. Here is a pic of my silverware drawer and a link to another thread with divider info, including more pics of the Lee Valley setup. You can do a google search and find many more threads on dividers.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: drawer divider link

@pudgy - sorry to be OT, but how did you DO that with the outlet on your beautiful backsplash?

Pudgy, can't I just use a touch of glue and a finish nailer instead of the brass things?

jgs7691: I had them professionally painted at $40 a pop. They look great and have held up beautifully - no chipping or damage at all and we use them regularly. Others here have done the painting themselves.

houseful: I don't know. The brass things work really well, though and they aren't expensive.

houseful, Yes, you can. I did it with gorilla glue and clamps. I made dividers for my two 'junk' drawers. The cutlery drawer will be next. I bought the Lee Valley dividers, but DH wanted me to try it without them and it was fine. The dividers would be easier for sure, though!

Thanks!! Will look into checking at Lee Valley.

What type of wood do you buy from Lowes or Home Depot??

pudgybaby... thanks for posting that picture. very nice! now i don't feel so bad about not ordering with my cabs. i was too indecisive then. that looks great! :)

I made ones for almost all my drawers - makes it so much nicer to have things organized instead of all piled together.

I used the Lee Valley brackets - I have a tendency to change my mind and this way I can easily make things different if I want to.

I just purchased one from orderlydrawer.com. They have templates that you customize. A little pricey, but very nice quality.

another O.T. question for pudgy...

Love your backsplash! I'm considering those type of tiles, but wondered, since it is a "backsplash", how are they to clean?

Thanks!

another questions to pudgybaby:

how did you make this matching electrical outlet?

Efs...see PudgyBaby's answer to that above (Wed, Mar 23, 11 at 21:48).

SandeSurf...search on "fire and ice" or even "jodi_in_so_calif" using "Google" with the "site:gardenweb.com" and you will find many threads about PudgyBaby's quartzite backsplash, Fire & Ice (hers and others). There may be one that discusses cleaning. (Be aware, though, that you will probably get many hits! Jodi's F&I backsplash is very popular!)

I found one link that might be helpful (it was even started by PudgyBaby!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: Stone back splash behind range: hard to clean? esp fire & ice

Thanks, buehl, for providing anwers! Here's a bit more info on the fire and ice cleanability. I've linked another thread where I reveal the results of my stain testing - how exciting!

My F&I has been installed since July 2010 and it is installed on all of my back splash, including behind my range and sink. I cook a fair amount, with splattery things (stir fries, spaghetti sauce, etc). I have had absolutely no problem keeping it clean. If any food gets on the F&I, it wipes right off. We are very happy with our back splash and we get many compliments on it.

I sealed my own back splash because I wanted to use a specific sealer and I knew that it wasn't difficult. I didn't get around to it for the first month that the kitchen was complete and got some awful oil stains behind the stove one night while cooking dinner. I was so upset! I tried various things to get the oil stains out, but they were still very visible. My DH and I went on a trip and I was fretting about it the whole time. Magically, when we got home, the oil stains were gone. I guess they evaporated? I sealed the back splash the day after we got back from the trip, and haven't had any trouble since.

HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: Scroll down about 2/3 for stain testing info

Thank you, Byehl, and pudgybaby! :)