Wood and laminate kitchen in progress

9 years ago

Well, the end is finally in sight. Let me modify that -- having a kitchen again seems like something that may actually happen.

We made the mistake of demoing right after Labor Day -- before the kitchen plans were finalized and could not conceive that things would take so long. Hopefully, others can learn from this mistake! We were so anxious to get moving and there were so many things that needed to get done in the space that we jumped the gun.

Caninets should be installed in 2-3 weeks. Then the soapstone will take another 2-4 weeks depending on their schedule. After that, appliances, electrical, and plumbing should move quickly.

We've had a stellar experience with all the trades -- except the cabinetmaker. I'm hoping the end product will be amazing, and only wish they'd been clearer about their process and timeline.

I visited our cabinets for the first time, and thought I'd share a few photos. We plan to stay in this house for at least 20 years, so we picked what turns us on, with no concern for resale. Our kitchen will be quartersawn vertical book matched walnut veneer and Abet blue laminate.

I'm going to try to add some photos below. I'm on my phone, so it looks like only one at a time. The first photo is of part of the cooktop wall, with the uppers sitting right on the lowers. Thanks to GW, our uppers will be extra deep. The 42" hood tapers to 12", so the cabinet above will also be 12" deep. The deep drawers all have upgraded Blum hardware in case my kid decides to climb into them. The wood you're seeing in the forefront will be up against a wall, so not visible. Oh, and things are still in process, so if anyone notices anything horrible, please let me know!

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Comments (7)

RChicago
Original Author
9 years ago
Uh oh, the photo isn't showing up correctly on my monitor. I don't want to compound the problem by attaching more sideways photos. I'm now at a computer, but given that when I open the picture in a separate window, it appears straight, I'm not sure how to fix it.
alex9179
9 years ago
If you used an Apple product to take the picture, this can happen. Some sort of interface issue with the website. I do not know a fix, though. I don't have an iPhone or iPad.
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RChicago
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, alex9179. Yep, all iPhone pics. As the phone and iPad are currently my only cameras, this is going to make for some interesting reveal photos in a few months! I may have to learn which way to turn the phone when I'm taking the pics so that they show up right side up when I load them!
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
Some of that walnut looks flat sawn to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Quarter sawn
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
Some of that walnut looks flat sawn to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Quarter sawn
RChicago
Original Author
9 years ago
Trebuchet - As I noted above, the wood in the forefront will be up against a wall, not visible. Here's a pic of what the walnut looks like (prefinished). That's quartersawn, no?

Apologies again for the photo if it's rotated wrong.
RChicago
Original Author
9 years ago
In case anyone has any experience/thoughts, I do need to make decisions on the walnut finish. For color, they're offering clear coat or a light dye. The idea being that with the dye, over time, the differences between the veneer and the solid wood edges will be less apparent. We will have walnut panels framing all cabinetry that are 2" thick - so 2" of solid walnut edges adjacent to the quartersawn veneer. You can see two of the 2" thick vertical panels in the first post above -- there will also be a horizontal flyover panel just below the ceiling that will connect the two vertical panels.

The other choice is sheen. They're offering 20 and 40. Not sure what that means, but they've given me a sample board and say that it's purely an aesthetic choice, both will be equally durable.

Any follow up questions I should ask before making a decision? I'm leaning toward the light dye and the shinier of the two finishes (neither of which is particularly shiny).

Thanks!