Countertops

This was the most popular picture on our Jim Hicks Home Improvement Facebook Page in July!

 To See October’s Shoe Closet Organizer: Click Here!

 This picture is of a kitchen that was certainly done well, but this time it’s not our work.  We would love to know whose work it is to give full credit where it is due! 

We asked the question “If you could have one thing from this picture in your kitchen what would you choose?”  The answers from our Jim Hicks Home Improvement Facebook Page Fans ranged from: the granite counter top, the huge stained wood window over the kitchen sink, the stainless kitchen sink, the natural light in the kitchen, the open shelving next to the kitchen cabinets, and the tile backsplash.

Open shelving is becoming increasing popular in today’s kitchen cabinets designs. Laura Gaskill advises the following on open shelving in kitchens:

Do: Think about what you use daily. As for the lower shelves, be practical about what you choose to place there. This is a good spot for favorite coffee mugs, everyday plates and bowls, and basic water glasses and wineglasses. If you find that not all of your everyday stuff fits on your shelves, put some away. Do you really use 30 mugs or wineglasses daily?Don’t: Put extremely heavy items on top shelves. Even if you rarely use that big, heavy pot or casserole dish, think twice before hoisting it onto the highest shelf. Lifting and lowering heavy items from high places can be unsafe, and even if your shelving is strong, open shelves in general are not meant to hold as much weight as regular cabinetry. Be on the safe side and stow your biggest pots down low.

Granite Countertops remain the popular choice for today’s kitchens.  While they are still quite a bit more pricey than laminate countertops they are less expensive than Quartz.   When shopping for a granite countertop, the #1 piece of advice we give our clients is to NEVER pick out your granite from a “swatch” of granite sample like you might for a paint color or carpet.  Because granite is a natural product there is a lot of inconsistency from one piece to the next – also called “movement”.  This is what make granite so stunning and each piece unique!   You cannot begin to see what a given slab of granite will look like as your kitchen countertop unless you go down to the supplier and see the entire slab of granite.  Reportedly, this is why the Big Box stores that sell kitchens and only have granite samples on hand, have as high as a 50% return rate by dissatisfied customers who picked their granite color from a small sample.   Granite is beautiful, but as a best practice never pick your granite color from a sample, go select the full slab.

The tile backsplash in this picture is also unique and brings to mind the debate that we also hear from homeowners about tile backsplashes:  should the tile come all the way down to the countertop or should there be a 4″ border of the same granite material?  This is a very stongly opinionated subject among kitchen designers.  Usually when you have strong opinions, they form from personal taste.  What are we talking about exactly?   Here are two pictures that illustrate the difference in how to install a tile backsplash and a granite countertop: with and without the 4″ granite border.

You’ll notice in the picture above, the electrical plates have not been installed yet.  This picture was taken of a kitchen in the progress of installation, but we think it illustrates the detail of the backsplash well.

What about the window?  Do you prefer a stained wood or a painted wood?  Do you like grids in your windows or no grids?   How about the size of the window? Can you have too much light in a kitchen?   Would a different style window be better?   Some of our clients don’t want to reach over the sink to lift the sash of a double hung window and enjoy a crank handle of a casement window.

There are so many details when designing your home improvements.  We like to say “the hard work is done before the first nail is driven”  because it’s all about the design.  But the design can be a fun adventure and what make your remodel unique and special to you and your personal taste!

If you enjoy pictures and discussions like these, please give our Jim Hicks Home Improvement Facebook Page a “Like”  and join in the conversation!   One fun thing about our Facebook Page,  our Fans aren’t shy about voicing their opinions and there certainly are a range of preferences!