Kitchen Build Thread

[msweig]

Looking good!

As for the bracket thing. For my granite countertops there are some metal supports that go out partway from the cabinet underneath. I can try uploading a picture later if you would like (not having luck from my phone). They only go out a few inches, and I'm assuming that they are simply L-shaped brackets. The part against the cabinet is completely hidden behind trim and possibly drywall. I didn't even realize the supports were there for months. Only noticed them when I was down on the ground playing with my kid and looked up.

[Snipe Hunter]

The material isn't natural stone, it's a manufactured material made of resins and ground up quartz dust. The supplier insists that <=12" overhang on sides and around corners isn't prone to cracking. Though I admit I'd worry if some large individual decided to jump up and sit on the corner, it would give me pause! 
 
I suppose it may hurt if somebody slams into a corner. such is life. But the large radiused look is ugly IMHO.

I'd worry more if it were natural stone. The quartzite countertops are really strong and not nearly as brittle as stone. Still... wouldn't stand on it. I have a piece left over from my sink cutout. Dropped off my workbench in the shop and it chipped the concrete floor.

[mound]

I'd worry more if it were natural stone. The quartzite countertops are really strong and not nearly as brittle as stone. Still... wouldn't stand on it. I have a piece left over from my sink cutout. Dropped off my workbench in the shop and it chipped the concrete floor.

Yah I'm not planning to stand on it.  I put a scaffold platform over it to get up to the cathedral ceiling to install the pendants over the island and the ceiling fan, and then yesterday installed the vent hood over the range, I had a tin-knocker guy I know come help with that install and duct-work (mostly 'cause I didn't want to be crawling around on the roof cutting holes in the house lol)..  OMG he jumped right up on the counter from the overhang side, even with the scaffold sitting right there and I almost had a heart attack. Nothing happened
 

   

[stav]

Wow, that would put me on edge a little.  Glad the counter didn't break.

[Snipe Hunter]

Wow, that would put me on edge a little.  Glad the counter didn't break.

Yea, me too. I have a 1" overhang and I don't stand on them.

[Cabinet Monkey]

The quartzite countertops are really strong and not nearly as brittle as stone.

For the the sake of completeness -   Quartz countertops like mound has are something entirely different than natural occurring "quartzite"


One look at the price sheet will tell you all you need to know.  It should also be noted that while "Quartzite" is harder than granite on a Mohs scale some species are very brittle.   All you need to do is look on the bottom of the slab to see the fiberglass mesh that was added at the quarry.   That's not there becasue it looks purdy.

[mound]

Still not done! But I haven't posted any progress lately. 

It is now a functional kitchen - all the appliances installed and in use, scaffolding and ram board all removed so it doesn't feel so much like a construction site.  Only thing preventing us from starting to fill up the drawers is the lack of pulls/hardware, which we're trying to decide on as I write this. 

Last couple weeks I had turned my attention to the appliance wall which I'm very pleased with. If you remember the early design renderings the plan had been to paint this wall, and so I had pre-milled parts last winter for all those doors out of poplar but then once all the oak went in for the other areas we decided "no painted wood!" (agreeing now with a comment JTTHECLOCKMAN made in a reply early on!) and so I re-made all those parts out of oak. Glad I did, I think it looks much classier. 

So really at this point what remains is finishing the "appliance garage" upper cabinet on the wet-bar,  trimming out/painting all doors/windows (including installing the pocket door), making all the oak end-panels, trimming out the base of the island, figuring out backsplash and floating shelves in the wet-bar area.   Also all the hidden wiring and LED channels are in place everywhere but not yet all wired together to the magnetic switches.

   

   

   

   

   

   

[Snipe Hunter]

Man that looks great. Really spectacular. 2 years, 2-1/2? I really like that roll-out pantry. ... lots of drawers. I've learned to really appreciate drawers in the kitchen.

Took me 10 months to make the cabinets in the last house. Vowed to never do it again. But, it was a nice kitchen. Nothing like yours as we knew we weren't going to stay forever.

[mound]

Man that looks great. Really spectacular. 2 years, 2-1/2? I really like that roll-out pantry. ... lots of drawers. I've learned to really appreciate drawers in the kitchen.

Took me 10 months to make the cabinets in the last house. Vowed to never do it again. But, it was a nice kitchen. Nothing like yours as we knew we weren't going to stay forever.

Thanks!  I started this thread in August 2021 at the idea stage..  Started into building the cabinet parts in February 2022... in fact, I'm reminded now, I took this pic on 2/6/22 and wrote "first cut" on it lol.  

   

So I suppose one year to the week that I started the woodworking on it. May '22 is when the walls came down and the real "construction" began..  The family has been very patient! 

The roll-out pantry is definitely going to be nice. Looks like I didn't take any pix of it, but there are 4 non-marring wheels under it and it's attached top/bottom with full extension soft close slides (I think 150lb rated.)  One complaint I have is that it's a pretty heavy unit with all the plywood and oak door, and once it's filled, it will only be heavier. It's not hard to move really with the wheels and bearing slides, but it'd be great if there were some sort of piston assist device I could put behind it to help push it out while also helping to pull it back in. sorta like you'd find on a hatchback. 

It'll be nice when this project is finally done. It's been all consuming, feels like that the last 10% will take 80% of the time!  Spinning our wheels trying to decide on pulls.. and backsplash tile... 

I'm looking forward to some time (if that time comes) that I can "see this" with fresh eyes. I've been so mired in so many details for so long, it's hard to step back and look at it for what it is, whereas any friends or neighbors who pop in for the first time since it started are blown away.

[Snipe Hunter]

I'm looking forward to some time (if that time comes) that I can "see this" with fresh eyes. I've been so mired in so many details for so long, it's hard to step back and look at it for what it is, whereas any friends or neighbors who pop in for the first time since it started are blown away.

I hope you can. I never really do. I appreciate my effort and being able to use what I build but I don't always see it like others do. I see the fruit of my labor...which is good.