My kitchen remodel

[Duane N]

I started on the medium sized counter top to "practice" before I start on the 2-11 footers on the opposite side of the kitchen. Not finished yet...I just wet it down to raise the grain.

   

I also picked up a new toy this weekend.  A lot better than my bench top Porter Cable jointer. 

   

[stav]

Your idea for counter tops is great.  I have never seen anything like that before except as an accent.  Never the full span.  So far they look amazing.  

Congrats on the new toy.

[Duane N]

Your idea for counter tops is great.  I have never seen anything like that before except as an accent.  Never the full span.  So far they look amazing.  

Congrats on the new toy.

Thank you.  I had seen some pictures of islands with a butcher style Walnut tops and that's where the idea for using Walnut came from.  A guy on Youtube named "Stumpy Nubs" recently did a 3 part video using face grain Walnut tops for the entire kitchen counters and that series of video's made me change my mind how I wanted mine to look.  5" wide by 1 3/4" thick boards make up the top.  The Walnut wasn't cheap but it's still cheaper than quartz or granite plus I can do it myself...I hate hiring somebody to do work I'm capable of doing myself.

[hbmcc]

Very impressive results on your project. It will look outstanding!

I would approach the walnut countertops like any other wood furniture, design and build for movement. You will be busy enough fighting moisture issues.

[Duane N]

Slow going on the Walnut counter tops for my kitchen but I did manage to apply the last coat of finish on the smaller top yesterday.  I'm going to let it sit for a few weeks before installing it and putting it to use.  I also surface planed all the 10' + Walnut to it's final thickness (1 3/4") for the 2 long counter tops yesterday so hopefully I can start glue up of those in a few days.

   

   

[fredhargis]

Wow, really nicely done!

[Halfathumb]

Slow going on the Walnut counter tops for my kitchen but I did manage to apply the last coat of finish on the smaller top yesterday.  I'm going to let it sit for a few weeks before installing it and putting it to use.  I also surface planed all the 10' + Walnut to it's final thickness (1 3/4") for the 2 long counter tops yesterday so hopefully I can start glue up of those in a few days.

Swell job Duane! I renewed my kitchen last year, since I lost the LOML in 2015, I to had noone to answer to, and diffentley over spent. I have granite counter tops and backsplash. Sorry, having trouble posting pics

[Robert Adams]

Looking good. I had to do Cherry fronts on just over 30' of cabinets. Had Granite done for around $700. Everyone and their brother does granite these days so it's way cheaper than it used to be.   She had to have 3x6 ish travertine for the backsplash which runs up the wall behind the stove and the vent hood and then it also runs up the wall from the sink to over the window and I wrapped the stone around the window along with a travertine windowsill Oh did I mention it was all herringbone... I made many many trips from the kitchen to the back yard cutting all those angles and triangles. IIRC it was 80-90 SQFT or so. 

            Something I would do different next time would be to raise the dishwasher up. Everything is designed for short people so raising it up about 20" would make it so much easier to load and unload not to mention as you get older the ground is harder to reach... 

 
             What I would really do differently is design it for me since I do 99.9% of the cooking. I would go all commercial. Tile the floors and up the walls and use stainless benches and commercial appliances along with floor drains so you can actually clean the tile floor. These days Kitchens are built to look nice but then you have to be careful when working in them. The kitchen IF you are one of us few that actually cook and use your kitchen instead of it being a show piece.... The kitchen is a work place no different than any other shop and it's meant to be worked in not tiptoed around in worried about denting something getting something dirty etc.

[$awdust]

Looking good. I had to do Cherry fronts on just over 30' of cabinets. Had Granite done for around $700. 

         

I am afraid we are going to need some photograpic evidence..
If at all possible.
Please.

[Robert Adams]

I am afraid we are going to need some photograpic evidence..
If at all possible.
Please.

       Had to use the wide angle lens on the camera. It's just over 15' on the side with the stove and about the same on the sink wall. Across from it out of photo is a corner pantry and the fridge. I have a tall cabinet between the fridge and pantry which is unfinished as I don't yet know what I want to do with it yet and there are a few things I need to finish up here and there but when I got it to this point I said it's good enough until I get the ambition to finish the little stuff... Well I did just install the pot filler the other day finally...

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            The dishwasher was wanting to be replaced but daughter decided to move out again and buy a house this time so she took our washer and dryer so the dishwasher is down the list again. Oh and that sink is the bane of my existence in the kitchen along with that one handed faucet with built in sprayer(a separate sprayer works much better). It is a dirt magnet and very hard to clean and not big enough with that divider. Once the rest of the house is done I am taking a sledge to it even though LOML had to have it... She was the one that picked out the flooring cabs etc so good or bad it was her choice.  
           Also Chef Mike in the corner is very old and she will not let him go... And those stone cover plates break easily...


            The vent hood is a 36" but there is room between the upper cabs for a 48" one if I find a good deal on one at some point. A wider vent hood is much more effective.