Kitchen Update

My kitchen remodel is almost done. Yay! I am very happy with the way it is coming together. It has taken a bit longer than I had planned because I had an extremely hard time making decisions. Who knew it would be so difficult? After many hours of research, shopping, comparing, and online browsing, it is finally coming together.

I had initially priced out cabinets that were a painted maple. I loved the color, off white with a red glaze. Hated the price tag. I just couldn't bring myself to spend four times as much for those as for the hickory that I ended up going with. Had there been a more economical choice of wood I would have probably opted for that. (I mean REALLY does it have to be high end maple if it is just getting painted?!)

The cabinets had been installed for quite some time when I realized that I REALLY had to decide on some countertops or I would never get my kitchen back together. Concrete, while I LOVE the way it looks : cost is insane to have it made for you, dry time is insane if you do it at home, and the weight of it is insanely heavy. I actually had picked out a granite from a local stone yard. I was really prepared to spring for the couple of thousand bucks (probably about $2500) that it would have cost. I loved the look, the feel, and the durability. Was about to place my order when I came across some research about radon being released from granite countertops. GAH! As if I don't have enough health risks to worry about! Seriously now my countertop might cause cancer?! I wasn't sure either way about the research, I still am not. But I did decide that at $2500 for the granite as long as the jury is still out, I am quite pleased that for $214 plus tax I have a wonderfully functional, attractive countertop.

Total cost so far for the kitchen (I still have grout to buy) about $2500. That is complete with new flooring (linoleum middle of the road quality), cabinets, countertops, tile backsplash, sink, and a very lovely faucet.

Where I cut costs: Clearance hickory cabinets. They were discontinued and 30% off! I ended up opting for ceramic and glass tile rather than natural stone for my backsplash. I actually went out and touched and played with the natural stone. My biggest issue was probably that I am HUGELY tactile driven. The unsealed natural stones left a type of grit on my fingers. They were porous and required sealing to avoid staining. I didn't like the way sealed stones felt.

I opted for a HUGE single basin sink that I swear is almost big enough for me to take a bath in! I believe that was just over $100. I know my deciding factor on the sink might seem silly to some, but here it is, I went with brushed stainless because I color my hair at home and the granite and porcelain sinks stain too easily. The fact that I color my hair at home also impacted my faucet decision. I ended up getting a delta brand. It is the type that you just pull on the faucet and it extends. It was around $220 and I really love it. Overall I am very pleased with the way everything came out.