Kitchen update questions!

11 years ago

Finally bringing our kitchen into this century. Love the existing layout, and the oak must stay. Not a huge fan of the oak, but it is EVERYWHERE in the house and to eliminate the trim in one room would seem to unbalance it, right?
So we are going to redo just countertops since this tile is impossible to clean and is really outdated. We would like granite, but after hearing the pros and cons, are considering an engineered recycled glass or engineered granite which is impervious. Does anyone have experience with these products? What are the pros and cons from real life? We were thinking black for the counters, but now I'm reconsidering. Opinions?
And on another note, we have 3 good, new black appliances, and a super old cream colored microwave that works really well and a cream trash compactor we never use. Has anyone painted appliances before? Is it possible? Can you "reface" appliances? Or should I just get new ones in black to match?
Thanks in advance for opinions and advice!!

Featured Answer

hatetoshop

11 years ago

I can't help you with many of your questions, but I will warn against the black granite countertop. I've had it in my last two homes, and it shows every smear and crumb. Being a bit of a clean freak, I'm constantly wiping the darn things down.

Good luck with your changes -- the kitchen will look great!

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Comments (6)

krisrust77
Original Author
11 years ago
Was it the dark color, material, or the finish (shiny vs matte) that made your black countertops a little more "in need of a wipedown"? I'm sort of a neat freak too.
Thanks again!!
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hatetoshop
11 years ago
I've heard that different finishes require different amounts of maintenance. I believe mine are polished (not sure as they were here when we moved in). I use a product called "Hope's Perfect Granite", and it's pretty good at getting rid of streaks.
cabingirl13
11 years ago
I don't think I would pick black granite either....way to hard to keep clean. Maybe a cream or off white colored granite or quartz would look nice. I have black appliances (same exact stove) and darker cabinets (light walnut) and when I was looking at quartz these are the colors I liked the best. Silestone Tigris Sand, Viatera Cortina & Magnolia. Bring home a bunch of samples (largest size you can get) and see what works best with your cabinets and floors.
Is the piece of granite in the peninsula staying and are you going to make it all one level?
jck910
11 years ago
Go with Quartz not granite, easy maintenance. I just put in Cambria, color is called Bradford, love it. Agree dark colors like black always have crumbs showing on them, even dust shows up quickly. Yes, I know several people who have had appliances painted with great success.
krisrust77
Original Author
11 years ago
The dropped down countertop is a great height for sitting next to it in a regular height chair and feeding my baby in his high chair. I know that's not a very forward-thinking excuse, but it's also a good height for chopping stuff as my hubby and I are shorter people. That granite will go. And we're thinking of an accent piece of granite, or maybe butcher block. Not really sure yet.