WOw you wil be busy!

I think white Corian will be lovely, What about unlacquered brass?

Getting close to carpet decision for spare rooms and MBR.

Why not wood, esp in your climate?

ventless heat pump dryer

tell me more

WOW - you hav e been busy!

What will your cabinets look like? Trying to envision the double crown/flat piece/picture rail - 10" space will look with crown on walls.

We are adding another full bathroom downstairs (shower only- I thought we should just add a half bath) - but SO wants a full one - as if we need four full bathrooms when there are only two of us! Men!

A lot going on! Can’t wait to see afters. Hoping everything goes smoothly.

I’m interested in the LG tower, too. Why did you choose it? Tbh I’ve read mixed reviews and am hesitant. And the ventless option seems odd in your climate. Not questioning your decision—just curious about your reasoning.

The unvented dryer is impossible to get dry clothes. We had one for a month at our VRBO in FL. I couldn’t believe that there was NO setting that got towels dry. I tried every possible combination on that thing. It was a very expensive useless set up.

My best friend has one at her family vacation cabin in the Catskills. I was up there for 10 days and wish I had a recording of what she said every single time she used it. Moisture has to go somewhere…venting is where it is supposed to go. If there is no vent trust me you will have damp clothes. c / trailrunner

Our pied a terre has a ventless dryer. It will dry your clothes, including a full load of towels. But it takes about twice as long. With clothing, I find it can feel very hot but slightly damp when you reach in, but then is in fact dry when you take it out and it cools off. Weird. I fear it must be very bad for fabrics.

We love our - gasp - Corian. I’ve never put hot things directly on the counters. Have some scratches, but they aren’t bad. No chips. Still going strong since 2012.

Oh my goodness, you've been busy. Meanwhile, I have been dithering about new drawer pulls for a week : )

Big project! We have an LG Wash Tower at the lake. Really like it. We didn’t go with ventless because of the dry time. We’re generally doing laundry on the last day and need to get it done quickly.

We don’t dry any clothing except socks and DH’s tee shirts and tennis shorts. Everything dries on hangers and is sent out for ironing. Having used one of these before I am aware that it takes about twice as long to dry, but it also cuts energy consumption 50%. The energy audit our electric coop conducted for us revealed that our existing dryer, when on, pulls as much electricity as our electric car while charging. A longer dry time is not too much of a concern in light of that. Spanish, I chose the tower because we already have a stacked Maytag set and I wanted something that would fit in the same footprint. The tower is actually shorter than two separate stacked machines would be and because it is ventless it can be pushed up against the wall. I waited for the Labor Day sales and between the mfg incentives and buying through Costco we saved over $900 on it. (Costco also has a liberal return policy and extends the warranty.)

As to flooring: our wood floors are the original engineered wood selected by the couple who built the house. It’s no longer made and we could not match the color exactly. DH likes carpeted bedrooms and I don’t hate the ultra low pile type. I am looking at some commercial carpeting as well as the Flor options.

KSWL, I had white Corian in a prior house. I LOVED that counter. I'm usually almost a little embarrassed to even mention it here because there is usually a subcontingent of people who are all like, "eww, it's plaaaastic" - and I usually then want to reply, "yes, and so is most of your phone, tablet, or laptop that you're using to post here, along with a good chunk of your car, etc..."

I had no problems with that counter. The worst thing I can say is that things like tea bags will leave a stain...which promptly comes right out with a little soft scrub. It had a very soft, matte feel to me and I loved that stonewear didn't clatter in my bones when I set it down on the counter.

Anyway, I've seen your prior work and there is no doubt this too will be lovely. I'm looking forward to photos, and yay Corian. LOL. :-)

Ally I am looking at these brands and colors:

Avonite:

Pebble Saratoga

Pebble lane

Vanilla

Whipped cream

Bone

Ice cap

Corian:

Abalone

Alabaster

Almond

Cameo white

Bisque

Dune prima

Hazel cream

Tranquil

Meganite:

Antique shell

Antique white granite

Bone

Canvas mist

Wilsonart gibraltar:

Europa

Grey moonstone

Livingstone:

Ariston

Fleece

Parchment

Sea pearl

Hanex:

Athena

Lotte Staron:

Beige granite

Dandelion

Magnolia

Natural bridge

Pebble tea rose

Sanded Sahara

Affinity

Bisque

Clean

LG himacs:

Bologna

Cobblestone

Coconut

Crystal beige

Egg white

Ivory white

Merino

Moon mist

Vathi

Mystera:

Chardonnay

You are making incredible progress. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Wow what great progress! Wishing you well as the work continues.

Also, SIX bathrooms? That sounds like a decision from someone who doesn't clean toilets in the house. (And maybe that's fine if you have someone to help.) As the primary bathroom cleaner in the household, I was so glad to downsize from 4 to 3 bathrooms.

pssstttt... don't tell my DH but I wish we'd gone with corian. It's not cold like stone or quartz, things don't clank when you put them on the counter. It has a somewhat satiny feel which I like.

You are moving along at a fast clip!

We had Corian countertops in two bathrooms for about 20 years. I wish I had gone with that again when we remodeled. Thankfully, the previous owners of our vacation house installed Corian countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms:) It's 30+ years and still going strong. I love it; it's just a great material. We remodeled our PBR a few years ago. I asked the contractor about Corian for the shower? He said well, it will cost $$$$$!

We put Corian in one of our two bathroom renos. Wish I had used it in both.

Wow, very surprised to read all the love for Corian. I admit I was never a fan. Never a fan of granite either. If/when I redo my kitchen, finding the counter will be the hardest part. I love marble but would not put it in my kitchen. Did put it in both bathrooms we redid the last couple of years. No regrets.

Corian isn't for everyone, mainly because its plastic resin composition leaves it vulnerable to heat damage from hot pans. I’m a big fan of natural, organic materials myself and love the look of walnut countertops or natural stone. Even with quartz or the backing on granite, the base material isn't entirely plastic, which makes those choices feel a bit closer to nature for me."

I love the look of soapstone but it chips too easily for me. I know myself. I will be miserable when it chips. The same reason I can't get marble. First stain and I'll hate it.

C, I loved that Alabama house and miss the pictures!! : )

When my SO was in contract design for institutional food service facilities (university dining halls, executive dining rooms etc.), they had a couple jobs where a Corian clone did not perform very well, and replaced with Corian, and then would not spec anything but Corian after that. I know a residential kitchen is less demanding.

Also Alabaster is Corian Quartz. Use the visualizer on the Corian website to view them in L shape. Some of them do not seem to have a lot of movement until you see them in the L shape configuration.

C, those counters are gorgeous. Did you have chipping along the edges? Did you oil often?

We had a combo of Corian and granite in the kitchen we remodeled in our last house including an integrated sink. Since moving into a house with a stainless sink and one with silgranit, I realize I prefer those more bullet proof, stain resistant materials for a sink. Other than that I liked Corian and functionally, wish I would have put it on the island because it was so cold when you leaned your arms on it in the winter. The only other thing I didn't like was that the matte finish got glossy over time and you had to work it over with something abrasive to get the matte finish back - minor issue. Next year I hope to replace the ugly granite counters at our lake place - thinking about something like Cambria. But you never know - may go back to Corian.

I like the appearance of the new LVP in my walkout level but the sound of it drives me crazy which I was pretty sure would be the case. It'll be better when we get our rugs moved up here and I'll get used to it in time. Much prefer the wood on the main level but not an option in our humid basement.

Yeah, can't imagine having six bathrooms for two people - probably three would never be used - but I do think you need one on each level which you probably already have.

You have been busy, @Kswl. I’m looking forward to watching the progression. My parents put Corian in the last house that they built, and it was a great product that held up well.

My goodness @Kswl, you are on a roll! Keep us posted and don't forget the pics!

Thanks for the info, c. My knowledge of soapstone chipping is from those I follow on instagram. They’ve shown pictures of the chips. They don’t mind them. Just like some people don’t mind the etching/staining of marble. In addition, I know I don’t want black counters again.

I appreciate the info you shared and enjoyed seeing your pics. Love the veining on yours.

I went back through all my list of solid surface possibilities and ordered nine samples. (Unfortunately I can’t get the Lotte Staron product.)

Some mentioned white Corian— and while I love that product (had it two kitchens ago) it is not under consideration for this one. I am looking for a putty color that will also be the color of the grout between the brick. I am going for zero white in this kitchen; in fact the prime directive, in this kitchen is to avoid white.

It seems odd to have Corian with a brick backsplash, and then there's the walnut countertop. Why aren't you considering quartz?

Eileen, for the simple reason that I just don’t like it. Quartz has numerous functional problems and i don’t like the way it looks. Granite is not tough enough, ours has been chipped and repaired numerous times, and quartzite has the same problem as all other natural stone; it’s not a uniform color. And cold.

IME one can have a single big, bold statement in a kitchen; more than that looks busy or poorly planned. My statement is a brick backsplash. Everything else needs to be quietly behaved and a solid color.

adding, this is my mock up; I don’t think it looks odd 🤷‍♀️

It looks like quartz. :D

I've had quartz for 14 years and have had no issues with it whatsoever. There's no staining, chips or scratches. You need to use a hot pad just as you would with Corian, but you really can set a pan down briefly.

There are plenty of solid quartz colors, or with such tiny speckles that they don't add movement.

I have a few friends and relatives who have had darkening along seams and at the front edges of their quartz counters. I’ve had Corian before so it’s a known quantity. Quartz is also a man made material and I really don’t see any advantage to it. And, not to beat a dead horse, I’m not looking for a synthetic ”stone like” counter. I want a solid, putty colored counter that will not compete in any way with the backsplash or walnut surfaces.

The light counter in the picture is Corian, and I hope IRL it does not look like quartz, lol!

I inherited my current quartz counters. They are white and calm, and I like the look. But in the past 5 years, I’ve put 2 nicks in them and there is some very slight staining. I cook every day, but am not particularly hard on them. They are the first quartz I’ve had and am surprised they are not more durable. I don’t need things to stay pristine, but nicks and staining in quartz do not give off ”character” and ”well-used” as they do in soapstone or marble.

I loved my old soapstone counters. I will likely remodel my kitchen in the next few years, but I doubt I’ll use quartz. I know nothing about Corian so am looking forward to Kswl’s results.

eta Eileen I wonder if they don’t make quartz as durable as they used to. My sister’s quartz counters were installed 15 years ago and still look great. Mine are more recent and have not held up as much as hers.

The three Corian samples arrived today! One clear contender is the color Bone. Of the others, one is too gray and one is faintly speckled. The other two manufacturers are Lx HiMacs and LivingStone. Both have great reviews. I am beyond relieved that if none of those will work I already have one that definitely will!

There was a poster, now deceased, that had Corian and loved it. She even remodeled her kitchen and added new Corian to the old and you could not tell. She was in Kentucky. Her screen name started with an A. Angelophia??? Search stinks now, but maybe someone could find it.