I can't believe I made a decision on kitchen counter tops - yesterday. It
had been between granite and granite ;-) but my final decision was Cambria.
Cost did not enter into my decision as everything I considered was close
enough to not make a real difference. The salesman said that houses that
have granite counters sell better, but we won't be selling, so that was not
a consideration either.

I told him that I was having just as hard time making a decision on
flooring, and here is what he told me as far as tones/colors for me so that
they would look the best for my medium-dark cherry cabinets.

Flooring should be lighter than cabinets.

Flooring should be darker than counter tops.



It seemed that he had this axiom on the tip of his tongue. I'm wondering if
this is a general rule. I had not heard this before.



***

I am having an overhang come out about 9-10 inches, so as to put a
convenient stool for my laptop at the end of the counter.

I had not expected to get a new sink, but will have one mounted flush with
the counter. 16 gauge ss makes me happy.



Dee

Hadn't heard those lines but it made me think. Our apartment has an OK
kitchen (we moved in a couple of years ago and it's not bad enough for us to
justify renovating yet). The counters are black granite, which is
wonderful. There are flecks of other colours, which make it interesting
I've never had marble before but couldn't have anything else now. The
floors are white and black marble and look great, until you need to find
something you've dropped (try finding coffee beans, which I seem to spill
regularly!). So we have black counters, white cupboards then black and
white floors - the flooring is darker than the cupboards and lighter than
the counters - the reverse of your advice! But we like it!!

"Dee Dee" wrote in message
...
I can't believe I made a decision on kitchen counter tops - yesterday. It
had been between granite and granite ;-) but my final decision was
Cambria. Cost did not enter into my decision as everything I considered was
close enough to not make a real difference. The salesman said that houses
that have granite counters sell better, but we won't be selling, so that
was not a consideration either.

I told him that I was having just as hard time making a decision on
flooring, and here is what he told me as far as tones/colors for me so
that they would look the best for my medium-dark cherry cabinets.

Flooring should be lighter than cabinets.

Flooring should be darker than counter tops.



It seemed that he had this axiom on the tip of his tongue. I'm wondering
if this is a general rule. I had not heard this before.



***

I am having an overhang come out about 9-10 inches, so as to put a
convenient stool for my laptop at the end of the counter.

I had not expected to get a new sink, but will have one mounted flush with
the counter. 16 gauge ss makes me happy.



Dee

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:34:37 -0400, "Dee Dee"
wrote:

Flooring should be lighter than cabinets.

Flooring should be darker than counter tops.



It seemed that he had this axiom on the tip of his tongue. I'm wondering if
this is a general rule. I had not heard this before.



Who made UP those rules? Nonsense......if you are going to live in
your kitchen, you pick YOUR colors. That damn salesperson will
never spend a night in your house...let alone be using your kitchen
for the next 20 years!

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:34:37 -0400, "Dee Dee"
wrote:

I had not expected to get a new sink, but will have one mounted flush with
the counter. 16 gauge ss makes me happy.


I chose Silestone...and they had a free undermount sink offer. Cambria
might also have that offer. Don't get anything but an undermount
sink. I love mine. It is so easy to wipe everything into the bowl
and nothing catching on the lip of the sink.

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:34:37 -0400, "Dee Dee"
wrote:

I can't believe I made a decision on kitchen counter tops - yesterday. It
had been between granite and granite ;-) but my final decision was Cambria.
Cost did not enter into my decision as everything I considered was close
enough to not make a real difference. The salesman said that houses that
have granite counters sell better, but we won't be selling, so that was not
a consideration either.

Do you have a crystal ball?


I told him that I was having just as hard time making a decision on
flooring, and here is what he told me as far as tones/colors for me so that
they would look the best for my medium-dark cherry cabinets.

Flooring should be lighter than cabinets.

Flooring should be darker than counter tops.


So what flooring do I use with my white cabinets? The oak floors are
darker than the white countertop so that must be ok.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:34:37 -0400, "Dee Dee" wrote:

I can't believe I made a decision on kitchen counter tops - yesterday. It
had been between granite and granite ;-) but my final decision was Cambria.
Cost did not enter into my decision as everything I considered was close
enough to not make a real difference. The salesman said that houses that
have granite counters sell better, but we won't be selling, so that was not
a consideration either.

So what did tip the scales in favor of Cambria?

I told him that I was having just as hard time making a decision on
flooring, and here is what he told me as far as tones/colors for me so that
they would look the best for my medium-dark cherry cabinets.

Flooring should be lighter than cabinets.

Flooring should be darker than counter tops.

It seemed that he had this axiom on the tip of his tongue. I'm wondering if
this is a general rule. I had not heard this before.

That's because he made it up. 8 It makes no sense -- what color flooring
would go with white cabinets, which are very popular? Or black granite counters?

I am having an overhang come out about 9-10 inches, so as to put a
convenient stool for my laptop at the end of the counter.

....and an electrical outlet there too?

I had not expected to get a new sink, but will have one mounted flush with
the counter. 16 gauge ss makes me happy.

By flush, do you mean undermounted? That is very convenient for cleanup, and
should work well with the relatively thin lip of the SS sink.

Congratulations on the decisions!

-- Larry

"pltrgyst" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:34:37 -0400, "Dee Dee"
wrote:

I can't believe I made a decision on kitchen counter tops - yesterday. It
had been between granite and granite ;-) but my final decision was
Cambria.


So what did tip the scales in favor of Cambria?

Hmm - I believe for me, it was the fact that wine might/will stain (we open
a few around here); turmeric, etc. the fact that I probably wasn't going to
buy from HD and their supplier Innovative Stone, which I felt was the
granite product I wanted, and not available elsewhere. I don't ever want to
put any chemicals/i.e. sealant on a slab of stone. Zodiaq looked too close
to wall-to-wall color with not enough variation, so it had to be Cambria
because of their patterns. Still it is not close to the beauty that granite
is. My heart still goes to granite. DH for some reason thinks that granite
is cheap looking; I can't understand that in my wildest imagination.


I told him that I was having just as hard time making a decision on
flooring, and here is what he told me as far as tones/colors for me so
that
they would look the best for my medium-dark cherry cabinets.
I had not heard this before.

I was wondering if this is a general rule and that's why I asked about it.
But he was advising me on my cabinets (for me) (for my cabinets) when I
asked him the question.
But he answered it so quickly, I wondered if this was a general rule. From
what I gather from the responses,
it is not a general rule, but just was advice for me.

That's because he made it up. 8

Too funny!

I am having an overhang come out about 9-10 inches, so as to put a
convenient stool for my laptop at the end of the counter.

...and an electrical outlet there too?

Oh, poop! Darn, Where's my head! More thought! Thanks for the reminder!
Duly noted!


Yes, the sink will be undermounted. DH thought it would not be possible for
a new one because of the reverse osmosis under the
sink. Let's hope it works. I opted for the larger sink and smaller sink
side-by-side; I've had this before. But this one there is not
so much disparity between the sizes.


Congratulations on the decisions!

Thanks. I know you mean it. You went thru it yourself. Although you
seemed much more decisive.

They called this morning for the template appointment. We had to put it off
until the 2nd of August
as we made other plans anticipating that it wouldn't be so soon. Damn! You
can't out-think these things.
Dee Dee

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:19:00 -0400, "Dee Dee" wrote:

Hmm - I believe for me, it was the fact that wine might/will stain (we open
a few around here); turmeric, etc.

Well, we open about 10 bottles a week, mostly red, and the first year has gone
by without incident (knock on whatever...) I think that before I re-seal the
granite, I'm going to apply a little Zinfandel in an out-of-eyesight spot, just
to see how it takes.

I hadn't particularly thought about turmeric or saffron, which we use a lot of.
I've been more careful about acids, like lemon juice -- but then I generally
cook with a towel over my shoulder and a grunge sponge close at hand.

... the fact that I probably wasn't going to
buy from HD and their supplier Innovative Stone, which I felt was the
granite product I wanted, and not available elsewhere.

I can understand that. But despite our scheduling problems, the local Innovative
Stone contractor was definitely an old-world craftsman. He did great work.

I don't ever want to put any chemicals/i.e. sealant on a slab of stone.

I'm about to do our first sealant job. I don't expect it to take over a
half-hour, total. Just wipe it on, and let it dry. Of course, the new Innovative
Stone ten-year sealed granite came out just after our job was finished. 8

.. so it had to be Cambria
because of their patterns. Still it is not close to the beauty that granite
is. My heart still goes to granite.

The Cambria looks really nice, IMO. The only caveat on the fabricated quartz is
its greater sensitivity to shock, so don't drop your heavy cast iron pans on it!
8 BTW, which color/pattern did you decide on?

DH for some reason thinks that granite
is cheap looking; I can't understand that in my wildest imagination.

Wow, me either.

Congratulations on the decisions!

Thanks. I know you mean it. You went thru it yourself. Although you
seemed much more decisive.

Well, that's just me -- I can see things and visualize how they'll go together
pretty much instantly. So I go in, look around, and order what I want in one
visit. My wife, otoh, is the type that wants to take samples home and stare at
them for a week, consult six friends, look at design magazines, etc. before
making a decision. We do bump heads occasionally. 8

But I will say that she is very pleased with how our kitchen came out. And she
was particularly skeptical about the flooring until it was installed.

But I can understand caution when you're spending so much money on a job, and
you want some sort of assurance that it will be satisfying in the end.

They called this morning for the template appointment. We had to put it off
until the 2nd of August as we made other plans anticipating that it wouldn't
be so soon. Damn! You can't out-think these things.

That's only a few days. Keep us current on progress -- we are interested. Hope
it all goes smoothly.

-- Larry

"Ward Abbott" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:34:37 -0400, "Dee Dee"
wrote:

Flooring should be lighter than cabinets.

Flooring should be darker than counter tops.



It seemed that he had this axiom on the tip of his tongue. I'm wondering
if
this is a general rule. I had not heard this before.



Who made UP those rules? Nonsense......if you are going to live in
your kitchen, you pick YOUR colors. That damn salesperson will
never spend a night in your house...let alone be using your kitchen
for the next 20 years!


Some of those "rules" come from what is appealing to the majority of people.
Darker colors on the lower portions of a room generally give a more pleasing
look. There will always be exceptions.

In furniture design, the golden ratio is often adhere to for similar
reasons. the golden ratio = 1.61803399 This is supposed to be the most
eye pleasing ratio when dividing drawers in a cabinet for instance. with the
larger ones on the bottom. Take a look at any chest of drawers and if they
have two or three sizes, they always get smaller to the top. Visualize the
opposite and it won't seem quite right.

You are correct that it is your house, do what you want, but do take a
little time to visualize it to be sure. While something may look slick
today, will it still appeal to you in five or fifteen years? Countertops
are not changed as easily as a beehive hairdo or long sideburn.

The golden section is a certain length that is divided in such a way that
the ratio of the longer part to the whole is the same as the ratio of the
shorter part to the longer part.
Line AB is divided so that the ratio of AC to AB is the same as the ratio of
CB to AC. If AC is 1.000, then AB becomes 1.618, the golden mean.

Examples here http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.golden.ratio.html

"pltrgyst" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:19:00 -0400, "Dee Dee"
wrote:
I'm about to do our first sealant job. I don't expect it to take over a
half-hour, total. Just wipe it on, and let it dry. Of course, the new
Innovative
Stone ten-year sealed granite came out just after our job was finished.
8

I have been told regarding the 15-year sealed granite that one shouldn't
rely on it; but to go ahead and think about putting on the sealer. Perhaps
nothing really was lost in your case.
Let us know how the job went; particulary I'm interested (although it's moot
now) about any odor from the sealant; any noticeable excess slickness, etc.

Sort of off topic, but I've read/heard that cleansers such as the windex
that it not only cleans, but puts some sort of film on the window or
whatever, supposedly to keep dirt off. This sort of thing I've noticed on
windshields, too, whereas you have to take the whole film off at some point
and start from scratch. I noticed this on my black stovetop; that it cleans
up nice and shiny with the cleanser, but I'm cooking constantly and I'm not
big on instant cleanup, other than with soap & water, and my kitchen never
gets fashion plate, so it looked like that there was a film that started
showing; the best I can describe is kind of like the screen on a TV where
the black gets a bit scrambled when the settings are correct. Can't think
of the word that Paint Shop Pro uses for this sort of look to change a
picture -- sort of a Andy Warhol look. But this sort of wax-buildup and an
uneven buildup, or bas relief, if you will in the case of granite, is a
concern, be it somewhat minor; but it was nevertheless a concern.


The Cambria looks really nice, IMO. The only caveat on the fabricated
quartz is
its greater sensitivity to shock, so don't drop your heavy cast iron pans
on it!
8 BTW, which color/pattern did you decide on?

I'm glad that I 11-1/2x11-1/2" pad you recommended. I think I'll buy
another one for the other side of the stove. I worry more about dropping
the cast iron pans on the stove; pausing -- well, now I guess, since the
counter tops are the most problematic to replace and more expensive, that
now my attention will turn to the countertops ;-). But DH gets the heavy
pan cleanup; 'he' will have to be careful.

The pattern I chose was Lancaster - the typical speckled pattern, there are
several very similar in different tones, but this one does have a bit of
cherry red (which doesn't show up so well onlin) in it that will enhance the
color in my cabinets.
http://www.cambriausa.com/colordetai...name=Lancaster
Actually there are better looking colors, but they didn't seem to work.
http://www.cambriausa.com/design_palette.cfm

Hope it all goes smoothly.

Me, too; thanks.

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 23:21:21 -0400, "Dee Dee" wrote:

Let us know how the job went; particulary I'm interested (although it's moot
now) about any odor from the sealant; any noticeable excess slickness, etc.

Will do.

Sort of off topic, but I've read/heard that cleansers such as the windex
that it not only cleans, but puts some sort of film on the window or
whatever, supposedly to keep dirt off.

Hmm, I've never heard that. As a matter of fact, I've always found that
furniture sprays, like Pledge, build up over time, and the best way to remove
them is with Windex.

Anyway, Windex is a definite no-no on granite. Formula 409 works fine, though.

I noticed this on my black stovetop; that it cleans
up nice and shiny with the cleanser, but I'm cooking constantly and I'm not
big on instant cleanup, other than with soap & water....

We get a lot of grease spatter and salt water specks on our black cooktop, and
find ourselves having to use the glass cooktop cleaner every couple of days.
It's a real pain compared to our previous black cooktop with white speckles all
over...

The pattern I chose was Lancaster - the typical speckled pattern, there are
several very similar in different tones, but this one does have a bit of
cherry red (which doesn't show up so well onlin) in it that will enhance the
color in my cabinets.
http://www.cambriausa.com/colordetai...name=Lancaster

Looks nice. With medium-dark cherry, I would think that you could choose almost
any flooring lighter than your cabinets, and that countertop would pick up some
of the color in it.

-- Larry

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
...

The golden section is a certain length that is divided in such a way that
the ratio of the longer part to the whole is the same as the ratio of the
shorter part to the longer part.
Line AB is divided so that the ratio of AC to AB is the same as the ratio
of CB to AC. If AC is 1.000, then AB becomes 1.618, the golden mean.

Examples here http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.golden.ratio.html
I ran into the golden ratio when I was taking some art courses some years
ago.
It made my head spin, and my eyes roll back into their sockets, but I get
the concept. Thanks. I hadn't thought of it in relationship to this.
Dee Dee

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 23:15:21 -0400, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


Flooring should be lighter than cabinets.

Flooring should be darker than counter tops.

Some of those "rules" come from what is appealing to the majority of people.
Darker colors on the lower portions of a room generally give a more pleasing
look. There will always be exceptions.


If flooring should be lighter than cabinets and flooring should be
darked than counter tops....what color is the floor if you have white
cabinets?


That entire "rule" was/is absurd. When a designer gets their
name on the deed and their checkbook pays for the balance due....they
get to choose anything.

Spewing that information is a disservice to the buying public.
Frankly, it sounded like something a "salesperson" from HD or Lowes
was trained to say to sound authoritative. Designing sense is not
their forte.

"Ward Abbott" wrote in message
pleasing
look. There will always be exceptions.


If flooring should be lighter than cabinets and flooring should be
darked than counter tops....what color is the floor if you have white
cabinets?

And that is why is wrote that there will be exceptions.




That entire "rule" was/is absurd. When a designer gets their
name on the deed and their checkbook pays for the balance due....they
get to choose anything.

Spewing that information is a disservice to the buying public.
Frankly, it sounded like something a "salesperson" from HD or Lowes
was trained to say to sound authoritative. Designing sense is not
their forte.

No doubt the salesperson may be a twit, but there are many good designers
that can save homeowners from themselves. It has been years since I've done
any househunting, but I've seen kitchens and bathrooms that looked like they
were a circus or furnished with materials from the returned goods section of
the lumber yard.

The entire rule is not absurd at all. There is a basis in fact that in
many, probably most cases, it does look better. You can buy white carpeting
also, but I've never seen white carpets in a room with brown walls and a
black ceiling. But you can do it if you want. Is America great or what?

On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:11:36 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:

but there are many good designers
that can save homeowners from themselves.

Aah.....now there is the clue. It took a year for the OP to choose
a counter top....most likely by themself. Imagine how smoothly the
entire process could be become if the OP had hired a qualified
designer to steer them in the right direction. The entire process
from floors to cabinet knobs could have been selected in two weeks or
less.