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Old 11-15-2010, 01:18 PM  
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Kitchen building

So my and I are buying a house in the next 2 years. We have not picked out a house yet - we are trying to plan everything out to the T so there's no surprises.

We're trying to decide what we'd like to do with our kitchen. We both believe that the kitchen is the heart of the house, so that's for sure going to be the room that'll receive the most focus from us.

We're thinking a lighter wood with a black variation of granite counter-top with block appliances, and a countertop stove. But that's besides the point.

Has anyone genuinely built a kitchen - and if so, what countertop did you use? I've always wanted to work with granite, but I know you have to get a diamond blade - I just want to know if it's doable by the home improvement hobbyist. I'd love to hear your kitchen-building story, even if it doesn't necessarily involve granite.


I'm sure I'll develop more questions as this thread progresses, but for right now we're focusing on the kitchen. Thanks guys!
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Old 11-17-2010, 07:42 AM  
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I'd strongly consider having the stone countertop done by a pro - if you are off by just a hair on the cabinets and your nice $3K countertop cracks in 6 months there is nowhere for you to go if you install it yourself........

Our kitchen is coming out soon. We were trying to keep costs down by doing butcher block countertops but we just recently decided to wait a few more months in favor of being able to do black tile floors w/ a black corian countertop. I will be doing all the work myself but as soon as it's countertop time I'm calling a pro.....
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Old 11-17-2010, 07:50 AM  
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When I built my kitchen, I wanted the look of granite with the cost of formica. I solved this by usung 12" x 12" granite squares, which are easily cut with any wet saw. I set them on Durock cement board using thin set, with a 1/8" grout line. I color matched the grout to the granite and it turned out great, at a fraction of the cost for slab granite.
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Old 11-17-2010, 12:46 PM  
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Yeah - granite itself isn't all that pricey, it's the installation and them cutting it to form for you that kills you. They know not many people want to go out there and buy a diamond cutter just for one project, and they milk that for quite a bit.

I'll probably have someone install them. Grrrrrr....

Oh hey coconut, post a pic of your kitchen?
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Old 11-17-2010, 01:15 PM  
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My wet saw cost me $49 from Harbor Freight. Not exactly a huge investment considering it and done all the floors in my house, the counters, and backsplashes in the kitchen.
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Old 11-17-2010, 01:23 PM  
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Havasu, could you find me a link to the countertop material you used?
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Old 11-17-2010, 01:31 PM  
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Most big box hardware stores carry various colors in stock, and usually come in a pack of five, and run between $1.00 and $5.00 per square foot, depending on what you want. The granite squares I purchased I found at a discount store (Contractor's Warehouse) and I paid ~$1.25 a square foot.
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Old 11-18-2010, 11:59 AM  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jake7 View Post
Oh hey coconut, post a pic of your kitchen?
It's not built yet haha. We are in the "material picking stage" if you want to call it that. Turns out my wife and I agree on almost everything, but kitchen materials are NOT one of them, so it took us a while.

Right now my kitchen is this godawful mix of brand new stainless steel appliances, cheap laminate flooring and cabinets from 1930! Can't wait to demolish it!
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Old 11-18-2010, 12:26 PM  
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Haha I haven't even bought the house yet and I already can't wait to destroy some rooms!
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Old 05-23-2012, 12:09 PM  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by havasu View Post
When I built my kitchen, I wanted the look of granite with the cost of formica. I solved this by usung 12" x 12" granite squares, which are easily cut with any wet saw. I set them on Durock cement board using thin set, with a 1/8" grout line. I color matched the grout to the granite and it turned out great, at a fraction of the cost for slab granite.
How did you trim the edges, cut tiles, bull nose or . . . ?
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