Kitchen

Reply to: That there is still so much misinformation about soapstone, amazes me. Soapstone is NOT hard to care for. You do not HAVE to oil it. It will develop a patina on its own. We chose to oil ours for the first two months, and have since left it alone. Our stone, purchased and installed by M. Teixeira (their NJ location), is now 3 years old. We don’t have any chips. There were a couple of scratches from where my DH slid a cast iron pan, but they have faded. Oh, and you CAN get a HARD grey stone, with green and white inclusions. We chose Belvedere for it’s hardness and the gorgeous streaks of green, which became more prominent after oiling. We love the tactile smoothness of soapstone, and the fact that it never gets cold in the winter (Long Island, NY). Soapstone is very easy to clean...just a little soap and water does the trick, or if you prefer, a Clorox wipe works, too. It doesn’t stain or etch. I agree with the posters above...I would be very leery of purchasing soapstone from a stone yard that is primarily a granite dealer. Most of them are unfamiliar with the properties of soapstone, and insist its soft, no matter the color/style. Many will say soapstone needs to be sealed. The fact is, it should never be sealed, and there is no need to. Btw, if you’re within a few hours drive of a Teixeira location, I highly recommend making the trip. These guys are pros, and exceedingly patient and helpful.

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Reply to: This is at the bottom of the page: Dallas Soapstone — Latera Architectural Surfaces now has several locations to view and select Latera Architectural Surfaces in Dallas. For a list of Dallas soapstone dealers, partners and installers, contact the Dallas office at 214-717-2101. Hope that helps. Btw, we have soapstone, a hard variety, Belvedere, and love it. It’s one of the harder stones, so we’ve had no chipping or scratches in almost 4 years. Be sure to test the stones for hardness. Any stone that scratches with your finger, you might want to steer clear of. Take samples home to test. Drag plates across them. No need to test for staining, as soapstone is impervious, it neither stains nor etches. Good luck!

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Reply to: It probably depends on what type and size of fridge you are looking for. When I was considering JennAir bottom mount or French door fridges (36"), the panel-ready were less than the stainless (panel would be extra, of course)...About $2100. We have Bosch dishwashers, fully-integrated, panel ready...I think they were $899 each....$999, at most.

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Reply to: Just to add to my previous post, BLF2011's comment that "the cook-top will require a cabinet as well" made me think of another point for you to consider. I had mentioned that I prefer a "rangetop" to "cooktop". One difference between a cooktop and a rangetop is that a rangetop just drops down on top of your cabinetry in the 36" space (or 30" or 48" whichever you choose) between your countertops. On the other hand, a cooktop will require the top of the counter be cut out specifically to the shape of that cooktop. Should you decide to replace the cooktop in the future, you may have trouble finding another with that exact fit to the counter cut-out of the previous one. Meanwhile a rangetop is a set size, and can be pulled out and replaced with another without concern of a cutout. 36-inch Gas Rangetop 36-inch Gas Cooktop

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Reply to: 3'-0" is the minimum corridor width allowed by every building code I have used. The narrowest corridor I have ever designed was 3'-6". The dimension of a kitchen passage is most critical at a range where someone will have to back up and bend over to open the oven and take something out. 3'-6" is the minimum and usually a few more inches is helpful at the range.

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Reply to: With 42" high cabinets and a 108" ceiling, that's 12" of crown molding if the cabinets went to the ceiling. With 120", you have 66" to work with. I think you need 39" tall cabinets with 18" above and 9" of molding. The ideal proportion for a stack is 2/3 and 1/3, which is very close to 39"/18". Also, you really want more molding than 6". If you want 12" of molding like at your last home, then do 36"/18". Also, if you are doing a true stack, separate the uppers from the lowers by a simple bead molding to help with the inevitable seam. It's a great look. Be sure to ask about the warranty for extra tall cabinets if that is what is being done instead of a true stack. Longer wood is more prone to warpage. Some cabinet companies will make extra tall cabinets, but not warrant them.

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Reply to: You're very welcome. Take a look at her revised drawings and you'll get a extremely good feel for which version will work best for you. Here are two quick drawings showing the difference between the 15 and the 18 inch high stacked cabinets with ten foot ceilings. Note how the 15 inch high cabinet starts to look long and narrow.

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Reply to: Ours uppers were 60" total. I can't remember the breakdown of bottom and top heights, but I think it was something like 42/18. Ours are inset doors and were built as one unit, so not technically "stacked". Here is a screenshot of one wall of our kitchen design. This left 6" at the top for crown molding. I'd show you a finished pic, but we still don't have our upper doors on or any crown molding. One day.....

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