some kitchen progress

Every weekend Frugaldad makes some progress on the new kitchen. Some weekends are more productive than others. Today we crossed a major milestone. We had Silestone countertops installed. We had pretty much decided on one of the quartz products (Silestone, Zodiac, or the like) for the countertops. Quartz countertops have all of the advantages of natural stone counters like granite, but none of the disadvantage. They never need sealed, won't absorb stains, and are much less prone to chips. I had had my eye on a certain color of Silestone at Home Depot but had never brought home a sample. One day we were in the store and noticed that the color was on sale for about 20% off, which is a great deal. I brought home about 4 more samples of the various quartz products to make sure that color was the one, and had the template guys come and today we got our new counters. They look fabulous.



The installers were very impressed with the cabinet construction, and told me to tell Frugaldad so. Most of the cabinets on the market today are flimsy and the guy said it was a pleasure to work with nice cabinets. They were also impressed with the layout of the kitchen and how much work space I will have. They were also glad there were no seams or backsplash (I want a glass tile backsplash), because it was their last job today. (and they were done by noon!) They also liked the new sink, which we ordered online and got a great deal on. It is huge, commercial-grade stainless steel. I can't wait to wash dishes in that thing!



Before we had the countertops installed, we had to get the lazy susans into the corner cabinet. We ordered maple lazy susans online to set on each shelf. It was cheaper and I think it looks better than the "spin around on a pole" lazy susans that you can order from the home centers. Plus, since our cabinet is a custom size, the sizes available in the home-center special-order books weren't quite right for us. This picture shows the lazy susans holding what they will hold in the kitchen when it is done--baking supplies.



One more drawer, drawer fronts, and doors are next on the to-do list. We haven't bought a microwave yet and the electrical work needs connected at the panel downstairs. But countertops are a huge step towards my new kitchen!

(click on the pictures to be taken to flickr and see more shots!)