Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Jun 18, 2011 11:34 pm Dear Forum Members, I am new to this Forum and new to kitchen design. I have just today signed a contract for a new kitchen (my first!) but I am still undecided what to do about the benchtop and the Splashback. Here are the specs (I have tried filling in Michelle's template as best I could) Splash Back - Starfire, colour undecided (somewhere in Neutrals - we have a feature wall in the adjacent launge room with Taubmann's 'Streamwood') Bench Top - probably laminate (stone is beyond my budget), so I thought maybe squareform, pure calcite Cupboard Doors - white polyurethane Cabinets - not sure what to put in here Draws - Blum soft closing, not sure what else goes in here) Kickboard - stainless steel laminate Hardware / Taps - stainless steel Bosch Oven Handles - square brushed steel Feature Lighting - 1 light in cupboard with frosted glass, 2 lights in two locations under cupboard, shining on splashback Lighting - halogen downlights Floors - Pine, water-based semi gloss (once sanded and polished) I really like the 40 or 60mm square edge look of stone benchtops but can't afford it (it's an extra $2K). My builder instead suggested a 38mm laminate squareform. Here is my dilemma: I would really like a lighter version of my feature wall (see above) in the splashback but then I need a really light benchtop (which with the Laminate glue line might look pretty average). Otherwise, I guess I could go with a close to white in the splashback and go for a dark benchtop (maybe espresso feldspar) which means the edging is less visible... (you notice, confusion reigns) Can I just ask maybe - do lots of people here still use laminate benchtops or is everyone splashing out on stone? I would be very grateful for any kind of advice ... Thanks, Y Re: Advice on Benchtop for kitchen newbie 2Jun 19, 2011 7:19 am If you are going for a Laminex "Squareform" edge there won't be any glueline, the laminate is postformed with 2 x 4mm radius edges. Cheers, Earl Re: Advice on Benchtop for kitchen newbie 3Jun 20, 2011 10:31 am What Strumming said, however i think your question is asking about 38mm laminated square edge, not Laminex Sqaureform, two totally different animals. 38mm square edge laminated will have a fine hairline between the top edge and side egde. 38mm Laminext Squareform is a post form top from Laminex that has 2x 6mm radius's, thus no hairline join. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Advice on Benchtop for kitchen newbie 4Jun 22, 2011 2:54 pm Blum soft closing costs more (in our case +$140 per drawer) but are great additions. With regard to kitchen bench I've noticed around our suburb that 6 to 7 of our 10 new house builds would have stone bench. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end” http://www.buildinganewhome.com.au Re: Advice on Benchtop for kitchen newbie 5Jun 22, 2011 3:56 pm Hi there I am not familiar with the different types of laminate but here are my thoughts. We are building a very swanky house with a very large budget. I have two kitchens, a kitchentte and five bathrooms. All of them have laminate tops!!!!! Every last bloody one. Why, because I like it and I dont like stone!!!!!! I have used a wood veneer in the bathrooms and it looks superb and a wood effect in the kitchen which I am yet to see. Dont get wound up about not having stone. If you cant afford it, you cant afford it and by the time stone is out of fashion you will be able to afford the next big thing. Go for great drawers and cupboards which will provide you with longevity. Re: Advice on Benchtop for kitchen newbie 6Jun 22, 2011 4:20 pm We chose laminex benches - and the cupboards are Wilson Art. I like it, it's not cold, stone stains (as does laminex), stone could be noisy and echoes. It's cheap so we won't feel bad about changing it all or a buyer can change it. We did get Blum drawers - 16 of them - lovely. And upgraded the sink to an Australian brand. a building inspector should be able to tell you about any major problems but we need a floor plan with dimensions to clarify options for extra bedrooms ... sometime an… 1 6096 Versaloc is a mortarless besser block system that still needs a properly engineered footing. If you just do a 400x200 footing it will fail in time. At 17m long you need it… 1 3428 I was being kind to the builder. With the amount charged for the upgrade the builder is probably charging closer to 100% margin. There are a few variables as I… 5 13046 |