We've finally started

Fiona, I'm in exactly the same boat as you about benchtops. I just posted in one of my old threads about what to do about joins!

Hey Fiona and pasey... I do have a join in my benchtop, it's not too bad because of the colour of the laminate, and I just put up with it - I was warned numerous times about numerous things in the kitchen - but I wanted my kitchen charcoal, and refused stone and granite because I wanted benchtops the same as doors. So now I have to live with it, and I would not recommend it. I use a plastic table cloth to cover the benchtops during food preparation (if you can imagine, the material of my benchtops is the same as the doors - it's not Laminex especially used for benchtops).

I'll go and take a photo and see if it shows - will post it.

So in a (long) sentence - I don't recommend very dark cupboards in the kitchen and if you can, go for stone/granite benchtops. I have no experience with CS but I loved my old unsealed granite benchtops, no maintenance at all, and no damage after seven years of abuse. Too bad I don't like the look of granite now .

Although I have to say, when the kitchen is cleaned up after dinner, and it all looks tidy, I think to myself - I couldn't have gone any other way.

aussiebell - I have tried to photograph the rest of the house, incl. bathrooms, but they are really awkward to capture - will give it another go.

Fiona, this is the photo of my join:


My post was a bit all over the place, sorry, what I meant to say was I don't recommend dark cupboards unless you don't mind cleaning regularly, as fingerprints show easily (this goes for chocolate-coloured cupboards as well - and also dark tiles, I had chocolate tiles for a year and every drop of water shows, not to mention crumbs etc.).

I guess nobody is silly enough to go with the same material for benchtops as for cupboards the way I did it.

I think every benchtop material, be it laminate, stone or granite, will have a join somewhere if you're after a really long benchtop. Not sure about Corian though.

aussiebell, this is our ensuite, cannot do a better photo, sorry, there's always something in the way:


The main bathroom is almost identical, apart from having a bath in it, and yes, the benches are the same as the kitchen .

Hi Steve, our cost was a bit over 10k per square, our "extras" were hydronic heating, double glazing throughout, solar hot water, water tanks, the kitchen ended up much bigger than on the plan and that was extra, incl. space for integrated fridge, oh and my sink was a bit over the top, square set cornices, our ceilings are very high in the living and the curved roof cost a bit I think.

Just depends how fussy you are I guess .

Lovely lovely lovely kitchen Mek
do you mind sharing your floor plan at all pleaseeeeeeeeeeee?