A kitchen island is an excellent way to provide you much-needed storage for the center of your kitchen. But if you want to get something beyond a wheeled cart, you will make some design decisions. One of those decisions goes back to the size and design choice of the cabinets.

What cabinets work for a kitchen island? Typically, you want cabinets that don’t allow anything to stick out and bump your kneecaps. Countertops should hang over these cabinets by about one inch. Standard cabinet heights are typically about three feet tall at about waist level.

Regardless of whether your island is there for prep space, cooking, or dining, you almost always will have to address storage. With cabinets being the ultimate form of storage, below are some extra tips you should consider when choosing island cabinets.

Tips When Choosing the Best Island Cabinets

Tip One: Choose Something Functional

While having a conversation starter in the middle of your room is excellent, you want to make sure it’s functional. If you need more storage, pick an island that provides you with that. If you a dining area, invest in some stools and an expanded countertop.

Make sure your island provides utility before you start building it.

Tip Two: Match Your Existing Cabinets

Whether you choose complementary or exact designs, you want cabinets that complement each other. For example, two colors of different shades would work well together. It provides your kitchen with a natural form of depth.

Choosing different shades also ensures you don’t have to worry about clashing colors. For example, brown and black is a dark color combination that will absorb much of the light in your room.

Tip Three: Leave Enough Room for Walking

This tip isn’t limited to cabinets, but it’s a good reminder that you should keep in mind with all islands. Regardless of what you are using it for, you want to make sure you have enough room for at least two people.

Choosing 42 inches is typically best, as it allows multiple types of people to enter. This process can be essential if you have walkers or wheelchairs running through your kitchen.

If you plan on using this for dining, account for another person’s width. That’s why it’s best to have a dining island with stools facing away from the counter areas.

Tip Four: Budget an Extra 20% for Unseen Costs

Before you start thinking of your island, make sure your budget can handle it. You might assume you’ve saved enough for the bare minimum, but something almost always comes up during significant projects.

This possibility is especially true if you’ve got a sink or oven as part of your project. Don’t allow some unseen cost to stop you from getting a good kitchen island. Always budget a bit extra for when something goes wrong.

Conclusion

The cabinets in your kitchen island should have handles behind the countertops and blend in your kitchen. Costs of this sort of project can be as high as $5 thousand.

To avoid falling back on the old island cart option, contact Bertone Woodworking to ensure that your designs stay within budget.

When it comes to buying cabinets, there’s a lot you have to handle. Managing all of the potential “what-if” scenarios of a remodeled kitchen can be pretty tricky. There are many steps where you can make mistakes. That’s why we have a list of the most common mistakes that people make when buying cabinets.

If you want to avoid those mistakes, here is a list of the most common errors with their solutions:

#1: Having Cabinets with the Wrong Dimensions

It’s easy to buy cabinets from any old showroom with standardized dimensions. However, those standard cabinets might not work for your kitchen. Be sure to measure out your current cabinet space.

There should be some leeway for maximum allowable space. If you go smaller, be sure to account for the newly exposed wall with extra paint or work.

#2: Having the Right Materials (Below the Countertop)

The wrong salespeople will tell you almost anything to get you to buy. Many times, they emphasize the beauty of surface-level details while downplaying the bottom half. If you are installing cabinets in your bottom half, it’s crucial to ensure that you have a good structure.  

Prioritizing high-quality materials includes avoiding weak particle boards, which is an easy fallback. You also often see people not correctly sealing fiberboard, causing them to absorb leaking water and expanding, ruining the wood in the process. Don’t be afraid to ask your contractor about how they plan on preventing common issues.

#3: Following Trends

Woodwork will always have trends that go in and out of style. At some point, you may want to break out those old-fashioned bell bottoms.  You might be shocked to see that this style is back in style in some areas already.

Trends exist for a reason, but they don’t fit with some aesthetics. Suppose your contractor is vacillating between the latest trends and has a vision for your kitchen. In that case, they might not have your best interests at heart. Make sure that whoever you hire has your best interests at heart.

#4: Not Accounting for Electrical or Plumbing Restrictions

Aesthetic is excellent, but your kitchen cabinets need to be functional and beautiful. One common mistake, especially among DIY cabinet projects, is forgetting about electrical and plumbing restrictions. You have to ensure that both of those areas are up to code, or your house may end up exposed to some dangerous situations.

Have an awareness of where everything is. Avoid overlap, or you might have to end up changing up your entire kitchen design.

#5: Installing Floating Cabinets on Drywall

You ever seen that joke where someone runs a stud detector across themselves and starts verbally beeping? Well, there is a practical use for that device as well, such as finding studs in the wall, so your floating cabinets receive support.  Some people like to drill a series of holes, but that shows shoddy work.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are doing some minor DIY modifications or hiring a professional, these common mistakes can be avoided by having the right tools available. To ensure a clean finish, Bertone’s specialists can help you find a cabinet in Scarborough, Markham, and Pickering. Give us a call to take a closer look at your cabinets.

Solid surface countertops are one of the most beautiful types of countertops available. With the proper care, these countertops can last multiple decades. But it’s always good to have a solid base down for what you need to do when it comes to maintaining these countertops. So, how do you maintain solid surface countertops?

Use a damp cloth alongside a mixture of dish soap and water. For harder-to-clean areas, you can use ammonia-based cleaners. Make sure that strong chemicals do not get on this countertop.

In the rest of this article, we will detail some additional concerns you may have when cleaning this countertop. We will also provide you with some general maintenance advice.

Cleaning Messes On Solid Surface Countertops

Solid surface countertops are unique in that they have a surface coating on them. Manufacturers make these countertops out of materials like acrylic, epoxy, or polyester resins.

Compared to natural stone or other types of counters, these have a seamless and clean surface. This feature makes them reasonably easy to clean when compared to other options. That’s why you should avoid some of the more heavy-duty cleaning chemicals, like bleach, when cleaning up a solid surface.

What Cleaning Solutions Can I Use?

For standard dusting and mild messes, use a combination of some water and a small squirt of dish soap. Be sure that the dish soap is of a mild variety. You shouldn’t need anything that advertises itself as “heavy-duty.”

For any tough-to-clean stains, you can use standard glass cleaners with relative effectiveness. The shiny surface takes well to being cleaned by these ammonia-type products.

If both of these fails, you can choose to mix a baking soda paste. Typically, this means 1/8^th of a cup of baking soda combined with some water. Otherwise, you can choose to purchase some over-the-counter solid surface cleaners.

Other Ways To Maintain The Longevity Of Your Solid Surface Counters

Maintenance is just one part of ensuring the longevity of your counters. In the rest of this article, we will provide you some other methods you can use to confirm your counters stay in good condition.

• While solid surface countertops are heat-resistant, you should still use a hot pad when placing your pots and pans down on the countertop.
• When doing food prep, be sure to have a sturdy cutting board that isn’t known to slip.
• Do not use any strong chemicals nearby the counters. These include acetone products, oven cleaners, paint removers, and bleach.

Do Solid Surface Countertops Require Maintenance?

Solid surface countertops are among those that do not require regular maintenance. Compared to some natural stone countertops or wood countertops, you are sometimes required to perform specific activities to ensure they stick around.

Suppose you see any damage on your solid surface countertop. In that case, that is the only time you should expect to need some maintenance.  

Final Thoughts

Through regular cleaning and avoidance of bad habits, solid surface countertops can last for many years. If you want to explore installing your own solid surface countertops, ensure you have a professional that can help you do it right.

When looking for alternatives to granite countertops, you may be a bit picky when trying to find an adequate replacement. The idea of picking something of a similar style during your kitchen remodel can be a difficult task. To address this concern, we’ve taken some of the leg work out of it for you. In the rest of this article, we will give you five cheaper options to granite your kitchen. 

#1: Laminate Counters

Laminate is a material you can use to mimic the appearance of granite without breaking the budget. As one of the most inexpensive options, the cost of laminate is typically around $50 per square foot. 

Using laminate also prevents you from having to cut out huge slabs of stone. As a result, you save time on the labor costs behind using other materials.

#2: Quartz Countertops

Quartz allows you to keep the appeal of natural stones in your home without the cost of granite. However, the quality behind quartz is not comparable to something you would call cheap. This material can cost up to $150 per square foot. 

The real savings of this surface come from the low maintenance needed for these counters—also, their durability appeal to homeowners looking for a long-term solution.

#3: Wood 

If you look for an overall natural look with no preference for getting stone surfaces, wood is your next stop. On the heat resistance scale, wood can be pretty lousy. You gain a warm appearance but lose out on the “purely stone” style options. The cheapest options go for around $40 per square foot.

Consider an epoxy seal if you don’t want to spend a lot of time on maintenance. The epoxy will give you a shiny appearance that can resemble most granite options. If you don’t want a polished appearance, keep a close eye open for any scratches. Wood also allows you to consider butcher-block counters, which are an appealing addition to modern homes.

#4: Soapstone 

Soapstone is a soft alternative to a granite surface, making it somewhat prone to imperfections on the surface. As you might expect, you trade out the softness for cost. This stone is also far more durable than wood and requires far less maintenance. 

The low end of soapstone goes for around $70 per square foot. It also doesn’t need to be sealed, saving you some money on that initial labor investment. If you are looking at granite for durability, soapstone is a great alternative. 

#5: Marble 

When you hear “marble,” you probably don’t think about the word “cheap.” However, it is surprisingly affordable when used for countertops, with the lower end going for around $70 per square foot. This price made it comparable to quartz and engineered stone.

When searching for marble, be aware of its high maintenance requirements. Most marble types require you to re-seal the surface every year. Marble is also easy to scratch compared to other options. 

Final Thoughts

The appeal of natural granite countertops is clear. With its modern appearance, stone provides you a wide range of colors and unique styles. They are also naturally heat resistant, providing you another way to avoid burning down your home. 

But granite is a premium-level material, making it somewhat difficult to perform. Thankfully, there are many materials you can choose from that are appealing and hit many of those requirements. If you want help finding alternatives to granite, let us help you out.