Choosing the right Faucet for your Kitchen or Bathroom

By Vincent C. Rogers


There are more choices in faucets today than ever before. With so many shapes and sizes available, not to mention the types of finishes, it is easy to see how it can be quite an experience for you to decide on which faucet is right for you. There are several things to consider when making this choice.
First you have to determine how the faucet will be used. For kitchens, you may need a faucet that has the new touch technology. If you cook a lot then this faucet works very well. It allows you to turn it on and off by simply touching it. This is great when your hands are covered in cookie dough while making your special home made cookies. Or maybe you love the look of Old World and want a faucet  that mounts in the wall behind the sink rather than the counter top. Maybe you need a faucet that is extra high for filling large pots or containers.


For bathrooms, you may like the standard one piece units. If it is your Master Bath that you are choosing a faucet for, then you may want a split faucet where the handles mount separately on the counter. Most styles have matching faucets for showers and tubs as well. You also need to keep in mind your towel bars and other hardware items in the room. Make sure the faucet in small bathrooms is not too overpowering for the room size. Also the type of sink may play a role in choosing the right faucet. Try to visualize how well the faucet will look with the sink you  are using.
The second thing to determine is the finish you would like your faucet to be. A lot of times, designers try to match the faucet finish and overall style with the hardware in your cabinetry. This works very well in most cases and it is very easy to find the same or similar finishes in both. Also look at the overall design of the room when choosing faucets for your home. Try to pick designs that compliment the room rather than distract from it. With all the choices available, finding one that you like is easier than ever before.

Things to consider when purchasing Flush Inset Cabinetry

By Vincent C. Rogers

 

First let me clarify exactly what flush inset cabinetry is. Flush inset cabinets have their doors mounted inside the cabinet frame opening rather than laying on the face of the cabinet like standard cabinets. The face of the door is flush with the face of the cabinet itself. The cabinet face frame itself can have square edges like normal, or a small beading detail can be added but usually costs a little more than the square edges. The advantage to this beading detail is that it adds a lot of character to the face of the cabinetry. It also can be enhanced if a glazing is being used on the cabinet finish.

The first aspect of flush inset cabinetry to consider is the depth of the wall cabinets. Standard wall cabinets are built 12" in depth from the wall out to the face of the cabinet. This works well with cabinets that have overlay doors, but with flush inset cabinetry, you lose the thickness of the door in overall depth. The typical cabinet door is 3/4" thick but some very high end cabinet manufacturers offer doors that are 1" thick. This doesn't sound like much but sometimes just a little bit will make the difference whether your favorite platter will fit in the cabinet. Some cabinet manufacturers have changed their standard depth on these cabinets to 13" or so to make up the difference but not all do this. A lot of kitchens that I design with flush inset cabinetry, I specify some wall cabinetry to be 14" in depth. This has always worked great and doesn't effect the overall design.

drawers under cooktop scalloped toe board and custom corbels under custom built wood hood

The second thing is price. Flush inset cabinetry typically costs more than standard overlay styles. One reason for this is that it is more labor intensive to precisely fit each door to the frame opening and therefore costs more. In Flush inset cabinetry, if a door ends up even 1/16" too big or too small, it will be very noticeable. Another reason is that some manufacturers do not make or offer flush inset cabinetry. Only manufacturers that makes higher quality cabinets makes flush inset cabinetry and therefore can charge more of a premium price. The advantage to paying this premium price is that the cabinetry does have a more expensive look and designers use this style quite a bit in the designs of their higher end clientele.

Another thing to consider is the hinges. Flush inset cabinetry is usually offered with two different hinge styles. One style is the pin hinge similar to the hinges on your house doors and has a small barrel section that has finials’ on each end. This part of the hinge is visible when the doors are shut. The negative about this hinge is that some form of magnetic catch is required to keep the door shut, but most kitchen designers choose this hinge for its authentic and beautiful look. The second type of hinges on flush inset cabinetry is a concealed hinge. The advantage of this hinge is that it is self closing, which means no magnetic catches and the doors are more easily adjusted if needed. The negative is that you lose the look that the pin hinge gives to the design of the cabinetry, but some kitchen designers do choose the concealed hinge if they are wanting the cabinetry to have cleaner lines to suit their design.



custom island custom olive green paint built-in microwave

Next is the door and drawer styles. Most manufacturers only offer certain door styles on this style of cabinetry. Typically mitered door styles are not offered which limits your choices to some degree. And certain drawer front styles are not available because of the height constraints in the drawer opening. There is simply not enough room for the drawer front to be reduced in size and still maintain its aesthetics.


custom sink base with farmhouse sink

The last thing to consider is the maintenance, especially door and drawer adjustment. The cabinetry can be perfect when it is first installed, but over time doors tend to get a little out of adjustment due to settling of the house and just overall use. Concealed hinges make adjustment easier while the pin
hinges are more difficult to adjust.





Copyright 2010  Articles by Vincent
All rights reserved

 

About the Author

Vincent Rogers has been designing, building, and installing beautiful kitchens for over 25 years. His primary focus is on high end custom homes with projects exceeding $100,000.

Designing Your Kitchen

Custom cherry kitchen designed, built, and installed by Vincent

By Vincent C. Rogers

Who can design it?

You can design it yourself but most cabinet retailers will do the design work for free so it is worth your time to ask. There are three different kind of cabinet retailers, (a cabinet shop that builds cabinets, a cabinet showroom/dealer that sells national brands, and the big box stores) and having them design it is usually not an obligation to buy.
Ask them up front if they charge for the design and estimate.

*Note: Most showroom dealers will do the design so you can see what you are paying for, but will not let you take the drawings until a deposit has been paid.

Many cabinet designers are very good at what they do. Ask for people who have been in the business for a while and request some examples of their work. Feel free to ask for a list of referrals. Avoid novice designers. There is no reason for you to be one of the clients they "cut their teeth" on.

Don't assume that the expensive looking showroom is out of your budget. Many of them are competitive with the big box stores (Lowes, Home Depot, Direct Buy, etc.)

Consider getting a design by a third party. These are usually true kitchen designers…CKD's (Certified Kitchen Designers certified by the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

You will have to pay for this (typically $200-$800) but can run in upwards of $1,500 to $2,000, and the advantage is they will design a kitchen that you can then take to several cabinet dealers and get competitive "apples for apples" quotes on. It will also save you the time having to meet with several designers and go through the same routine each time.Note: Not all good designers will be CKD certified, but are very good at what they do because of years of experience. Ask to see examples of their work and prior customer references.



What you will need.
Once you have decided which rout to take, there are certain things a designer needs in order to design your kitchen the way you want it and what will function the best for you and your family.

Most cabinet shops and dealers will come to your house or jobsite to field measure, but some rough design and pricing can be done just from a sketch with some measurements. If you are building a new home, bring a copy of your house plans, and leave them with the designer for a few days if possible.

Appliance specifications, and your preference as to where they will be placed in the design is one of the first things that you and your designer will need to determine. Sometimes the placement of appliances and sinks will be determined by the layout of your room, windows, etc.

Pictures are always helpful. Try to find pictures in magazines that reflects the style and feel that you would like your new kitchen to have. Most good designers will take your likes into consideration, but they will also look at the overall design of the house and try to design something that does not look out of place.
Example: You would not want your kitchen to be very ornate with a lot of arches and carvings if the rest of your house has a shaker feel. It would just look out of place.

Budgets can be very helpful to the designer. Remember that most of the time, your new kitchen will cost more than you originally thought, and having a good budget for the designer to work with helps you get a kitchen you will love. Some people are reluctant to tell the designer the budget, especially if they are pricing the cabinetry, because they think that they may get a better price if they don’t share this information. Usually it has a reverse effect. You go over everything you would like to have, choose a cabinet and door style, and then get a price that is two times your budget. But, if the designer knows the budget before hand, they can direct you through the selection process and stay closer to your budget. This allows you to get the very important things, while eliminating the things that are not necessary for you to have a beautiful functioning kitchen.

Schedule.A time schedule is very important. If you are doing a new construction, ask your builder when the house will be ready for cabinetry. Most people wait until the house is framed before they start looking at cabinets, but it is better to first talk to kitchen designers when the house is first started. This gives ample time for them to design and price everything, and for you to make any changes. Nothing is worse than having a great idea about your kitchen, only to find that it is too late to change it because your cabinetry has already been ordered or made.

With remodeling, scheduling is even more important. Get the design work done, cabinetry ordered and delivered before you start tearing old cabinetry or sinks out. This way you are without your kitchen for the least amount of time as possible. It is no fun having to do without a kitchen for 6 to 8 weeks.

Deposit.Most cabinet retailers will require a deposit before your cabinetry can be ordered. This amount can vary depending on the size of the project and the retailer, but most require a 50% deposit. Before giving them a deposit, make sure they are legitimate business with proper insurance, (general liability & workers compensation).

Installation.You may want to do the installation yourself, but if it is more than just a basic kitchen I would recommend letting a professional installer do it. Most local cabinet shops do their own installation and is included in the price, so ask them about the installation so there won’t be any misunderstandings when that time comes. Kitchen showroom dealers do it different ways. Some do their own installation, and some contract to an independent installer, but may include this in the total price. Most all big box stores contract all of their installation and is not included in the price of the cabinetry.

Note: When you just buy the cabinetry and handle the installation or contract it to someone else, then you will be charged sales tax on the cabinetry. But if the cabinet shop or showroom includes installation, then the sales tax is included in the contract price, and usually saves you a little money.

Get A Contract.One very important thing that you should get is a contract that lists everything you are getting with the final price. Sometimes things may change a little before the project is completed, such as add-ons, or deletions, but this gives you something to stand on if you do not get what you bargained for, and helps guard against any unforeseen disagreements or misunderstandings that may arise.
Copyright 2010 Articles By Vincent.
All rights reserved