The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

Hard_Up_Hester

Sounds lovely Softstuff, when we bought our house the kitchen was at the back and the livingroom at the front, hubby swapped them over and put French doors in, it's lovely and I shall really miss it when we leave.
Formal complaint made yesterday on my behalf by my broker to the senior partner of the solicitors I'm being forced to use for my mortgage, I'm not sure if it will have any effect. My complaint will go on FB and other social media.

moneyistooshorttomention

Hester - You know it's bad when you have to "Facebook" a firm. Fingers crossed that works.

Softstuff - Beech block and caesarstone - right off to google pictures of them.

Re kitchen worktops - I had so many questions in the kitchen showroom that I forgot to ask what the worktop was made of that I saw in one display kitchen. I rather like the look of it. It was a dark-coloured one - whereby the draining board beside the sink was exactly the same material as the rest of the worksurface (but just had drainage lines carved into it for the water to run off into the sink). I prefer the look of that to having a stainless steel draining board and am thinking that it can't be a laminate (as that presumably wouldnt stand up to years of being used as a draining board). Does anyone know what that material might be? I'm wondering if it's that Corian that has been mentioned? Though could be something else...

One decision definitely made - ie no granite (both on cost grounds and no I couldnt be ars*d to do a load of extra housework to keep it looking pristine). I think it's boiling down to probably beech block, Corian or this material they had carved that draining board out of (which might be Corian?) for the worksurfaces. Off to google what caesarstone is...

Floss

Money, beech block needs regular oiling, so is not a no-maintenance worktop option.

Softstuff

Mtstm, probably caesarstone or some other composite stone. You can certainly cut grooves out for a draining board. Expensive to do though. Beech block isn't low maintenance as Floss says. You've also got to avoid burning it. Corian melts also (MIL has corian with a burn in it from the previous owners).

I'm just not sure if I want mind to look too pristine. I think I'd like the odd cut and scuff in beech block.

Softstuff

Hester, I can still come and take Monnas elephant round to your solicitors.... though I'm not sure it would speed up proceedings it might make you feel better.

silvasava

I'm also looking at the units with no handles - just grooves in the top of the drawers/doors to open them. As you might have guessed my housework skills are usually lick and flick!!!

ivyleaf

Beech block looks lovely, but I know i'd never manage to keep oiling it, so when I eventually get my new kitchen it'll probably be laminate for me.

Softstuff Goodness, I never knew Corian could burn! A black sink and taps sounds gorgeous, but won't they show up every little splash of water? Just remembering how my neighbour hated her dark bathroom suite because she said it never looked clean for more than five minutes. Mind you, we do live in a hard water area.

Floss

Our beech block surfaces have their fair share of scars from use- knife marks, burns, a dint where I dropped a Le Creuset lid...all adds to the charm of a well-used kitchen!

Softstuff

ivyleaf wrote: »

Beech block looks lovely, but I know i'd never manage to keep oiling it, so when I eventually get my new kitchen it'll probably be laminate for me.

Softstuff Goodness, I never knew Corian could burn! A black sink and taps sounds gorgeous, but won't they show up every little splash of water? Just remembering how my neighbour hated her dark bathroom suite because she said it never looked clean for more than five minutes. Mind you, we do live in a hard water area.

Well, corian certainly melts and chars. Apparently it had been installed a week when the previous owners did it.

I have a black bathroom sink. Toothpaste is my nemesis :rotfl: A wipe over with a washing up liquid soaped cloth does the trick, so wiping after washing up will do the same. I'm not one for sparkly clean, more sort of tidy and wiped.

Floss

We have a glass basin in one bathroom, which needs wiping after every use as any water marks show up. As do the cat's paw prints...