Mischa's Kitchen

Today's post is a continuation of yesterday's.

Check out the chandelier- and high cabinets- sure, you can't reach them-

but you need a place for your platters and Christmas dishes- right? I find high cabinets to be "luxurious" looking. What do you think?

Notice the subway tile and ceiling below... (designer Phoebe Howard)

Christine,

We would like to change the existing carpeted area into either wood floor or tile. Our problem is the indoor area is on OSB subfloor, while the new added area would be on concrete slab on grade. We have ceramic tile in the entry area, kitchen, and breakfast nook area, carpet in the living room. What/where would you suggest for flooring? We would like to demo the 42” bench height countertop and replace it/lower it to the standard 36” height, since we never use the higher height. What type/color of floor, type/color of cabinets, countertop, finish trim would you suggest for the new areas? We are also thinking about getting a TV and using it as a digital slideshow for family pictures. Is that tacky? Is a digital picture frame just not large enough for you? My gut says to stay with that- as they take up so much less space... Would you suggest drywall archways between areas? sounds great- I drew in a third set of French doors for you- just an idea.

Dear Will,

You were pretty wide open- and did not include pictures that show your architecture- so if what I suggest would not go architecturally- send me pictures and we can re-do. Other people get just one post- but for you- my good friend... ;)

First of all- for your floors. With the change in subfloor- this was an easy call for me- go with Kahrs brand wood flooring. Why? You want to avoid glue down flooring- which eliminates tile, stone, and some of your hardwoods. From there- Kahrs is the leader in floating wood floors. Textures come and go- select something timeless as this is a big investment. This is a floating floor- very high end- absolutely no overwood- really fabulous floor. The color I selected for you is Dana Point Oak. I like how well it goes with dark woods, as well as "today's white wash." It has a cooler gray undertone- rather than a more golden undertone of a more "typical" oak floor. Being not typical is always a plus.

With all of that wood flooring- I say go white on your cabinets- I recently posted this white kitchen (from Vernada) and really love everything about it. The washes and stained white cabinets are pretty- but for a truly timeless kitchen- solid white is the choice for me. (in other words- I am not going trendy here).

Counters? I love a timeless look here as well- honed absolute black granite- and soap stone (above) are two of my favorites. Keep your backsplash sophisticated and lovely with a white subway tile, or white glass. Add a gorgeous chandelier or two. And have me over for dinner. Then we can get you all new furniture...

Engineered for Performance

The majority of the pre-finished wood floors sold in California, are "engineered." It used to be called "laminate"- but the birth of Pergo changed their distinction. An engineered floor has 3 or 5 layers of wood. In looking at the product, you might think that the thin layers of wood are that way to save money over a solid piece of hardwood, but in actuality, it is really about the stability of the product. When wood expands and contracts, it does so only in one direction. The different layers of wood in an engineered product are laid in opposing directions with each layer, and then glued and bound in such a manner that it drastically reduces the amount of expanding and contracting the floor will do. This is what makes it possible to install this type of floor on a concrete slab that has moisture coming through it. (With that in mind, there are extreme cases of moisture where even an engineered wood is not going to work- reputable stores can measure the moisture content in your slab and let you know what your specific situation is- there are special adhesives and vinyl underlayments that can help).

So- let's say you have decided that you want/need an engineered wood floor- there are still more decisions to make.

The next decision to make is whether you prefer a longstrip or individual plank floor- otherwise called a "floating" floor or glue down.

Longstrip-

A longstrip floor is one where the pieces of wood, in an engineered piece, are put together in a long strip of wood, usually about 8 inches wide and 7 feet long. Each longstrip is then put together with a tongue and groove construction.

• PROS

1. Longstrips are a smoother floor. A typical individual plank floor has what is called "overwood" Where each plank is glued to the floor, the imperfections in the slab (and there are imperfections in EVERY slab), make the pieces of wood slightly higher here or there. Longstrips, or a floating floor, do not actually glue down to the floor, only to each other. This proves to be a smoother floor in most situations.


2. They, generally speaking, install quicker. It is not in my nature to make a long term flooring decision for such a reason, but, they do install faster.


3. Because they "float" they are sometimes a better choice if you find that you do have a high moisture content in your slab.

• CONS

1. They are a "real" hardwood floor, but they sometimes look a little like a laminate. (This is less common in the style in the photo- by Kahrs . Here the planks are long solid pieces of wood rather than more of a "butcher block" look.) BTW- I love Kahrs- they are my favorite long strip brand. They take great pride in their product, and have fabulous warranties, and from my experience, really stand behind their product. They are not cheap- but hey- it's only money- this is your FLOOR!


2. They are noisy. If you do not wear shoes in your home- you will not notice so much, but they are louder. Hard shoes tend to have a clippity clop sound. (This might bug some people, and not others)