S271008 0 Report post Posted July 17, 2008 I will be doing whole kitchen soon but still cannot decide - ID or direct factory? Advise pls. Also sink, hob, hood need to buy first on my own or let ID or contractor do? Really want to do best but cheap kitchen for wife. Must get it right first time. Help pls thanks pals! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thevert 0 Report post Posted July 17, 2008 I am not sure what the contractor will give for "free", I think they usually also just hide into part of the kitchen reno pricing. For me, I like to choose my own sink, hob, taps etc... Anyway, my renovations did not include them. I think there is a good price & range for these items (size, colour, function, design etc). If you want to do the best kitchen for your wife, do some research here, and let her choose these items! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hihihi 0 Report post Posted July 17, 2008 I will be doing whole kitchen soon but still cannot decide - ID or direct factory? Advise pls. Also sink, hob, hood need to buy first on my own or let ID or contractor do? Really want to do best but cheap kitchen for wife. Must get it right first time. Help pls thanks pals! U buy your own sink, hob, hood, taps first, then let their carpenter do the measurement so that they will know how big the hole to cut and how much gap to leave. Buy your own stuff will be the cheapest option. When contractor bring u to buy, they also earned some commission behind the scene, nobody does things for free. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
applefreak 1 Report post Posted July 17, 2008 I will be doing whole kitchen soon but still cannot decide - ID or direct factory? Advise pls. Also sink, hob, hood need to buy first on my own or let ID or contractor do? Really want to do best but cheap kitchen for wife. Must get it right first time. Help pls thanks pals! best no cheap, cheap no best sink, hob and hood got to buy first so that the cabinets can be made to fit these things in better to buy something you like and tailor the cabinets around them rather than having to buy items that are of certain dimensions only, even if you detest them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S271008 0 Report post Posted July 17, 2008 Thanks pals! me checking out at IMM ... for models and price. Also Coral, me luv solid top. Been using eversince, wife maintain it so nice that buyer tot we just do up our kitchen. advise .. use solid top, for long term no regrets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yokine9a 1 Report post Posted July 18, 2008 I am using granite top, no regrets too. I believe for long term, granite is equally great Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hposnm 0 Report post Posted July 21, 2008 I am using granite top, no regrets too. I believe for long term, granite is equally great I have to affirm yokine9a. The issue of cost aside, granite/marble are honestly one of the best work tops. In the previous place, we used granite top and it was wonderful! You could do almost anything on it and needn't worry about damaging it. Ours was a very dark-coloured granite so it helped to hide any dirt stains. In my new place, I used solid surface and regret it every single day because it's so impractical and such a pain to maintain. My parents' kitchen counter top was made out of tiles and even though dirt gets in the grouting, it's far easier to maintain than solid surface. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zackie Markiro 0 Report post Posted July 22, 2008 Hi All, My 1st post!! To hposnm: do you mind sharing your experience with solid work top, care to elaborate on "it's so impractical and such a pain to maintain" please? Any one has experience with glass top? Saw the sales people at a up-market kitchen maker in Millenia Walk demonstrating the toughness of glass top by dropping an iron ball (about 5cm diameter) through a 50cm transparent tube onto the 10mm tempered glass top.... very loud "THUD!" but glass top nothing happens. Impressed! Glass top looks very classy, easy to maintain and keep clean. My concern is will water vapour or seepage gets underneath the glass? If so, it will look very unsightly and unhygienic. Hope some one here has some experience to share. Thank you... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
applefreak 1 Report post Posted July 23, 2008 (edited) firstly, i'm using granite countertop at home coz i read about scratches and heat problems with solid top cons of solid top 1. cannot put very hot pots on it 2. cannot cut things on it 3. cannot drag things across it unfortunately, these are things i'm fond of doing so solid top is not for me as for glass top, get the sales person to drop a SHARP object on it things like knife point / scissors end, see whether they dare to do it or not glass don't shatter on impact , but more of impact when the glass is already compromised i.e. kenna hit by sharp object before the tv dramatise the whole glass shattering experience liao i've tried to put my fist through a glass window - failed with swollen knuckles Edited July 23, 2008 by applefreak Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yokine9a 1 Report post Posted July 23, 2008 i've tried to put my fist through a glass window - failed with swollen knuckles Yo, apple jie jie, what were you trying to test? To see if your glass window is real tempered glass? I thought a round heavy ball going at full force can smash tempered glass too, not just sharp object? Saw many such scene at movies leh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simpleguy80 0 Report post Posted July 23, 2008 firstly, i'm using granite countertop at home coz i read about scratches and heat problems with solid top cons of solid top 1. cannot put very hot pots on it 2. cannot cut things on it 3. cannot drag things across it unfortunately, these are things i'm fond of doing so solid top is not for me as for glass top, get the sales person to drop a SHARP object on it things like knife point / scissors end, see whether they dare to do it or not glass don't shatter on impact , but more of impact when the glass is already compromised i.e. kenna hit by sharp object before the tv dramatise the whole glass shattering experience liao i've tried to put my fist through a glass window - failed with swollen knuckles So is granite table top ex? How much is it per sq foot? Is it difficult to maintain? I heard need to polish after some time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flare 0 Report post Posted July 23, 2008 firstly, i'm using granite countertop at home coz i read about scratches and heat problems with solid top cons of solid top 1. cannot put very hot pots on it 2. cannot cut things on it 3. cannot drag things across it unfortunately, these are things i'm fond of doing so solid top is not for me as for glass top, get the sales person to drop a SHARP object on it things like knife point / scissors end, see whether they dare to do it or not glass don't shatter on impact , but more of impact when the glass is already compromised i.e. kenna hit by sharp object before the tv dramatise the whole glass shattering experience liao i've tried to put my fist through a glass window - failed with swollen knuckles coral78, if your normal top refers to laminated top, do take note of some things: - Seams - It's impossible to hide the seems between the sheets of laminates on a flat surface, so if your work top is very long, there will be bound to have seams. (edges are no prob, they can use do ABS trimmings) - Water - I don't think laminates can withstand water very well, that's why people in the past (like my dad's 20+ year old flat) build a concrete + tile wet/cooking areas - Sharp objects can easily plough a gorge through the layers of a laminate if you are not careful. Which will become susceptible to water seeping into the wood/laminate - Don't get a glossy laminate for your kitchen... Scratch galore~ There's no easy way to remove scratches on a glossy laminate. One advantage is that you can always rip out the laminate and have it changed relatively cheaply. And despite the above, my dad's laminate work top still lasted for over 20 years... despite it being a little patchy. But well, we don't do any cutting or food preparation on it, it's just a long surface where we put rice cooker, oven etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
applefreak 1 Report post Posted July 23, 2008 So is granite table top ex? How much is it per sq foot? Is it difficult to maintain? I heard need to polish after some time. well, my contractor charged me $100psf cheaper than some brands of solid surface and more expensive than others hmm, think i got to go take a pix of my countertop i didn't do any maintenance at all, just wipe when i feel like i very lazy lah think the initial sealing is very important, seal well and you don't have to worry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
h4happy 1 Report post Posted July 24, 2008 Hi APPLE...yeah, my mum unit same as yours: Blue Perl ($95psf)...kekekek cheaper $5! Mine is Imperial Golden, so far so good, no scratches and can withstand heat too! well, my contractor charged me $100psf cheaper than some brands of solid surface and more expensive than others hmm, think i got to go take a pix of my countertop i didn't do any maintenance at all, just wipe when i feel like i very lazy lah think the initial sealing is very important, seal well and you don't have to worry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
applefreak 1 Report post Posted July 25, 2008 kekeke only lah, my countertop really very short only 10ft nia, so not much diff Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
