Firstly I want to post this pic - sorry about the coffee stain! I send it to David, oh about 6 months ago - he was thinking of hiring me because he had trouble setting up proper heights for his IKEA kitchen island - and this questions continuously keeps popping up - that's right people, doing IKEA kitchen islands IS NOT EASY! But I told David that 'it is not really efficient' for me to get hired for 2 hours a day, and that I have a minimum charge - I hope that you see it as reasonable people.
His challenge was 2 fold:
A] he was adding to his existing IKEA kitchen;
B] he was getting new flooring - and he was not sure what exactly it was going to be.
RULE #1 - regardless of who installs your kitchen island, which-ever way they do it - mine or IKEA's - the island has to sit on a 'fixed' subfloor. It can be concrete, it can be wood, it can be ceramics - BUT IT HAS TO BE STATIC! So do not set your island cabinetry on something that will be 'settling' - any floating floors are out. Uneven settling will cause stress to be introduced at variable rates to different areas of the cabinets - that 'settling stress' will translate to function of the cabinetry. Worst case scenario your soft marble slab - that has been reinforced with inlaid metal underneath - where you don't look at all - will crack [that will never happen] OR you will notice water running off you laminate countertop. It is very unlikely that it will be catastrophic - but best practices should always be observed. That's my philosophy.
RULE #2 - If you are matching heights - that you have to compensate for appropriate heights - and the picture above will help you with that.
Cheers! and Happy Island Installs People!
Chapter 2 - WHY kitchens FAIL - what YOU can do ABOUT it - and why IKEA is a great deal.
I've been watching kitchens fail, oh.....for about 20 years now...yup....20 years now.* This has come to me through various experiences. I started in this business just like anyone else - working for someone - right at the bottom of the ladder - doing demos - lowest cost labour. But with time I gained more experience and was trusted to do other things - moved up and someone else did the demos. But I was still watching and taking mental notes - there has to be a better way!
When cabinetry gets demo'ed [removed] there are 3 possibilities -
A] Reuse
B] Re-purpose
C] Trash
Those are your only choices. Let's start with the ugliest of them all -
C] TRASH IT!! - I've seen my share of old, mouldy, damp cabinetry, that was falling apart in your hands when you picked it up - and it was immediately tossed into a bin - I was always wearing protective equipment in those instances! And if that is your case you should too! It would be a risk to do anything other than to trash cabinets like that. Typically if you notice that the cabinetry is 'soft and puffed up' - than it is very likely that dampness has caused mold and rot to propagate in that area. This situation poses a health risk and it should remedied - if it is minor it could be as little as properly scrubbing and washing it with some appropriate harsh cleaners and then once clean, painting with a proper primer - talk to the staff at your local paint store - I am certain that they field questions like that all the time. If it major, than you should have a professional look at it.
A] Re-use - this is when cabinets are good, structurally sound and 'healthy' - yup! RE-use them - take that kitchen cabinet and put it in the laundry. Or put it in the garage - if it is what I call a 'non-fussy' use then that cabinetry will serve you until the hardware fails or it starts annoying you.
B] Re-purpose - this is my favourite.
Many times it happens that you can give an old kitchen cabinet a new interesting take on life. Usually it involves some work - but often times you can do it yourself - no need to hire a professional. Like this piece that was pulled out on a 'silent demo night'**. When we first pulled out it out it was just set aside with other cabinets. But then, when we took a break, we all ended up sitting on our 'new bench'. And it served that purpose for the next few days, long enough in fact, that we have plans for it to turn it into a real bench [we kept all the hardware and the doors].
So the moral of the above 'demolition story' is that the primary culprit in kitchens failing is moisture. Now that is a no-brainer - kitchens are all about water - cooking with it and cleaning with it and whatever else you do in your kitchen with water.
So what can you do about it? Well, if you are a DIY-selfer - like the majority of readers of this blog - than you should read more of my blog. The experiences I write about, issues I encounter and solutions I suggest are based on extensive professional experience, genuine curiosity to make things better and last longer and a strong, ethical commitment to my craft***. It annoys me to do crappy work and that is clearly reflected in my quotes - I have never found myself to be the lowest bidder on any project so far - I know what is required for a properly designed and installed kitchen - functional, beautiful and superior results that will last, and I price it as such - my install is not the standard IKEA install.***
*Crap! Saying that makes me feel old....middle age...macarena~
** that's right people, I was breaking rules, I was conducting a demolition on the weekend in a condo building - I was very quiet, did not use an impact-driver [that's the cordless drill that makes that lout 'ra-ta-ta-ta-ta' noise but is superior] choosing instead to use regular cordless drill, and there was no power cutting - if I had to cut something, it was done by hand. It was a success - no noise complaints in the condo.
*** I've built bigger!
