Monday, February 26, 2007

We love advice


"upstairs kitchen" originally uploaded by whitneyarlene
  1. What color should we paint the above kitchen? I'm thinking yellow. Or teal. Maybe green?

  2. I need to start packing so any tips on where I should scrounge for boxes?

  3. Have you ever heard of someone closing on time?

  4. I know there's a rule about painting your kitchen with a semi-gloss--or something like that--but I'm not sure about the details. Also: should I buy high- or medium- or the cheapest-damn-available-quality paint?

  5. If you've received multiple estimates for a single work project, how would you go about deciding which contractor to choose?

10 comments:

FlamingoNW said...

I only got one comment, for Q#1: Yellow is good, or nothing. I kind of like the walls white and creating accents with dishes and etc. Great kitchen!

whitney said...

Laura: I know, the white is also appealing. I plan on painting the others parts of the house with bolder, bright colors so I don't want to go overboard. I don't want to touch those cupboards though, I wish they weren't painted in the first place.

Anonymous said...

What color should we paint the above kitchen? I'm thinking yellow. Or teal. Maybe green?

I'm with Laura on this one - yellow's a good color for kitchens. But white works, too, as long as it's cleanable. If it's not, it will end up yellow anyway. I can lend you a color fanbook if you want.

I need to start packing so any tips on where I should scrounge for boxes?

A proper city would have a used box seller, like I used to go to in Chicago. I don't know of anything like that here in Buffalo.

Have you ever heard of someone closing on time?

Of course not! Lawyers need to earn a living, you know. If it happened too fast, we'd think they're loafing.

I know there's a rule about painting your kitchen with a semi-gloss--or something like that--but I'm not sure about the details. Also: should I buy high- or medium- or the cheapest-damn-available-quality paint?

Semi-gloss may be shinier than you want. Satin finish, just below semi-gloss, might be good enough.

You should buy as good paint as you can afford. I use paint that costs about $22/gallon in my house. It looks better, lasts longer, goes on easier and is more cleanable. I suggest you go to Costello's at Mass and Chenango (next to the PUSH House) and buy your paint from Jim Costello, who knows more about paint than anybody I know and who's one of the last original businesses on Mass. Ave. Tell him I sent you. Or meet me over there some day and I'll introduce you.

If you've received multiple estimates for a single work project, how would you go about deciding which contractor to choose?

That's a tough one, since there are so many variables. If you have the time, contract with someone to do a small job, wait until it's finished, then you'll know if the contractor does good work and is OK to work with. Then contract for a bigger job. It's rarely a good idea to go with the lowest bid; either they'll do shoddy work or they'll lose money and not be happy. You want to have a happy contractor working for you.

Anonymous said...

It's not to everyone's taste (understandably) but when it comes to kitchens, I am inexplicably drawn to bright, but rich, slightly deeper than fire engine reds. If not on all walls, at least one of them. I don't know why. However, I think yellow would really work on your walls. It's a good, flexible colour. Are you thinking a pale yellow or an all-out sunburst?

When we paint over here, I think we get the paint in an eggshell/matte kind of finish. I really like it. And oh my gosh, don't spend a ton on paint. Because of brand differences over there and here, I don't know if you get CIL paint--I think it's called?--at Home Depot, but if you do, I found it great (and the colours were nice, but this was a few years ago so things may have changed) and it's a good price too. One of my friends got Ralph Lauren (!!) paint and they said it was terrible. They had to buy several cans just to get it to look good on the walls and the price was just ridiculous.

Rebecca said...

I like yellow for kitchens. Get good quality paint - it's worth it. Cheap paint you'll just have to do coat after coat and you'll end up spending more. It looks translucent and streaky where you overlap.

I can get you 2350930985048953 boxes that are broken down - you just have to assemble them. Every Monday night, Colin puts at least 2 dozen boxes on the curb from the food pantry we live behind. They're all yours if you want them.

Rebecca said...

As for contractors, ask for references. Go with someon who had happy customers. Also, I would ask the references if you could take a look at the work the contractor did.

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bruno said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brynn said...

I think teal for the kitchen is nice with the black and white tile floor. As for semi-gloss paint, it would be excellent in a kitchen because basically it's shiny-er and more resistant to stains, if you're cooking or something spills it's easier to wipe off. It also has a nice sheen and looks less dull, especially with bright colors.

Jen14221 said...

Hope I am not too late.
1) Red. Brick Red or a Saffrony-orange red.
2) Wegman's or Tops. Check Craigslist.
3) Yes. Me. Several times.
4) No ideas here
5) ???