Kitchen Remodeling Trends: Lighting, Flooring, Cabinets, Countertops, and Smart Design
Host:
This is the Home Remodeling Show, brought to you by Edge Construction. You can find them online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is all one word, Edge Construction Company dot com.
I urge you to head on over there now. We are going to talk about a recent kitchen remodel and an interesting project. All the projects they do at Edge Construction are very cool and very interesting, but this week, it is a smaller project. We are getting some of the details with Mike on that in just a moment.
Head on over to EdgeConstructionCompany.com. While you are there, check out the links to Facebook, Pinterest, and of course the link to Houzz, all at EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
If you are thinking about doing some remodeling, all you have to do is pick up the phone and call 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
As mentioned, joining us in studio this morning is Mike Twohig, owner of Edge Construction. Mike, how are you doing this week?
Mike:
Doing great, Sean. It is good to see you.
Host:
We are talking kitchens. We are going to talk about some trends in kitchens.
But before the show, we were looking at a recent project you worked on at Edge Construction. Something that caught my eye is that this kitchen was not old. When you showed me the before picture, I said it was just kind of bland. It had no character.
Do you get folks who say, “The kitchen is functional and not completely outdated, but it just does not fit us”? Do you get people looking to make a kitchen or any space feel a little more lively, or bring some life into a space that feels drab?
Mike:
We do.
We make fun of builders a little bit. We use the words “builder gray.”
Sometimes, in the first go-around, especially in a condo like this one, even expensive condos are not always taken all the way. Builders do not always go whole hog on these spaces. It can be pretty utilitarian design.
This one is a perfect example. The kitchen was nice, but it did not quite get you there.
If you saw the view out the windows, you would think, “This is really cool.” You can see right down Atwood. It is in a great location, and it is not that old of a building.
But it all combines. It had laminate tops, and I am not making fun of those, but they were a little blah. They tend not to take too many chances on design when they first build these things.
The carpet was about 15 years old, pretty worn, and not too exciting. The tiles were big square tiles that were indicative of the time — kind of earth tones. The lighting was not too great.
When you look at the before pictures, it is a little blah.
Host:
It does not have much life.
What I love is looking at the after pictures. Again, head over to EdgeConstructionCompany.com. It is titled Traditional Charm Kitchen Remodel.
One thing I noticed is the cabinetry. I noticed modern fixtures on it, but those look to be the same cabinets. Were things that could be conserved preserved?
Mike:
Yes.
The feeling was that the cabinets were in pretty good shape. This was not a unit that had hard use.
It would have felt wasteful to tear those out just to do something similar. The homeowner liked the style and might have picked that style if we were doing it all over again.
So we did save what we could. I do not know if I would call it a light remodel, because there was a fair amount we did, but there was no heavy lifting. We did not tear down walls. We did not rearrange the appliances. The design was not bad, especially for the unit.
We were able to save pretty much all of the cabinets. We did match up because we added some cabinets, and we were able to get really close with new cabinets that fit the style of the old ones.
Host:
Those are not the same brand?
Mike:
No. We matched up with one of our suppliers and were able to get an out-of-the-box design that was extremely close.
Unless you had them sitting right next to each other, you probably would not notice. The only real difference is that 15 years ago, when the original kitchen was built, they had sprayed on an oil-based poly, which darkens with UV light.
I just gave away the secret. If you look at the picture, you may start to see it a little bit. But when you are in the kitchen, it is not really noticeable.
Host:
It is pretty amazing. Check that out.
I want to ask about some surfaces. First off, the countertop. You mentioned the original laminate, and then they went with quartz.
Mike:
It is actually granite, but it has a unique finish.
We have this one in a bank of cabinets in our showroom, and it is a very unique finish. It is not a perfectly flat surface. It is a matte finish, and the closest way I can describe it is that it feels like running your hand across leather.
It has some texture to it. There are not many granites you can do this with, but this is one.
It gave some personality to the kitchen. Even though it is a dark black top, it gave style to the kitchen that it did not have before.
Host:
You put the undermount sink in there as well.
With the extra counter space, I am guessing it is much more functional.
Mike:
Right.
Condos are a little tough because there are units above and below you. Plumbing pipes and stacks tend to run through these buildings, and you are really hemmed in by that. You cannot just start rearranging things.
This homeowner loves to cook and wanted more counter space. She did not mind the peninsula setup she originally had. She just needed more storage and more counter space, and she got that with this kitchen.
Host:
When you look at the before and after, the work you did is amazing. It is a pretty remarkable change.
You mentioned that the refrigerator is in the same location, the sink is in the same location, and the range is in the same location.
I have to guess it is a little more affordable as well. When you look at those results, you are talking about money well spent and making better use of a great space.
Mike:
It is amazing what you can do with the dollars when you can preserve things.
All things being equal, most people would say it would be great to have an island. But if you move that peninsula out and get an island, you get one less corner cabinet. There are tradeoffs.
I do not think it would have made sense for the space, even if we could freely move the plumbing around, which we could not.
So you do other things.
You pick what might be considered a little bolder countertop. We added a bunch of light. The open shelves on the end of the upper cabinets give you a few things to focus on besides the old kitchen. It really spruces things up.
We had one maybe three or four months ago that was a similar remodel. They had cherry cabinets, but they were 20 years old. We refurbished those cabinets rather than replacing them.
We were able to do some work on those, lightly sand them, clean them up really well, spray a new coat of poly on them, and they basically looked brand new.
When we can do that stuff, we do.
There are a lot of times when it does not make sense. If you hate the design in your kitchen, it is pretty difficult to start moving existing cabinets around and try to make a better design out of them. But you can refurbish things when it makes sense.
Host:
As we talk with Mike Twohig, owner of Edge Construction, the website is EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
You mentioned the granite countertop. It has that unique texture and it is also dark. I noticed the light cabinets, the dark countertop, and the floor.
Part of me feels like the flooring here made a major difference. It went from that drab beige carpet and those giant, non-distinct tiles to this. You said that was LVP?
Mike:
It is luxury vinyl plank flooring.
This is a pretty nice upgraded product. Even looking at the picture, you think it really looks like wood. When you are in there and walking on this floor, it really does look like a very nice product.
We do a fair amount of LVP, and it works well in certain situations, this being one of them.
Condo buildings have a wood subfloor, but then they have an inch or two of concrete on top of it. It is a really light, airy concrete. It sort of flattens things out, and it is there for fire protection. So it is pretty difficult to do a nail-down wood floor in that situation.
Host:
That is interesting. I had not thought about that.
As we talk about the modern upgrades on what was already a fairly modern kitchen, one thing I have learned from doing the show with you over the years is to look at the handles.
I noticed the change from very small little knobs to actual handles, and it looks fantastic. I have to guess that was not accidental either.
Mike:
No.
Some of these small details can really make it.
If you look at the pictures, this homeowner has a lot of unique things she hangs on the wall, unique artwork, and different things like that.
I think it was fun for her and the designers to work together picking out those details.
Cabinet hardware may seem like just another detail to pick out, but it can really make an impact. She found something a little unique. That style has been around for a long time, but it comes out quite a bit deeper, so it is very easy to get your hand in there.
It is attractive and also meets the universal design idea a little bit. It is a really nice product.
Host:
One final thing on this kitchen before we get into some trends in general.
I noticed the change in the lighting as well. The pendant light was removed. I can see the can lighting up top. It looks like there is some under-cabinet lighting as well.
Lighting is such a huge element in kitchens, isn’t it?
Mike:
It is.
I sometimes feel like we are cheating on the pictures because we show this kind of dark kitchen that we started with. Well, some of that has to do with the lighting.
I wish I could say that even in new construction now, we are getting it right. We are getting it more right, but I do not think people always realize the importance of lighting and what a difference it can make in the space.
The key is to be able to daylight these spaces, especially places where you do a lot of work, like a kitchen, and then be able to control it so you can dial it back with dimmers.
You can have different sections of lighting, where everything is not tied together.
In a condo, I talked about the difficulty of moving plumbing around. If we had to double the lighting in a condo unit without being able to pull new circuits, the only way we can do it is with LED lighting because it does not draw as much power.
One final note: the backsplash material was such a smart choice. It is a really cool light gray that does not necessarily draw your eye. The bold things in these pictures are the floor and probably that countertop.
To have another really bold thing on a backsplash would have been a lot. A lot of times, a backsplash adds personality to the space, but this one just blends in really nicely. Kudos to the designers all around on that one.
Host:
A nice treat for your eyes that does not scream.
I know I said I was not going to ask about anything else, but I have one other area: that nook off to the side.
It looked like it may have been intended as a desk or something, but you were able to add great cabinets, a great countertop, and those three floating shelves that continue the look into that space.
That is a neat little cubby area.
Mike:
Yes.
That is an area where you ask, “How much do I need a designer to help me?”
That went from being just a spot where it looked like the builder said, “We are going to pile something in here,” to a really well-designed space.
Now you have floating cabinets and floating shelves. That space may catch your eye more than the kitchen because you can display something there, and it looks really well designed.
Host:
It has a curious look to it. The clock is pretty cool too.
Definitely check that out.
We are talking this morning about the Traditional Charm Kitchen Remodel. Check that out at EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
Their telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
Edge Construction brings you the Home Remodeling Show right here on 1310 WIBA.
Host:
This is the Home Remodeling Show, brought to you by Edge Construction. The website is EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
I hope you get a chance to stop over there. While you are there, not only check out the kitchen we just talked about, the Traditional Charm Kitchen, but also check out the links to Houzz, Pinterest, and Facebook.
If you are thinking about remodeling, whether it is a kitchen, bathroom, basement, primary suite, or any of those spaces and more, Mike and the team at Edge Construction would love to talk with you. Call 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
We talked earlier about that recent kitchen remodel, which was a smaller project, and we are going to talk about some of the trends happening now.
Mike, I know for a number of years, three letters have occupied our conversation when it comes to lighting: LED, which I believe stands for light-emitting diode.
As you mentioned with the condo, LED is low voltage, and you do not have to worry about the power draw. It is a great tool.
In general, have they really perfected LED lighting, or gotten pretty close?
Mike:
I think it is getting better all the time.
When LED first came out, maybe eight or 10 years ago, we had some issues. I remember my wife bringing home some light bulbs, and I thought, “Oh my gosh, what is this pain in my head?”
The light was not quite right. It hurt your eyes, and a lot of people did not like it.
The benefits were there: long-lasting bulbs and very little electricity use compared to normal bulbs or fixtures. But now it is a totally different story.
You can pick the style of light you like. Daylight is what most people tend to pick.
There are LED fixtures now. For base lighting in kitchens, we call them can lights because everybody knows what a can light is, but they are not really can lights.
The fixture is only about an inch thick and stamped.
There are benefits beyond the lighting side. We hang drywall on a ceiling because it looks nice, it is a great paintable surface, and we can texture it. But it also takes a while for fire to go through it.
If you do that and then punch a bunch of holes and put can lights up there, you are making a chase that fire can go through.
The LED fixtures are stamped fixtures. They have some wires that perforate that metal stamp, but it is controlled.
They do not claim it as a fire-stopping fixture, but to me, it makes a lot more sense. You are not letting air fly up that fixture.
We had trouble as recently as five or six years ago dimming those fixtures, and that has been totally fixed. It took a while for everything to catch up to LED, but now it works well.
We talked earlier about power usage.
When we walked into an older kitchen before, the first words out of my mouth were usually, “We are going to have to bring three or four new circuits up here.”
Now it is more like one to three because we can use existing circuits to power a bunch more lighting. Because it is LED, it just does not use that much power.
Host:
If you are going from incandescent or CFLs to LED, the power draw has to be a substantial change.
You mentioned air flying out of the fixture. From talking with folks about overall home performance and energy performance, true can lights are notorious as places where heated air gets pulled up into the attic.
Mike:
It is like a chimney effect.
Host:
I am guessing with LED fixtures, since they are not going up like that, they are easier to insulate around. There have to be some efficiencies there as well.
Mike:
Yes.
If you are in a ranch house, those old can lights would stick up six, seven, or eight inches into the attic. If you are blowing in a foot of insulation or more, how do you deal with that? Do you mound it up over the cans?
It is hard to insulate.
Over time, things settle. Plus, you have this heated-up space. That eight inches of can light is hot, and then you add the bulb, which makes it hotter. So you get that chimney effect where air wants to go up there.
LED solves that problem because it does not create much heat to begin with, and then you have a fully insulated space above that fixture.
Host:
We also talked about LED under-cabinet lighting. In the kitchen remodel from the first segment, under-cabinet lighting was part of the project.
When you are doing kitchens, under-cabinet lighting is vital, and LED has become a game changer for that.
Mike:
It has.
Everything else we tried before LED created heat. We had halogens and other products. They got hot, and nobody really liked that. Your cups in the cabinet could feel hot.
LED can do more in a smaller space and create less heat. We still have a little transformer — a box that powers the light and changes the power for that fixture — but it solves that problem.
You can dim it, control it, it uses less power, and it gets more done in a small space.
Host:
I know there is a hotel chain that says, “We’ll leave the light on for you.”
One nice thing about LEDs, especially under-cabinet lighting, is that they draw next to no current. It is nice to keep a light on if you get up for a midnight snack.
Not that I would ever get up for a midnight snack.
Mike:
If there is half a cake in the fridge, that is just not fair.
Host:
Exactly.
Mike would love to talk with you. Pick up the phone and call Edge Construction at 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
Edge Construction brings you the Home Remodeling Show right here on 1310 WIBA.
Host:
This is the Home Remodeling Show, brought to you by Edge Construction. The website is EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
It is a great website to learn more about Edge Construction, and they put recent projects up on the site. There are also links to Pinterest, Houzz, and Facebook. Their Houzz page has a ton of great projects and ideas.
If you are thinking about remodeling, call Edge Construction at 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
We are talking this week about kitchens and some of the trends happening right now. Of course, areas like sustainability are part of the conversation.
I think we all want to do what is right with any project, and there are sometimes questions about what truly is the best route when it comes to sustainability.
Let’s talk about flooring. Sometimes what is oldest is best.
I know you are a big advocate and a big fan of real wood, if it can be done. Real wood is the bee’s knees, the cat’s meow, the way to go with flooring.
Mike:
I think all the cool people are putting in wood floors.
Basically, our flooring falls into a few categories.
We have tile, which most people know. We have vinyl plank, whether it is glue-down or a floating floor. Then we have real woods and engineered woods.
I will briefly hit the other stuff, and then finish on nail-down wood floors.
Tile is a man-made product. We grind things up, bake it, and make it into tiles. The advantage to tile now, if you are talking about a sustainable product, is that it does not need much maintenance. It lasts until you are sick of it.
It is hard to beat if it is installed correctly.
About half the time we install new tile, it is because the original tile was installed wrong and failed. Tiles loosen up, crack, or the grout starts to fail.
The rest of the time, it is just dated. We talked about the large square tiles in the kitchen we just posted. That is what tile looked like 15 or 20 years ago.
Now there are a lot more choices, and you can do more interesting things. You can find things that are unique and fit your style or your house’s style.
Tile still falls into a pretty sustainable category.
Vinyl plank is a petroleum-based product, but it lasts a long time. It falls into the laminate countertop category to me. That stuff will not die. It will not fail on you.
We do a fair amount of LVP installation. If you do not like tile in a bathroom, LVP is probably the way to go. You do not want to put a real wood floor in a bathroom.
Within limits, it has its place.
Like anything, there is a high end and a low end. We have had our best luck with the top third of LVP products on the market.
When you dip below that, you can have problems with it unlocking. It tends to expand and contract if it is in front of a window or patio door with sunlight shining on it. You have to be careful with long spans because it can only expand and contract so much before it runs into something that does not move.
Then there is engineered wood.
When it first came on the market, I thought this product would take off more than it has. It has layers, almost like plywood on the bottom. The strength of plywood is thin layers of wood going in different directions, so it gains strength and stability.
Then real wood is adhered to the top. It can be a refinishable layer, maybe a half inch of refinishable wood laminated on top of plywood. Or it can have texture, like a hand-scraped look.
I thought this product would take off more, but with the move back to natural products, we seem to have jumped from engineered products like LVP over to real wood: old-school, three-quarter-inch solid wood — maple, oak, hickory, or whatever — nailed down.
Host:
With nail-down wood floors, they last a long time. They can hold up to everything.
What is crazy is that I have seen houses you remodeled that had nail-down wood floors from 100 years ago. You refinish them, and they look as beautiful and new as the day they were first laid down. This stuff literally goes and goes.
Mike:
If you can find a greener product than that, let me know.
We refinish those floors in-house. We have the equipment.
The reason we brought that refinishing in-house is because a lot of times we are matching finishes, adding on, or replacing parts of it. It is sometimes hard to find people who will do a good job of that.
People in that industry tend to want big open expanses, and I understand that is how you make time and money. But to slow the process down and start matching finishes and colors is a real trick.
There are a lot of different species of the woods I listed. There are times where we take wood in and someone says, “This looks like southern Missouri oak,” or something out of the Smoky Mountains. You can buy that now, and matching it is a real trick.
We have refinished floors that were well over 100 years old and still had a lot of life in them. I cannot think of a greener product.
Host:
Do you get people who say, “We do not have nail-down wood right now, but we really want to go that direction”?
Maybe they say, “This is a house we are committed to. We want to make sure we do everything right.”
Mike:
We do.
As part of remodels, there are people who do not have any wood floor and say, “This is what we want,” especially when you talk through the pros and cons of the different flooring products.
There are advantages to click flooring and snap-together floors. They are easier. You are going right over the top of stuff.
There is a little more prep with wood floors, but it is not as expensive as people think to go with wood.
The kicker is probably that it takes two or three more days in the schedule, which does not sound like much, but we are always trying to keep control of those schedules.
Many times, a homeowner will have one room with wood floor. It might have been a formal living room or family room, while the rest of the house is carpet and the kitchen is tile or click floor. They end up liking that one room so much.
Natural wood has a warmth to it that I do not think you get from man-made products.
Host:
It is interesting you say it that way, because I jotted down that the feel is different.
There are amazing alternatives out there. They do a good job with LVP and other products, with the look and texture of wood. But when it is real wood, when it is nailed down, you feel a difference.
Mike:
You do.
I think there is homeowner responsibility here too. People are tending toward natural products. Stone countertops are a huge one.
When you are in design and picking out these things, homeowners and designers are trying to figure out what this space is going to feel like. We are designing it in CAD, picking out products, and putting it all together.
It has become what I think of as responsible remodeling. We are going to pick products we really like that give us the right feel, whether it is the right flooring, adding window space in a kitchen, or doing things with lighting.
Host:
You mentioned stone countertops, so we will probably get into those in the next segment.
But real quick, I want to ask about cabinets and doors.
Looking at these trends, I see shaker is popular when it comes to upgraded cabinets. We hear “shaker style.” What are we talking about there? And that is especially true here in Madison and Dane County, isn’t it?
Mike:
Very much.
Shaker is a pretty clean-looking cabinet door. It does not have a lot of ornate design. You would never mistake it for a Victorian-style cabinet.
It has that flat center panel with a variable-sized wood band around it.
I can always tell what is popular because when our cabinet manufacturers bring out new stuff, it is usually a variation of shaker.
If you look in our showroom now, you might say, “This is shaker with a little something on the inside,” or “This one has a little extra detail.”
We have 10 or 12 different versions of shaker now.
You can widen out the band, narrow the band, do full-overlay doors or not full-overlay doors, and add little details.
I do not think shaker is going away because it appeals to everybody. Somebody who is really traditional and loves old houses will like it because it fits in well. The younger crowd is looking for clean, simple lines, and it appeals to them too.
It is a smart move.
Host:
I think the condo kitchen we talked about earlier had shaker cabinets as well.
Mike:
Yes, shaker.
The builders did not go overboard. They put in nice cabinets, nothing super fancy, but it is a shaker-style cabinet with a thinner band around the outside. It is a very nice, clean look and fits the bill.
Host:
If you missed that earlier part of the program, you can always listen back to the podcast on the radio station’s website.
Also visit EdgeConstructionCompany.com. While you are there, check out that kitchen. It is titled Traditional Charm.
There are also links to Facebook, Pinterest, and Houzz.
If you are thinking about doing some remodeling, call Edge Construction at 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
Mike mentioned stone countertops. We will talk a little bit about those next as the Home Remodeling Show with Edge Construction continues right here on 1310 WIBA.
Host:
This is the Home Remodeling Show, brought to you by Edge Construction. You can find them online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is all one word.
Check out the site. If you have not been there yet, head on over. Not only can you see some of the recent work they have been doing at Edge Construction, but there are also links to Pinterest, Facebook, and Houzz.
Houzz is a huge one, with a lot of great projects on Edge Construction’s Houzz page. Just head to EdgeConstructionCompany.com to check that out.
Their telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
We are talking about kitchen trends and what is happening right now.
Mike, when you were talking about natural products and wood floors, you mentioned stone countertops. We would be remiss if we did not bring up stone countertops when it comes to kitchens.
What a cool upgrade all around. They are functional, beautiful, and sturdy. Whether we are talking about granite or quartz, it is amazing what they can do. They have become a game changer, haven’t they?
Mike:
They have.
We will talk about quartz and finish up with that, but I want to hit granite for a minute.
As quartz gained popularity, granite lost market share to quartz. But we are now starting to get some new granite into our showroom that is pretty appealing. The price point is pretty good.
People sometimes view quartz as being three times better than granite. It is really not. Maybe it is 20 percent better.
Quartz is a better product mainly because it is a harder stone than granite. But you are never going to wear out granite either.
There are granites from 2,000 years ago in Europe that are still going strong. I hope they are not eating dinner on them anymore, but the granites and marbles are still there.
With quartz, they take quartz stone, blend it, and make designs.
The advantage to quartz is that they can replicate an Italian granite, for example, and do it here. A bunch of our quartz comes from Minnesota. They can blend it and do a really good copy of a design, and the designs have gotten better and better over the years.
It looks just like natural stone.
They have also gone beyond that and are basically making new stones. The white marble-looking countertops got popular a few years ago, and we probably now have 30 different versions of that to pick from: gray veins, black veins, varying levels, and different finishes.
They grind up the quartz, use a binder and some kind of magic to put it together. It is a manufactured product, but it is natural stone, harder than granite, and it is going to last forever.
All the more reason to do a good job designing your space, because you do not want to have to tear out a beautiful quartz countertop.
Host:
That brings us back to working with the designers at Edge Construction and getting that right.
One thing with kitchens, or any space in the house, is maintenance. Quartz checks a good box there too.
Mike:
There is really no maintenance, and that adds to the sustainability.
But granite people will say it is not really no maintenance versus a lot of maintenance. It is no maintenance versus very little maintenance.
Granite, especially darker granite, does not need much. You can buy a treatment in a little bottle, spray it on once or twice a year, and wipe it off. That is literally all you have to do.
I do not want to talk badly about granite. Both are great products. Both have natural elements. Granite is carved out of the mountains, so you cannot get much more natural than that.
Host:
I feel like quartz is like Toyota countertops. It might need a little attention here and there, but it is just going to be perfect for you.
Whether you are looking at quartz, granite, marble, any type of countertop, flooring, or a kitchen remodel, today is a great day to start that conversation.
Learn more online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is Edge Construction Company dot com.
Call 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
Edge Construction brings you the Home Remodeling Show right here on 1310 WIBA.