Kitchen BeBop
November 29th, 2009
Have fun!
Archive
Archive for November, 2009
Eco Friendly Painting Contractor
November 26th, 2009
Here’s a little article from my friend George Z with his Toronto Painting Company.
Environmental policies from and Eco Friendly Paint Company.
Adding to the discussion of the environmental policies of Ecopainting Inc, the following are some of the current policies of our Toronto Painting Company
Office – Administration
- Print only the proposals and related documents needed for jobs in progress. “Pending”,
”open” or “not awarded” proposals and estimates will remain digital files.
- We only receive computer faxing. As a result we have eliminated all junk faxes. We just print what is needed or worth printing.
- E-mail communication is not printed unless a hard copy is needed.
- E-mail communication is preferred and promoted with all our vendors, clients and employees.
- Computers and electronic equipment will be turned off when not being used.
- Company documents and manuals will remain digital until a hard copy is needed.
Marketing
- There will be no flyers, door hangers, postcards, printed newsletters, or any other mass distributed junk mail used by our company
- Our lawn signs will be re-usable and only used on the jobsites of the projects we are working on. They will be picked-up at the end of the project to be used at the next project.
- Internet and website marketing will be our main source of new business.
- Referral and repeat business will remain an important source of work.
- Networking with like-minded green businesses and individuals will be pursued inside and outside of the renovation or construction field.
Sales
- Glossy sales brochures, fancy literature and any “leave behind” tool will not be used. Instead the human interaction will be emphasized. We are there to help.
- Necessary paperwork, such as take-off sheets, insurance documentation etc, will be used wisely.
- Sales personnel will suggest and explain the benefits of using eco friendly coatings.
- Sometimes the most eco-friendly paint job is no paint job at all. If certain areas or rooms are in good condition the question to be asked is: “does it really need painting?” For example, doors and trim, ceilings and even closets don’t have to be done with every paint job.
- The use of dark and bright colours should not be encouraged to the customer as they contain more VOC and possibly require multiple coats of paint. Paints with waterbourne colourants suggested.
- Detailed proposals and quotes should never be mailed or dropped-off. They should be e-mailed as pdf documents.
Wood Cabinets- “tree” facts you should know.
November 26th, 2009
Wood cabinets – “tree” facts you should know
One of the interesting things about the next generation of home buyers is they appear to have very little knowledge of wood and its properties. I thought of writing this post when our young office manager, who has a degree in interior design, asked me some questions that I thought everyone knew. Heh. Silly me.
If you want a wood that’s perfectly clear and free of blemishes, marks, or different graduations of grain? Here’s my advice:
1) Be prepared to pay for it, (this is what I think of when someone says “cherry” picking) or
2) Forget wood and buy laminate or painted instead.
Seriously. The beauty of wood is in its characteristics.
My father was fond of saying, “You can’t tell a tree how to grow.” Even if the wood was all logged from the same batch of forest, here’s why they’ll never be the same:
- one tree grew in the shade
- one grew in the sun
- one grew at the bottom of the hill
- one grew at the top
- one received more water than the others
- some suffered a drought
Any and all of these affect the tree, and the wood you’re buying.
The little dark patches you see here and there in the wood? Mineral streaks – part of the wood and definitely not a flaw (unless your door is covered worse than a kid with measles – there should be only a few unless you’re going for the rustic, sky-country look.) Knots? Depends on the tree and the selection of woods.
So:
1. Unless you’re paying for a cabinet that has “premium” or “select”, expect some variations. Some woods have a more even grain, but this is the reason why certain colors are also always used on some woods – they even out this variation, like the stain on the rift-cut oak drawer at the right. (For those of you who’ll ask – this is a current Arts and Crafts-flavored project we’re finishing up: island is the russet.)
2. No matter how much money you pay, the end grain will always take the stain darker. End grain is just that – plus it’s softer and more porous and will “wick” or suck in stain like the photo below. When you look at the edge of the door, you’ll see this no matter what the stain is.
(Photo credit: Kraftmaid)
3. The grain reflects light which will appear to change the color depending how the light hits the grain. Here’s a trick – when you look at a door sample in the light like the one above, the two vertical pieces on either side (called “stiles”) look darker while the two top and bottom pieces (called “rails”) look lighter. Take the door and turn it sideways – in most cases, the darker areas will “switch”.
Happy cabinet hunting!
Minneapolis and St Paul Kitchen Refacing Video
November 4th, 2009
Refacing is a simple process that makes old cabinets new. You can do doors, drawers, sides and whatever you need to make your kitchen beautiful. New knobs, lighting and a tile backsplash will create the showpiece kitchen you desire.
Refacing saves time and money and uses the best woods and finishes to achieve the look you want.
Outdoor Kitchens in Minnesota? You betcha!
November 1st, 2009
For some of us it may seem funny that some Americans are spending a lot of money on building an outdoor kitchen. I mean doesn’t a kitchen go in the house?
Welcome to a hot new trend in outdoor entertaining, the old “Put a shrimp on the barbie” joke now might say “Put a shrimp on the barbie, the chicken in the smoker and turn off the sauté burner”. Outdoor kitchens from the West coast to the Midwest and all the way to Bangor, Maine are being installed. Its the latest cooking fad and people are jumping on to party. Viking appliances is leading the charge with their complete line of outdoor cooking gear and you can expect to pay from $10,000 to $250,000 or more depending on what you want done. Here in Minnesota we have long cold winters but when it warms up outside we go outside.
Here’s a couple of articles by 2 well known and talented kitchen designers on outdoor kitchens.
Read more…