Hi guys, I am wanting to give my kitchen a facelift. I need a pantry built next to the fridge, benchtop replacement, bulkhead to join the top of the cabinets to the sealing and brushed aluminium/stainless steel kickboards. I looked into Granite Transformations but the cost of the benchtop seems too step for a product that is basically a veneer over the existing laminate, so now I am considering a reconstitued stone top like ceasar stone/essa stone etc. I am probably going to keep the existing cupboard doors.

Has anybody done a similar facelift to their kitchen and can recommend someone to do a great job at a reasonable price? I know I can just call a big company but I'm sure there would be a large price difference.

I'm in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Thanks.

Hi guys, I am wanting to give my kitchen a facelift. I need a pantry built next to the fridge, benchtop replacement, bulkhead to join the top of the cabinets to the sealing and brushed aluminium/stainless steel kickboards. I looked into Granite Transformations but the cost of the benchtop seems too step for a product that is basically a veneer over the existing laminate, so now I am considering a reconstitued stone top like ceasar stone/essa stone etc. I am probably going to keep the existing cupboard doors.

Has anybody done a similar facelift to their kitchen and can recommend someone to do a great job at a reasonable price? I know I can just call a big company but I'm sure there would be a large price difference.

I'm in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Thanks.[/b]

Hi Mr Gadget

We did the Granite Transformations thing with the benchtops and splashbacks in a very large kitchen about 3 to 4 years ago as a stopgap measure. The best gauge of how it rates is the fact that, when we were looking into various granite etc products for the kitchen in the new house, Mrs M asked why can't we just get the same stuff as we've got now.

OK, it's a veneer and therefore "not the real thing" but you'd have to be fairly astute to pick it. It's functionally brilliant and never needs sealing or any maintenance. Plonk hot dishes from the oven directly on it, use it as a chopping board etc etc.

I don't want to sound like a salesman for this stuff, but I have to give it the strongest possible recommendation. It started behind the 8-ball with me as it isn't as "purist" as the natural granites and marbles, but it's a lot cheaper and easier to maintain and I reckon it can look really good.

Anyway, send me a pm if you want some photos or other info. Just one of the extremely rare instances in my experience where the reality exceeds the sales hype by a considerable margin.........(but part of this was having the luck to score a meticulous obsessive-compulsive installer)

Cheers

Tony

Hi Mr Gadget

We did the Granite Transformations thing with the benchtops and splashbacks in a very large kitchen about 3 to 4 years ago as a stopgap measure. The best gauge of how it rates is the fact that, when we were looking into various granite etc products for the kitchen in the new house, Mrs M asked why can't we just get the same stuff as we've got now.

OK, it's a veneer and therefore "not the real thing" but you'd have to be fairly astute to pick it. It's functionally brilliant and never needs sealing or any maintenance. Plonk hot dishes from the oven directly on it, use it as a chopping board etc etc.

I don't want to sound like a salesman for this stuff, but I have to give it the strongest possible recommendation. It started behind the 8-ball with me as it isn't as "purist" as the natural granites and marbles, but it's a lot cheaper and easier to maintain and I reckon it can look really good.

Anyway, send me a pm if you want some photos or other info. Just one of the extremely rare instances in my experience where the reality exceeds the sales hype by a considerable margin.........(but part of this was having the luck to score a meticulous obsessive-compulsive installer)

Cheers

Tony[/b]

It may still be an option, I just need to get a few more quotes to compare the price to other material alternatives. What colour did you get. It's good to know that the product is good. I have a few samples and like the Palm Desert.

It may still be an option, I just need to get a few more quotes to compare the price to other material alternatives. What colour did you get. It's good to know that the product is good. I have a few samples and like the Palm Desert.[/b]

Rosso Alpi just happened to be right for the rest of our existing kitchen. The thing that amazed me in replying to this thread is I looked back on the photos and realized we did that upgrade more than 5 years ago.

Hello Mr_Gadget

PM sent

I would look into caeser stone, quantum quartz or similar type of reconstituted stones. They tend to resist staining better than granite and also come in a very large variety of colours and patterns to chose from.

I went through the task of tearing off my benchtop ( doing this almost halved the total cost of having a new benchtop installed) and then had people come in measure up, and return and fit all within a week! I could have gone one step further and replaced the splashback but the change of benchtops transformed my kitchen and will probably see me through my time in this house.

You can always have your cupboard doors replaced also, different door handles etc. You'll be surprised at how different your kitchen can look.

Just wanted to put my vote in for caeser stone, it's been over a year now and don't have any regrets.

I would look into caeser stone, quantum quartz or similar type of reconstituted stones. They tend to resist staining better than granite and also come in a very large variety of colours and patterns to chose from.

I went through the task of tearing off my benchtop ( doing this almost halved the total cost of having a new benchtop installed) and then had people come in measure up, and return and fit all within a week! I could have gone one step further and replaced the splashback but the change of benchtops transformed my kitchen and will probably see me through my time in this house.

You can always have your cupboard doors replaced also, different door handles etc. You'll be surprised at how different your kitchen can look.

Just wanted to put my vote in for caeser stone, it's been over a year now and don't have any regrets.[/b]

The cupboard doors are fine and we have already changed the handles (it does make a difference)

When you took your benchtop off, did you damage the splashback at all (tiles?).

What about the sink and cooktop (gas?) Did you remove these yourself too.

Can you tell i'm not much of a DIY? (this frustratrates me that I can't do many things like this myself)

WRT granite, I don't actually want granite, I prefer the man-made stuff like you mention.

I also need a pantry built next to the fridge and 2 cupboards above the fridge to join it to the rest of the kitchen. I got a quote for this and I couldn't believe the price $3300. Plain doors, no gloss, no glass etc.

I must say it was a little involved. Not so much just pulling it apart but because the caeser stone was going to be a bit thicker than the existing rubbish. Because of this I had to run a grinder all along my splash back to remove about 0.5" of tile. This made removing the benchtop easier as the tiles were a fair distance from the benchtop surface now, and it gave me more room to manouvre the bench.

And yes, I did have to unclamp and remove the sink and cook top (also gas). If you aren't particularly keen on DIY then I'd say this could be a bit much for a first timer without any help. I highly recommend DIY where possible, perhaps not so much with this job but it certainly is satisfying (and saves you thousands!!!!).

Unfortunately smallish jobs tend to cost a lot more than say a full kitchen as tradies are reluctant to spend their time on the small jobs or will REALLY make you pay for the privilege. It's probably more expensive to buy the raw materials in smallish quantities.

I have to go with Tony M and recommend granite. We have a solid granite bench-top and splash-backs, it is mostly black with speckles in it and looks great. Of course no problems with staining with this colour but the other man-made materials will stain as well if you are not careful. Granite has a couple of very big advantages, one it is heat resistant, no problem putting hot pans and pots on it and secondly it wont fade in the sun... The downside is that it is harder to shape and doesn't come in many varied colours.