House Renovation - designers or ala-carte?

[Belle2011]

DesertWind:

My colleague recently renovated her flat and put in electric stove instead of the traditional gas stove. She said she regret since now the electricity bill has gone sky high. Electricity is definitely not cheap remember hor!

Oh dear, my newly bought condo unit also comes with an electric stove.

[blessed777]

DesertWind:

My colleague recently renovated her flat and put in electric stove instead of the traditional gas stove. She said she regret since now the electricity bill has gone sky high. Electricity is definitely not cheap remember hor!

Thanks fr yr info, dh suggest to replace our gas stove with electric one, he think that it is easier to clean as the surface is flat now im reconsidering.. My monthly gas bill actually less than $10 as i only use it fr light cooking but dont want to waste $ if using electric stove will shoot my electricity bill up. Anyone has recommendation fr gas stove n where to buy .

[blessed777]

Im also planning to change my kitchen countertop, any recommendation for material that easy to maintain, long lasting but no too expensive and where to buy thanks.

[hquek]

For kitchen countertop, again depends on use. Cheapest is laminate. But it will not stand well to heavy use, especially if there is a lot of water. Solid surface is popular and not THAT expensive but be aware, it is acrylic, a sort of plastic. Mine is pure white solid surface and I bitterly regret. Becos it is easily scratched and may be susceptible to mold and discoloration, even a tin can placed on top too long may leave a mark. If you choose those that have pattern, may not be so bad. White is just more hard work.


Marble and granite are other options. But they are porous and come with their own cons.

Best is silestone. At builders shop only. Very hardy, almost as strong as diamond. And it is anti bacterial, so can use it as cutting board. Salesman will ask you to slash at it with knife. BUT price is very very high. I dream of such a top, but at this time, dream only.

[blessed777]

hquek:

For kitchen countertop, again depends on use. Cheapest is laminate. But it will not stand well to heavy use, especially if there is a lot of water. Solid surface is popular and not THAT expensive but be aware, it is acrylic, a sort of plastic. Mine is pure white solid surface and I bitterly regret. Becos it is easily scratched and may be susceptible to mold and discoloration, even a tin can placed on top too long may leave a mark. If you choose those that have pattern, may not be so bad. White is just more hard work.


Marble and granite are other options. But they are porous and come with their own cons.

Best is siltstone. At builders shop only. Very hardy, almost as strong as diamond. And it is anti bacterial, so can use it as cutting board. Salesman will ask you to slash at it with knife. BUT price is very very high. I dream of such a top, but at this time, dream only.

So solid surface easily scratch even if its in dark colour right, hw abt heat n stain.. is the colour fading away.. tin can is a night mare, it also leave mark on tiles n other surface

[hquek]

hi blessed777,


if it’s patterned/dark, should be harder to see the stains/mark. Mine is solid surface (non Corian, some cheap brand) - the sink is also the same material. Not sure what happened but there is a big ugly yellow stain in the sink. It’s been many years and slowly slowly the stain is thinning (still can see but not as ugly). For lighter colours, if coffee/coloured drinks are spilt, best to wipe it immediately.

I think solid surface can withstand heat. My mum’s house also the same (solid surface) and she does heavy cooking. No troubles there. Sorry, it was silestone I was referring to - typo error originally.

FYI, can use bleach solution to reduce staining. but I’m not sure what the dilution rate is. And for light scratches/stains, one can engage contractors to polish the surface but their success will depend on how deep the stain/scratch is. I have not tried this and won’t do it becos I fear the dust that will be created more.

FYI (2), understand that Corian is better solid surface material compared with cheaper ones in the market.

[MMM]

blessed777:

Im also planning to change my kitchen countertop, any recommendation for material that easy to maintain, long lasting but no too expensive and where to buy thanks.

Kitchen top to us is actually a long term consideration. Since it is build in, it's not likely for us to change the countertop that regularly. We opt for black galaxy marble. Wanted the peace of mind in case the maid forgets and put some hot stuff on the countertop. It maybe alittle more expensive but if you think long term, it's a safer solution.

We paid around S$5k+ for a long L shape kitchen cabinet (top and bottom). Around 2mtr by 1 mtr length. Our main con quoted us around 6k+. So by going direct, we got it 1k cheaper.

[Belle2011]

Anybody has this experience of having a built in electric stove in a new condo but decided to replace by a gas stove?

If there is no gas pipe, then is it still possible to order gas cylinder?

[MMM]

Would like to share some notes on painting.


During xmas holiday last year, we decided to repaint the car porch and balcony of our 3.5 years old house. We bought sealant to patch up some holes created by the weather. Then we just started painting. We roped in the kids to help for those easy to paint area. While dh and me took the dififcult part which required standing high on the stairs, etc…

I downloaded the DIY paint guide from Nippon Paint and there we go. We did it. I suppose if you can do painting in art and craft, you should be able to a fairly decent job.

After this, I feel confident that we can do our own room painting in the future. What we cannot do are those hard to reach external walls or high ceiling at stairways which we require experts to do it as I don’t think we can climb outside the house. Our frontage looks new after the paint job and this saves us thousands since we DIY. Doing so, also encourages us to do such minor "renovation" from time to time to upkeep the house.

[blessed777]

hquek:

hi blessed777,


if it's patterned/dark, should be harder to see the stains/mark. Mine is solid surface (non Corian, some cheap brand) - the sink is also the same material. Not sure what happened but there is a big ugly yellow stain in the sink. It's been many years and slowly slowly the stain is thinning (still can see but not as ugly). For lighter colours, if coffee/coloured drinks are spilt, best to wipe it immediately.

I think solid surface can withstand heat. My mum's house also the same (solid surface) and she does heavy cooking. No troubles there. Sorry, it was silestone I was referring to - typo error originally.

FYI, can use bleach solution to reduce staining. but I'm not sure what the dilution rate is. And for light scratches/stains, one can engage contractors to polish the surface but their success will depend on how deep the stain/scratch is. I have not tried this and won't do it becos I fear the dust that will be created more.

FYI (2), understand that Corian is better solid surface material compared with cheaper ones in the market.

Thanks for the info Hquek

I read in http://www.reefwheel.com/care.htm abt maintaining solid surface : Do not set hot pan or skillets directly on your counter top. Use a heat resistant pad or Trivet between your hot pans and the counter top. The same applies to Toaster Ovens, Crock-pots, electric frying pans, etc..
which make me a bit concern, coz we are using toaster oven daily.. but rarely place hot pan on countertop, most of the time just leave them on the stove. It is also stated on that website that dark color may required more maintenance, but did not explain further..

Silestone quiet tempting but need to consider the $$ Do u know the estimated price range of solid surface and silestone for countertop size abt 200cm x 60cm. If we are to buy them is the installation included.