Which kitchens with similar use looks the best after 10 yrs?

amother

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 12:42 pm

Of all the kitchens you go to regularly, what type of kitchens look the best/newest after 10 years of similar use? (of course a kitchen used by a large active family with laid back parents who let the kids do pretty much what they want in the kitchen, wont look as good as a kitchen that mostly mature adults used for 10 years).

What do those kitchens have in common, besides a good balebusta and/or cleaning help?

Are the kitchens that held up best
wood?
formica?
which countertop material holds up best?
traditional design?
modern design?
made by a certain kitchen place?
have a certain layout?
much more or much less expensive?

Please be as specific as possible about cabinet, counter and floor materials that you find hold up best over 10 years, with similar use.

Amarante

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 1:57 pm

I think wood looks better after years of use than painted.

Granite is very sturdy but White Corian can be polished if necessary and will look like new.

Construction of cabinets is important especially drawers.

After ten years most appliances might need replacement except perhaps for wall ovens and stoves if one has gotten good quality. Stainless ovens and stoves probably look better after use.

amother

Lavender

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 2:18 pm

I was just in this "parsha" cuz were doing major renovations. The amt of research that I did I don't think anybody did. A kitchen is a major expense and unlike a painting or scraping which you can redo in few years if you're not happy a kitchen is different.
So somebody mentioned every kitchen will need some maintenance over the yrs, but some more than others, and some sooner than others. A painted wood kitchen is the worst. Formica is the best. But, you have to wanna go for a Formica look. I was willing to look away for beauty, and get a kitchen with the lowest maintenance rate. A wood kitchen can be stunning, a Formica kitchen is very plain and simple. If what youre looking for is a low maintenance, long lasting kitchen you do Formica.

Rubber Ducky

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 2:41 pm

Stained wood holds up better than painted. Medium brown tones show wear the least.

Cabinet construction — doors, hinges, joinery, I-beams & struts, materials, slides & hinges — is important — you get what you pay for and sometimes you don't even get that!

Traditional design vs modern design... Euro modern cabinets are most often made with MDF boxes (a type of particle board) which is much more subject to water damage than plywood. As a rule, framed cabinets (traditional) are sturdier than frameless (modern).

Any color appliances can still look good in 10 years if they were high quality to begin with.

Laminate counters are thinner than they used to be and can damaged by heat. In general, I think granite will hold up better. My maple butcher block island can also be damaged by heat and if you use it as a huge cutting board (I do), the scratches will show. But wood, like Corian, can be sanded.

amother

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 3:16 pm

amother [ Lavender ] wrote:

If what youre looking for is a low maintenance, long lasting kitchen you do Formica.

I cant see how Formica kitchen cabinets would last longer than my "great quality" kids formica bedroom furniture that got so easily chipped, so soon after purchase, and the kids werent unusually hard on them. My wood bedrooms look so much better.

Rubber Ducky wrote:

In general, I think granite will hold up better. My maple butcher block island can also be damaged by heat and if you use it as a huge cutting board (I do), the scratches will show. But wood, like Corian, can be sanded.

Personally I love granite, but I spoke to decorator who said granite is out and Quartz is in and better.

Amarante

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 3:58 pm

While quartz is currently trendier, granite is NOT out - what might be "out" are the builder grade granites that were put in starter homes and cheaper remodels - the speckled brown Baltic or Uba Tuba. If you go to a stone yard, there are magnificent granites. I didn't like the clinical feel of quartz because it is manufactured - I preferred natural stone so I went with Black Galaxy in my kitchen and marble for my bathroom counters. Quartzite which is a natural stone that mimics the look of marble is super high durable - it is expensive and some stone yards pass off other materials as quartzite. There are tests you can do in the stone yard to make sure you are getting quartzite.

I just wanted to add that construction more than materials is going to make the difference in terms of longevity as well as functionality. The most important thing you can do is to research how cabinets are constructed and what goes into a quality cabinet. That way you can determine whether the cabinets you are considering have at least the indicia of quality construction. Also not mentioned, is that the quality of the installation is also going to impact your end result. Installing cabinets is not an unskilled task as the installers need to ensure that they are secure on the wall as compensation for walls that aren't straight and floors that aren't level.

Frameless cabinets that are well made are every bit as durable as framed cabinets - they are generally used in most countries outside the US and last very well. The advantage to frameless is that they provide more interior space which is especially critical for drawers - and every new kitchen should have mostly drawers in the lower cabinets because they are so much more functional than doors - even if you put rollouts in the cabinets with doors.

Also there is high quality MDF which is nothing like the cheap MDF that is used in low quality furniture. If there is a flood or bad leak, plywood will delaminate and need to be replaced. For some painted doors, MDF is actually preferred because wood will expand and contract seasonally due to humidity changes and therefore there will be cracks on painted doors which drives some people insane.

amother

Floralwhite

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 5:22 pm

My kitchen has stained solid oak cabinets that are timeless. They are at least 20+ years old and are still solid and never out of date. (Mine has breadboard fronts which I hate because cleaning them is a pain).

If I did a kitchen I don’t know material but would want smooth everything. No crevices to clean dirt out of. And no handles to clean around. Just something that you can wipe down quickly with a damp rag. Without doing details.

amother

Lavender

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 6:02 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Personally I love granite, but I spoke to decorator who said granite is out and Quartz is in and better.

Formica Bedroom furniture and Formica kitchen are totally different. I also had Formica furniture and it lasted me from today till tomorrow. Was a disaster. But I didn't think to compare when I ordered my kitchen. It's so different. The way it's made, material, etc. I'm not telling you to take Formica but if that's what youre comparing to, it's not a comparison by far.