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This short section provides an overview of what’s available and a few buzzwords to use when you visit a fixture showroom. Start your search on the Internet, where most major fixture and faucet makers show their wares and offer design and installation downloads. One of the most elegant and informative sites is www. kohler. com. […]

Here are 12 factors that help make a bathroom comfortable, functional, and easier to clean: ► Enough room to use fixtures. Bathroom space isn’t efficient if there’s not enough room to use the fixtures easily and safely. "Bath Fixture Clearances," on p. 324, shows mini — mums, which may be superseded by local building codes. […]

Cooktops and stoves should be vented by a range hood. In addition to sucking up the smoke of a charred steak, range hoods exhaust airborne grease that might other­wise migrate to a cool corner and feed mold or adhere to woodwork and discolor its finish, as shown in the photos on p. 454. Range hoods […]

Once you’ve looked at granite samples and narrowed your choices to a few varieties, consult the fabricator—the company that will be cutting and installing your stone. For example, if you choose a granite with large crystals, joints between sections may be more obvious than those between finely grained stone. Besides, some richly figured stones are […]

Once you’ve identified several reputable coun­tertop shops in your area, get bids. For your protection, develop detailed floor plans and, as you proceed, put everything in writing. That way, you’ll be sure that quotes from different shops reflect similar details, deadlines, and so on. The following guidelines are adapted, with permission, from Sullivan Counter Tops, […]

2. Plastic laminate can be brittle when it’s cold, so the assembly is next moved to a bench with a heated edge. Inverted, the countertop is clamped to the bench and the backsplash is pulled to its final position—at a right angle to the countertop.   3. The ’/i-in. spacers placed earlier are removed, and […]

1. After rough-cutting the substrate and the laminate and touch-sanding them, spray both surfaces with a water-based contact cement. (Wear a respirator mask with organic vapor filters.) The curved piece at left, separated from the counter by a ’/4-in. spacer, will become the backsplash. The gap will enable the laminate to bend in a gentle […]

Most materials in this section require special training and equipment for installation. In fact, solid-surface and stone-polymer countertop mak­ers will sell counter stock only to certified fabri­cators. Some materials, such as plastic laminates, can be successfully installed if you’re handy. But, The dining area does double-duty. Both bench seats have built-in hanging file cabinets, so […]

Wall cabinets must be leveled, plumbed, and solidly anchored, so transfer the locations of stud centers to the back of each wall cabinet, and predrill screw holes in the mounting rails, as you did for base cabinets. Remove the doors and shelves so the cabinets will be easier to lift and position next to the […]

As you install each cabinet, first transfer the stud center marks to the mounting rails on the back of the cabinet. Then drill through the marks, using a bit that’s thinner than the shanks of the mounting screws— or a countersink bit. Drill slowly to avoid splintering the plywood on the inside of the cabinet, […]