[lcozzetti]

Image Title: Solar kitchen with dark brown caesarstone
Description: Love my new kitchen. Love the forum. Appreciated reading posting for guidance.
Am still waiting for a faucet and light fixture to arrive. But this is pretty close to being done.
The solar looked best with the dark brown caesarstone called Lagos Blue. Got it for half price using remnants and only one extra seam.

[silverC]

Hi,

We're planning on doing up the kitchen in solar beech as well, and considering Caesarstone Blizzard countertops -- did you have problems getting the cabs to support its weight?

Thanks.

[zeuss]

Wow - that looks so cool! And Lagos Blue is a very nice material. I've seen it in some kitchen and it looks amazing.

Congrats on your new space!

[Susan]

Wow, that's AWESOME! I love it! Is that SOLAR Beech and SOLAR White?

Does that overhang have additional support that we can't see? Is Caesarstone rated for that?

Love the whole thing and would love to hear details about your appliances, faucet, sink, etc. We're nosy that way.

Susan

[Kayla]

i think solar beech is such a great door, especially when there aren't too many cabinets on too many walls (i don't mean wall cabs, btw ). I could see where you could get a boxed in feeling if it was a tightly enclosed room, but with an open and airy space it's superb!

	BTW definintion BTW means By The Way

[karen51]

Wow that's pretty!

I have a question about the wall at the end of the island (love the opening!). Did you put the wall there for aesthetic reasons or for structural reasons?

Karen

[macbride]

I think this is the first I've heard of someone using remnants for caesarstone countertops. I've asked around and all the local installers feign ignorance. Can I ask how you were able to find a remnant?

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by Susan

Does that overhang have additional support that we can't see? Is Caesarstone rated for that?

That was my first thought and concern. It looks like a lot of unsupported overhang.

[zeuss]

I have another question - are you venting the cooktop? I can't see the fan.

Also, how big is your tile? I like the large scale of the tiles. Very modern.

[lcozzetti]

Sorry for the long delay in responding (I couldn't find my own photos on the site, how embarassing)
To answer some of the questions:

Overhang:
The counter overhangs 24". Ceasarstone can only overhand 9 inches unsupported. Mine is supported by 1" square tubing. There are 2 tubes, each 72 inches long which is way longer than they need to be. Still, i won't be standing on the end of the countertop. The top of the cabinet is notched for the tubes to sit in. The tubes are screwed down where ever there was a cabinet to screw into. The supports were inexpensive ($12) and easy to install.

Countertop and Remnants:
Apparently ceasarstone comes in a maximum length of 10' mandating at least one seam. By buying remnants, i have 2 extra seams but they are hardly noticeable. The company is Northup Granite in Phoenix AZ,
I highly recommend them. They had lots of remnants enough for me to pick from different colors I found them on Craigslist and i was a bit hesistant initially, but they were an upstanding company and did good work.

Tiles:
18x18. Style is Metro Leather from Arizona Tile.

Range hood/fan:
I don't have to put one in since the cooktop is electric. But I am considering one just to remove smells. I don't know how effective range hoods are at smells. I guess they are good for grease though i don't fry often.

Susan, sorry i didn't understand the question, "Is that SOLAR Beech and SOLAR White? " I can tell you that the cabinets are solar beech. I love my new sink, a friend recommended a granite composite over stainless because it's much easier to keep clean. I have hard water and the stainless looks dirty a couple minutes after cleaning it. Regarding appliances, I found a Jennair microwave and regular oven on craigslist. I think i am keeping my old refrigerator for now (have to cut costs somewhere) and my husband bought a dishwasher which sadly doesn't work well and HomeDepot online does not allow returns, sigh.

Karen51, the wall is just for interest, i removed lots of walls and didn't want to be left with a big cavernous area. The wall is mostly just for looks but it does contain the electrical otherwise i would have had to trench the floor.

silverC, the cabinets are holding the weight of the countertop just fine. I guess ceasarstone is comparable to granite in weight.

Thanks for all your compliments.