macbride's Profile

you will need to attach these cabs to the floor for safety.

In terms of financing, you may be able to get a 0% credit card offer for 6-12 mo for cabinets or appliances, depending on where you get them. Big box stores tend to offer such things. I spread payments for my IKEA cabs out that way.

The problem isn't the windows, but the humidity, as others have said. When I see any condensation on my windows, I turn on the dehumidfier that lives in my basement. Do you have exhaust fans that you can run (for example when showering or boiling pots of water on the stove)? If yes, use them. There are non-electrical ways to combat this. Try dessicants such as DampRid.

Beautiful pictures! So that's thyme growing between the stones? My thyme never looks like that. Love the look!

How many coats of poly did you use?

It's really not so hard to ask. I rented an older townhome for a short time. I asked and received permission to remove the wallpaper in the bedroom and paint. I was very conscientious and did a good job on the wallpaper removal. I washed the walls thoroughly to remove the glue, but even so, the paint took a bit strangely in some areas where I believe there was residual glue. It wasn't super noticeable, but I did feel bad it wasn't perfect. I think it's a good example of where someone with otherwise good intentions can in the end potentially cause harm. The landlord was fine with the outcome, and I think he was said to see me go.

Glue is really not necessary, and probably can't hurt. But keep in mind that it may invalidate your warranty since you deviated from the installation instructions. The platform might be necessary for an island (since you do need to attach the cabs to the floor), but in general the legs are really easy to use and ideal for existing homes which may not have level floors. In my house, the floors sloped quite significantly from front to back and side to side, so it would have been a nightmare to try to build a platform. Overall, the IKEA installation system is straightforward and relatively easy - the hanging rail is simply genius! I do like the idea of getting a carpenter to do trim work.

I put in an IKEA kitchen 2.5 years ago, and it's still the best change I made to this house. The website ikeafans.com was very helpful. You can search for posts on hacks you'd like to try. I posted my plans and got great feedback and comments that helped me tweak my final design to be a bit more functional. When I ran into a problem, I could post there and get help. I also learned some tricks for ordering and pickup, including having several printouts organized different ways so that you can check off each needed item as you load it. That way, if you are missing something, you can find out right then. That's the drawback of delivery - they are dropping stuff off and you are rushed to try to check it off. When you pick up yourself, you can take all the time you need to load items and check them off. With three people total, we did my total kitchen from demo to final bits in 10.5 working days (there was a break in the middle while countertops were templated and installed.

Stream - ah, now I see what you mean. I like the glass doors there. Nice choice.

Also, did you do the work yourselves or use a contractor? Do you feel comfortable to reveal the budget?