Chaing Mai Thailand: Favorite Moments

It’s been a few days since I've returned home from a collectively twenty-four hour flight from Chaing Mai, Thailand. Traveling back was painful, exhausting, and I managed to get sick. However my experience was priceless and perhaps life changing.

 

I waited a long time to see wild animals this close. The minute I stepped into their territory I froze. It was one of the scariest moments.

 I love bold colors and the city of Chaing Mai is not afraid to use it.  I found fuchsias in their garments, greens in the foods, yellows in the night sky and so on. The Temple of Doi Suthep was draped in gold.

This boar indicates that there's a single lady in the village. This boar will serve as dowry when the single lady is ready to wed. I couldn't help but hum Beyonce's song "all the single ladies"

I am at peace

 

You light the candle and incense and let it float into the water. This symbolizes the letting go of negativity. Bye bye!

Tile Care and Maintenance to Stay Beautiful

Tile is a tough and low maintenance surface used on floors, walls, and ceilings. Here is a few good tips to keep them in good condition always.

      1.      Natural stone is a porous material so it must be sealed. Hand-made tile and crackle finish tile must also be sealed.

      2.      Plan to reseal at least once a year

      3.      Avoid using crackle tile or clay based tile in showers and other wet areas. These types of tile are meant for dry areas and away from moisture.

      4.      Clean with water and mild detergent and avoid using bleach or acid based cleaners.

      5.      After you shower use the hand shower and clean the soap suds around the shower area.

      6.      Running the exhaust fan an extra ten minutes after a shower will reduce mildew build-up.

These quick tips will maintain your tile in mint condition!

What to Expect From Slate

There is a lot you can expect from slate and this is how my story started. 

I get a frantic call from the contractor. "There is an emergency! The slate tile delivered is defective" he explains. I drop everything and run out to the job site. I find the stacks of slate tile and debris everywhere. We go through the stacks and I find a tile in its worst condition. I rubbed my hand on it and I could feel each piece start pill and fall like chalk. I didn’t understand why this was delivered, clearly it all looked defective. This meant sorting for new material, getting the tile contractor out there again, and leaving the job on standstill. The sky was falling!

Installing slate is not as dramatic as it sounds but there are several points to understand about slate tile. Slate is a natural material made from metamorphic rocks, a soft rock material. Slate can make a statement and become focal point. The beauty of slate is its uneven texture and leathery finish. It’s commonly used outdoors. Although slate is a great way to bring the outdoors inside, as it's also used  in interior spaces. Slate's color palette range from coppery reds, to icy blues, to stark blacks, and much more. It's a durable material as it's also used for roofs and if maintained it can last for many years to come.

I recommend ordering fifteen percent of additional tile and if there is a significant color variance I would raise it to twenty percent. When you receive the tile it will probably come messy. If you run your hands like I did you will have a lot of the shale peel off. These types of tiles are a lot of times sitting outside for long periods of time. Clean the debris and allow for all of it to fall off, and you will have the beautiful surface. 

I will advise that in the first years you will experience a little more of the surface peeling here and there. Even after you seal it. Its not defective material its just natural material.  

Slate Alternative: 

Now if you appreciate the beauty of slate but you don't want to worry about the maintenance an extra mess, I recommend to use slate look-a-likes. The color will be more consistent and ready to install. 

Check out Daltile's Ayers Rock

MARBLE COUNTERTOPS: THE PERFECT IMPERFECTIONS

Installing countertops are part of the final stages of the kitchen and bath renovation. If you are considering using marble material as part of the project, you are likely carrying a little history. Marble is a wondrous natural material found in historical temples, in marvelous statues, and in prominent structures. 

Some folks in the industry will immediately shun you away from using this material. “Marble is high maintenance! It will never stay clean” I remember one dealer explaining this to a client. By the look on the client’s face I could tell that they were scared away from the just having the thought. The truth is there is no right or wrong answer. It will all depend on the homeowner’s fashion and lifestyle, whether marble is the perfect material.

Let’s talk about the beauty of Marble. Yes those light golden veins running through the white Calcutta marble and the light and soft color tones of the Crema Marfil. There are thousands of quarries and thousands of options. This is oh so captivating! Marble does carry a timeless, prestigious, and eloquent look.

Marble is a soft and porous material and it’s usually sealed. Even if the surface is polished or honed finish, the marble will wear and tear. As soon you start using it you will scratch it from the clashing pots, scraping pans, and knife cuts. It will stain from the wine, oil, and even water marks. It wears its bright white value from sun light’s UV rays. Doesn’t this sound awful? It’s not, because life happens.

If you want to explore different finish protections ask your local dealer about acid wash finish treatment, instead of the honed finish. The finish process “abuses” the marble by scratching and treating the surface so it conceals the natural wear in tear better.   

Some people call this aging process: Patina, and I like this term. The palaces and temples of the Greeks aged through time. These historical pieces survived fires and wars of changing times. Your kitchen or bath transformations will not be severe, hopefully. Instead will have an old, worn, graceful patina and that is what makes Marble so perfect.

Framed Cabinetry Compare to Frameless Cabinetry

Remodeling a kitchen and deciding between Framed vs Frameless cabinetry can be nerve wrecking. Some cabinet makers will offer both types of cabinet construction, while other cabinet makers only make one type. What is best for your space?  Let’s discuss the pros and cons of each type.  

Framed Cabinetry is constructed with a face frame that consists of vertical styles and horizontal rails. The door is attached to the face frame. In larger size cabinets double doors will require a center style. The construction is structurally sound; and many people are familiar with this type of cabinet style.

This is how it gets fun. You can also choose different type of doors and door openings such as:

Full Overlay doors which cover most of the cabinet frame leaving no reveal

Half Overlay doors which reveal some of the cabinet frame

Flush Inset doors which display the entire cabinet face frame because the door will fit tight and flush to frame.

You will want to look into decorative hinges to match the cabinet hardware. If you are leaning towards traditional style cabinets, Framed Cabinets will be a good option.

You should also consider the design of your kitchen layout. When I’m working on a cozy size space storage is definitely a priority. These face frames are usually a 1 ¼” – 1 ½” size stiles and rails and these numbers add up. For instance expect to see the actual drawer box interior to be easily a 7 ½” space for a standard 12” drawer base. So in this case framed cabinets can be a challenge. Also measure your dishes I’ve heard of crazy cases of people not being to fit their dishes inside their wall cabinets. Avoid the trouble.

Here is a fun lighting fact: Framed cabinets allow space for under cabinet lights without any modifications. These lights can fit underneath between the frames of each cabinet. So get your tape measure and know your dimensions!

Frameless Cabinetry or sometimes known as European Style Cabinets were first introduced in the 80’s. Don’t be fooled by the misconceptions. They have come a long way!

Frameless cabinets are constructed in a box fashion with the back panel being the support of the box. The European hinges, as some call it, hidden. Panels are usually plywood, MDF or particle board. This will be another topic for another day.  

The doors will always be full overlay doors to cover the cabinet box.

This is how it gets fun. The combination of doors and drawers side by side will start to create interesting lines. The doors style will determine the style of your kitchen. There are hundreds of options for doors. So this cabinet choice is versatile.

Now moving on the topic of storage space and it all fits, frameless cabinetry will give you more space! The cabinet box consists of 3/4” side panels or 5/8” side panels. For a 12” standard drawer base cabinet you are looking at around 9 ½” of interior drawer space. Frameless cabinets come in a winner in smaller spaces.

You must also be aware that you will need additional pieces to complete your design such as a light rail and soffit rail to attach the crown moulding. This information varies depending on the cabinet line so all these details must be discussed with your kitchen & bath designer and / or cabinet maker.