Selecting the right kitchen materials and appliances for your remodeling project is essential for keeping your budget managed, making installation low-stress, and ensuring that your completed kitchen performs well while achieving your desired aesthetic.
These days, many want to make sure that the chosen appliances are energy efficient. If they are not, you may have some unnecessarily high energy bills. Of course you can also avoid a lot of these hassles simply by going solar. Your home’s energy needs will undoubtedly multiply as the years go by. One of the best investments you can make is in a solar system that will reduce your dependence on traditional forms of electricity. The result will be that you will see a lot of money over time.
Get Your Value: Lifespan of Appliances and Home Materials
Many appliances and fixtures have a surprisingly shorter lifespans than you might guess. Here’s a simple guide to the lifespan of appliances and home materials.
How to Pick a Paint Color with Your Partner
Have you ever been frustrated picking a paint color with your partner? I’ve got a few strategies that make how to pick a paint color so much easier.
Home Tech: Healthier eating from best refrigerators 2022?
How are the best refrigerators of 2022 helping us eat healthier? In every form, the point of the refrigerator has been to keep food fresher…
Kitchen makeover project! Let’s talk about that kitchen sink.
What are some things to consider about the kitchen sink that will make everyday a little better? Note: Elkay has provided me with the product used…
Want better drinking water? Let’s talk water filters.
To celebrate healthy water, GE Appliances is giving away a dual flow under-the-counter water filter during the #HOSSdesign chat. If you are curious about the impurities reduced by GE Appliances filtration systems, click over to www.gewaterfilters.com.
New! Write on your countertop, walls, and more with Formica’s new Writable Surfaces collection
One of my favorite new home products is the Formica Writable Surfaces collection. Yes, whiteboards and chalkboards have been popular for a long time in…
It looks like metal lace, and it is a 3D printed faucet. Hello DXV.
It looks like metal lace, and it was printed by a 3D printer. Hello DXV.
Newborn at KBIS2016: Fabuwood’s Vista cabinets in Blanc
I love a cabinet that can be delivered in less than a few weeks, and so I’m already excited about the newest addition to the Fabuwood family of products.
Craftsman + Kenmore = Stuff that’s awesome for your house
Craftsman & Kenmore invited us to check out some of their new gear for home, shop, lawn, garden, and garage. Up-armored is the theme—from design…
Video! Mark and Theresa talk cabinets at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show
It’s the little things in life that make me happy. Like cabinet drawers that easily open and lights that help me see what’s inside. Mark…
Get rid of that smell! Countertop compost bin
Hi Mark, We have a question about kitchen compost bins. My dad has been using an old pot with a lid for his kitchen waste….
FixitUp Find: Formica Corporation’s Steel, Fabric, & Wood Looks
We love using unexpected materials and textures in our designs. We love being on-trend—and trend-setting—and depend on materials that keep pace. For on-trend surfaces,…
Powered-Up Solution: Leviton’s USB/Receptacle
Full disclosure: Our kitchen counter, office desks, and several outlets NOT behind a couch are a tangle of charger cords and transformer cubes. Kind…
How do we make a kitchen renovation affordable?
When undergoing a kitchen renovation, there’s usually a question that pops up about how to make a kitchen renovation affordable. Here’s some help.
Kitchen Renovation Mistakes: Flooring
Don’t cheap out on flooring. We don’t mean don’t get the floor you want, we mean install it everywhere in the space, like under the…
Kitchen Renovation Mistakes: Toe-kick
For the installer: Details are “custom critical” a term we stole from the FedEx service—not to mention, these are the awesomeest trucks in the fleet….
Kitchen Renovation Mistakes: Materials
Using lower end materials near a dishwasher can be vexing—especially foils or laminated trim stock instead of solid hardwood. Steam escaping from the dishwasher can…
Kitchen Renovation Mistakes: Cabinets
Kitchens are too complicated even for most contractors to design and specify (select cabinet sizes and parts.) After we designed the space, picked products and…
Buying Kitchen Appliances
Question: Budget question: I’m doing a new kitchen and wonder what your recommendations on appliances are. Answer: First thing is this: We know all projects have budgets…
FixitUpFind: KraftMaid Cabinets
J.D. Power Survey—and great kitchen cabinet purchase advice: KraftMaid ranks highest in customer satisfaction among cabinet manufacturers, excelling in 3 of 5 factors: design, performance…
FixitUpFind: Lava-look surface from Cambria
Talk about a show stopper. The lava-like look to the Aberdeen counter by Cambria has me dreaming of ways to incorporate it into our home,…
MyFixitUpLife talk show: Eric Stromer & Storage Solutions w/ Merillat
Lazy Susan is on high alert, because she’s got some competition in corner. Her lazy days of having a corner on the market are over….
FixitUpFinds: Smart countertops?
Yes, your countertops could be getting smarter. Our friends at Charles & Hudson tipped us off that Intel is developing the technology to make it…
FixitUpFinds: Paper countertop?
We labored over the decision about our countertop. There are just so many options. We did want to use a producer that is eco-friendly, kid-friendly,…
Cabinet Installation and Under-Cabinet Lighting
We like under-cabinet lights and specced them for our latest kitchen reno. Problem is, typical under-cabinet lights are placed beneath the shallow cabinet carcass (usually…
Watch Mark & Theresa share tile tips on NBC 10! show
Mark and Theresa share a new way to tile that saves an entire day out of a tiling project, and the need for a tile…
FixitUp Find: Wire Brushes—Unsung Work Horses for Paint Prep
It seems few of us pay attention to a wire brush — until it’s the only tool for the job. We use wire brushes for…
MyFixitUpLife: Live show w/ Merillat
MyFixitUpLife’s Mark & Theresa Live! at the 67th International Builders’ Show in Orlando. January 14 @ 3pm: Mark and Theresa are sharing what’s new from…
Picking the perfect tile for our kitchen backsplash
When we were in the middle of renovating our kitchen, I announced to Mark that I wanted a tile backsplash. His reply: “Are we EVER…
What kinds of countertop can I install myself?
I’m a teacher and I get out for the summer in a couple of weeks. I’m hoping to do a remodel of my kitchen on…
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