We’re finally at the end my kitchen review today.
One of the perks of blogging is having the opportunity to review products from time to time.
While I always give the most thorough review I can I would say I’m still in the courting stage with a product in that first month.
A person usually sees everything through rose colored glasses when something is shiny and new.
Once the newness wears off then the true colors are shown and a persons honest feelings come out about the product
which is why I’m voluntarily reviewing my kitchen after I’d had over 2 years to really live in it.
(BTW, I wasn’t given anything in my kitchen to review except one thing…keep reading).
First up, our kitchen sink.
I love, love, love, love, love this sink by Kohler made of a heavy gage stainless steel.
It has acquired some scratches but now there’s so many I don’t even notice them, plus that’s what stainless steel does.
Every sink I’ve ever owned has a divider down the center of the sink giving you two small sinks…great if you still soak your dishes in one side and rinse in the other. Problem with those is you can’t completely submerge large items like platters or fry pans. My Kohler sink is so gigantic and can fit everything…
Even a toddler with fully outstretched legs.
Our first faucet was this Kohler. No real complaints about it. It’s beautiful to look at and worked great.
Delta Faucet Company then invited me out their headquarters last year to learn about their products.
Of course, every company thinks they have superior products to anyone else but after spending a couple days with them I was taking the bait.
They gave me their Touch 20 Trinsic Faucet to try so we switched it out last year and have been using ever since.
Cue angels with wings playing harps…
People! This faucet has completely changed how I work in the kitchen.
I love this thing SO MUCH!
If you asked me what I would grab if my house was on fire I would be on my back, under the sink, un-installing this faucet to take with me.
(And yes, the kids too).
If you’re not familiar, a Touch 2O Faucet will turn on and off with just a touch anywhere on the faucet. If my hands are dirty with chicken slime I can turn the faucet on with the back of my clean hand so not to slime up the faucet.
Delta are the pioneers with this technology. Other companies have replicated the idea but because Delta holds the patent, other companies faucets only have the touch technology on certain places of the faucet, not the entire faucet like Delta.
The other reason I love this faucet is because of this…
When you go to turn the faucet lever on and off with wet hands the water drips down to the base of the faucet causing hard water build up over time.
If you have hard water you probably have a ring of mineral deposits at the base of your faucet. This is what ours looked like after we took the old faucet out. This was only 2 years of build up!!!
Because we usually switch the faucet on and off by touching the top of the neck of the faucet there is no water running down to the base, thus no mineral deposits.
The only thing I could think of that could top that would be having a wall mounted, Touch Faucet.
Check this out…
I really didn’t think I could like a faucet so much. A faucet is a faucet, right? If hot and cold water come out it’s a good faucet. But the functionality of this the Delta Touch faucet has spoiled me and I’ll never go back to a regular kitchen sink faucet again. I’m dying to try their new bathroom faucets that are Touch and motion censored!
One of the number one questions I get about my kitchen is from people wanting to know details about our slide/barn door/chalkboard/ pantry door.
I’ll admit, it’s a 10 on the cool scale.
I bought the barn door hardware at a place called Silver Star Hardware here in SLC, UT.
For barn door hardware it’s pretty nice. Many barn door hardware sets sound much like the sound of setting up or taking down an ironing board…
that high-pitched, screechy, scare-the-living-day-lights-out-of-you sound multiplied by 100.
Ours uses a rubber wheel track so there’s virtually no sound when you open or close it.
The thing is, we never close it.
I tell myself to close it when company comes over to hide our pantry mess but I always remember right as they’re leaving.
As far as the chalk board is concerned, it’s super cool.
BUT.
In the beginning I let my kids go all Picasso all over the chalkboard.
BUT.
Then there was an inch high of chalk dust on the floor which then got tracked all over the house and ended up all over their clothes, then the carpet, you name it…
That was the end of that.
Once in a while I will use my overhead projector to make pretty pictures.
BUT.
My kids can’t resist just sticking a finger out and running it through my masterpiece, which makes me turn in to a, “SOMEONE’S GONNA PAY!” monster.
Verdict:
Faucet: I will never, EVER, use another faucet that doesn’t have the Touch 2O Technology like my Delta. It is my most favorite thing in the whole kitchen.
Barn door / chalkboard / pantry door: It’s cool. I’m all about holding on to as much coolness as I can as a mom of 3 boys who think I’m anything but cool. Functional, meh. Chalkboards are overrated and I wouldn’t do another chalkboard door or wall unless it was outside, maybe in a kids playhouse.
What kind of sink/faucet do you have? Do you like/not like it?
Do you have a chalkboard wall in your home? Do you use it as much as you thought you would?
Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!
I have really enjoyed reading this series. I always wonder about what people think months or years after a major renovation. This is really helpful when considering a renovation large and small. Thanks again for the tips and suggestions!!
This has been a terrific series. I found myself nodding my head in agreement with your assessments. I too, have a delta touch less faucet that I love too! It’s one of those things that makes perfect sense. I have white painted cabinets that chipped and got dinged up. I’ve painted them but I have to say, the second paint job didn’t hold up as well as the original one. I enjoy reading your blog. Margaret
Isn’t that Touch Faucet THE BEST!!! Thank you for your kind words Margaret!
I love my chalkboard! I have it in my kitchen (where I school my 3 kids…yes, it is a totally functional thing for me) and it serves many purposes…spelling lists, grocery lists, math problems, love notes and doodles from my littlest muchkin. I do hate the chalk dust. I guess there isn’t anything you can do about that though.
I have to say, I am totally jealous of your faucet!
You need chalk pens/markers!! You can order them on Amazon-they write like markers and erase like chalk–with no dust! I’ve used them for several years on my vinyl chalkboard wall calendar and am ready to order another set. Might make your chalkboard wall more user friendly:)
I’ve heard of these and need to get them! Thanks!
Exactly what I was going to recommend. I have a chalkboard front on my circulation desk (elementary school library). And I knew the kids would rub it off intentionally and unintenionally when standing at the desk. So I ordered these and they are perfect.
I used magnetic primer under the chalkboard paint on our pantry door. We use it as a message center for calendar/sports schedules/etc. That ended up being much more practical then the chalkboard part of it!
I would love a touch faucet! How nice it would be to turn it on with just a touch when my hands are dirty. As for the chalk board wall- yes I have one and even with the mess, it’s fun and I love it. So yeah, I’d do it again. 🙂 thanks so much for sharing about your choices.
I am in love with your kitchen. We are currently completing an entire remodel of our house and starting from scratch with our kitchen. Your series has been so so helpful in thinking through our kitchen decisions. Thank you * a million for the review of your own beautiful kitchen.
I LOVE this series! So informative!! Thanks so much!
I love your chalkboard door. I mean LOVE it. I fell in love with it so much, I built my own. Ok, technically, my husband did it. We had to remove the door jam, an re-drywall. (A fact which had it been known pre-project, would likely have aborted the project altogether). I have the rubber wheels as well, though I’m a bit of an OCD pantry chalk-board-door closer. I will say the rest of the fam is not participating in my madness.
I put it out on Pintrest – you can see it here. I don’t Pintrest too often (I keep getting hacked, but I digress) so you should be able to find it easily – hopefully this link will work. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/399835273137008755/ Clearly you can see that my chalkboard penmanship is woefully unacceptable. Nonetheless, keep up your great work – see how you can inspire??!!!
Janice, That is totally awesome! Turned out fab. I’m so glad you love it and are using it. Thanks for sharing!
I forgot to post the second pic http://www.pinterest.com/pin/399835273137008763/
I have an industrial style kitchen faucet and I LOVE IT. It was a steal too from costco’s website compared to getting a different brand elsewhere. I love that I can spray anything and pull the nozzle really far because of the design. It’s my fave thing in my kitchen too (sadly no touch technology though)
Thank you for doing these reviews!!! As a mom of 3 toddlers I appreciate the “real life” aspect of your reviews. We are in the process of searching for a house…probably one that needs remodeling. I think I need that Touch 20 faucet!
I LOVE your design and the look of you family home! Cutest boys! I’m a kindergarten teacher. You can use a regular white pencil crayon to draw on chalkboards and it won’t smudge! Just use a regular pencil eraser to make any changes. Tip of the day*
I’ve actually heard that before but I’ll be honest…I don’t think I’ve ever seen or know what a white pencil crayon is. Where do I get one? Thanks Heather!
Super late to this post, but I’ll give it a try anyway… What do you do about drying your dishes? I love the big one basin sinks but I don’t love the idea of the drying rack always sitting on the counter. What do you do?!
I agree…I had the look of a drying rack on the counter. I run most everything through the dishwasher. I wash pots and pans by hand. I will put a towel on the counter, wash everything by hand, put them on the towel while I hand towel dry them one by one.