Monthly Archives: May 2017

Quality Cabinets without Breaking the Bank

If you have ever prices a new kitchen, either custom or from a big box store you know the prices are mental.

After doing some research the Ikea model seems to be the most cost effective, assemble them yourself and save a bundle.

The next time you are in the kitchen market, check out places like:

RTA Cabinet Store (New York)

Barker Cabinets (Oregon)

The Cabinet Spot (California)

Euro-Rite Cabinets (Pitt Meadows BC)

Canada Kitchen Liquidators

Sunnax Cabinet (Port Moody BC) – Trusted Pros Reviews

I’m sure there are others out there, but I just found these two that both look excellent.

Tips When Buying RTA Cabinets

  • Ensure boxes are 100% plywood, not particle board
  • Ensure doors and frames are solid wood
  • If assembly uses cam lock hardware, ensure they are metal not plastic.
  • If you have the space to paint your own cabinets, consider getting them unfinished. The cost of buying ‘naked’ doors and painting or finishing them yourself can be incredible.

Google Street View – Yes, They Caught Me!

Back in January I did a post called Google Street View – Did It Catch Me?

Well apparently they did catch me, they followed me (or I followed them) for a couple blocks. In this 1st capture from Google Streets I was actually taking a photo of them that I posed back in January.

Taking a photo of the Google Streets car as they were taking a photo of me.

Walking behind Google Streets car without knowing it. Click image to enlarge.

Basement underlayment

Something a little different than I normally post on this site. I have been researching options for putting laminate flooring in a basement, there are so many options.

The Problem

  • Basements are often wet
  • Concrete is cold
  • Ceiling height may be limited

I was recently looking at a basement that has laminate flooring installed directly over concrete, which works I guess but must be very uncomfortable during winter months.

Possible Solutions

Here are some possible solutions that I have found for improving the comfort of laminate in a basement. None of these are fixed to the concrete and can have laminate flooring installed directly on top.

  • Dricore – $190 100 sq/ft – 1.7 R-value – 22.22mm – Dimples create air space under the floor, OSB top.
  • DMX 1-Step – $90 100 sq/ft – 0.91 R-value – 7.94mm
  • DMX Airflow – $?? 100 sq/ft – 1.2 R-value – 4mm
  • Delta-FL – $66 100 sq/ft – ?.?? R-Value – 8.00mm

The insulation value of any of the above products seems very limited, however having the flooring off the actual concrete should make the floor feel a lot warmer.

DMS AirflowDMX Airflow seems like the best choice to me, availability may be limited in Canada (even though it is made there) but the cost seems to be about the same as DMX 1-Step although I can find no actual retailer.