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Services
We provide many kitchen, kitchen cabinet and wood-related services. Click on any of the links below for a more detailed description of each.
Cabinet Restoration
Instead of replacing your wood cabinets, let us "tune" them
up. With this affordable service we remove layers of grime and dirt from
your cabinets, blend missing color, fill gouges and scratches, renew the
finish if needed, lubricate hinges and drawers, and more - all in one
day. Click on Cabinet Restoration for more detail.
Cabinet Refacing
We can change the look of your cabinets by replacing your doors and drawer
fronts, and applying real wood or laminate veneer on your cabinets. You'll
be amazed at the difference. Click on Cabinet Refacing
for more detail.
Countertops
We have all kinds of countertops including
Cambria®, Technistone®, Zodiaq®, CaesarStone®,
Corian®, Staron®, Granite, Marble, WilsonArt® and Formica®.
Briefly these products fall into four categories: natural stone, engineered
stone, acrylic and laminate.
Granite and marble, the natural stones, are remarkably beautiful but are porous and nonsanitary. They need to be sealed a few times per year otherwise they may trap stains, odors or bacteria. Granite and marble contain fissures (hairline cracks). Although they are strong, laterally they are not as strong as engineered stone. Keep in mind that Granite and marble need to be cleaned with a special cleaner. On the flip side Granite and marble have beautiful veins running through them, attributing to their natural and unique beauty. (These veins plus natural color variation which varies from color to color are why we require you to visit our showroom and hand-select your slabs.) In addition to the viens some colors of Granite and marble polish to a higher degree of shine than engineered stone. These are their two upsides characteristics.
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The next family is called engineered stone. The quality amongst competitors is basically the same and includes such brands as Silestone, Cambria, Zodiak, Technistone and CaesarStone. These companies compete on color similar to how soft drink companies compete on taste. They are all quartz/resin compositions with roughly 93% quartz and 7% resin. The resin bonding agent is what makes them non-porous. They are sealed for life requiring only mild soap and water clean-up. Quartz is the fourth hardest mineral on Earth (only diamond, sapphire and topaz are harder), making for a very durable and "stone-looking" product. Engineered stone is consistent in its appearance, allowing the same beautiful look throughout the finished product. According to manufacturers they are the most heat resistant, scratch resistant and stain resistant countertop surfaces on the market, and have beautiful color combinations making it easy to match them to your cabinets, wallsplash and floor. As mentioned engineered stones however do not have veins running through them.
Corian and Staron are acrylic compositions. Corian is a Dupont product while Staron is a Samsung product. They too have a consistent appearance about them and provide for a "softer" look. As beautiful as the acrylics are they have fallen out of favor for the kitchen as they can scratch, wear and burn (although light scratches can be buffed out.) They are still very nice for the bathroom.
Lastly we offer Formica, WilsonArt and other brands of laminate. They are long lasting and less expensive than all of the above. Their colors look really good today and their countertop seams are tigher than they were twenty years ago so you don't notice that black edge any more. In addition I carry special lines of impressive granite look-alikes such as the Formica Etched series and the WilsonArt Premium and Hi-Def lines which can be seen in many kitchen and bath magazine ads.
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How do these materials and brands compare on price? All of the natural and engineered stones and acrylics with the exception of Cambria have price categories - say A through D - and range from about $65 to $90 per square foot installed. Color choice determines price category. In addition there is a sink cutout charge and a removal and disposal charge. Eased or pencil edge (the names are interchangeable) is included. All of the Cambria colors price out at the same price per square foot installed plus sink cutout, removal and disposal and eased edge. Special edges, radiused and clipped corners, bump-ins, bump-outs, etc. are available for an additional charge. Most of the laminates price out about 40% less than stone. The WilsonArt Premium and Hi-Def lines price out a little higher.
So how does one decide among countertop materials? Usually someone has already seen granite, an engineered stone or an acrylic and has made up their mind that is what they want. If that is not the case then it comes down to color, characteristics and price points. Kitchen Tune-Up can show you samples of each and in most cases can price your countertop in about ten minutes in the comfort and privacy of your home. Our prices are quite competitive.
Did you know?
Some companies require you to first remove your old countertop before
they will template for your new countertop. This puts you in a position
of being without a sink and countertop for two to three weeks. However
we will make a template with your old sink and counterplace in place,
minimizing disruption in your kitchen. We also offer to remove and dispose
of your old countertop. Some companies will not offer this service, or
make you pay a premium if it is offered. View
examples of countertop installations.
If you are in the area and would like to see Silestone drop in at Gray's Appliance at 945 Main Street in Melrose (781-665-2671) where we have a floor display against the back wall featuring twenty-four colors. Pick up a brochure, and while you are there shop for your appliances. If you are not familiar with Gray's they have been in business for seventy-nine years, have a wonderful reputation and feature a wide variety of appliances with great service and reasonable prices. And don't forget to mention Kitchen Tune-Up®.
Sinks
and Faucets
We know your time is valuable so we offer one-stop shopping for sinks
and faucets. We carry a high quality line that will go beautifully with your
new countertop.
Organizers
To make your life easier we offer a full line of organizers including
roll-out trays, tipout trays and our exclusive new blind corner cabinet
combination rollout tray/lift tray. Browse the Rev-A-Shelf
Catalog for more information or call us about the combination rollout
tray/lift tray.
Custom
Cabinets
Replacing your cabinets may be the right choice - whether you want an
entirely new look or configuration for your kitchen, or if your current
cabinets are not sound enough to reface. Choose from various lines of
stock, semi-custom and custom cabinets. Click on Custom
Cabinets for more information.
Commercial Services
The same wood restoration process that we use for cabinets is perfect
for commercial locations that have wood trim, paneling, and other wood
surfaces. This can include offices, hotels, and restaurants. If your wood
surfaces have become worn, scratched, and dull from constant use, we can
help. We can also schedule tune-ups on a regular basis to keep your wood
looking good.
Landlords, Apartment Managers, Realtors
With rental units we all know how hard it is to upgrade the kitchen while
the unit is occupied; and you may not want to force a vacancy just for
the sake of being able to spruce up the kitchen. In this market it could
take months to rent an apartment. Instead let us show you affordable doors
and drawer fronts for rental units and let's upgrade those circa 1970's
kitchens with one of several solutions. We can either do a full reface,
or paint the face frames (cabinets) and then install new doors and drawer
fronts to match. By saving money on the reface you can apply the savings
to a new countertop. We have many countertop colors and styles from which
to choose. If you can rent the apartment for an extra $100 per month ($1200
per year), the kitchen improvements will pay for themselves in a few years.
All this with no vacancy because we work along with your tenants, clean
up each night, and do not disrupt their ability to use their kitchen.
Condominium Conversion Developers, Rehabbers
The market is very competitive right now. A feasible way to convert those
apartments into condos is to reface them. In one week we can get in there,
complete a quality reface without ripping out your existing kichen, and
can create a top-notch condo-quality look using beautiful woods or laminates.
You will save perhaps one third the cost of a rip-out price and will avoid
electrical, plumbing, wall and flooring issues. Think of the soft costs
you will save!
Kitchen Tune-Up®
of Stoneham
Stoneham, MA 02180
781-224-1220