Kitchen countertops?

Parent Cafe
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<p>We are thinking of replacing current laminate countertops. Can anyone offer personal suggestions of the various types of countertops? I know that granite is very popular, but have also heard of good things about corian. We do not have that much kitchen countertop space, but we are not looking to replace with the most expensive countertop either! And, don’t want to go back to laminate.</p>

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<p>oooh… I like this thread. I’ve been thinking of doing the same thing and would love to hear recommendations.</p>

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<p>Heh, I’m an architect and I really want to redo my kitchen, but countertop decisions are one of the many things that are holding me back.</p>

<p>My mother loved, loved, loved her Corian top, especially the built in Corian sink and drainboard. I just don’t love the way it looks. You can repair minor marks, but can’t put hot pans on it. (Not a temptation of mine since I’ve always had Formica.) Corian isn’t much cheaper than granite. </p>

<p>Granite needs to be sealed periodically. Some people love the way it looks, I’m not crazy about it.</p>

<p>I discovered a product called Paperstone - it’s green and gorgeous (looks almost like leather) - but then I heard it can fade. So I’m not sure it’s a good idea. <a href=“http://paperstoneproducts.com/paperstone-original/[/url]”>http://paperstoneproducts.com/paperstone-original/&lt;/a&gt; But it’s still on my list.</p>

<p>My sister-in-law recently put in Butcher Block. She got it really inexpensively from IKEA. It does need to be oiled regularly, a job she enjoys, (and she doesn’t have too big a kitchen.) That’s my other main contender at the moment.</p>

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<p>I need to redo the kitchen also and will go with granite when I do. I like the look of it, believe it holds up well, and adds to the value of the house. Granite countertops seem to have come down in price quite a bit since they’ve become so popular in the last few years and everybody is selling them.</p>

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<p>We recently put in a quartz composite countertop called Zodiaq, which is manufactured by DuPont that uses natural quartz. It’s about the same price as granite. We love it! We got it through Lowe’s. <a href=“http://www2.dupont.com/Zodiaq/en_GB/index.html[/url]”>http://www2.dupont.com/Zodiaq/en_GB/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I always wanted Corian countertops, but stuck to laminate due to budget.
By the time we re-did our kitchen a few years back granite had already come into fashion and Corian was no longer the happening ‘new’ thing, but we chose it anyway, and have been very happy with it. I like the look (not too shiny, not too matte) and feel of it. I’ve also found it very easy to care for, though mathmom is right- we’ve never set a super-hot pan on it. Also, it came in exactly the color I was hoping for. If you go to their website you can order samples in various sizes, which is pretty helpful. </p>

<p>It would have looked nice in the sink too, but it’s pretty expensive.</p>

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<p>We put in granite 3 years ago. NO REGRETS! I love it. We had it cut so that it is thick enough that there are no chips. I have seen where there are corners cut, and then there are chips (ie: around the sink) and that is ugly. I don’t have one chip. I reseal once per year. I have not had any problems. I did not go with a solid color (it is a multi-colored granite), and I believe this is easier to keep clean. A friend of mine has a solid black. She is always worried about food stains leaving permanent stains/marks in her granite. She is constantly wiping it down. I would not have the patience for that. I can tell you that I met someone whose D got Corian or a laminate (not sure). She put something too hot on it without a trivet and she had an ugly burn mark from it. In other words, she quickly destroyed it.</p>

<p>H has a client who does specialty concrete and can make concrete counter tops. I personally would not care for it, but it is out there.</p>

<p>My 2 granite tips:
Do not let them cut too thin. I think a bit thicker is much better. You don’t want a heavy can to fall out of a cabinet and have it chip!</p>

<p>Be careful on the end what edge you choose. The sales person pointed out to me that too rounded of an edge in a kitchen, will allow more liquid to tend to drip onto your cabinets underneath, and the floor.</p>

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<p>I really want new counter tops but it will have to wait until BOTH kids are done with college:) I like the look of granite, but I also like the composite tops (Silestone for example) that are available. I have a Corian sink and I LOVE it…LOVE it. It cleans so nicely. I thought you could put hot things on Corian??</p>

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<p>thumper- Corian is a composite polymer, in effect a plastic. Do not put anything hot directly on it.</p>

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<p>I think I will look very seriously at the composite stones (Silestone). They have the “granite” appearance of stone, but do not need to ever be resealed. I like that idea a lot.</p>

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<p>We have granite now and it can be a major pain because it stains…that’s why people get the darker colors. (Yes, we’ve had it sealed) I have a friend who’s a developer and they use the zodiaq in all of their kitchens. For resale I think granite is the way to go because it does seem to be the most desired by home buyers these days from what I’m reading.</p>

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<p>I think I have had them all :D. Currently, we have Silestone in one home (like the Zodiaq mentioned above; but a different brand; there are several). It looks and behaves like granite, has the resale value of granite (“stone” is what is in now, not necessarily granite), never needs to be sealed. As long as you like the colors and patterns it comes in, it is a great option. It is not cheap; but cheaper than some granites. Similar price to the more reasonable granites and Corian.</p>

<p>I have had Corian and liked it pretty well. It can scratch although you can deal with it. It also does not need to be sealed. It is not as in vogue right now as the various stones, and so resale value not as good.</p>

<p>I have granite in a kitchen in a vacation home. I think it is more beautiful than my Silestone, but within 3 months we already had a wine stain - even though it had been sealed. So, that is the disadvantage.</p>

<p>There are a gadzillion other stones as well (soapstone, travertine, marble). All of these will stain. Granite is probably the most trouble-free among them as to staining and sealing, but still needs it.</p>

<p>Personally, I would never choose butcher block for permanent counters because it stains, warps, gets cut marks from knives, burn marks from hot pots. So it stops looking good pdq. (I do have a butcher block table with sentimental value, and I just consider all the blemishes to be something that “shows the love.”) But as your primary countertop? I don’t think so.</p>

<p>You can put hot pots on Corian, granite, Silestone for sure. I know because I’ve been doing it for, oh, 18 years.</p>

<p>But each of them has their devotees.</p>

<p>As a realtor, I can tell you that the money spent on stone countertops is an investment that will elevate the value of your home.</p>

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<p>We just priced out granite for our kitchen - which currently has formica, although, otherwise, it is a very nice kitchen. $9,000! I look at that and I think: 2 trips to Europe. :(</p>

<p>It’s hard. I know we’d have to do it if we were selling out house - but we aren’t (at the moment anyway). </p>

<p>And then there’s this little issue of college tuition…</p>

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<p>I don’t like Corian. It stains easily, it gives off fumes when it burns and it’s as expensive as stone and not nearly as beautiful. It is nice and warm to the touch however,</p>

<p>When selecting stone, look for a large marble and granite supply house–one where you will be allowed to see the slabs that will be cut for your tops. Be prepared to be overwhelmed by the selection.</p>

<p>Personally, I look for a really dynamic slab for the island and something a bit more basic for the rear tops. I like low iron, back painted glass for the backsplash.</p>

<p>In granites, I’m fond of the Juparana from India. Lots of movement and variety of color. The problem with granite is that it has such static patterns.</p>

<p>I’m fond of marble. Americans tend to discount marble as too easily damaged but most stains eventually weep through the stone. If I worry about the staining, I remember that French and Italian butchers use white carrara marble for their cutting tops. The Romans use Travertine for their sidewalks. Again, I like to find marble slabs that have a sweep of movement across them. I had marble tops for nine years and never had any issue with them.</p>

<p>One of the largest stone distributors in the world has an extensive website: <a href=“Antolini® | Natural stone processing. Designed by Nature”>http://www.antolini.com/&lt;/a&gt; .</p>

<p>Make sure you minimize the width and edge detail for the best pricing.</p>

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<p>northeastmom - which sealant do you use?</p>

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<p>If you are a baker and handle a lot of hot metal sheets - granite might be the better way to go, since it is more heat resistant than Corian. I do not bake much, but I cook vegetables and acidic foods a lot, so that was the major consideration when we chose our countertops. My light-beige Corian countertops and porcelain-white Corian sink have been in my house for 9 years already and still look like new. No maintenance whatsoever required on my part. Occasional beet or tomato stain (if vegetables were left on the countertop for a long time) goes away completely when washed with Oxyclean dissolved in water. When D dropped a large knife and chipped the sink, I thought we’d have to pay for a whole new thing, since it was an accident, not defect, so Dupont’s 10-year warranty would not pay for it. I found out that Corian can be easily repaired! The repair guy showed up with a piece of matching white Corian material, cut a hole where the chip was, glued a piece back in, sanded it up, and I could not even see where the damage was! Amazing. It might not be the as fancy as granite, but it is very functional. Also, if you decide to go with tiles, use epoxy grout, not the yucky regular one. Nothing sticks to the epoxy kind, not even red wine will stain it.</p>

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<p>The whole kitchen thing is really big for our generation, isn’t it? The women around here discuss kitchen cabinets the way people used to talk about beautiful furniture. Thing is, spending a fortune on a kitchen, you can’t take it with you to the next house, and you can’t leave it to your children. I’d rather spend $$ on a beautiful wood table than on a warming tray! Does anyone out there feel the same way?</p>

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<p>I agree with cheers pretty much all the way. But the stained marble/travertine/granite - depending on how stained - won’t be embraced by all of your potential buyers at resale time. Hence the popularity of the new quartz-based man-made stones.</p>

<p>I also think cheers brings up an important point. To my eye, the backsplash is critical. And the 4" “self-splash” that continues the granite is not the best look. Glass, glass tile, tile make a great looking backsplash and easy to clean instead of a painted wall. People are also using stainless backsplash but I think that may be a trend that will date itself.</p>

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<p>I have several different counter surfaces in my home…granite, Silestone and tumbled marble (in nonwet areas). By far, my favorite is the Silestone. Trends are toward less ‘busy’, less shiny stone or stone-look surfaces (think concrete, products that look leather, etc… and Silestone has many new designs that are beautiful.) Most of the really high-end builders with clients who employ pricey decorators are getting out there on the edge with concrete, stainless steel, rough stone slabs and even whole wood cross-sections for countertops. Btw…my sister-in-law put in acid/stained concrete counters and floors and loves them. If you have that style going on in your home (her home is rustic/Hill Country look), those are great surfaces. </p>

<p>Personally I love the double-straight edge which is a more current look, but recommend a double bullnose which will resist chips. If you do undermount sinks, have them bevel the edge to minimize risk of the edge chipping. I have step ogee edges in the bathrooms and will never do that again. Too hard to clean the grime out of those beautiful ornate edges.</p>

<p>Good link for edges:</p>

<p><a href=“http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.remodelupgrade.com/sitebuilder/images/11aaaaaogee_special-338x267.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.remodelupgrade.com/Edges.html&h=267&w=338&sz=12&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=nc7hbPsiiI4ODM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddouble%2Bogee%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ie%3DUTF-8[/url]”>http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.remodelupgrade.com/sitebuilder/images/11aaaaaogee_special-338x267.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.remodelupgrade.com/Edges.html&h=267&w=338&sz=12&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=nc7hbPsiiI4ODM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddouble%2Bogee%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ie%3DUTF-8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>dke-- re: furniture-
The last few times we’ve needed furniture I’ve been extremely disappointed in quality you get for such horrendous prices! At this point I feel I’m definitely better off looking at the second-hand shop.</p>