kitchen countertop material

[rfuerst911sc]

Next weekend we are moving into our retirement house , I'm not retired yet but only 6 months to go ! Anyway we want to replace the counter top in the kitchen which is currently laminate . We currently have granite in the house we are leaving and the wife does not like the way it cleans . She wants to get away from sealing and resealing.

We don't want laminate so that narrows it down to Silestone , quartz , recycled glass/concrete , Corian and a few others . I asked this question a few months ago but now that we are ready to pull the trigger wanted to revisit what you guys have had installed lately . The counter top will consist of two L sections , small piece next to the fridge and an island that has the kitchen sink and bar/eating area on one side .

Sinks: Seems like under mount sinks have been the rage for a while and that is what we have in our current home . Again the wife not impressed with the grunge that builds up at the seam where the under mount meets the granite . People are still using top mount/drop in sinks right ? Yes we know there still is a seam but on top and easier to clean . Of course with a product like Corian the sink can be integrated/molded into the top with no seam .

So many choices and price ranges . Of course regardless of product chosen the quality of the finished product resides with the fabrication/install team . Wife and I heading to a large local warehouse today that basically sells EVERY type of countertop known to man per their website . Today will be fact gathering and trying to narrow in on a type and color scheme . Fire away guys

[red-beard]

I had Corian in San Diego - I was planning to replace it. Previous owner burned the counter

When I lived in Upstate NY, that was when the under sink mount became popular. I opted for a standard ceramic sink which matched the granite, for all of the reasons you've mentioned. My parents house, the undersink mount failed. I think previous owner stood in it!

My Parents have Silestone. I don't like the way it looks, but that is really the specific tone that was in their house than the product. Quartz looks really nice as well. If we re-model the kitchen, I expect we will be going with a lighter color with a natural pattern (granite).

[WPOZZZ]

My gf's condo has quartz counters and a quartz island. The place is 1 year old and it is still in excellent shape. I had Corian in another property and like red-beard, it had a couple burn marks.

[DanielDudley]

The price of granite is really down around here. Thirty years ago you could spend 10K on corian for a larger kitchen, and granite is lower than that now.

Price out a few things, and look around.

[OffCamber00]

We just ditched our granite for quartz earlier this year - ended up with products from Caesar Stone and from Q quartz. We are extremely happy with how things turned out. For us the change was not about maintenance or cleaning, just aesthetics. Before embarking on our project I was under the impression that Quartz would hold up to the same abuse as granite - this is (supposedly) not true. You are not supposed to put hot pans on the surface as the resin that binds the product will burn. That being said, none of the mfgrs were able to tell me what temperature the resins break down. Additionally, I "practiced" with a large piece before we pulled the trigger and would regularly take my cast iron pan off the stove and put it on that piece w/o it leaving any marks.

If you haven't shopped Quartz recently you will find that there are many, many more designs and finishes, many of which do a really good job of mimicing natural stone. The marble look is in right now and there are some beautiful quartz products.

Good luck.

[OffCamber00]

oh and one more thing...we have been using MB Stone MB-5 cleaner on our tops for over 10 years. No affiliation but its hands down the best stuff out there. It cleans very well and leaves absolutely no film or haze. We even use it on our stainless.

[masraum]

Quartz also needs sealing. It will stain if stuff is left on it. Other than that, I think Quartz is probably the hardest, lowest maintenance counter out there. The edges can chip/break too.

Have you considered stainless?

[Tobra]

Granite is tough to beat. Driving up to Portland on Thursday we passed a truck that had a half dozen polished slabs that were the sive of the truck's hood that was hauling them. Very pretty, very durable

[LWJ]

The granite in my home is supposed to be permanently sealed? Seems great.

We have concrete at a vacation place. In frequent use. Looks great now. Cool style. Not certain for the future.

I have always wanted a built in wood top to use as a visual break and functional cutting board. Boss lady says no.

[Baz]

I have turquoise colored tile on my counter tops......part of a contemporary update by a previous owner. Very stylish and have held up great in the 21 years I have owned the home.

I love color in my home!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Baz

I have turquoise colored tile on my counter tops......part of a contemporary update by a previous owner. Very stylish and have held up great in the 21 years I have owned the home.

I love color in my home!

Nice. Hey, congrats on Irma heading west. Tile holds up pretty good. We had ceramic tile for a while. The only downside depending upon the tile is the grout getting dirty. If you use cheap tile, it can scratch or chip easily.

You should try the avocado with some good balsamic vinegar too! The acid from the vinegar along with the fat from the avocado makes a great combo.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by masraum

Nice. Hey, congrats on Irma heading west. Tile holds up pretty good. We had ceramic tile for a while. The only downside depending upon the tile is the grout getting dirty. If you use cheap tile, it can scratch or chip easily.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...or in this case provides character building. That goes for the hurricane survival as well as the tile.

[look 171]

I love concrete tops, but it has to be maintained because it stains, much more so then granite. Use a razor to clean the counter with a little water as lube for the tough stuff. If you design is to bring the outside element into the house, then granite maybe the choice. I like the calming colors of granite without the crazy swirls. Seal it once and be done with it. Quartz is basically bomb proof with lots of colors to choice from. I like an import call Colorquartz. They are competitive with Silestone and Cesearstone but about 20% cheaper and are just as good. I have submerged all these materials in oil for testing before I put em' in client's homes. they allperform the same.

have you eaten in a restaurant with cheap granite counters and tables? Ever see them stained? You think they seal them yearly? Hell no but they hold up well. Quartz tops are abused the same way and they hold up the same or better and cheaper too. Oh yeah, these are cheap China imported quartz. My two cents. I have no dog in the fight on this but the dummy that has to put em' in people's homes.

[Sooner or later]

They all have their shortcomings. I have tile but it can chip. I kept a couple dozen spares so I can chip out the damaged tile and replace with a new one. Can be tough to match the aged grout.

[rick-l]

I wanted to see what stainless steel would look like so here is my prototype. I'm learning to TIG weld. Instead of spending all that money on granite I bought a new tool.

That's 16 ga glued to plywood. The front edge is all welding (no brake). I kept the distortion down and eliminated the need to back purge by clamping it to an aluminum block front and back.

Grinding and polishing turns out to be massively more work than I anticipated.

[dad911]

very cool rick.

I would not consider corian or it's equivalents these days. Expensive, discolors in sun.

Quartz is the new granite, not sure if it's a fad, more uniform but needs care and maintenance.

I still like granites. Seal it and it lasts forever.

[unclebilly]

We have quartz. It is a few years old and still looks new. It got a chip in the first few months and the manufacturer came out and fixed in no charge. We got it through Costco and it was a great deal.

[porsche4life]

We had Quartz and love it. Bought a full slab at a remnants place for $8/ sqft. It has a few scratches but we got a top notch installer and he was able to make the cuts so they are all hidden in corners. It's holding up great, We did an undermount stainless sink. The way they installed it is rock solid and having no flange to catch water is a beautiful thing.



Need to get some better pics. This is after I finished the tile.

[rfuerst911sc]

The wife and I went to Crowe Custom countertops today in Acworth Georgia . This place must have 500 slabs of granite on hand if not more ! We walked around for a while just taking it all in . Spoke with a very knowledgeable gentleman and he stated sealers have progressed a lot in the last 5 years . He said they apply a 15 year sealer as standard business . They also have a 25 year sealer . So that eased the wifes mind on granite . We eventually came across a steel gray color that was stunning . We both liked it as soon as we saw it .

A little more than we wanted to spend at $45.00 a s.f. installed but you only live once
I asked the salesman how they installed their under mount sinks . He stated they go the extra mile and route a groove in the stone so standard under mount sink clips can be used in addition to adhesive caulk . I liked the sounds of that . He stated they fix competitors sinks all the time because they do a crappy job and don't route the groove for the clips .

We haven't signed a contract yet mainly because we are moving this coming Friday plus we want to shop around some more but we liked what we saw at this retailer .

[Chocaholic]

I like granite. We have black granite in our Hartwell lake house and don't care for that. Shows every wipe mark or waterspot when overhead lights are on. We have lighter, sort of multi colored granite at the other house and love it. Granite is "real" and no man-made alternative looks as nice (to my eye).

"Real" never goes out of style.