NBR: Countertops

TinaL99

DH & I are finally getting new countertops when we get our tax money back.  I cannot wait!!  We got new cabinets almost 2 years ago and have been missing a section of countertop b/c it broke when they took it out.  So ugly and inconvenient.

Anyway, we were looking at quartz countertops.  We definitely don't want laminate but don't know if it's worth getting granite b/c we hope to never move and don't care so much about the resale value.  Has anyone gotten countertops recently?  Or do you really like yours and want to recommend them?  There is a local place that did our cabinets that we are most likely going to get the countertops from them.  DH is leaving it up to me (!!) so I'm trying to figure out which material to get. 

wendyj

If I had my way, whenever we get around to redoing our kitchen, I'd want either quartz or corian. We have granite in our bathroom (just a small vanity top), and it's a pain to maintain. You have to seal it once a year, and when it's the only bathroom in the house, getting the two days time to clean the counter, wait for it to dry, put on the sealant and wait for that to cure is impossible. I can't imagine having to do that with an entire kitchen.

We actually have laminate in our kitchen right now that we did about 5 years ago. It's Formica - their high end, so it has a pretty gloss with texture. It cleans up very easily, and looks like granite. It works really well for us right now.

BethPSU

We got granite last year for the perimeter of our kitchen and we got a cherry butcher block for the center island.  I love it.  I have no complaints with our granite except that it was quite a process to pick out.  You need to make sure you pick the actual slab and don't pick from a sample since natural stone varies so much.  Ours has a lot of movement instead of a uniform speckle or something.  It is weird, but sometimes I find myself just staring at sections of it because it is so pretty.  We used Sortie Countertops as our fabricator.  They were really great to work with and made sure we were absolutely satisfied with everything.  They had us in to review the template and approve the placement of the cuts so that we got the pieces of the stone that we liked best.  I don't know much about Quartz, but I know they sell that too at Sortie.

orangeluck

We just got granite after our mini kitchen makeover in December.  We went with a local fabricator.  The granite we have doesn't have alot of movement but the small scale is what I thought looked best with our small kitchen footprint and the special they had with ss sink included was cheaper than quartz and Corian and some of the high-end laminates anyways for our square footage.  We are bound to have wine spills so staining was a factor for us.

Something to consider other than stains/spills is with existing cabinetry any unsupported overhangs on a counter area- bc stone is heavier than a laminate you may need to shorten the overhang depth or add supports with some materials. 

Also take the sizes you may need and consider how the material is seamed together and where the seams would be placed.  We were able to get almost a 9' section of granite without seams because of a careful fabricator and the right slab choice.

lawells15

We have something very similar to Corian and I like it a lot. If you get a scratch they can buff in out which is nice. I can't remember what it's called...

jill99ny

I don't know where you're located, but I work for a countertop place in North Tonawanda, NY.  We fabricate quartz and granite.  For granite, if you used a silicone based sealer (which we do) it should last between 6-10 years.  If you use a water based sealer, it will have to be done every 12 months or so.  The granite and quartz are pretty similarly priced, so get what you like.  Usually the quartz has a more particle smaller pattern to it, the granite can have some wild patterns/colors.  Depends on what you're interested in.  Hope this helps!

babyconverse

We're redoing our kitchen right now and am torn on the counter tops. I think we're leading towards butcher block on the perimeter counters but some kind of stone in island. We're actually even considering stainless steel or finished concrete. I'm personally not a fan of granite but do like quartz. But man it's expensive!!!

One thing to keep in mind is do you want to be able to put a hot pot on the countertop? If you do stay away from laminate/corian etc. They do not take the heat.

And I suggest going direct to the source rather than through your cabinet place. I would think they would be more expensive. They're another middle man between you and the stone distributor/manufacturer. 

BTW who did you use for your cabinets? Were you happy with them? We're still deciding on who to go with. It's such a big decision!! 

BethPSU:

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Thanks for the reco! I will have to check them out!

TinaL99

babyconverse:

We're redoing our kitchen right now and am torn on the counter tops. I think we're leading towards butcher block on the perimeter counters but some kind of stone in island. We're actually even considering stainless steel or finished concrete. I'm personally not a fan of granite but do like quartz. But man it's expensive!!!

One thing to keep in mind is do you want to be able to put a hot pot on the countertop? If you do stay away from laminate/corian etc. They do not take the heat.

And I suggest going direct to the source rather than through your cabinet place. I would think they would be more expensive. They're another middle man between you and the stone distributor/manufacturer. 

BTW who did you use for your cabinets? Were you happy with them? We're still deciding on who to go with. It's such a big decision!! 

BethPSU:

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Thanks for the reco! I will have to check them out!

We used Rynone for our cabinets (www.rynonekb.com).  They are located in Waverly.  And thanks for the rec about using the manufacturer.  I'll definitely look into that.