Kitchen countertops material

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44070dart

44070dart

How the hell did I get this old..
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Thinking of doing our countertops with some kind of hard surface material. Has anyone done this recently. Kind of wondering about material used and satisfaction with it. Thinking quartz, granite or some other type of surfaces. We have about 60 square feet to do without backsplash. Checked the big box stores, and will see about local guys also. Looking for any advice, tips.
 
I did about 24sq ft of concrete counters this summer for my mom's place. Turned out great, especially considering it was the first time I ever did concrete.

We cut and polished it before sealing with poly. Came out smooth and they're super solid.

https://concretecountertopsolutions.com

I used forms from these folks and did a pour in-place. Takes a bit of patience but very doable. We're going to do our own counters at some point in the future too.
 
Concrete counters look really nice, if your wife is into that.
 
Phreakish said:
They can be finished in a variety of ways, but it's definitely different and probably not for everyone.
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I was thinking of doing concrete with different stone mixed in, so when you cut and polish, it come out really sharp.
 
My wife won't be into concrete. She is looking for something more traditional... like expensive. We did Corian 17 years ago and it has held up well, but it is not showing very good, compared to the rest of the kitchen changes.
 
We still have the old Corian and it is been doing well. It doesn't like heat but it can be sanded and refinished. (apparently) We have lived here almost 30 years and the kitchen was remodeled earlier. 1984 I believe so we are looking at 40 years.

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When we redid our kitchen, including the counter tops we went with a sealed marble. They been in for 3 years now and show no signs of wear and tear.
 
Concrete- interesting!

We priced granite/quartz/marble and even faux granite/quartz/marble last summer.

We did well hiding our shock at the pricing.

10K for our U/J shaped 15x15-ish counter tops!

The faux was only 1-1.5K less.

They did "throw in" a basin (about $200 if you ask me).
 
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I used granite cut and installed by a local small company and couldn't be happier. They came out and did all the measuring and when they said that they would be here to install them I tore all the formica countertops off. I have a popup vent and they cut it out perfectly. You really have to look for the two seams to see them. Joe
 
44070dart said:
My wife won't be into concrete. She is looking for something more traditional... like expensive. We did Corian 17 years ago and it has held up well, but it is not showing very good, compared to the rest of the kitchen changes.
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LOL…Traditional=EXPENSIVE!

Best definition EVER.
 
The key is to ask yourself: Self, do I want to do this again in twenty years?
If not, get away from the trendy crap and go for the timeless. With today's materials, it'll outlive you if you take care of it, but it's the olive or fuschia or burnt sienna that ages out.

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The hood and dishwasher give away that this is a modern kitchen. And although trendy and neat because it's retro, it'll still be out of fashion in 5-10 years.
And stainless dishwasher with white retrostove?

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Consider the rest of your house, and look for something 'classic' that doesn't go out of style.
 
My wife actually trained to be a certified Corian installer, but it turned out to be too heavy for her to move around.
(She was formerly a professional laminate and cabinet installer and finish carpenter.)

That said, I find it to be a bit too "institutional" looking for my tastes.

We currently have butcher block Formica. My wife hates it.

I love it and it has actually never gone out of style (and probably never will).

We found (and I pointed out a few times when my wife "failed to notice") that it's considered an "extra cost upgrade" now, and it's often featured "up front" in the show rooms.
 
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YY1 said:
My wife actually trained to be a certified Corian installer, but it turned out to be too heavy for he to move around.

That said, I find it to be a bit too "institutional" looking for my tastes.
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I think they still make it. I wonder what the new patterns are? Ya. it was the hot ticket after Formica and before marble and concrete.
 
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YY1 said:
My wife actually trained to be a certified Corian installer, but it turned out to be too heavy for her to move around.
(She was formerly a professional laminate and cabinet installer and finish carpenter.)

That said, I find it to be a bit too "institutional" looking for my tastes.

We currently have butcher block Formica. My wife hates it.

I love it and it has actually never gone out of style.

We found (and I pointed out a few times when my wife "failed to notice") that it's considered an "extra cost upgrade" now, and it's often featured "up front" in the show rooms.
Click to expand...
It looks like they have some marble looking patterns.
 
We did quartz tops. We like the look but there's always something that "disappears" with the pattern. Camouflaged! The tops are cold to the touch all the time. We were told we'd have a seam along a wall as stock had a limit on length. Our seam would either have ended up in the sink cutout area or 15" to the left. The sink cutout area was not recommended.
After installed they had to come back and polish down the seam as you could hang up dishes sliding them across it.............


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Took the guy 4 -5 hours, but it was finished to satisfaction.
 
Post 12 looks like a Joanna Gaines/ "Fixer Upper" job. *subway tile*

Where's the barn door and the "ship-lap"?
 
I did wood butcher block stained light gray with General Finishes stain and their Arm-R-Seal. It’s been 6 months now and still look like the day I finished installing. Have white cabinets and the dark gray in the flooring.

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I'm 72, not worried about what it will look like in 20 years :eek::( .. I'd like butcher block for the island, but that will take some finesse with the boss. Yeah, she watches those shows, so subway tile for backsplash is probably gonna happen. Been in house 17 years, so this will be the year of interior painting, countertops, flooring, ............and tears on my part $$.
 
Granite can be nice and inexpensive depending on what you chose. If you need 2 sheets the price will obviously jump.
 
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