Need advice on countertops!

We are going to be remodeling our countertops, however, I am not sure what type of surface is durable, reliable, or won't scratch, crack, or stain. I want something that is smooth, looks nice and I can set hot pans on if something should happen.

Right now I'm thinking about granite or corian. If anyone have any suggestions, advice, or criticism for any surfaces I will surely appreciate it. I know there is Corian, Gibraltar, granite, quartz, and laminate. I do not want marble because it will chip and scratch.

Anyone out there that has remodeled theirs? What did you pick and why? Are you happy with it? Any negatives? Is there anything you would change?

I dont know what its called but its fake marble and it doesnt chip...

I love marble!

Someday, when I build a house, I want either Corian or concrete... you can get concrete dyed in different colors... but just like Granite, it has to be sealed (from what I've heard), but it's durable, solid and very sleek. Both of those are good solid surfaces... granite and other stone surfaces are a bit more porous. (although, concrete is as well, hence the sealing comment.) I know there are others out there... if you want a solid look, I'd go with one of those... IMO.

A.

I worked in kitchen remodeling store for a couple years. Each of the surfaces listed has it's own pluses and minuses.

Granite is actually the cheapest of the nice tops. There are so many people selling it that you can find it at really good prices. Granite won't have a "uniform" color in that it's dug out of the ground. So it can have some variations. Some people like it, some don't. Granite is a surface you can put hot pans on.

Quartz is as nice as granite IMO. It tends to cost a little more. But the color will be uniform. It will look just like the sample you got. I have been told Corian is like quartz. But don't quote me on that.

Laminate comes in about 1000+ colors. And can really save you if you are on a budget. There are many companies, and you can even get colors that look like granite/quartz. My dream is to design a kitchen around a Formica retro pattern. But remember Laminate can stain and if you set a hot pan on it you can put burn marks on it.

Soapstone is sooooo cool IMO. Our showroom had one part with a soapstone top. All you have to do is oil it once in a while, and the more banged up it gets, the better it looks. I think it's pretty expensive though.

There is a "green" top called Paperstone, that I thought was really cool. It's compressed paper, but looks and feels like a stone top.

Originally Posted by littleraven7726

I worked in kitchen remodeling store for a couple years. Each of the surfaces listed has it's own pluses and minuses.

Granite is actually the cheapest of the nice tops. There are so many people selling it that you can find it at really good prices. Granite won't have a "uniform" color in that it's dug out of the ground. So it can have some variations. Some people like it, some don't.

Granite is a surface you can put hot pans on.

Quartz is as nice as granite IMO. It tends to cost a little more. But the color will be uniform. It will look just like the sample you got. I have been told Corian is like quartz. But don't quote me on that.

Laminate comes in about 1000+ colors. And can really save you if you are on a budget. There are many companies, and you can even get colors that look like granite/quartz. My dream is to design a kitchen around a Formica retro pattern.

But remember Laminate can stain and if you set a hot pan on it you can put burn marks on it.

Soapstone is sooooo cool IMO. Our showroom had one part with a soapstone top. All you have to do is oil it once in a while, and the more banged up it gets, the better it looks.

I think it's pretty expensive though.

There is a "green" top called Paperstone, that I thought was really cool. It's compressed paper, but looks and feels like a stone top.

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Let me add to this, cause I sell countertops for a living in a home improvement chain.

If you want to go natural stone, go quartz over the granite, it is a far superior top. Going to have to seal these, I would probably recommend every 6 to 12 months.

Corian/ Staron/ Solid Surface - usually a composite of acryllic material with polyester and/ or nylon. Mold, Mildew, and stain resistant. FDA approved for food service applications because it is a non-poreous surface. Will scratch, BUT scratches can smoothed out with a scotch-brite pad. Will melt/burn, so the use of trivots and/or pot pads for hot pans and pots is highly recommended. Less expensive than granite and quartz, more expensive than laminates. If you want a sink that is intergrated into the countertop (no seams) this is the route to go.

Laminate - There are two types of laminate out on the market today, the readily available and very economical standard laminate, and then there is a high-resolution laminate. Standard laminate comes typically with a one year warranty on the laminate itself with a minimal texture to the surface and the granite patterns look kinda flat IMO. High-resolution has been on the market for a few years now, it has a three year warranty, has a deeper more natural appearance to it, and also has a texture to it. Here are the names some of the most popular colors for laminates (regular and high resolution) that I sell (you should be able to take this list to most retailers and they should have sample chips of these colors on hand): Butterum Granite, Milano Amber, Milano Mahogany, Sedona Trail, Bella Reale, Mesa Ridge, Jamocha Granite, Sage Coral, Natural Limestone, and Mountain Sage.

Concrete. Durable. Heavy. Must be sealed every 6 to 12 months.

Tile- Still an option, you can go ceramic, porcelian, or glass. Just make sure that which ever route you go here, that there are bullnose and corner cap (V-Cap) pieces available. I would probably go glass or porcelian over ceramic, porecelian is going to be more durable than ceramic, and if something were to happen to a porcelian tile, the color is usually all the way through the tile as opposed to a glaze just on the the top surface of a ceramic tile.

Not too familiar with the soapstone or the compressed paper countertops, but I think that this should be helpful nonetheless.

Originally Posted by littleraven7726

Laminate comes in about 1000+ colors. And can really save you if you are on a budget. There are many companies, and you can even get colors that look like granite/quartz. My dream is to design a kitchen around a Formica retro pattern.

But remember Laminate can stain and if you set a hot pan on it you can put burn marks on it.

Soapstone is sooooo cool IMO. Our showroom had one part with a soapstone top. All you have to do is oil it once in a while, and the more banged up it gets, the better it looks.

I think it's pretty expensive though.

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We just renovated. But, we went with laminate because we will be selling the place in the next couple of years and didn't want to spend any more money on this whole house reno project.

It's really amazing how far laminate has developed in pattern/choice! I absolutely love soapstone and fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. So, to get the look without the price, we found a laminate through Wilsonart. Click on the link below and look at the sample Oiled Soapstone 4882-38: Wilsonart Samples

If you can afford it, go with the higher end counters. They will last way longer than laminate and be much more durable. Plus, remember that if you want an undermounted sink, it's highly recommended not to get laminate. It just won't hold up.

We remodeled our kitchen and master bath in our last house and we went the corian route. We had peach in the kitchen and rose in the bathroom. I could care less that I had to put down hot plates because that was the easiest thing to clean and so gorgeous. The seamless sinks were wonderful.

This house came with a remodeled kitchen with nice granite. It is easy to clean and you can put the pots on it but I still loved that Corian. This kitchen is too beautiful to remodel, so granite it is.

I just remodeled the kitchen last year and did a lot of research on the different surfaces. There are pros and cons to all of them.

Formica: Affordable, tons of colors, but doesn't hold up long term. It will burn.

Corian: Can get great smooth lines but it can chip and once chipped, hard to repair. It will burn.

Stainless: great if you want an industrial look, but hard to keep clean and can dent fairly easily.

Butcher block: wonderful surface, can harbor bacteria unless you stay on top of it. It can burn.

Granite: Great look, but has to be sealed about once a year. It's hard to burn, but it can happen. Can harbor bacteria. IMHO, based on the work to keep it up, it's over-rated.

Engineered quartz: Can look a lot like granite and never has to be sealed. It's non-porous and treated with an antimicrobial coating so won't harbor bacteria. Like granite, it can burn.

I bought engineered quartz (I'm lazy). I love it and wouldn't change it for the world. Everyone who sees mine thinks its granite. It is roughly the same price if you are willing to spend for a top end surface. The thing you have to be careful about with either granite or quartz is that you can easily chip plates and glasses on it. Oh yeah, and the cool surface attracts cats, particularly long haired and black cats in the summertime.

We have Silestone on all our bathroom counter tops and kitchen counter tops. I love it. I have had them for four year now and not a single cut, burn or stain. I am not the most careful person in the world either. Here is the url: http://www.silestoneusa.com/colors/colors.cfm we have the capri limestone color.

Originally Posted by Worriedmommy

We have Silestone on all our bathroom counter tops and kitchen counter tops. I love it. I have had them for four year now and not a single cut, burn or stain. I am not the most careful person in the world either. Here is the url: http://www.silestoneusa.com/colors/colors.cfm we have the capri limestone color.

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Silestone is one of the brands of engineered quartz. My brand was Cambria and chose it because Silestone didn't have the color I wanted. Since I bought it, Silestone started carrying something very close to it. Go figure.

I have granite now, its dark and shows every crumb, finger print and paw print. I have to clean it several times a day to keep it looking nice.

If I were to change countertops I would go with either soapstone, quartz or unpolished light colored granite ( or lighter than dark).

Although granite is still popular, unpolished counter tops are becoming popular. And quartz is more appealing than granite in some areas.

Cement can and does crack, although its a very beautiful look.

Soapstone is very dark in color, but it doesnt have the shiny look of granite so would probably be better for looking clean than the polished granite.

Quartz is virtually maintenance free and comes in so many beautiful colors.

And the unploshed granite with the dull finish is just gorgeous to me.

Quartz though as far as quality and maintenance and value in the long run is probably the best route to go if you want to put that kind of money into it.

Can anyone recommend any good review sites for all available stone/man-made products for countertops? I want to be able to read up and see what I want to go with.

I'm even more confused because of no one agreeing on one type.

Originally Posted by Duchess15

Can anyone recommend any good review sites for all available stone/man-made products for countertops? I want to be able to read up and see what I want to go with.

I'm even more confused because of no one agreeing on one type.

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Try these sites: http://www.kitchens.com/02-Kitchen-P...comparison.asp

and

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home...uy-countertops

Hope those help. If not, do a search for "counter top comparisons".

Originally Posted by Duchess15

Can anyone recommend any good review sites for all available stone/man-made products for countertops? I want to be able to read up and see what I want to go with.

I'm even more confused because of no one agreeing on one type.

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Do you subscribe to Consumer Reports? They had an entire issue on remodeling kitchens at the time I did my kitchen and had the pros and cons of each surface listed in there. That helped me decide on the engineered quartz.

Just sent you a PM with more information.

     The sink situation with laminate counters has been resolved.  You can have your cake and eat it too.

The latest in high-definition lanimate counters:  you CAN get either stainless steel undermounted sink or you can get a fully integrated acrylic sink, either 50/50 size (equal size tubs on both sides of double sink) or the 60/40 arrangement.  These sinks come in white or buff (cream?), have a 50-year guarantee (that's not a typo -- actually 50 years), and are the easiest possible arrangement for cleaning.  The only other surface that offers a fully integrated, seamless, sink is Corian or other solid surface.  If it is important to you to keep your sink free of the unsightly debris buildup on the edges, which regularly requires scrubbing with an old toothbrush and a lot of baking soda, then the least desirable is a top-mounted sink, the next-best is the undermounted sink where the debris still collects but is less visible, and the absolute best choice is the seamless integration, where you just wipe the counter smoothly down into the sink and the dirt goes down the drain.  Certainly most other kinds of stone and tile counters are superior to granite unless your kitchen is primarily a showplace.  Granite can crack, stain, and breed bacteria.  It's beautiful but not practical, and requires constant wiping to keep it looking nice.  So, unless you're just into snob appeal, the new high-definition Wilsonart laminate counters with integrated sinks are a terrific bargain and beautiful as well.

    No, I don't work for Wilsonart.

I wonder what countertops she decided on?

That's an interesting thread.