Kitchen countertops

I love quartz counters. I am not sure what its would run you.. I bet its spendy.

The granite store in my town has some killer deals right now because they hurting for business. The prices are almost half what they were last year.

I bet you could find great deals in your area. 

I'm all for stainless steel.  You can get it with designs and best of all it doesn't like growing bacteria and stuff.  And it's easy to keep clean!  Hey, if it's good enough for the operating room that will cut you open on it...it's good enough for my house!

what about ikea? now, maybe I'm wrong, but when I look at their catalog, it seems remarkably cheap, I'm hoping someone who knows more about this can look and post, it's ikea.com, then go to kitchen, then to countertops.  For the nice black quartz looking ones, for the longest it's only 80 or something?

We've put in cheap laminate before, it wasn't hard at all, just need to take your time measuring and cutting of course, we actually hired a handy man at 20/hour to do it, took him 3 hours, we were selling the investment property and needed lots of work done quickly, but my husband could do it also.

also, I wonder about the ikea, they don't say whether you can cut or how you do the seams if yours is longer, I don't mean in the front, but on the actual countertop.  And we have an island we would like to match, but ikea doesn't have that?

My sister used to lay tile and marble and do designing work, so I learned how, tiling is very easy, you can usually go to lowes or home depot, they have free weekend classes, and they teach this.  You can rent a tile cutter (the cheap ones are headaches, better to rent one for the day) and find discontinued tile.  The reason I wouldn't want it for myself is that with 5 kids, it would be pain to clean up and the tiles can break, so you need to buy extra, but i've seen houses that are beautiful with it.

I have had tile and the grout stains easily even when it is sealed.  I want marble in my next house.

Check out Wilsonart.com. Look at their HD laminate. It gives the look of real granite at about a fifth of the cost. It has a deep, almost 3D look to the surface whaile at the same time being as durable as any standard laminate on the market. One trick, have it fabricated with a rolled edge. That really adds to the "granite or stone" look to it. Lots of colors and patterns to choose from.

I saw an interesting look on one of the laminate sites - Wilsonart, I think. The photo gallery had a kitchen with a stainless-looking backsplash and granite-look countertop. Another had a coppery backsplash.

We have both backsplash and countertop to do, since this 1963 house has Formica on countertop and backsplash.  I thinking of a tile backsplash, then while I consider what trend will come next, maybe going with a laminate top with wooden edge (doesn't look plastic when it's a wooden edge to match cabinets.) My chief worry is to spend thousands on granite or quartz, then the pattern or color of granite I choose go out of style in a couple of years. I see buyers whining and moaning over emerald green marble and granite countertops that were height of desirability 9 years ago. I can't afford to renovate a kitchen every five years in case I have to sell one day.

Oh.. I forgot to be clearer in the first paragraph of my post above. The stainless and copper-looking backsplashes were metal looking laminates, cheaper than the real thing.

The only thing I have against stainless steel countertops is that acids, such as vinegar, can leave dark spots if not properly sealed, and it can be very, very clangy and loud in a home that is loud enough with dogs, teen, dishwasher, humming fridge and TV in family room!

Thanks for all the replies!  The stainless steel is a no-go in this kitchen, much too modern for the style of house and cabinetry.  I LOVE tile, but I think I need a smooth surface... maybe tile on the backsplash.  I did check out the wilsonart stuff and it's beautiful.  Smooth, durable, pretty, and reasonably priced.  I may just have to price them both out (granite and wilsonart) and see what works. 

Thanks everyone :o)

I have used 18 inch Travertine tiles,   its a real nice look, you get the stone with little grout lines,  if you do it yourself the travertine is less than $4 a foot and is not too hard to install.

Pinks, we got a great deal on granite in our last house.  We chose from the remnants in their back storage area.  Maybe you can call around some granite places and see if they have remnats from any large jobs they are doing that can be used for a cheaper rate.  In fact, they didn't even charge us for the stone, only the cutting and installation.  It ended up to be $3300 - and the guy let us have a 10% cash discount too - and I mean green cash.  ;-)

Pinks

ask around and look for wholesalers who have gone bankrupt in the past couple of months.  You just might be able to afford that granite countertop as a lot of wholesalers are hurting so bad atm that they are starting to give the stuff away.

Regards

I still like Corian by Dupont.

I had to cut some corners on my Kitchen remodel and ended up using 12x12 granite tile from Floor Decor it was very reasonable and I was able to have "what I wanted".

My husband and I watched the PBS "how to tile countertops" video. It was then that we decided the cost of the videotape was worth what we paid for it, triple times over, in that we knew, without a doubt, that this was NOT a job that we could ever do on our own that improve our home value rather than lower it. :)

lol lucy, that would be me :o)

Marble is so 2007 ;-) Consider something else like Quarts. I was at Ikea the other day and saw something that resembled metal countertops. When i got close up it was a cement / stone top painted to resemble a metal/aluminum look. Very different and complimented the steel accents in the demo kitchen. I like i like!

We just put in granite and love, love, love it.  We checked on prices for everything else including all of the ones mentioned and granite was cheaper than some and not much more than others.  It comes down to what will you love, we love natural things and to us our counters are like pieces of art and worth every penny.  By the way, we went with Home Depot and they did an amazing job plus their granite counter tops are pre-sealed and have a 15 yr warrenty, and they have great financing available. (not a Home Depot employee)

Great to know!  Thanks so much!  I am leaning that way being that we both really love them and will be in this house a LONNNNG time.  I'm thinking a lighter neutral color, more 'blonde'.  The black seems trendy, though I do like it.

something like this

Do not get black granite. It only looks clean the 5 minutes after the cleaning lady has been there. You will hate it - especially since you have four kids. It shows everything - even black pepper, ffs.

We are looking at concrete.  There are so many stains and finishes.  We'll see if we can afford it when we get to that point!

We have corian in our house with our kids and it has proven to be very durable and easy to keep clean....

No one around here does concrete, or I would consider it. I see companies with examples of countertops that are concrete but look rather like smooth limestone or sandstone. I would like that look.  The problem is the companies around here use photos they pull from magazine photos. That tells me they may be local yokels who only think they know how to do these countertops, but really don't, or they would have a least a couple of examples of their own work.

If they aren't willing to do it in their own houses as a first client, then I'm not going to take that chance, either.

I wouldn't get black for sure... we'll see, it's costly so it may be awhile...

I met a Dupont representative at a trade show one time that demonstrated the Corian (about 4 years ago).  Not only was I extremely impressed with the "no seams", huge selection of colors, and ability to patch; but also it's exceptional durability & wear resistance.

She mentioned her pricing as a manufacturer direct installer is substantually less than what Home Depot offers for manufacturer "authorized" installers.  (I should still have her card around here someplace).

With your family's love for pink, I keep thinking coral and off white speckled counters would define the space as "yours" and would be so attractive that no one would ever think of removing them.

Corian - over 130 colors to choose from

standard colors

Primrose                    Sequoia

I couldn't figure out how to get the selected color in Dupont's renderings on their website, so the picture copied may not be that useful; but I thought we should at least see one installation example:

I think you should try Dupont's counter top selector; there website helps you select between 9 different types of countertop materials, including:

Corian

Quartz

Granite

Laminate

Tile

Bucher Block

Concrete

Stainless Steel

Alternative Stone.

Dupont Countertop material selector

I took the test; it says I would prefer quartz.  But I still like the Corian.

What Dupont says about Granite:

Creating a powerful yet sleek look in your kitchen, Granite Certified by DuPont™ provides a natural style with unique character. This extremely hard surface offers high scratch, heat and stain resistance, but it does require periodic sealing to prevent staining. Because there are many varieties of granite, the look, quality and performance can vary depending on the type and quarry.

What Dupont says about Quartz:

Available in many colors, including those not found in natural stone, DuPont™ Zodiaq® quartz surfaces combine radiant beauty and high performance. Harder than other natural stones, quartz surfaces are nonporous and never require sealing. These surfaces offer high resistance to scratches, stains and heat.

What Dupont says about Corian:

Offering a seamless, elegant look, DuPont ™ Corian® solid surfaces come in a wide variety of colors, patterns and styles. These durable, nonporous surfaces are easy to clean and maintain, plus they're stain- and heat-resistant. Because the color and pattern go all the way through the surface, scratches and other damages are repairable.

What Dupont says about Laminate:

Available in thousands of colors and patterns, laminate can imitate the look of more expensive surfaces. Laminate is easy on the pocket, but because the color and pattern are only on the surface, it may need to be replaced sooner than other surfaces. It's stain-resistant, but the surface does not offer protection from scratches or heat.

What Dupont says about Alternative stone:

Marble, soapstone and limestone are all popular examples of alternative stone countertop surfaces. Adding a distinctive and sophisticated look, these alternative stone surfaces offer many advantages for a busy kitchen. However, most of these surfaces are less resistant to scratches and stains than other natural countertop surfaces, like granite and quartz.

What Dupont says about concrete:

Featuring unique texture and detailing, concrete adds contemporary style and surprising warmth to a kitchen. Available in a wide range of colors, this countertop surface offers sufficient resistance to scratches and heat, but can absorb stains easily and requires sealing regularly.

DuPont plant is near me. If it weren't for the ah... questions... about teflon, I'd want Teflon floors, walls, countertops and siding. :) Wash and rinse.