I am in the planning phase of remodeling the kitchen. What surface should I use for the countertops and why?
Kitchen countertop surface
- Thread starter TunzaHawk
- Start date
Formica. What comes around goes around. Preferably a peach or raspberry color.
Well, if you ever want my wife to consider buying your house on the resale market someday, it would be a good idea to have granite countertops.
On the granite, what color? I have heard the darker surfaces will show stains. Does the same apply to lighter surfaces?
It totally depends on the expectations of home buyers in the price range at time of resale.
My FIL renovated the kitchen in his McMansion and now potential buyers are disappointed as he tries to sell and downsize.
My FIL renovated the kitchen in his McMansion and now potential buyers are disappointed as he tries to sell and downsize.
I'm a big fan of quartz countertops. They look as good (in some cases better) than granite, their manufacture process provides a more consistent product, and they are lower maintenance than granite. Oh, they also are about equal in price to granite (price can very a bit depending on which type you get).
Like anything, it depends on what characteristics are the most important to you. Want something unique, then go with an exotic granite that has a lot of veining and movement but expect to pay a premium price. Maintenance free? Then go with Quartz. It is non-porous, scratch resistant and companies like Cambria are now making Quartz tops that mimic the look of marble and stone. Quartz will typically price out at about a mid level granite. Since granite is not non-porous you do have to occasionally seal it to protect the stone from stains, etc. Quartz is 93% ground Quartz with the remainder resins that pull the particulates together to form a maintenance free product. There are many other options such as laminates, hi def laminates, solid surfaces, wood, concrete, glass and others but granite and Quartz are the most popular higher end countertop choices and either would be excellent for re-sale.
I've been told by installers that it needs to be cleaned or maintained with a special spray. I think this is because granite has pores on it (full disclosure: I actually wrote "poors" there first and was tempted to leave it, but I didn't) and they can cause stains. The spray helps prevent this. I've also heard that newer machining methods seal the granite better so this isn't as much of a problem.
As for quartz, the creation of the countertops leaves it fully sealed so no special maintenance is needed.
As for quartz, the creation of the countertops leaves it fully sealed so no special maintenance is needed.
Quartz! For those who are claiming granite you might want to check a calendar it's not 1990.
I prefer quartz myself, but you might want to watch HGTV. 95% of the buyers on that show want granite countertops, no matter the age of the buyer.
We did granite. Dark color. Doesn't show stains. I clean with soap and water every so often. Wife treats it a couple times a year with something. That's her thing. They look sharp. Did tile on the kitchen walls at the same time.
Many of those people also want 4 bedrooms, an open concept for entertaining and a pool for a budget of $250k in San Francisco.
I'm pretty sure one shouldn't live their life based on HGTV.
That is true, however the less I have to hear about it from her, the better.
We went with the standard laminate top imitation granite and it looks sharp. Only drawback is that if we wanted an under counter sink it would have cost as much as a granite top. But then we didn't go whole hog as we have a smaller house. Just reconfigured the kitchen for better flow.
We had formica, needed to get something better, and went with the linked people.
http://www.granitetransformations.com/
They install granite over your existing countertops. Our inlaws strongly recommended it after they had done it, and we liked the way theirs looked, so we contacted the local franchise holder. Very professional job. Looks beautiful. Costs about half what an all-new premium surface would cost.
They come in an do the measurements in a couple of hours. Then when they've constructed the overlay pieces, it takes them a day to install.
Cannot recommend them too highly. You owe it to yourself to at least get the info and a bid.
Who entertains? The people are always talking about having large groups over for dinner parties and ish. TBW and I are missing out on that. I also don't get the desire of an "open concept". My house is clean but when I want to relax after eating I don't need to be staring at the dirty pots and pans in the kitchen.
I've had a contractor friend recommend silestone (quartz) vs. granite to many of his customers.
Granite may be associated with 'luxury', but it's really not as worry free as most think it is (already noted above by others). I think people with the fancy, large granite countertop kitchens actually USE the kitchens far less than the average family.
Quartz over granite. Did you know that granite emits radiation on a daily basis, equivalent to one
dental x-ray a day?
dental x-ray a day?
I think a good grade of Formica is the answer. If you get tired of it in a couple of years, you can easily and affordably replace it with a pattern/color you do. A good Formica is easy to maintain, too. Very little effort needed.
Be sure to get some bids if you decide to go this route. This is a 1/4" overlay as opposed to a full 3cm granite or Quartz. I have seen several examples where the overlay total bid was very close to a lower price granite. BTW granite pricing is based more on how plentiful the stone is and not a quality issue, however the number and locations of seams a fabricator is proposing in their layout is a consideration.
Thank you all. Now that the countertop is fully developed, now I am on to flooring. Any thoughts on cork board?
Absolutely agree on the bids. Ours was just about half what it would have cost for the conventional granite countertops. The company also does quartz, but we didn't ask about the price on that.
I've had Quartz at a few places and Granite installed to sell our last house, I can tell you from experience Quartz is way better, doesn't need to be cleaned every day as it hides crumbs and such easier, I think it shines up and cleans up better and like others have said it doesn't require the sealer and other things. Granite can stain (Wine, grease, oil) Our current house has Granite in all the bathrooms and it's a pain.
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