Help me choose countertop type and floor type for my new kitchen

[steppinthrax]

I'm going to be re-doing my whole kitchen soon. I will tear out all the old cabinets and tear up the vinyl floor. The countertop needs replacement to. Pretty much everything in the kitchen needs replacement.

I'm confused as to what type of countertop types and floor types to use. It's a small kitchen (only 8 x 13). I'm also not going to be living in the house forever. I want to do ceramic tile countertop and floor. But I heard some pretty bad things about doing it for the countertop. I don't like those laminate countertops they sell at home depot and lowes. They look pretty cheap. I don't want to go granite either since it's expensive. I'm thinking tile would be inbetween the two and look better.

I also want to do a tile floor. But again I don't know if it's worth it.

Any idea....

 

[Engraver]

I've never really liked the look of ceramic tile. Look into Corian, which is also expensive I think. We got a deal on ours so I don't know how much it really is.

 

[iamwiz82]

How is the subfloor? You should find out what condition it is in before you start planning for one type of floor or the other. There is always a surpise lurking.

I purchased solid wood counters because I dont like laminate and I didn't want to spend money on a solid stone. Solid wood actually came out a bit cheaper than laminate, as well. It's been well over a year and any stains that show up you simply sand away. Every few months you oil it with tung oil and you are good to go.

I don't like tile counters. I dont like the look and they say ithe grout can be a bit of a baterial hazard since it has so much texture.

 

[Rage187]

We went with SileStone by Dupont for our Countertops. It was pricey but not having to seal it every year like granite and the fact that bacteria won't grow on it made the ideal choice for our family.

 

[Chryso]

We found a deal on some porcelain tile and used that for our kitchen floor. Our counter top is just formica but it is a nice looking formica.

 

[jmcoreymv]

You might consider concrete counters, I've heard some good things about them, but dont know for sure.

 

[DBL]

Originally posted by: Rage187
We went with SileStone by Dupont for our Countertops. It was pricey but not having to seal it every year like granite and the fact that bacteria won't grow on it made the ideal choice for our family.

You don't need to seal real granite every year.

OP, why not look at granite tiles as a compromise?

 

[DBL]

Originally posted by: jmcoreymv
You might consider concrete counters, I've heard some good things about them, but dont know for sure.

You need a good installer which makes them one of the more pricey options.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
How is the subfloor? You should find out what condition it is in before you start planning for one type of floor or the other. There is always a surpise lurking.

I purchased solid wood counters because I dont like laminate and I didn't want to spend money on a solid stone. Solid wood actually came out a bit cheaper than laminate, as well. It's been well over a year and any stains that show up you simply sand away. Every few months you oil it with tung oil and you are good to go.

I don't like tile counters. I dont like the look and they say ithe grout can be a bit of a baterial hazard since it has so much texture.

That's actually a good question. I removed a air register from the kitchen floor and found there to be about 2 to three subfloors. Looks like the original floor was laminate with it's own subfloor underneath it. Then someone put another subfloor ontop of that and put viynl. In my basement I can see the kitchen floor underneath and it looks like one of the layers (maybe top) was screwed down because I can see the screw popping out the bottom.

Part of the reason for replacing the floor is I'm getting a lot of creaking noises from the kitchen floor and I believe the many subfloors has something to do with it as well as the nails holding the original floor need to be replaced with screws.....

 

[JulesMaximus]

We just finished remodeling our kitchen with granite countertops. Couldn't possibly be happier with them. :thumbsup:

We had ceramic tile before and hated it because of the grout, hard to keep clean and it is easy to stain, also tile is prone to chipping, especially on the corners and edges.

Pic

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
We just finished remodeling our kitchen with granite countertops. Couldn't possibly be happier with them. :thumbsup:

We had ceramic tile before and hated it because of the grout, hard to keep clean and it is easy to stain, also tile is prone to chipping, especially on the corners and edges.

Pic

that turned out really nice, I remember the water damage pics of the old one

I also have had granite my last two places and don't plan to go back.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
We just finished remodeling our kitchen with granite countertops. Couldn't possibly be happier with them. :thumbsup:

We had ceramic tile before and hated it because of the grout, hard to keep clean and it is easy to stain, also tile is prone to chipping, especially on the corners and edges.

Pic

Yeh, the chipping aspect of tile sucks. Especially in a kitchen where you run a higher risk of dropping pots/pans/utensils/ect on it. Plus for those of us that live in colder parts of the country, tile is freaking cold if you walk on it barefoot.

I know it's not as classy, but it's hard to go wrong with a heavy duty vinyl flooring in the kitchen. Easy to clean, durable, and a bit softer and warmer on the feet than wood/tile.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
We just finished remodeling our kitchen with granite countertops. Couldn't possibly be happier with them. :thumbsup:

We had ceramic tile before and hated it because of the grout, hard to keep clean and it is easy to stain, also tile is prone to chipping, especially on the corners and edges.

Pic

that turned out really nice, I remember the water damage pics of the old one

I also have had granite my last two places and don't plan to go back.

Thanks. It's a huge improvement...and insurance paid for most of it. :thumbsup:

 

[Rudee]

I have tile floors and they are a pain to clean because of the grout as others have mentioned. Also, they can chip if you drop heavy objects. I'd recommend Vinyl flooring. The new vinyl flooring looks real sharp. If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't own stainless appliances (pain in the ass keeping fingerprints from showing) and tile floors (pain in the ass to clean grout).

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Rudee
I have tile floors and they are a pain to clean because of the grout as others have mentioned. Also, they can chip if you drop heavy objects. I'd recommend Vinyl flooring. The new vinyl flooring looks real sharp. If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't own stainless appliances (pain in the ass keeping fingerprints from showing) and tile floors (pain in the ass to clean grout).

It's not that bad. Wipe down the appliances once a week and mop the floors once a week and you should be fine. Besides, vinyl flooring dents when you drop something on it and after a few years it starts to look like it has chickenpox.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Rudee
I have tile floors and they are a pain to clean because of the grout as others have mentioned. Also, they can chip if you drop heavy objects. I'd recommend Vinyl flooring. The new vinyl flooring looks real sharp. If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't own stainless appliances (pain in the ass keeping fingerprints from showing) and tile floors (pain in the ass to clean grout).

It's not that bad. Wipe down the appliances once a week and mop the floors once a week and you should be fine. Besides, vinyl flooring dents when you drop something on it and after a few years it starts to look like it has chickenpox.

Not necessarily true about vinyl. It just depends on the type you put down. The high gloss, super thin & cheap stuff will do that. But if you go with a higher end stuff it's virtually impervious to dents/scuffs/punctures. Plus it almost has the same exactly look as tile.

I have people actually reach down and tap on the vinly flooring in my kitchen because it looks so much like tile.

 

[tasmanian]

I would do granite counter tops and pergo floor.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
I would do granite counter tops and pergo floor.

I wouldn't do any form of wood flooring in a kitchen that actually had a lot of use. Too much risk of moisture ruining it.

 

[Rudee]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Rudee
I have tile floors and they are a pain to clean because of the grout as others have mentioned. Also, they can chip if you drop heavy objects. I'd recommend Vinyl flooring. The new vinyl flooring looks real sharp. If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't own stainless appliances (pain in the ass keeping fingerprints from showing) and tile floors (pain in the ass to clean grout).

It's not that bad. Wipe down the appliances once a week and mop the floors once a week and you should be fine. Besides, vinyl flooring dents when you drop something on it and after a few years it starts to look like it has chickenpox.

I've owned vinyl flooring and currently own tile. If you drop a heavy cast iron pan on vinyl, it will barely show if at all. Not the same for tile. And wiping down my stainless appliances all the time is a big pain, I wish I had white as it was low maintenance. They have some amazing vinyl floor out now that looks like real tile or real granite and it's beautiful. I wouldn't go tile again. Maybe in my entranceway in the front, but not in a large kitchen like I have.

 

[Jugernot]

Look into solid surface countertops, they are better than laminate and cheaper than granite (but don't look as nice).

As for your flooring, I'd go with Porceline over Ceramic. It has a higher PEI rating, which basically means it can handles impacts better.

 

[NL5]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
I would do granite counter tops and pergo floor.

 

[amdskip]

I'm planning on laying tile in my entrance and through the hallway right into the kitchen. The tile I have picked looks very similar to what JulesMaximus has in his kitchen. It's going to be a project though as I have termite damage in the kitchen to repair. I think the floor joists are solid but the plywood and rimjoist have been chewed apart and the the sliding door is getting replaced that sit on top of this mess. Not looking forward to it.

 

[krotchy]

It was mentioned before, but I second it. Granite Tiles are a great choice for counters, as its alot cheaper than slab granite, looks good and is very durable.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: tasmanian
I would do granite counter tops and pergo floor.

I wouldn't do any form of wood flooring in a kitchen that actually had a lot of use. Too much risk of moisture ruining it.

I wouldn't either.

Floor tile is pretty tough IMO. We've dropped things on it that I was sure would chip it and it hasn't. It isn't all that difficult to replace one tile if you damage it anyway. I like having tile in our kitchen. When it comes time to replace it I think we'll probably go with 18x18 tile or perhaps travertine like we have in our entry area and downstairs bathroom. Travertine is even worse than tile for chipping but it is simply gorgeous.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
We just finished remodeling our kitchen with granite countertops. Couldn't possibly be happier with them. :thumbsup:

We had ceramic tile before and hated it because of the grout, hard to keep clean and it is easy to stain, also tile is prone to chipping, especially on the corners and edges.

Pic

:thumbsup:

now you just need some under cabinet lighting