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kitchen countertops??

Z

zixxer

Diamond Member
Right now my house has crappy laminate countertops... I really want to replace them, but I don't know what I want to use..



Since I have laminate now, do you think it is okay just to lay a slab of granite on them (as far as weight is concerned..)?


Anyone have corian or quartz stuff and like it?


How about the tile countertops?


also - my counter top has no corners or bends - is this something I can tackle myself?
 
I've seen a lot of nice places use tile in leui of granite. It's pretty nice if it's finished right...

Granite is pretty expensive and is costly to repair if anything ever happens to it.
 
I wanted to do that too... then I saw the prices...

I put Formica countertops back in my kitchen... lol

I did go with the beveled edge in a 2nd coordinating color though.... looks alot better than the standard squared edge.
 
granite is extremely heavy. You need to make sure your cabinets will support it. You can get a lot of manufactured products that look like granite.
 
Tile (granite, ceramic, whatever) is the cheapest option. While better than laminate, it doesn't show nearly as well and cleaning it is more of a hassle. If you go with ceramic, maintenance will be a hassle......I'd rather have laminate.

Corian is a bad idea. It really scratches easily. We've spoken with a few people who got it and they all remarked about that. The big benefit of it, for me, would be the built-in sinks which leave no seams and the color options......but it looks very modern and you'll undoubtedly be paying to have it sanded and refinished as the scratches get to you. Check out any home store and you'll see it scratched to hell just by the display fruit baskets and whatnot.

The quartz products (Silestone, Caesarstone, Zodiaq) are superior to granite in that they are less porous and is mass produced so there's no variation between slabs. Some people like the consistent patterns and colors.

Nothing matches granite, imo, for appearance. It's the third least porous countertop material (behind soapstone and quartz) so it needs to be sealed. Cost is actually a tiny bit below quartz.


Laminate is easy to remove, so you really don't need to put granite over top of it. Besides, then your countertops would be out of standard height and that might show poorly when you go to sell some day.

I went through all this with my parents' while they did their house and we're doing our kitchen this year.
 
Originally posted by: RCN
Concrete.....
Click to expand...

It always cracks and is more expensive than granite because only a few specialized installers do it. And you may need to reinforce your base cabinets to support it.

Heck, while we're at it, let's throw in lava stone......they place it in a forge with pigments and it melts into this shiny impermeable material.

Back to the real world. If you really like the idea of a solid surface like Corian with built in sinks and whatnot, you may want to consider acrylic. And I think acrylic is cheaper than granite.
 
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: RCN
Concrete.....
Click to expand...

It always cracks and is more expensive than granite because only a few specialized installers do it. And you may need to reinforce your base cabinets to support it.

Heck, while we're at it, let's throw in lava stone......they place it in a forge with pigments and it melts into this shiny impermeable material.

Back to the real world. If you really like the idea of a solid surface like Corian with built in sinks and whatnot, you may want to consider acrylic. And I think acrylic is cheaper than granite.
Click to expand...


:Q Why would anyone use concrete for countertops :Q
 
Also note that depending on what color you get and the lighting, you will be cleaning granite after every time someone touches it. Granite, especially darker granite shows every tiny smudge.
 
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: RCN
Concrete.....
Click to expand...

It always cracks and is more expensive than granite because only a few specialized installers do it. And you may need to reinforce your base cabinets to support it.

Heck, while we're at it, let's throw in lava stone......they place it in a forge with pigments and it melts into this shiny impermeable material.

Back to the real world. If you really like the idea of a solid surface like Corian with built in sinks and whatnot, you may want to consider acrylic. And I think acrylic is cheaper than granite.
Click to expand...

You have absolutely no idea what your talking about as far as cracking and he is about ten miles from me so I know for a fact there are plenty of installers. 😉
 
Originally posted by: cliftonite
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: RCN
Concrete.....
Click to expand...

It always cracks and is more expensive than granite because only a few specialized installers do it. And you may need to reinforce your base cabinets to support it.

Heck, while we're at it, let's throw in lava stone......they place it in a forge with pigments and it melts into this shiny impermeable material.

Back to the real world. If you really like the idea of a solid surface like Corian with built in sinks and whatnot, you may want to consider acrylic. And I think acrylic is cheaper than granite.
Click to expand...


:Q Why would anyone use concrete for countertops :Q
Click to expand...

Why wouldn't they?
http://www.decorative-concrete.net/photos_countertops.php
http://www.decorative-concrete.net/cheng_value.php
 
Originally posted by: RCN
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: RCN
Concrete.....
Click to expand...

It always cracks and is more expensive than granite because only a few specialized installers do it. And you may need to reinforce your base cabinets to support it.

Heck, while we're at it, let's throw in lava stone......they place it in a forge with pigments and it melts into this shiny impermeable material.

Back to the real world. If you really like the idea of a solid surface like Corian with built in sinks and whatnot, you may want to consider acrylic. And I think acrylic is cheaper than granite.
Click to expand...

You have absolutely no idea what your talking about as far as cracking and he is about ten miles from me so I know for a fact there are plenty of installers. 😉
Click to expand...

A wee bit super-hyper-defensive aren't we?

In case anybody is curious about cracking don't take my word or RCN's word for it....go to google and type in "concrete countertops" click on the top results and read the FAQs. 😉
 
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: RCN
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: RCN
Concrete.....
Click to expand...

It always cracks and is more expensive than granite because only a few specialized installers do it. And you may need to reinforce your base cabinets to support it.

Heck, while we're at it, let's throw in lava stone......they place it in a forge with pigments and it melts into this shiny impermeable material.

Back to the real world. If you really like the idea of a solid surface like Corian with built in sinks and whatnot, you may want to consider acrylic. And I think acrylic is cheaper than granite.
Click to expand...

You have absolutely no idea what your talking about as far as cracking and he is about ten miles from me so I know for a fact there are plenty of installers. 😉
Click to expand...

A wee bit super-hyper-defensive aren't we?

In case anybody is curious about cracking don't take my word or RCN's word for it....go to google and type in "concrete countertops" click on the top results and read the FAQs. 😉
Click to expand...


:roll: properly installed counter tops do not crack.

Sensetive/ defensive? Sure I still own part of a rather large decorative concrete company. I get a bit annoyed when someone's source for info is the top results from google and they have no experience owning or with what goes into a proper countertop.

I get just as annoyed with companies that claim to be able to produce a quality top but have no idea wtf they are doing.

Why don't you just link to the FAQ?
 
Originally posted by: RCN
:roll: properly installed counter tops do not crack.

Defensive? Sure I still own part of a rather large decorative concrete company. I get a bit annoyed when someone's source for info is the top results from google and they have no experience owning or with what goes into a proper countertop.

I get just as annoyed with companies that claim to be able to produce a quality top but have no idea wtf they are doing.
Click to expand...

And I get annoyed when people come here to pitch their product and offer nothing but some fancy pictures and "their word".

Are you telling me that your concrete will never crack? Fantastic....do you offer a 100% lifetime guarantee of full replacement if it does? Can you post this guarantee? Thanks.
 
Granite is an excellent choice. Easy to clean and looks great.

Downside - if your asshole roommate leaves oil on the granite, it isn't going to come off easy. 2 months of using a paste to clean it up, and it isn't working. The oil was sitting there for at least 2 weeks.
 
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: RCN
:roll: properly installed counter tops do not crack.

Defensive? Sure I still own part of a rather large decorative concrete company. I get a bit annoyed when someone's source for info is the top results from google and they have no experience owning or with what goes into a proper countertop.

I get just as annoyed with companies that claim to be able to produce a quality top but have no idea wtf they are doing.
Click to expand...

And I get annoyed when people come here to pitch their product and offer nothing but some fancy pictures and "their word".


Are you telling me that your concrete will never crack? Fantastic....do you offer a 100% lifetime guarantee of full replacement if it does? Can you post this guarantee? Thanks.
Click to expand...


Actually yes. Lifetime replacement.


Get annoyed all you want. It doesn't change the fact that you know nothing about concrete. For starters all concrete is not the same. You have different ratios, curing additives, bonding additives, etc. All of which will yield a different result. You can't just say concrete= concrete= concrete. Your statement that all concrete tops will crack is wrong.

Also I'm not pitching a product. I'm defending one that I have specific knowledge of. He is not likely to choose concrete and even if he did the company I have interest in is 400+ miles away.............for the record they install other types of stone and solid surface too.

Given the choice in my own home my counters would be concrete.......
 
my parents have corian.....it looks reallly nice but 1. that stuff is mad expensive, 2. we needed to get it recut to fit a new cooktop and no one would do it cause the entire countertop is custom manufactured in one piece, so if it cracked the entire thing would have to be replaced (a $12000 piece)
 
I would talk to a granite expert but I'm pretty sure that you will not be able to lay the granite on top of your old counter top. Beside it will look like as.

I don't like the the plastic shiny look of Corian.

The quartz stuff is nice but one of the more expensive options.

I was not a big fan of laminate until I say my friends kitchen. I don't know what they uses but it looks really nice. The nice thing about laminate is you don't have to worry about upkeep. Most natural stones you need to make sure that they are sealed and that any corrosive material do not sit on them for any length of time.

I doing a granite counter in my bathroom but when I redo my kitchen I think that I'll stick with laminate.

As to the doing it your self

I think that laminate would be your only option. I think with natural stone they will want to come in and measure it so they can cut it to the exact dimensions. I guess you could install it once the final piece is delivered to you.
 
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