Kitchen countertop suggestions

[forgop]

I'm waiting for word to come back on an offer I made on a house today and one of the things I'd definitely like to do is upgrade the kitchen countertop and take out the existing 4" tile and upgrade a much nicer/modern tile.

So far, I think I'm wanting to go with quartz and looking to get a ballpark figure of how much it's going to set me back. Does anyone have any suggestions for particular brands of quartz or any other suggestions you might have?

Thanks!

[pnoon]

I would not go with tile but with a solid surface acrylic. We went with LG HI-MACS but Corian and Silestone are other good products, too.

[forgop]

Ok, thanks for the suggestions. I have ~ 58 sq ft I'd be looking at, so I'm trying to do this as reasonable as possible. Menards has Riverstone quartz currently on sale starting at $38.99/sq ft. Looks like I should be able to do all of this work myself.

BTW, the tile would be on the wall between the countertop splash and the bottom of the top cabinets, not an actual tile job like some people do.

[captain53]

I have owned many different kinds and my current home has polished granite and it is by far superior to anything else I have tried. Yes it is expensive but looks great and very durable with little maintenance.

[forgop]

I have owned many different kinds and my current home has polished granite and it is by far superior to anything else I have tried. Yes it is expensive but looks great and very durable with little maintenance.

In a couple of brief conversations with my realtor and brother, they seemed to discourage granite because of the potential for staining and having to seal them. On the other hand, quartz seems to be resistant to pretty much everything, except a high price tag that is. I have no idea how granite and quartz compare in price though.

[CasaDooley]

I would not go with tile but with a solid surface acrylic. We went with LG HI-MACS but Corian and Silestone are other good products, too.

Last Nov. we went with a solid surface acrylic called Staron® by Samsung and we're very happy with it!:tu

[forgop]

Last Nov. we went with a solid surface acrylic called Staron® by Samsung and we're very happy with it!:tu

I'm reluctant to get solid surface acrylic because it's a bigger risk to stains from my brief research.

[marge796]

In a couple of brief conversations with my realtor and brother, they seemed to discourage granite because of the potential for staining and having to seal them. On the other hand, quartz seems to be resistant to pretty much everything, except a high price tag that is. I have no idea how granite and quartz compare in price though.


We put a total 35 feet of granite in our kitchen & bar top 3 years ago. We spend a lot of time in our kitchen and at the bar with no issues of staining, as for the sealing goes it's takes about an hour every six months. One of the best decisions thus far with the upgrades we've made to our home. Granite is the only way to go IMO.


:tu


Chris.....

[captain53]

We put a total 35 feet of granite in our kitchen & bar top 3 years ago. We spend a lot of time in our kitchen and at the bar with no issues of staining, as for the sealing goes it's takes about an hour every six months. One of the best decisions thus far with the upgrades we've made to our home. Granite is the only way to go IMO.


:tu


Chris.....


:tpd:
About the same experience here, 9 years old and not a stain anywhere and we spill stuff on it all the time.

[Ashcan Bill]

If you go with a quartz tile, will you have grout lines?

The reason I ask is grout will stain or discolor over time. That may be a concern if you have lighter color grout.

We currently have granite, and I love it. Stains haven't been a problem for us.

[mash]

Have granite and love it. No recent issues with staining, though I did have one or two at the start, I think it may not have been properly sealed.
If it ever stains, it is easy to get out. Mix acetone and baking soda to the consistency of a snow cone (too Canadian a term?). Anyway, cover it with wax paper, tape the edges and leave for 24 hours. Next day, take off the wax paper. You will have dry powder with a stain-free countertop. No long term worries.

[Rabidsquirrel]

I like Silestone, but it's more expensive than granite. Then again, with granite at $56 a sq/ft and Silestone at $59 I guess the difference is negligible.

[skibumdc]

You get what you pay for in terms of beauty.
Nothing has the gloss and beauty of granite IMO.
Granite is natural, has a life of it's own. You can find VERY unique slabs but it will cost.

Quartz is not a solid surface but actually ground quartz mineral in a hardened resin . It is as hard/harder than stone and resists staining...but to me it just doesn't look as nice.

To me Silestone/quartz/Corian just look too uniform.

[forgop]

If you go with a quartz tile, will you have grout lines?

The reason I ask is grout will stain or discolor over time. That may be a concern if you have lighter color grout.

We currently have granite, and I love it. Stains haven't been a problem for us.

It's not quartz tile. To me, it has the same appearance qualities, but I'm thinking the quartz may be cheaper. Just a guess as I have yet to step foot in a hardware store to compare pricing and actual appearance of each next to one another.

Guess I know what the wife and I will do tomorrow afternoon.

[Smokin Gator]

I really don't know a lot about this kind of thing... but when we recently remodeled our house my wife went with Silestone. The stuff is gorgeous and we are very happy with it. I know the check I wrote for the kitchen and bathrooms was a gagger, but it sure is nice.

[68TriShield]

I'm reluctant to get solid surface acrylic because it's a bigger risk to stains from my brief research.

Not true.We've had ours for years,it's still beautiful.No stains.

[pnoon]

Not true.We've had ours for years,it's still beautiful.No stains.

+1

[markem]

Not true.We've had ours for years,it's still beautiful.No stains.

We've had our corian counters for going on 11 years. Still look like new. Don't put a hot pan directly on it (it's plastic afterall) it the only caveat.

Fully integrated sinks with no seams, lips, etc. have been an especially cool feature.

[pnoon]

Fully integrated sinks with no seams, lips, etc. have been an especially cool feature.

Ain't that the truth?!?!?!?

[E.J.]

FWIW....another happy granite owner....

Think we did tile like you are saying.... This is a pic while we were putting it in.... Pre grout...
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9818/kitchingwbacksplash.jpg

[junkinduck]

FWIW....another happy granite owner....

Think we did tile like you are saying.... This is a pic while we were putting it in.... Pre grout...
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9818/kitchingwbacksplash.jpg

Wow that is a nice looking kitchen. What wood are the cabnets made from?

As for counter tops my wife and I have been looking for a little while. We started looking at solid surface but my wife wanted something a little dark. The dark solid surface shows scratches and is not resistant to heat. The mold in sink is sweet though. The quartz was the most durable Zodiac is the one we looked at but seattled on granite because of the natural random lines that flow through it. The granite also matches the travitine floor. We haven't got it installed yet we are waiting on a couple more shifts of over time to pay for it. It went a little over 100.00 a square ft. We found granite from around 50.00 up to what ever you wanted to spend. To get anything that was "flowing" had good natural lines we were looking at 100.00+ and with a log house I wanted as much natural stone as we could afford.

[cbsmokin]

Not true.We've had ours for years,it's still beautiful.No stains.

:tpd:

Buyers want to see granite tops in kitchens. You won't regret the decision.

[Sailchaser]

granite is available with a life time seal polished into it (For a few bucks more per square)eliminating the need for sealing , in todays market I put in all surfaces and the are all good, I like all of them and the all have good benefits the only true thing to stay away from is sharp blades and extreme heat!!!
We went with a new laminate that looks and feels like stone due to our budget and we have been extremely happy with it. Most people think we have granite

[captain53]

In a couple of brief conversations with my realtor and brother, they seemed to discourage granite because of the potential for staining and having to seal them. On the other hand, quartz seems to be resistant to pretty much everything, except a high price tag that is. I have no idea how granite and quartz compare in price though.

Increasing Your Home Value With Granite Countertops
By Ryan Frank

(I am not sure about the 10% added value shwon in the article but it definitely adds value) There is a reason why virtually every house over $1 million has granite everywhere ..... it is highly desirable and it sells! But it may be a budget buster in which case there are several good lower cost quality alternatives. Beware of the $50 granites, they are much more porous than the more expensive polished granites. Probably the $80-100 range stuff is the minimum quality range you would want to use as an alternative to some of the other materials, I have had Silestone in another house and it performed well. Granite is also not suitable for the do-it-yourselfer to install.


http://ezinearticles.com/?Increasing-Your-Home-Value-With-Granite-Countertops&id=3006819

Here is another good article about the added value of granite:

http://www.kitchendesignersideas.com/kitchen_granite_countertops.html

[E.J.]

Wow that is a nice looking kitchen. What wood are the cabnets made from?



Thanks.... The cabinets are Knotty Alder with a chestnut black glaze.