Countertops

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Tell me about your countertops - granite, quartz, solid surface.

What did you go with?
What do you / don't you like about them.
What would you do different?


Go!

[Bugeater]

We have laminate. And we will probably always have laminate. In fact we will probably always have same damn laminate we have now because in one area of our kitchen the upper cabinets come all the way down and sit on the countertop and I don't see how they could be replaced without dismantling the cabinets in that area which I don't really want to do. Didn't really think about that when we bought the house.

[Mr. Laz]

granite looks cool as hell but it will also break some shit


surprising how different it is when setting a plate down on a granite top

[suds79]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

We have laminate. And we will probably always have laminate. In fact we will probably always have same damn laminate we have now because in one area of our kitchen the upper cabinets come all the way down and sit on the countertop and I don't see how they could be replaced without dismantling the cabinets in that area which I don't really want to do. Didn't really think about that when we bought the house.

Why? Too much work? Expense of new cabinets?

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

There's maintenance?

supposed to put this clear sealant on it every 6 months or so

[The Bad Guy]

I have black quartz countertops and love them. My brother has granite and hates the staining and maintenance.

[DJ's left nut]

Ironically enough, I just went and looked at a couple of places for granite countertops on Saturday.

I'm going to be in this house for another 3-5 years at most, but it's laminate counters and those just suck so I'll probably have to replace them when I try to sell the thing. As such, I'm just going to put them in now so I can enjoy them before I sell them.

That said - I'm not going to go get the exotic laminate because this isn't my long-term house at this point. So for the guys that have actually done this, is $49 installed for basic granite tops with the 'lifetime' seal (that should last the 5 years I need it to) a decent price? It seems like the going base rate.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by suds79

Why? Too much work? Expense of new cabinets?

Yeah, both of those things on top of the expense of new countertops. I'm sure that particular unit was custom made and would probably not be able to be pulled out intact nor do I know if it could be removed without damaging the cabinets around it. Then trying to match finishes that are over 15 years old can be tricky as well. It's one of those things that would probably escalate into an entire kitchen remodel and there are more pressing issues with the house. Luckily for me I don't hate the laminate we have 'cause we're stuck with it for a while.

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

We went with an engineered stone over granite. It was more expensive, but doesnt require any maint. unlike granite. It was more expensive though....i think its called Silestone?

aka "Quartz".

Originally Posted by suds79

I thought making concrete countertops was suppose to be inexpensive?

So you're telling me expensive and we all know very heavy? Pass then.

We have some friends who got quartz and seem to like them. I like it also. They told me that they weren't terribly expensive. Think they spend 2-3 G on their whole setup. (naturally this changes depending on the amount you need)

I'm personally a fan of granite and soapstone but I hear they're both very expensive.

You can make rudimentary concrete countertops cheaply if you DIY. But they're rough. Finishing tools for concrete are essentially the same as the tools for Granite and they get expensive. It's also labor intensive. I don't recommend anybody attempt to DIY concrete tops unless they have both carpentry and concrete experience. It's a lot harder than it appears on HGTV. Granite is cheap these days. It's

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Ironically enough, I just went and looked at a couple of places for granite countertops on Saturday.

I'm going to be in this house for another 3-5 years at most, but it's laminate counters and those just suck so I'll probably have to replace them when I try to sell the thing. As such, I'm just going to put them in now so I can enjoy them before I sell them.

That said - I'm not going to go get the exotic laminate because this isn't my long-term house at this point. So for the guys that have actually done this, is $49 installed for basic granite tops with the 'lifetime' seal (that should last the 5 years I need it to) a decent price? It seems like the going base rate.

You can do better than that price at somewhere other than Home Depot but it's not a horrible price.

[Molitoth]

quartz ftw.

Originally Posted by tooge

U call it a shower seat? I call it a **** bench. Regardless. It's awesome.

If I knew then what I know now, I'd have heated the **** bench too. I still love your bathroom. When you're old and start wintering in Florida, I want to house-sit for you. That's one helluva master suite.

[dtebbe]

Our new home has granite and quartz. Our previous home had quartz (Cambria). I like the quartz best of the 2. I like how the quartz is more uniform and requires zero maintenance. We have some beautiful granite in the new home, but the quartz in my bar area (Zodiac in this case) is my favorite in the house.

One thing to check on is to try and find the actual importer/fabricator in your area and see if they have a "boneyard" of remnants from previous jobs. Here in Atlanta we used Oldcastle and got everything in our house (except the kitchen) out of the boneyard for only $32/sqare foot. This included some quartz that is $64 and the granite in our master was almost $95. At that price we put granite everywhere (including our guest baths) for not much more than what cultured costs. Best of all we don't have the exact same stuff everywhere in our house.

DT

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Phobia

You can do better than that price at somewhere other than Home Depot but it's not a horrible price.

Thanks; I'd like to throw some business your way, but A) I'm a few hours away and B) You seem to do higher end work than I care to worry about with this house. Sorry.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Thanks; I'd like to throw some business your way, but A) I'm a few hours away and B) You seem to do higher end work than I care to worry about with this house. Sorry.

Always get at least three bids when doing any renovations or home improvements. If there's a local granite supplier/installer, be sure to contact them as well.

Lowe's and Home Depot are great because of the insurance they carry. It's been pretty well documented over the years but I've done a ridiculous amount of renovations to my home over the past ten years. I had a bad situation with Lowe's but because of their insurance, it was resolved to my satisfaction.

In July 2003, we hired Lowe's to install our kitchen cabinets. We had torn out a wall in order to expand the kitchen by 12 feet and I basically designed the room myself. Lowe's came out, took measurements, then put them into their computer incorrectly and had to come out again. The cabinets were ordered (the same exact cabinets at a local business cost $5k more) and they sent our their installers.

I had several crews working that day and was managing everyone. One of the Lowe's guys smelled like he had been drinking, which wasn't good. Anyway, they installed the cabinets and they looked great. Then came the time to install the pulls (handles). Well, the drunk guy did them and on every single cabinet and drawer, they were crooked! Every stinkin' one. So I called Lowe's and they sent out their head contractor.

He checked everything out and agreed they were a mess. So, Lowe's ordered all new doors and drawer fronts, which took another month. So by October, my kitchen wasn't complete. Finally, the cabinet and drawer faces came in November and another crew was sent out in which they were "mostly" put on correctly. So more faces were ordered and I finally had the manager out to my home to check everything out. He agreed that the work was shoddy and offered to refund my entire installation fee, which was $2500 dollars. I agreed and we've had a fully intact kitchen since late December 2003.

I've had some absolutely terrible experiences with contractors, where they don't finish the job or do it so poorly that the work has had to be re-done. But thanks to Lowe's and their insurance, the job was finally done correctly.

Good luck!