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!

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Going to replace the countertops in our new place. We went and looked at top end granite/quartz counter top places last week. Went to Ikea. You can't get granite down here for $49 with installation. Unless its remnant or plain. Most are $59-$89. Quartz is $100.

We here negatives about every option.

There are 2 negatives about Quartz:
1. That market is controlled by one family. Even though there are several brands available, it all comes from the same source. That means they control the price.
2. If you have an accident, it's not something that can be repaired easily. But that's the case with all except solid surface which can be sanded and worked like wood to fix nicks and scratches.

[RyFo18]

Just re-did mine last August. Granite these days only needs to be sealed every 15 years, so we went with that. It wasn't a ton cheaper than Quartz but I didn't feel it necessary to spend the extra money. There's plenty of different flavors of granite as well.

Here's my album of my renovation if anyone is curious to see them: https://plus.google.com/photos/11645...39197625522753

Good job RyFo.

[Marada]

I went through the countertop arguement as well. Granite and Quartz were pricey and needed sealing. Laminate looks good for a short time but can stain and is hard to work with if the walls are not exactly square. I decided to attempt a countertop myself using tile. Here's how it came out. Easy to maintain, heat does not bother it. And the best part, a third of the cost.

Your tile looks better than 99% of the DIY efforts out there, though. You must be very meticulous. Quartz doesn't need sealing.

[Marada]

The hardest part is the prep. Really had to pay attention and make sure the counters were square. Then 3/4 inch mdf on top of the counters. 1/4 inch backer board on top of the mdf that had a coat of thinset.

[suds79]

Originally Posted by RyFo18

Just re-did mine last August. Granite these days only needs to be sealed every 15 years, so we went with that. It wasn't a ton cheaper than Quartz but I didn't feel it necessary to spend the extra money. There's plenty of different flavors of granite as well.

Here's my album of my renovation if anyone is curious to see them: https://plus.google.com/photos/11645...39197625522753

Awesome work.

[Fire Me Boy!]

I want to see pr_capone's DIY counters.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by Marada

I went through the countertop arguement as well. Granite and Quartz were pricey and needed sealing. Laminate looks good for a short time but can stain and is hard to work with if the walls are not exactly square. I decided to attempt a countertop myself using tile. Here's how it came out. Easy to maintain, heat does not bother it. And the best part, a third of the cost.

thats really nice work! Better than a lot of tilesetters we've had on jobs.

[Marada]

Originally Posted by suds79

Awesome work.

Ditto on the job. Doesn't it feel good to look at later on and say, "I Did This"? I noticed you installed the range vent correctly. Whoever put the old one in at my place just had it venting to the attic.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by Marada

The hardest part is the prep. Really had to pay attention and make sure the counters were square. Then 3/4 inch mdf on top of the counters. 1/4 inch backer board on top of the mdf that had a coat of thinset.

Im thinking of doing tile when I redo mine as well...yours came out great! What do you think of doing much thinner grout lines with a dark granite type of tile? Would there be any negatives to doing like REALLY thin grout lines? I dont have a ton of experience with tile, other than little entry ways and small bathroom floors.

[Jimmya]

I also want to know about the thin lines also. Thanks

[Marada]

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

Im thinking of doing tile when I redo mine as well...yours came out great! What do you think of doing much thinner grout lines with a dark granite type of tile? Would there be any negatives to doing like REALLY thin grout lines? I dont have a ton of experience with tile, other than little entry ways and small bathroom floors.

When I was doing my research I decided agains't the thin grount lines for a couple reasons. First was because you have to use unsanded grout for thin and sanded is stronger. Second was for ease of cleaning. Thin tends to retain crud. While installing I found the 1/4 inch was forgiving as to hiding little cut imperfections.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

thats really nice work! Better than a lot of tilesetters we've had on jobs.

We can agree on this. Marada, looks great. Sure you didn't photoshop that work?

[Marada]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

We can agree on this. Marada, looks great. Sure you didn't photoshop that work?

Oh I'm sure, if you get close you can see little errors. The tile edges aren't as smooth as I'd like as well, just used a cheap $59.00 tile saw. But over all I'm very pleased. Total cost was under $500 for the counter top