Countertops?

We have used butcher block in the last two kitchens and there is no fancy upkeep-- I love it, easy peasy, and so beautiful

Bae, Love the Tormek? (I picked up one with some jigs, for under $200/estate sale) I am trying to learn it now. I've had the surface plate a while, and you I am sure know that granite countertops are not flat, in relation to them.

Fidgie.
Do you have a Habitat ReStore around? This is a place to look for used stuff, as well as assorted sizes of stone. Ours gets enough that would be large enough for a mantle or misc tables, but typically not large enough for kitchen counters (not there every day, so I don't know when it comes in, or if they have larger slabs that day). Stone can be cut with the tools, but not the same blades, as wood. Diamond blades are typically used in circular saws for stone or tile, and diamond drill bits for boring, but these both need lubrication (damp sponges I have seen used). For rounding the edges, I don't know what bits are used, but the router that I have seen used is a higher end, heavy duty router (Milwaukee 5625).
For butcher block counters, it depends on how they are made. There are counters that are in the style of butcher block, without being butcher block (BB entails a special finish, food grade mineral oil). Ikea I know is one place that sells them, but also places like Woodcraft and Grizzly tools.

The ReUse/ReStore locations around here are big enough for countertops. My experience in raiding them for both my house and my mom's place, though, is that they're much better at stocking countertop styles that could most kindly be termed "vintage"; rarely something as nice as marble/granite or even solid-surface. Then there is the matter of finding one with holes and angles in the right places, etc. I've learned that they occasionally get some very nice countertops and cabinets from some higher-end homes, but those barely hit the sales floor before they're spoken for. Re[Whatever] can be a great deal if you have the time and patience to keep looking or can find a sympathetic clerk willing to give you a heads-up as items come in. But if you're on any kind of schedule, you'll be better off choosing a lower-cost material and going ahead with your plans.

Ikea has some really nice wood countertops at prices that are much lower than anywhere else.
I know several people who used Ikea for their entire kitchens and are very pleased.

I'm happy with my sturdy tiled counters; I have brown grout that doesn't get nasty looking.

Toomuchstuff, yes, we have one, and they have advertised slabs in the past . . . not sure if they would have worked or not, didn't give them too much thought because we weren't sure how to cope with them, but will have to bear your advice in mind and look at them in a new light as we move forward. Thanks!

Based on what I see on HGTV I think granite may be going out of style. People seem to be griping that it's ugly and that they prefer other solid surface tops. Personally I agree. Granite can be beautiful, but so much of it is just dreadful but for years people oooo'd and ahhhh'd over it just because it's granite and ignored whether it actually looked nice.

Having been to the Rock of Ages granite quarry in NH I'm not so concerned about environmental issues, other than perhaps the fuel cost to ship such a heavy thing long distances. The quarry is certainly not so dreadful as mountaintop removal to get at coal is. And if we somehow use up all the granite I suppose we can just switch to another counter surface. It's not as though granite is some critical resource that we use for something more important than countertops. In the unlikely event that we run out life will go on just fine.

Our apartment has ceaserstone, which we love. It looks nice and is EASY to keep clean. It also has an undermount sink which makes cleanup even easier.

If I had my way, if I redid the kitchen, I'd go all stainless, with floor drains and such. This is why I never get my way :-)

http://millsspecialtymetals.com/wp-c...n-fixtures.jpg

I don't understand why you don't get your way, bae. That kitchen looks great! And very practical. When I was in high school my first job was as a bus boy/dish washer in a restaurant. If I worked the closing shift one of my tasks was to use the "hot hose" (it was connected to a water heater that produced a non-stop flow of 190 degree water) to clean up the floor and wall area by the dishwater. A kitchen like you want would be so easy to keep clean as long as it had a hot hose like I used all those years ago!

Exactly, I worked in a place like that in college. I like being able to move everything easily to clean too.

I will try to resell the idea once we have college paid off, and Alan is paying for my healthcare finally.

Ugh! We don't like our bisque colored corian! Stains like crazy!