Countertops?

[pinkytoe]

A whole lot of stainless like that reminds me of autopsy rooms...I see sheeted cadavers on those countertops

[Kestrel]

Rosarugosa: Our wood countertop required only being kept dry and the grooves cleaned out. No problem. The paneling had a finish on it already. We lived there 11 years and I don't recall any wear to it, but there must have been. Maybe some scratches? I do know the current owner refinished it, tho. We saved $$ on the countertops, but we splurged on some things: Pella windows throughout (you can see in the picture), a Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove (our only heat), and 6" walls. We had to pay a small fortune to get the Defiant stove to CA by train -- they weren't available Out West then. We didn't use the paneling for our walls, btw, but only for the ceiling in the kitchen. Another weird thing we did, I guess. I could go on ...

Some more pictures to share -- nothing to do with countertops. ... these were taken about 30 years after it was built ...


The front: https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...54277057_n.jpg

The Defiant: https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/..._3205074_n.jpg

Living Room: https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...66_42217_n.jpg
DH made the screen door.

Living Room door: https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/..._4290935_n.jpg
DH did the stained glass.

And the truck that made it all possible: Our '52 GMC one-ton truck -- #1 son learned to drive in this truck when he was seven.

EDIT: forgot to post the link to the truck! https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...20040718_n.jpg (it was green, such as it was) ...

[rosarugosa]

Kestrel: Thanks for sharing the great pictures! Your DH is quite talented. We've paid big bucks for wooden storm/screen doors - I hate the big-box aluminum ones. Very cool truck!
This thread has definitely helped me decide that wood will be the countertop material for us. Another plus for wood: my IL's have a beefy, thick oak kitchen table. It's truly a wonderful table. It has seen decades of constant use in a household of smokers, and whenever it would get a burn or two, they would just sand it and add a few coats of poly. So I like the fact that a serious burn or stain would be more fixable with wood than with other surfaces.

[gimmethesimplelife]

When the friend of my family passed on back in September 2012, I found myself working with one of his sisters to move his two properties here in Arizona. Both properties were in horrible shape - not so much dirty as unmaintained and the kitchen was the worst. Seriously the appliances had never been maintained and dated to Nixon's leaving the White House. A few months after both properties sold, the sister called me and told me to look up the addresses of the properties on trulia.com I think it was.

The kitchens looked amazing, and part of it was the wonderful laminate countertops that had been installed. The laminate was made to look like some kind of stone and it really worked with the cabinets that had been installed. I am a big believer in laminate after this, especially as I believe personally that granite is a bit of a fad, kind of like how I feel about stainless steel appliances. Just my two cents. Rob

[jp1]

as I believe personally that granite is a bit of a fad, kind of like how I feel about stainless steel appliances. Just my two cents. Rob

I HATE stainless appliances. They always look dirty. When I was a kid my mother put a post-it note on each of the kitchen cabinets (white painted doors) that said "Please use the handle", because she was tired of cleaning off our grubby fingerprints. Maybe if I did the same with our fridge... I'd much rather have basic black.

[SteveinMN]

When I was a kid my mother put a post-it note on each of the kitchen cabinets (white painted doors) that said "Please use the handle", because she was tired of cleaning off our grubby fingerprints.

Appliances sheathed in real stainless steel do, indeed, show off every grubby fingerprint. Then consumer-grade appliance makers smartened up and started applying coatings to the steel to fend off fingerprints -- or using materials that looked like stainless steel but weren't. That particular problem has been receding into the distance for years.

That said, I find stainless steel appliances so ubiquitous as to border on cliché and, for that reason alone, will choose another color.

[fidgiegirl]

I HATE stainless appliances. They always look dirty. When I was a kid my mother put a post-it note on each of the kitchen cabinets (white painted doors) that said "Please use the handle", because she was tired of cleaning off our grubby fingerprints. Maybe if I did the same with our fridge... I'd much rather have basic black.

Now . . . stainless steel bathroom stall dividers? THAT'S a bad idea . . . ew ew ew

[Yarrow]

I have this tiny kitchen in my tiny cottage. When it was remodeled before I bought it the owner put in granite and stainless steel. It is not a sleek look in this house, but fits the cottage style of the house. I never thought I would want it either, but after living with the granite and stainless steel for awhile now I absolutely love it.... I never liked white appliances because they just look dirty after awhile, and I hate black - they show dust, cat hair, etc. The stainless just looks nice, and the granite is a natural beautiful stone look. I can't imagine granite being a fad, because after all, a countertop made of rock will last forever! I will never replace it...

[SteveinMN]

I can't imagine granite being a fad, because after all, a countertop made of rock will last forever!

Not to be contrary, but granite is kind of a fad. Granite has existed for thousands of years, but its use as a countertop material dates back only a few decades.

Fads are the antithesis of "forever". Color preferences change (avocado green or harvest gold or pink appliances, anyone?), preferences for light/dark/highly-patterned/shaded/monochromatic come and go. And, interestingly, granite and marble countertops used to be the province only of rich people. Now that pretty much anyone can have granite if they want it, rich people seeking kitchens which are a cut above are looking for materials other than granite and marble. Even if the countertops they have will last forever.

[catherine]

Now that pretty much anyone can have granite if they want it, rich people seeking kitchens which are a cut above are looking for materials other than granite and marble. Even if the countertops they have will last forever.

I FINALLY heard someone on HGTV wrinkle his nose at granite/stainless steel BECAUSE he felt that it was going to be tomorrow's harvest gold/shag carpet. He was clearly more of a visionary buyer and he and his partner wound up buying something pretty modern and cutting edge. But it was so refreshing to not hear the common chant: "Oh! And I LOVE the granite and stainless steel!" I get annoyed when people purchase with the mind of sheep.

If I had more money to spend on my counter, I would have gone for IceStone or PaperStone or concrete.