I found the granite, at least any granite or solid surface that I want, to be very much more expensive than laminate. But then, we have a LOT of counter space.Originally Posted by pinkytoe
I found the granite, at least any granite or solid surface that I want, to be very much more expensive than laminate. But then, we have a LOT of counter space.
Last edited by iris lilies; 12-1-13 at 11:54am.
I think another thing you might want to think about if choosing granite is that it can emit radon. Just something to think about. We have too much radon in our house already, so we wouldn't want to add to it.
oops.......just realized that ApatheticNoMore already mentioned the radon.
(Kestrel, that is a bee-you-ti-ful countertop!) I actually prefer good laminate with a deep bullnose edge to granite or other, more pricey materials because it's more user-friendly...wears better, doesn't have to be re-sealed, or babied. Having said that, most people DO prefer the look of granite, and you might ask a big granite countertop place for remnant pieces....you might get a great deal on a slab.
OK, I do have *one* use for granite - as a machinist's surface plate, a reference for "flat".
It is also very handy for sharpening edged tools, lay sandpaper down on the known-flat granite plate, and have at it.
If my counters were granite, I'd be too tempted to sharpen things on the counter, and do machine work inside the house :-)
One thing to be careful about in pricing laminate versus "everything else" is that laminate costs frequently are quoted in linear feet while "everything else" is priced by square feet. Since a standard kitchen countertop is about two feet deep, laminate at $26/linear foot is half the price of granite at $50/square foot. The other big cost in laminate is the edging. You can very quickly run up to stone-like prices with inlaid edges and the like. One more thing: if you're going with custom laminate (i.e., not the prefab counters available at big-box home-improvement stores), consider going with a "flat deck" -- running the countertop surface all the way to the back wall. You can then put in a backsplash of your choice (or just paint) and it won't look like "laminate from the big-box store".
And if you're selling a home anywhere near or below the median in most areas, any buyer who wrinkles their nose at clean, well-installed laminate has been watching too many H&G home shows. All the trendy stores these people like to shop at use laminate by the truckload -- though their stuff usually is higher end stuff like Laminart and Abet Laminati or at least Pionite or Wilsonart HD.
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington
Here's the thing we are trying to figure out with used countertops, especially stone ones (we are on the prowl for a future basement kitchenette) . . . who will fabricate it to fit in our space? The chances of finding a counter with holes in exactly the right spot AND the right length/width are slim to none, so it would almost certainly need some tweaking . . . what do others think about this?
Now onto the OP's question, we are also looking at butcher block for the kitchenette. It is more affordable than other materials, timeless, and a homeowner could cut it to size him/herself. My question is how much upkeep does it require? That we haven't figured out yet.
I would want rid of the grout lines as well. I'm not a particularly overly clean person, but we had a tiled countertop in our old house that DH had installed himself, and those grout lines skeeved me out.
We ended up going granite in each house . . . we have a guy who does installs for some of the big companies and he'll do side work for himself, especially for small kitchens (both of these were). He watched for months for a slab in the color we wanted and in a size that would work and then fabricated and installed it. We were very happy in both cases. Hey, maybe he's the answer to our question from above! Not sure if he would be willing but he'd know how to cut down whatever stone we might obtain.
I like butcher block as well but don't know about the upkeep. I saw a counterop made of cherry wood, egad it was gorgeous!
Our Formica has held up well, sort of TOO well, actually. DH installed it himself and the corners are not nice and there's a big grout line there in the corner. But dang, all of the countertop in this kitchen is still perfectly fine, no damage. No reason to trade it in.
That's one of the best things about laminate: it's practically indestructible. It's good enough for me, though I fantasize about concrete with an inlay of stone with embedded ammonites or orthoceras or something.
This little house that I purchased after my divorce has a tiny kitchen with a granite slab countertop and it is a beautiful touch, I must say.... And I have been very pleased with the functionality of it.
I'm interested in wood as well. I think it would go well with the character of my little cottage.
Kestrel: Can you tell us about maintenance requirements of your wooden counter top (which was a very impressive case of re-purposing)?
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