Looking for info and opinions on new counter tops. Acrylic vs. Quartzite, etc. Is there some secret to installing acrylic or quartzite? Just started looking and was surprised that Lowes won't sell them unless they install them. Asked around and got a few phone numbers of local counter top makers. Thanks.
Counter Tops
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Some of the makers (DuPont (Corian) in particular) maintain fairly tight control of the product. Part of the reason, I think, is so they can offer a 10 year warranty. They'll only sell the material to dealers, and the dealers have limits as to what they can do with the material (they can't sell it by the sheet, for instance).
We have Corian in our kitchen. I love it. The fabricators come out an make a template of the space it will be installed. When they put it in the cut and carve some of the pieces to fit. We have a Corian vanity top in our bathroom too, and I installed it. Maybe that's different because it's relatively small. If you have any specific questions I'll try to answer them.
We have Corian in our kitchen. I love it. The fabricators come out an make a template of the space it will be installed. When they put it in the cut and carve some of the pieces to fit. We have a Corian vanity top in our bathroom too, and I installed it. Maybe that's different because it's relatively small. If you have any specific questions I'll try to answer them.
Hogwildz
Minister of Fire
I have Corian also, hate it. scratches & dents too damn easily.
Don't feel like having to sand it all the time.
Go with quartz
Don't feel like having to sand it all the time.
Go with quartz
Believe it or not, granite is often cheaper than any of the solid surfaces like Corian or Silestone. Laminates like Formica are by far the cheapest counter tops. We started out expecting to get "quartz" counter tops for our new home. We ended up with a medium high end granite for the same money.
jebatty
Minister of Fire
And we went with a laminate 14 years ago, self-install, and wife still loves it, and that's all that matters.
Thanks to all for replies. Has anyone any experience with acrylic? Right now (which can change daily) I'm leaning towards quartz, but if the price is comparable to granite, then......... I'm just making sure I'm considering all the options. I want to step up a bit from laminate, just not sure how far above.
gpcollen1
Minister of Fire
My buddy up the road got sold on quartz. Then he barely winces when he tells me that the quartz is $3k more than the granite - larger kitchen. I laughed and told him that my mother got here kitchen done for $2k less than his granite quote. If money is no object - get the quartz. From what i have been told, they are essentially ZERO maintenance. Granite can have some minor issues but I don't think they are anything compared to the price difference.
I guess it really comes down to preference and $$
I guess it really comes down to preference and $$
gzecc said:
There have been some rare cases where the granite's natural background radiation was excessive. The solid surface marketing people of course went nuts trying to cast doubt on the safety of all granite counter tops. BTW, the inudstry term "granite" is catch all term for counter tops made of natural stone that isn't marble, onyx, etc. Most granite counter tops have many different minerals in them. Ours even have a few magnetic spots, presumably bits of magnetite.
There are no perfect counter top materials. For our household, there are two, or three, "cons" for granite that tipped the scales to Corian:
* Granite will etch if you leave fruit juice, wine, or tomato peels on it over night. Yes, there's a hypothetically easy solution to this, but like I said, these are reasons specific to our household ;-)
* Granite is really hard, so plates and glasses break easier on it. This too is a problem for our household that might not be for some others.
* You can't get an integral sink in granite. My wife prefers not having gaps or cracks in the sink area for sanitary reasons.
In 7 years our Corian doesn't have any dents, except in the sink, but it got a scratch from sliding a plate across some grit from garden vegetables. It took about 10 minutes to buff it out with the kit they provided. This had the un-intended consequence of making a shiny spot. But after a month or so it was back to the same patina as the rest of it. There's also a small ripple in the sink from where someone put a hot pan in the sink. She was used to the stainless steel sinks. It only happened once.
FWIW, there is a particular "con" for laminates that apply to our household. My wife likes to clean countertops with prodigious quantities of water. The water drips down the front edge and works around the laminate, where it soaks into the particle board. It also goes through the miter joints in the corners.
Nothing's perfect, so think about how *you* live with your counter tops, and pick the one that's the best fit.
* Granite will etch if you leave fruit juice, wine, or tomato peels on it over night. Yes, there's a hypothetically easy solution to this, but like I said, these are reasons specific to our household ;-)
* Granite is really hard, so plates and glasses break easier on it. This too is a problem for our household that might not be for some others.
* You can't get an integral sink in granite. My wife prefers not having gaps or cracks in the sink area for sanitary reasons.
In 7 years our Corian doesn't have any dents, except in the sink, but it got a scratch from sliding a plate across some grit from garden vegetables. It took about 10 minutes to buff it out with the kit they provided. This had the un-intended consequence of making a shiny spot. But after a month or so it was back to the same patina as the rest of it. There's also a small ripple in the sink from where someone put a hot pan in the sink. She was used to the stainless steel sinks. It only happened once.
FWIW, there is a particular "con" for laminates that apply to our household. My wife likes to clean countertops with prodigious quantities of water. The water drips down the front edge and works around the laminate, where it soaks into the particle board. It also goes through the miter joints in the corners.
Nothing's perfect, so think about how *you* live with your counter tops, and pick the one that's the best fit.
I have acrylic solid surface. Professionally installed with seam glued, secured and buffed so it blends in real nice. It does scratch so use a cutting board, scratches can be buffed out, and is not resistant to extreme heat, use a trivet. My acrylic sink is mounted under the counter, no edge and am happy with all...
btuser
Minister of Fire
I've installed both granite and custom laminate. Right now I have granite and to be honest, I'd rather have laminate. The darker (and more durable) granite shows a lot of dirt, even fingerprints. You break/burn/cut a laminate countertop, so what? Easy to fix and cheap to replace. Drop something heavy on a granite countertop (hanging pot rack!) and you're going to need therapy to get over it.
livefreeordie
Member
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Great thread . . . wife and I are getting ready to renovate the kitchen . . . anyone use Silestone?
velvetfoot
Minister of Fire
Man, I would love to redo with granite.
That said, my geotechnical engineer sister went with a some type of quartz.
Apparently, when she looks at the nice patterns, she sees faults and potential cracks.
I sitll would love granite though, specifically, the red granite out of the Dakotas.
That said, my geotechnical engineer sister went with a some type of quartz.
Apparently, when she looks at the nice patterns, she sees faults and potential cracks.
I sitll would love granite though, specifically, the red granite out of the Dakotas.
firefighterjake said:
A friend of mine has it. It's a little cheaper. Hers looks nice. We considered it, but to us the Corian had a better appearance, and it feels better. If you're not in a hurry you can wait and once or twice a year DuPont offers a free sink as an incentive to buy Corian; I suspect the others offer similar deals on occasion.
maverick06
Minister of Fire
jebatty said:
AGREED
!I have butcher block counters and they are great. Very cheap, able to self install it myself, no radon! (lots of granite counter tops put out radon and will require you to put in a radon pump, or a larger one). I highly reccomend them! 3 years on and it is great!
ChipTam
Burning Hunk
I've done several porcelain tile counter tops and love them: economical, tough as nails, nothing will stain it, and porcelain tile doesn't show finger prints. However, mention tile and everyone says "no way" because of the grout lines. They will stain a bit but we've found that gel bleach applied once a year to the grout lines takes care of most of the staining. Oh well, just another option to help confuse things a bit more.
ChipTam
ChipTam
maverick06 said:jebatty said:
AGREED
I have butcher block counters and they are great. Very cheap, able to self install it myself, no radon! (lots of granite counter tops put out radon and will require you to put in a radon pump, or a larger one). I highly reccomend them! 3 years on and it is great!
Granite radon issues are way overblown, mostly by the solid surface industry. It is a form of propaganda.
Here are some actual facts from the EPA and a respected group of radon scientists:
http://iaq.supportportal.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=23007&task=knowledge&questionID=20950
http://www.aarst.org/images/AARST_Granite_Position_Statement_8-04-2008.pdf
Did the last kitchen with Staron - similar to Corian but much less expensive - loved it
I also used an epoxy grout for the flooring tile - hated installing it but you cannot stain it. When it got dirty I just sprayed it with a bathroom cleaner, hit the grout lines with a fingernail brush and it looked like it had been put in the day before.
Aaron
I also used an epoxy grout for the flooring tile - hated installing it but you cannot stain it. When it got dirty I just sprayed it with a bathroom cleaner, hit the grout lines with a fingernail brush and it looked like it had been put in the day before.
Aaron
I have wood countertops in the kitchen and the bathroom. They have been fine for 11 years. Even the kids have not been able to hurt them other than a few dents. Way cheaper than most others except formica. They are black cherry with polyurethane. I can afford to change them several times for what most others cost.
I just went through this in our 2 bathrooms. After considering all that is out there i ended up with wilsonart solid in one bath and corian in the second.
I highly recommend going to a Lowes or Home Depot and finding someone knowledgable to help you out. I went the route of a small private store for the first bathroom thinking I would get better quality/service......wrong. I was promised one thing and then ended up with something different...story kept changing and it took ages to be delivered...
The Wilsonart solid only offered precut with under-mount sink (which I had to provide) in a very limited amount of colors. The back and side splashes were separate pieces. Overall thickness was thicker than the other counter top I got which was Corian.
I learned from the 1st counter top and went to Lowes for ordering the second one. Went with the Corian. It came with integral back splash. Side splash was a separate piece. Color selection was broader than with the WIsonart and they also did the under-mount sink. They had the sink selection as part of the deal. It is a thinner slab than the Wilsonart. No problems ordering from Lowes and product was delivered in the time frame promised. A much better experience at Lowes compared to the smaller privately owned store that I made my first purchase from...
Both have beveled edges. Standard on the Corian. Not standard on the Wilsonart.
When choosing faucet and handles go with the 8" spread that you can decide where to place on the deck. The one piece faucets are hard to clean behind due to limited space. The 8" spread ones are much easier to clean around and behind. We mounted ours at 1 o'clock and 11 o'clock. We elected to drill our own holes which is no problem provided you have the right tools.
Check out faucet selection carefully. Many look snappy but are cheaply made. Delta and Kohler still have the ceramic discs and the copper piping. Lift boxes and you will be able to tell the difference just by the weight. Go copper. It isn't that much more expensive and will last ages. If you don't see what you want on the display store there are catalogues that have a lot more selections to choose from.
Figure out what kind of look you are after, how much you are willing to spend and how much maintenance are you willing to put up with. Spend time looking at what is available without making yourself crazy. The more you read the less confusing it will get. There are good websites that define and describe all the different materials available now-a-days. Remember you will have to live with what you pick so take your time....
Enjoy the process. I love both my counter tops and our newly done bathrooms. Favorite part of both bathrooms are our TALL Toto toilets with toilet seats that close themselves without a loud crashing sound......the simple pleasures.
;-)
I highly recommend going to a Lowes or Home Depot and finding someone knowledgable to help you out. I went the route of a small private store for the first bathroom thinking I would get better quality/service......wrong. I was promised one thing and then ended up with something different...story kept changing and it took ages to be delivered...
The Wilsonart solid only offered precut with under-mount sink (which I had to provide) in a very limited amount of colors. The back and side splashes were separate pieces. Overall thickness was thicker than the other counter top I got which was Corian.
I learned from the 1st counter top and went to Lowes for ordering the second one. Went with the Corian. It came with integral back splash. Side splash was a separate piece. Color selection was broader than with the WIsonart and they also did the under-mount sink. They had the sink selection as part of the deal. It is a thinner slab than the Wilsonart. No problems ordering from Lowes and product was delivered in the time frame promised. A much better experience at Lowes compared to the smaller privately owned store that I made my first purchase from...
Both have beveled edges. Standard on the Corian. Not standard on the Wilsonart.
When choosing faucet and handles go with the 8" spread that you can decide where to place on the deck. The one piece faucets are hard to clean behind due to limited space. The 8" spread ones are much easier to clean around and behind. We mounted ours at 1 o'clock and 11 o'clock. We elected to drill our own holes which is no problem provided you have the right tools.
Check out faucet selection carefully. Many look snappy but are cheaply made. Delta and Kohler still have the ceramic discs and the copper piping. Lift boxes and you will be able to tell the difference just by the weight. Go copper. It isn't that much more expensive and will last ages. If you don't see what you want on the display store there are catalogues that have a lot more selections to choose from.
Figure out what kind of look you are after, how much you are willing to spend and how much maintenance are you willing to put up with. Spend time looking at what is available without making yourself crazy. The more you read the less confusing it will get. There are good websites that define and describe all the different materials available now-a-days. Remember you will have to live with what you pick so take your time....
Enjoy the process. I love both my counter tops and our newly done bathrooms. Favorite part of both bathrooms are our TALL Toto toilets with toilet seats that close themselves without a loud crashing sound......the simple pleasures.
;-)
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