New Countertops, opinions.....

[tzolkin]

And you really shouldn't be putting hot pots on most counter top materials, and cutting boards are your friend. The custom cabinets we put in have 4 cutting boards built in.

Never used it as a cutting board, so we had no issues with scratches some others are describing. I would never put hot items directly on ANY type of countertop regardless of what it is made from.

Just to clarify-- I have never in my entire life cut anything without a cutting board. And I also have never put anything remotely hot on any countertop surface (I won't even set down a bowl or plate that has been microwaved).

The scratching of the Corian that I was referring to in our previous house was caused by basic daily use, not cutting on the counter. Things that you should be able to do without being completely paranoid of ruining your counter-- like shifting a plate a fraction of an inch, setting down a beer bottle (ridges on the bottom), or even sliding a plastic storage container. These scratches were very fine, but I'm the type of person who always has my counters cleared and wiped down. So, at an angle with bright lighting, you could see the dulled/scratched surface especially on the huge center island.

The sink was also a pain to clean. It was the same material so was covered in micro scratches from use that made any dirt or colored liquid more noticeable.

 

[barkley]

so what do folks vote for on bathroom and laundry room counters? i have granite that i love in my kitchen but anyone with granite knows that you can see every little speck of anything that lands on it which i don't mind in the kitchen but i don't want to have to constantly be dusting off the bathroom/laundry room counters everytime i pass by.

 

[mmouse37]

so what do folks vote for on bathroom and laundry room counters? i have granite that i love in my kitchen but anyone with granite knows that you can see every little speck of anything that lands on it which i don't mind in the kitchen but i don't want to have to constantly be dusting off the bathroom/laundry room counters everytime i pass by.

We have our washer/dryer in an alcove in our downstairs bathroom behind louvered doors but when doing laundry the doors are obviously open. We have granite top around our sink and never see any specks of dust on the granite (even in our kitchen). Maybe it has more do with the color than the material, IMO.

 

[tvguy]

Just to clarify-- I have never in my entire life cut anything without a cutting board. And I also have never put anything remotely hot on any countertop surface (I won't even set down a bowl or plate that has been microwaved).

The scratching of the Corian that I was referring to in our previous house was caused by basic daily use, not cutting on the counter. Things that you should be able to do without being completely paranoid of ruining your counter-- like shifting a plate a fraction of an inch, setting down a beer bottle (ridges on the bottom), or even sliding a plastic storage container. These scratches were very fine, but I'm the type of person who always has my counters cleared and wiped down. So, at an angle with bright lighting, you could see the dulled/scratched surface especially on the huge center island.

The sink was also a pain to clean. It was the same material so was covered in micro scratches from use that made any dirt or colored liquid more noticeable.

Your mileage may vary, as they say. But you did motivate my wife and I to go over our Corian sink and counters with our high power LED flashlight. 8 years in service and we can't find any scratches or marks. And as you can see, the sink gets used for more than washing dishes LOL. And it survived the Christmas 2020 mishap where a Pyrex container filled with 450 degree food exploded sending shards of glass and hot food all over. Oh, all the Pyrex went in the trash after that.

 

[Christine]

so what do folks vote for on bathroom and laundry room counters? i have granite that i love in my kitchen but anyone with granite knows that you can see every little speck of anything that lands on it which i don't mind in the kitchen but i don't want to have to constantly be dusting off the bathroom/laundry room counters everytime i pass by.

I have Giallo Ornamental granite in my kitchen and I can't see anything on it unless they are heavily dirty or I crouch down and look at it form an angle. Giallo Ornamental is a white based granite. When I had them installed I went to the supplier and picked out my own slabs and found the one that seemed to have the most white in it. And more swirls (movement) than specks. Not that you want to "hide" dirt, but it really hides dirt well!

 

[tvguy]

so what do folks vote for on bathroom and laundry room counters? i have granite that i love in my kitchen but anyone with granite knows that you can see every little speck of anything that lands on it which i don't mind in the kitchen but i don't want to have to constantly be dusting off the bathroom/laundry room counters everytime i pass by.

We did the guest bathroom in cultured marble. That would be the counter and the floor to ceiling bath tub surround.
Master bath room is Corian. Counter and bath tub sized shower with floor to ceiling surround. But Corian is expensive, $7,500 for the master bath counter and shower surround. The same amount of cultured marble in the same sized guest bathroom was under $2,000. Those prices are from 2013.

 

[barkley]

or I crouch down and look at it form an angle.

my kitchen counters are right at eye height when i sit in my family or living rooms (open concept house) so it's just like crouching down and seeing it constantly from different angles but you bring up a good point-it won't be like that in the bathrooms..............except when i'm sitting in the tub i've managed to keep the ugly laminate counters the spec builder put in in pristine for 15 years but we are looking at doing some minor renovations so i guess i will have to go out and look around. i will NOT do tile (grout).

 

[GreatLakes]

We just finished a complete first floor remodel and stuck with laminate. They have come a long way from what I remembered even 15 years ago. We didn't want to go with granite or quartz because we aren't sure if we are staying here long term and just couldn't justify the added cost.

 

[AustinTink]

You can't go wrong with granite imo. I know they are not the cool, new kid on the block anymore but they are beautiful and hardy. My countertops are 18 years old and look brand new.

 

[Christine]

We just finished a complete first floor remodel and stuck with laminate. They have come a long way from what I remembered even 15 years ago. We didn't want to go with granite or quartz because we aren't sure if we are staying here long term and just couldn't justify the added cost.

I was going to go with laminate and there was very little available in my area to look at. The only place I could find *some* samples was Home Depot. None of the kitchen remodelers even carried. Said no one in this area wants it so they stopped. Now, my mom has a home in Florida and apparently where she is, granite or quartz are not as wildly popular there and laminate is much more prevalent so she can find it there.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

When we first bought our house, it had “formica that looked like wood” countertops. We lived with those for a while, but eventually saved up enough to re-do them in a formica ”white but looked like stone” (to the degree that is possible ) countertops, and omg I loved them so much! We only had them a short time when sister stayed over and one morning sliced bagels directly on the new countertop, leaving several large scratches that lasted for the next twenty years! Every time I looked at them I got aggravated, lol. It is nice not having to worry about that type of thing anymore with granite.

We had Corian installed in work countertops about ten years ago. They’re nice, and they’ve held up pretty well, except I’ve noticed by where the coffee pot goes, there is staining. This could be because there is a lot of traffic there 24/7/365 - and maybe some pretty sloppy people, too, who don’t clean spills right away. You can’t say it’s really like home. But I have wondered about that with Corian. Anyone have experience with this?

 

[RUDisney]

I had granite in my old house and loved it. I loved that I could take stuff right out of the oven and put it on the granite.

We now have quartz. I like the look of it, but we were told we can’t put hot stuff on it. That’s mildly annoying and a little hard to get used to. It’s not too major, but if I was choosing all over agin I’d get the granite.

I put hot things on my quartz countertop all the time with no issues.

If I had it to do over again, I'd have installed granite, but i like the quartz for its durability. The appearance is nice, but I like granite more now. That's what 20 years will do to your tastes, though. Both cost the same when we had the kitchen redone.

 

[DVC-Don]

Done two kitchens in the past 8 years. Quartz. 20 years ago we did another kitchen with Corian, stay away from that.

 

[LoveSpringsteen]

We remodeled our kitchen late 2019 and have granite countertops with a brown and cream pattern. I like the countertops, but kind of wish I had chosen a different slab of granite as I'm growing tired of the look/pattern of the granite. However, I'm very happy with the durablility of it. So, my advice for whatever you choose, is to try to bring home a sample and view it against your cabinets/tile and in different lighting. Make sure you'll be happy with it long-term.

 

[can'tgetenufofwdw]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and opinions. I decided to go with quartz. Ordered it yesterday. Now we just have to wait for them to come measure and wait for it to be made and installed.

 

[EMom]

This is a timely question as we redid two bathrooms recently and I was questioning if we should go with granite or something else. I always liked granite but a few places were encouraging me to look at quartz or marble. Ultimately decided on granite again and I am very happy with our choices.

The kitchen granite is about 15 years old and it is still going strong with no issues. We had laminate before that.

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Our upstairs bathroom was a green soapstone (that I hated) which we replaced with granite:

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The new upstairs granite:

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Our downstairs bathroom was granite and replaced with granite:

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And our new downstairs granite:

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I love that I can put hot pans on the kitchen granite. I have a small kitchen with not much counterspace and need every surface sometimes to put things that come out of the oven.

On a side note I always wanted a Mickey themed bathroom so am very happy I was able to do that....and I LOVE it!

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Good luck on your decision.

Can you please tell me what paint colors and technique you used on your cabinets? We are trying to make some changes and what you did just might work for us. Also, what’s your upstairs bathroom granite? I’d like to go to a granite yard and see some in person. Thanks!!!

 

[piccolopat]

I know that my opinion may not be popular, but I think the advice to stay away from brown granite is a bit personal. The trend for the last several years has been white or grey everything. While it does look bright, it also looks cold and a bit sterile. How many kitchens were done with white Shaker cabinets and white subway tile? Just as the trend that stayed away from anything gold for many years has suddenly become the in thing, brown will eventually return to favor. That's the thing with the trend in home design. There are only so many choices and for designers to stay in business, they have to constantly recycle colors and materials. They may look good for a while but will become outdated even if you still like them. One prime example is the open concept that became an absolute must have for years. We never liked it because we like having the kitchen partially obstructed from the living and dining area. The pandemic showed many people the beauty of having some walls. My advice is get what you really like and ignore what the home shows tell you that you have to have. Unless you are planning to sell in a couple of years, don't even worry about resale. By the time you are ready to sell, the trend will probably be something different anyway.

 

[AgentMama]

Our counters are quartz. We love them, but are very careful bc the main color is white.

In this day and age, I think you just have to pick what you love most. You could put in the most top of the line kitchen, and if/when you sell, any buyer is probably going to hate it. There are so many options and styles now. Hope you love what you ordered when it comes in!

 

[can'tgetenufofwdw]

Our counters are quartz. We love them, but are very careful bc the main color is white.

In this day and age, I think you just have to pick what you love most. You could put in the most top of the line kitchen, and if/when you sell, any buyer is probably going to hate it. There are so many options and styles now. Hope you love what you ordered when it comes in!

I hope I love it too. If I don't I'm stuck with it

 

[Shelley Chiarats]

Here is the pretty blue quartz countertops that we found for our renovation. We are planning on going with stained grey cabinets where you can see the grain lines.