kitchen countertop- concrete, Corian, other?

[M16]

We just built a new house and my wife went with granite. She loves it.

 

[Maki35]

We had granite installed 20+ years ago. no issues.
If we were to move, I would still go with granite.

 

[jpmulk]

Another vote for butcher block. Affordable, looks classy, and can diy. I used a tung oil finish. We have had them for about a year and are still very happy with them.

 

[Jon Boy]

I did butcher block in my own house but have installed laminate, epoxy and poured concrete.

They all have their places. I'm surprised at the comment about concrete not being a very good top. It formed, poured and finished very easily for a high end look.

Butcher block is soft but it's so darn easy and cheap that if I have to replace it in 10 years it'll be a half day project.

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[txjustin]

Quartz or granite. Neither are that expensive and will last forever


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[thatguyoverthere]

I've heard corian and similar resin based or synthetic solid surface counter tops are not the best for heat resistance.
As nice as some granite is... I end up going back to butcher block. It's also really easy to DIY whether you want to build your own or just buy premade slabs and cut them yousrelf.

 

[ben h]

I like the look of stone. A big slab yard will have hundreds or possibly a thousand different cuts, colors, patterns, etc. I liked this one for my island.

I've tried making a few concrete tops and none of mine have turned out great. They work and are not expensive materials, but they have a lot of labor in them.

 

[journeyman713]

Quartz or granite. Neither are that expensive and will last forever


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Many people confuse Quartz with Quartzite, maybe you know, but I'll throw this out there anyway.

Quartzite is a mined natural stone, the same as Granite. They are very hard, and can withstand Heat and Scratching better than anything.

Quartz is a manmade product, made with crushed Quartzite particles and a Resin, to hold it together. Similar to the way particle board is. The Resin in any manmade product, is vulnerable to Heat And Scratching (wear and tear).

 

[mtwarden]

^ I was just looking on line and found out that distinction- definitely good to know!

Sounds like although the Quartz isn't as heat tolerant as Quartzite or Granite, it is decently heat resistant vs some of the other choices. Also sounds like clean up and maintenance is a little easier over the the natural stones.

 

[mckbcat2000]

We chose quartz in 2009 when we built out house. We've cut on it, placed hot pans on it, spilled things on it and it looks like the day they put it in. If we built new it'd be hard to talk us out of quartz again.