kitchen countertop- concrete, Corian, other?

[mtwarden]

My wife wants new countertops in the kitchen. Anyone want to share what they went with and how they like it? Anyone wish they went a different way?

Any and all ideas welcome :0

Thanks in advance!

 

[Amos Moses]

We went with a solid grey quartz and they are in excellent shape 6 years later. The only downside is that you’re not supposed to put very hot pans on the quartz. Usually just use a dish towel or one of the things designed for hot pans that my wife keeps around.

 

[Superdoo]

As someone who used to sell the materials to do concrete counters, I would avoid them. Anyone that has had a positive experience is lucky.
I’ve tossed this question around too as the kids get older and 2001 gets further away.
I end up liking the value of Formica. Granite and stone are great, but the price point just doesn’t pencil out for me.

 

[GunsAreFun]

In 2020, we started looking at Corian and I just couldn’t get passed that everything I saw had that cheap look to it.

Then we looked at granite. My wife didn’t like any of the patterns. We needed something lighter colored to fit our house’s style and light colored granite was hard to come by and very expensive.

So….we ended up with a white quartz, which costs more than almost all granite. No complaints so far. Only thing I wish we did differently is to get some amount of pigment or pattern. White countertops are the black cars of the counter world. They show every bit of dirtiness, and we have two toddlers so $h!t is always dirty lol. That’s our problem though, not the counter.

Also really liked the edge we went with. It was either “eased” or “double quarter round”. Looks nice but avoids chipping. If you have young kids running around, consider softer corners too or have edge protectors ready.

Oh, and if you haven’t had a solid surface before, you WILL break a bunch of dishes for the first couple weeks. You don’t realize how forgiving softer materials are on brittle glass.

I’d also recommend switching to a single basin sink while you’re at it or one of those that has a small garbage disposal side and large washing basin. It’s so nice being able to fit any pan or baking sheet in the sink. Sinks with 3/4” corners also look fancier while still being easier to clean.

 

[Legend]

Butcher block. I really do not like super hard counters. Sometimes you set the whiskey glass down harder then you intend to.

 

[MuleyFever]

I have never broken anything on our granite counters. Interesting that its a thing. One thing I do not like about them is a few chipped edges and the fill they use if they get a defect in the cutting process.

 

[*zap*]

Re-finish the existing?

 

[JFK]

Gutted our entire kitchen last year and did quartz. Super happy with them. I love the look of butcher block but it just seemed like a nightmare with little kid grimy fingers and crumbs and the shit they constantly leave behind. The quartz are pretty bullet proof. Just wipe them down and they stay clean and look good.

 

[wnelson14]

Soapstone, tell your wife to thank me later. Anti microbial, use mineral oil to treat it regularly, comes in variety of different shades, we preferred darker, resistant to hot, thaws frozen steaks incredibly fast.
We would have done cement but our floors are cement. The soapstone has been awesome.

 

[displacedtexan]

I remodel kitchens for a living.

Granite or quartz, whichever you think looks better.

 

[fngTony]

We have quartz. Don’t put hot stuff directly on it. Treat it for stain prevention since it’s a porous material it holds stains, dairy will leave a sour smell if not cleaned promptly. Ours has only had the one treatment when new (6years ago) and just that has done amazing against stains. No idea what it cost as it came with the house.

 

[PNWGATOR]

What does your wife want?

 

[Dust Rider]

Engineered quartz is what the wife picked. 4 years later and no stains and it has held up great. You can get different levels of pattern and color variation.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Highly recommend a tinted quartz countertop. Granite and others need much more regular maintenance and show signs of use way sooner than quartz.

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

I'd go with laminate, but I spent many years building them. That just leaves more $ for hunting trips and with some of the patterns and the edge styles, I've had people mistake them for stone. Of course, if my wife was set on stone I'd go with quartz. I'm personally a fan of corian, quartz, or laminate. The stone tops are too porous and can be areas for bacteria to live and grow. there is a reason that most hospitals have corian.

 

[idcuda]

Just switched to quartz a month or so ago and it's great. We got a flecked white and it's surprisingly good camouflage for all my kids' crumbs. Cleans up great with some water and a bit of dawn. Also went with a large, single basin sink, which is nice.

 

[doc holiday13]

Soapstone, tell your wife to thank me later. Anti microbial, use mineral oil to treat it regularly, comes in variety of different shades, we preferred darker, resistant to hot, thaws frozen steaks incredibly fast.
We would have done cement but our floors are cement. The soapstone has been awesome.

this x2 on soapstone. it'll turn you wife on

yes it is soft but you can sand it to even out the chips. you can put hot pans and pots on it without ruining it

 

[dylanvb]

I worked for a stone fabricator for a couple of years so I’ll put it this way.
Quartz $
Granite $$
Quartzite $$$
Marble $$$$
You can get cheaper or more expensive colors or patterns in each which will cross over in price but quartz is man made where granite, quartzite and marble are cut rock. As some have said above quartz is more sensitive to heat but be careful of heat around any seam area as the heat can melt the bonding. Quartz is a great option and the veining (pattern) of the top is more predictable where as with natural stone you get what’s cut, with that being said you can pick which slabs you get but depending on how big your local supplier is they will only have 5-10 slabs in that color you like if your lucky. Most places barely have 2-3. I would recommend staying away from big box stores like home depot or Lowe’s as they are just a middle man and go direct if possible.
Also if your trying to save some money and have a stone fabricator around see if they will let you pick something out of their yard as they will more then likely have half slabs and other rem pieces from other jobs, this is a way to get a cool stone for pretty cheap. This only really works for small single tops like 2nd baths or other smaller vanities. You can sometimes get lucky and fine a rem piece that’s big enough for 2 sinks but that just depends on what’s lying around.

 

[Yoder]

I did granite about 5 years ago. We picked out the cheapest grade they had. So far I've only sealed it twice and it's been great. No chips, cracks or stains. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

 

[dylanvb]

Oh also if you are selecting your countertop color off of a 12”x12” square sample of a shelf at a store be very cautious as that sample was probably cut a year ago and the lot it was cut from is long gone so that sample will more then likely be a different shade and have different veining.