Are granite counter tops a fad? Synthetic solid surface materials seem to have a lot more appeal to me, but I don't know much about them.
My wife has indicated that she might want some sort of butcher block counter tops. Are those in vogue any more?
mcp6453 wrote in news:yMGdnS-Dh7eZp7DSnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
After more than 10 years we still love the Silestone countertop we have. No maintenance other than a little detergent and water. No sealing as with granite. No problem putting hot pans from the gas stove on the counter. No scratches from cutting veggies directly on the surface.
I like the look of butcherblock, but our kitchen is too small. If you really like wood cutting surfaces (and I do, but don't have them), I'd suggest small or big cutting boards.
Quartz would be my first choice but it's far more expensive than even granite. Granite works very well and is great for baking. We have ~150 ft^2 of granite in our house (kitchen, living room shelves, and four bathroom counters).
Some people are turned off by the maintenance of granite (I've found that there is none). Butcher block is about the worst possible surface, in this regard. If you're a seasoned woodworker and have nothing else to do with your life, butcher block is nice. It'll make lousy cookies, though. ;-)
Not all granite needs sealing. I've never touched ours and there are no stains whatsoever. Silestone is too soft. Quartz is a really nice man-made solid surface.
Or at least an easily replaceable section of a butcher block counter, or better, an island with a prep-sink.
Everything has a cycle. I'd consider some of the solid surfaces. Depending on layout, if you have a 24" cabinet where you'd like to prep, make that the butcher block top. I don't have the room in this house, but in my last one, we loved having that surface next to the sink.
Buy what you like, don't worry about the next hot trend.
But what will my neighbors think? Seriously, we're thinking of selling the house in the next few years. I always like to consider resale value. We've lived with neutral colored walls forever for that reason. Thankfully we like that color. Or non-color.
mcp6453 wrote in news:oNudnSoX_7cDzbDSnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
In that case, get estimates for what different countertops would cost. Don't do anything to yours, but supply the estimates to potential buyers. Then they can choose. If you install something now, you have the mess, and then you have limited the potential buyers to whoever likes that particular surface, and eliminated all others. I know, buying a home is visceral, and if you can put in something that is liked, you got the buyer on the hook.
" snipped-for-privacy@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
My Silestone isn't soft, and it is quartz :
Silestone features a range of more than 65 unique colors, so no matter what your taste or style, we've got the perfect fit.
Yes, that would be fine too, but my kitchen is only 8x14 ft, with an outside door, a basement door, and a dining room door.
I would just like to say that I too have Silestone and have had it for a few years now. I spent more time than I probably should have trying to decide if Granite or a Quartz top was the best choice. I chose Silestone even though it costs more than Granite after that research. I am glad I decided as I did. Highly recommended.
What looks good to you may not look good to purchaser. I would tend away from the color extremes. A real estate axiom I remember was that it is better to bring color into a room than to color the room itself. On corporate resales the company would often come in and paint all the walls off white and put in beige carpeting.
As for granite vs synthetic, I understand granite cannot be repaired while synthetic can.
Ok, I didn't realize that Silestone was just a brand of quartz. I was thinking it was closer to soapstone.
Granite comes in a lot more than that. ;-)
A drop-in section of a counter would work. This makes it easy to pop out and refinish, or replace as it gets dinged.
Yep. Crappy paint and worse carpeting. I've seen a lot of it lately.
Don't use a hammer on it. ;-) As I said elsewhere, granite is perfect for baking. After having granite countertops (in six rooms) SWMBO wouldn't be without it.
When I worked briefly as a realtor, it was done in vacant houses. Corporate transferee was given time himself to sell house but if he didn't, they would buy it and transform it to the neutral colors.
Not sure about relative costs of granite vs synthetics but think main cost is custom fabrication and they may be similar.
Only product I was familiar with was Corian and thought it a good product.
I guess it comes down to values. I'd rather live in a room the color I like rather than tolerate bland for the sake of re-sale. You can always repaint when you list the house. Right now, granite would add some value, perhaps a bit more than other ice counter tops.
We've been in this house for 30 years and it is just the way we like it. Next move will be to the nursing home or cemetery so I'm not concerned about selling. We do plan to do some sprucing up this year, but no major renovations.
Banks are doing it today to foreclosures.
I found that quartz is twice the installed price of granite.
That does scratch easily. I don't really like the "plastic" feel, either. It's not bad in the bathroom but I wouldn't want it in the kitchen. In any case, it's quite a bit more expensive than the cheaper granite (granite has about a 4x price range, depending on color).
You're an idiot.
At least you admit that you're a head case.
" snipped-for-privacy@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
When we bought the Silestone, it was much cheaper than granite, now it is reversed. The drop-in idea is good, but for us it wouldn't work esthetically and practically. As I said, my wife cuts veggies straight on the counter, with no discernible bad effects on knives or counter. The counter cleans really easily after that. Nevertheless, I would like her to use a cutting board.
The thing that confuses me is that quartz is a mineral, not a stone; and yet, the manufacturer seems to imply that it is a naturally occuring stone. Confusing too, is the range of colors offered; quartz does come in some different colors - purple (amethyst) for one - but it is normally colorless; en masse, whitish.
Is silestone made by embedding quartz in a matrix (probably acrylic)?
"dadiOH" wrote in news:jgk5o6$dbn$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:
Yes, "quartz" countertops are made by embedding quartz in a "polymeric" matrix. I put 2 photos up on abpw (or will soon), so you can see.
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