l, not -l wrote:

> Yes, I agree. I have a rather small kitchen and painted the walls
> white a few years ago (formerly yellow) and with the white
> appliances, it is much brighter and seems roomier.

Imagine how nice it's going to be when you ditch the yellow
countertops! (laugh) Are they formica? You can glue a
new layer on top of the old if they're in good shape.

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:
> l, not -l wrote:
>
>> Yes, I agree. I have a rather small kitchen and painted the walls
>> white a few years ago (formerly yellow) and with the white
>> appliances, it is much brighter and seems roomier.
>
> Imagine how nice it's going to be when you ditch the yellow
> countertops! (laugh) Are they formica? You can glue a
> new layer on top of the old if they're in good shape.
>
> nancy


I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming "granite!" for
counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. Formica is dated, of
course. I'd like a glass tile or ceramic tile counter tops. Sure, both are
breakable but I don't plan to take a sledgehammer to the counters and I'm
not that dangerous in the kitchen Mom's neighbor has ceramic tile
counterops; she can set a hot pan right off the burner on it without
bothering with hot pads. It's inexpensive, very attractive and touching up
the grout if it gets grungy is a fairly easy cosmetic thing to do.

Jill

jmcquown said...

> Nancy Young wrote:
>> l, not -l wrote:
>>
>>> Yes, I agree. I have a rather small kitchen and painted the walls
>>> white a few years ago (formerly yellow) and with the white
>>> appliances, it is much brighter and seems roomier.
>>
>> Imagine how nice it's going to be when you ditch the yellow
>> countertops! (laugh) Are they formica? You can glue a
>> new layer on top of the old if they're in good shape.
>>
>> nancy
>
>
> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming "granite!"
> for counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. Formica is
> dated, of course. I'd like a glass tile or ceramic tile counter tops.
> Sure, both are breakable but I don't plan to take a sledgehammer to the
> counters and I'm not that dangerous in the kitchen Mom's neighbor
> has ceramic tile counterops; she can set a hot pan right off the burner
> on it without bothering with hot pads. It's inexpensive, very
> attractive and touching up the grout if it gets grungy is a fairly easy
> cosmetic thing to do.
>
> Jill


Quartz is better than granite. It doesn't need treatment and isn't porous
so it doesn't absorb odors.

Andy
Summer begins at 7:59PM today
Aren't ya glad ya don't live in Tuna, PA?

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:25:04 -0500, Andy <q> wrote:

>Quartz is better than granite. It doesn't need treatment and isn't porous
>so it doesn't absorb odors.

It's more expensive too. I'm getting the cheap stuff. It certainly
will last my lifetime, someone else can change them out for whatever
is popular at that point.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

Michael "Dog3" said...

> Andy <q> : in rec.food.cooking
>
>>
>> Quartz is better than granite. It doesn't need treatment and isn't
>> porous so it doesn't absorb odors.
>
> Quartz was our second choice. We went with granite. Depending upon the
> grade, the quartz is just as expensive as granite is. We may reface the
> firplaces with quartz when we get to that point.
>
> Michael


Michael,

No question the price is similar! It's THE better surface, imho.

Best,

Andy

Jill wrote:

> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming "granite!"
> for counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. Formica is dated,
> of course. I'd like a glass tile or ceramic tile counter tops. Sure,
> both are breakable but I don't plan to take a sledgehammer to the counters
> and I'm not that dangerous in the kitchen Mom's neighbor has ceramic
> tile counterops; she can set a hot pan right off the burner on it without
> bothering with hot pads. It's inexpensive, very attractive and touching
> up the grout if it gets grungy is a fairly easy cosmetic thing to do.

I've got tile counters, and I hate them. I can't knead bread dough or roll
out pie dough on them. I'd much rather have something like a phenolic resin
counter. Or Corian.

Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Jill wrote:
>
>> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming
>> "granite!" for counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. Formica
>> is dated, of course. I'd like a glass tile or ceramic tile
>> counter tops. Sure, both are breakable but I don't plan to take a
>> sledgehammer to the counters and I'm not that dangerous in the
>> kitchen Mom's neighbor has ceramic tile counterops; she can set
>> a hot pan right off the burner on it without bothering with hot
>> pads. It's inexpensive, very attractive and touching up the grout
>> if it gets grungy is a fairly easy cosmetic thing to do.
>
> I've got tile counters, and I hate them. I can't knead bread dough or
> roll out pie dough on them. I'd much rather have something like a
> phenolic resin counter. Or Corian.
>
> Bob

I used to clean a house for a guy who had tile counters. I hated cleaning
that kitchen! The counters were white tiles with white grout. I'd bleach
and bleach that grout and still couldn't get all the grease stains out. (I
don't think it was sealed very well in the whole installation process.) The
grout never looked clean enough to me and many of the tiles were cracked so
the cracks turned brown. No amount of straight bleach took that out.

Now that you mention it, Bob, it never occured to me about rolling anything
out, like pizza dough, on tile. You made an excellent point. For me, if
money wouldn't be a factor in my choice of counters, I'd opt for Corian or
marble. I really wouldn't suggest tile. And to go one step further, I have
a tile floor in my kitchen - another case of installation disaster. More
grout that wasn't sealed properly and it's not grouted high enough, if that
makes any sense. I have to sweep, sweep, sweep in order to try to get
dropped food crumbs out from the grooves. It's better to vacuum the floor
than to sweep it. And, if you drop anything glass, the item shatters and
spreads shards of glass all over the place. If you accidentally drop a pan,
the pan dents, let a fork fall, the tines bend...to be honest, I'd rather
have the cheaper linoleum. What I *do* like about our tile flooring is that
it's a marbeled beige color and it hides spots *really* well until I can do
a thorough mopping. If a tile floor is installed well, people wouldn't have
the issues I have, but mine was obviously not done by a professional. LOL.
(The tiles aren't even lined up right.) :~)

kili

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:04:25 -0400, "kilikini"
> wrote:

>I'd opt for Corian or marble.

Marble (too soft) is for bathrooms and pastry inserts... but you won't
need it if you stay with granite.



--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Fri 20 Jun 2008 04:04:25a, kilikini told us...

> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>> Jill wrote:
>>
>>> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming
>>> "granite!" for counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel.
>>> Formica is dated, of course. I'd like a glass tile or ceramic tile
>>> counter tops. Sure, both are breakable but I don't plan to take a
>>> sledgehammer to the counters and I'm not that dangerous in the
>>> kitchen Mom's neighbor has ceramic tile counterops; she can set
>>> a hot pan right off the burner on it without bothering with hot
>>> pads. It's inexpensive, very attractive and touching up the grout if
>>> it gets grungy is a fairly easy cosmetic thing to do.
>>
>> I've got tile counters, and I hate them. I can't knead bread dough or
>> roll out pie dough on them. I'd much rather have something like a
>> phenolic resin counter. Or Corian.
>>
>> Bob
>
> I used to clean a house for a guy who had tile counters. I hated
> cleaning that kitchen! The counters were white tiles with white grout.
> I'd bleach and bleach that grout and still couldn't get all the grease
> stains out. (I don't think it was sealed very well in the whole
> installation process.) The grout never looked clean enough to me and
> many of the tiles were cracked so the cracks turned brown. No amount of
> straight bleach took that out.
>
> Now that you mention it, Bob, it never occured to me about rolling
> anything out, like pizza dough, on tile. You made an excellent point.
> For me, if money wouldn't be a factor in my choice of counters, I'd opt
> for Corian or marble. I really wouldn't suggest tile. And to go one
> step further, I have a tile floor in my kitchen - another case of
> installation disaster. More grout that wasn't sealed properly and it's
> not grouted high enough, if that makes any sense. I have to sweep,
> sweep, sweep in order to try to get dropped food crumbs out from the
> grooves. It's better to vacuum the floor than to sweep it. And, if you
> drop anything glass, the item shatters and spreads shards of glass all
> over the place. If you accidentally drop a pan, the pan dents, let a
> fork fall, the tines bend...to be honest, I'd rather have the cheaper
> linoleum. What I *do* like about our tile flooring is that it's a
> marbeled beige color and it hides spots *really* well until I can do a
> thorough mopping. If a tile floor is installed well, people wouldn't
> have the issues I have, but mine was obviously not done by a
> professional. LOL. (The tiles aren't even lined up right.) :~)
>
> kili

Marble is too "soft" to have high resistance to damage. It's also quite
porous compared to almost any other natural stone, even when sealed.

Many tiled counters are made up of 4x4" ceramic tiles, which can certainly
create a cleaning nightmare, and is not a good surface for rolling out
anything. Plus, many of those 4x4" tiles have a slightly contoured edge
which makes it even worse. Having said that, there are larger tiles of
natural materials like granite, quartz, soapstone, or other materials, that
are perfectly flat edge to edge and can be set with the barest minimum of
group lines. IMO, these are far more serviceable and they are far cheaper
than a large slab of any of those materials. Again, I would suggest a dark
group to avoid obvious staining.

If one is an ardent baker where kneading and rolling are important, a
separate section of counter could be outfitted with a different material,
even butcher block, so that the other surfaces don't pose a problem.

Modern laminates are not necessarily a poor choice. They have higher heat
resistance than they used to, are easily cleaned, are more stain resistant,
require no sealing, and are far more economical should replacement be
necessary. Many of the patterns available now are quite attractive.

Solid surface materials like Corian also have many good attributes and are
available in many attractive patterns. They are far more forgiving and
create less breakage if something is dropped on them than any stone
surface. They can easily sanded and rubbed with steel wool should
scratches or dings appear. There are also integrated sinks of the same
material which are easily maintained.

Making a decision on a countertop material can be daunting with the variety
available. Far too many people are "caught up" in the marketed popularity
of granite and other high end products.

I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out to buy whatever is the "most
desirable" material of the moment. Take the time to consider your needs
and expectations first.


--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Friday, 06(VI)/20(XX)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Condense soup, not books!
-------------------------------------------

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> Having said that, there
> are larger tiles of natural materials like granite, quartz,
> soapstone, or other materials, that are perfectly flat edge to edge
> and can be set with the barest minimum of group lines.

I am considering that look. My countertops are not easily
replaced as I have an appliance garage set on the counter
in one corner.


> Modern laminates are not necessarily a poor choice. They have higher
> heat resistance than they used to, are easily cleaned, are more stain
> resistant, require no sealing, and are far more economical should
> replacement be necessary. Many of the patterns available now are
> quite attractive.

Laminate accumulates tiny scratches that you wouldn't notice
on a light color, but if you choose a darker color, it will show
as a white fog. I'm careful with my dark formica for that reason.
Say I'm opening a can, I put the can on a towel or something.
Like that.

> Solid surface materials like Corian also have many good attributes
> and are available in many attractive patterns.

I see they have more attractive choices, I saw one one show
they call it having 'movement', I call it not being so lifeless and
dull as the early stuff.

> Making a decision on a countertop material can be daunting with the
> variety available. Far too many people are "caught up" in the
> marketed popularity of granite and other high end products.

I joke that I was a rock in my former life. I love rocks. Before
HGTV was a dream someone thought up, I loved granite counters.
I just didn't know that they were in reach for regular people. My
one regret with my kitchen.

nancy

On Fri 20 Jun 2008 10:27:17a, Nancy Young told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>> Having said that, there
>> are larger tiles of natural materials like granite, quartz, soapstone,
>> or other materials, that are perfectly flat edge to edge and can be
>> set with the barest minimum of group lines.
>
> I am considering that look. My countertops are not easily
> replaced as I have an appliance garage set on the counter
> in one corner.
>
>
>> Modern laminates are not necessarily a poor choice. They have higher
>> heat resistance than they used to, are easily cleaned, are more stain
>> resistant, require no sealing, and are far more economical should
>> replacement be necessary. Many of the patterns available now are
>> quite attractive.
>
> Laminate accumulates tiny scratches that you wouldn't notice
> on a light color, but if you choose a darker color, it will show
> as a white fog. I'm careful with my dark formica for that reason.
> Say I'm opening a can, I put the can on a towel or something.
> Like that.

There are liminates and there are solid-core liminates where the color goes
all the way through. You would not see white showing through an abrasion
or scratch on a dark laminate with the latter.

>> Solid surface materials like Corian also have many good attributes and
>> are available in many attractive patterns.
>
> I see they have more attractive choices, I saw one one show
> they call it having 'movement', I call it not being so lifeless and
> dull as the early stuff.

The first Corian countertop I ever saw looked just like a slab of vanilla
fudge. No character at all. Not so now, as you know.

>> Making a decision on a countertop material can be daunting with the
>> variety available. Far too many people are "caught up" in the
>> marketed popularity of granite and other high end products.
>
> I joke that I was a rock in my former life. I love rocks. Before
> HGTV was a dream someone thought up, I loved granite counters.
> I just didn't know that they were in reach for regular people. My
> one regret with my kitchen.

Unfortunately, even low-end natural stone counters are too high-end for my
budget. Luckily, I'm quite happy with what I have.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Friday, 06(VI)/20(XX)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
I can't grow up -- I'm too old!
-------------------------------------------

Nancy wrote:

>> Solid surface materials like Corian also have many good attributes
>> and are available in many attractive patterns.
>
> I see they have more attractive choices, I saw one one show
> they call it having 'movement', I call it not being so lifeless and
> dull as the early stuff.

That's not a huge problem for me. My original idea was to get counters made
from the same stuff used to make the black-surfaced counters in the science
labs in schools. (AFAICT, those are made from Durcon, or some similar epoxy
resin.)

Bob

On Jun 20, 4:04*am, "kilikini" > wrote:
> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> > Jill wrote:
>
> >> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming
> >> "granite!" for counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. Formica
> >> is dated, of course. *I'd like a glass tile or ceramic tile
> >> counter tops. *Sure, both are breakable but I don't plan to take a
> >> sledgehammer to the counters and I'm not that dangerous in the
> >> kitchen *Mom's neighbor has ceramic tile counterops; she can set
> >> a hot pan right off the burner on it without bothering with hot
> >> pads. *It's inexpensive, very attractive and touching up the grout
> >> if it gets grungy is a fairly easy cosmetic thing to do.
>
> > I've got tile counters, and I hate them. I can't knead bread dough or
> > roll out pie dough on them. I'd much rather have something like a
> > phenolic resin counter. Or Corian.
>
> > Bob
>
> I used to clean a house for a guy who had tile counters. *I hated cleaning
> that kitchen! *The counters were white tiles with white grout. *I'd bleach
> and bleach that grout and still couldn't get all the grease stains out. *(I
> don't think it was sealed very well in the whole installation process.) *The
> grout never looked clean enough to me and many of the tiles were cracked so
> the cracks turned brown. *No amount of straight bleach took that out.
>
> Now that you mention it, Bob, it never occured to me about rolling anything
> out, like pizza dough, on tile. *You made an excellent point. *For me, if
> money wouldn't be a factor in my choice of counters, I'd opt for Corian or
> marble. *I really wouldn't suggest tile. *And to go one step further, I have
> a tile floor in my kitchen - another case of installation disaster. *More
> grout that wasn't sealed properly and it's not grouted high enough, if that
> makes any sense. *I have to sweep, sweep, sweep in order to try to get
> dropped food crumbs out from the grooves. *It's better to vacuum the floor
> than to sweep it. *And, if you drop anything glass, the item shatters and
> spreads shards of glass all over the place. *If you accidentally drop a pan,
> the pan dents, let a fork fall, the tines bend...to be honest, I'd rather
> have the cheaper linoleum. *What I *do* like about our tile flooring is that
> it's a marbeled beige color and it hides spots *really* well until I can do
> a thorough mopping. *If a tile floor is installed well, people wouldn't have
> the issues I have, but mine was obviously not done by a professional. *LOL.
> (The tiles aren't even lined up right.) * *:~)
>
> kili- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Have you ever dropped Corelle on your tile floor? For something that's
suppossed to be unbreakable, it's surprising how many thousands of
shards of glass you have to clean up!

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:49:59 -0700 (PDT), merryb >
wrote:

>Have you ever dropped Corelle on your tile floor? For something that's
>suppossed to be unbreakable, it's surprising how many thousands of
>shards of glass you have to clean up!

I've heard that before... why stick with Corelle when other dinnerware
is so much prettier?


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Fri 20 Jun 2008 08:45:11p, sf told us...

> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:49:59 -0700 (PDT), merryb >
> wrote:
>
>>Have you ever dropped Corelle on your tile floor? For something that's
>>suppossed to be unbreakable, it's surprising how many thousands of
>>shards of glass you have to clean up!
>
> I've heard that before... why stick with Corelle when other dinnerware
> is so much prettier?

Under most circumstances, they are relatively unbreakable. I don't have a
set of Corelle, but I do have multiple plain Corelle fruit bowls that I use
to feed out five cats when they're served canned food. I don't like
feeding them out of metal or plastic containers.



--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Friday, 06(VI)/20(XX)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Bus error - passengers dumped.
-------------------------------------------

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> I've got tile counters, and I hate them. I can't knead bread dough or roll
> out pie dough on them. I'd much rather have something like a phenolic resin
> counter. Or Corian.
>
> Bob
>
I can't stand the "noise" of tile when you put a plate or something down
on it. The crevices also would drive me batty.

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:15:28 -0400, Goomba >
wrote:

>Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>
>> I've got tile counters, and I hate them. I can't knead bread dough or roll
>> out pie dough on them. I'd much rather have something like a phenolic resin
>> counter. Or Corian.
>>
>> Bob
>>
>I can't stand the "noise" of tile when you put a plate or something down
>on it. The crevices also would drive me batty.

That's why I have a cutting board on top of my (peninsula) tile. It's
our battle station. I put smaller cutting boards on top of the
big one to do most of my kitchen cutting jobs.



--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

jmcquown wrote:
> Nancy Young wrote:

>> Imagine how nice it's going to be when you ditch the yellow
>> countertops! (laugh) Are they formica? You can glue a
>> new layer on top of the old if they're in good shape.

> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming
> "granite!" for counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel.

They don't scream it, they put in what sells houses. I adore
granite and I'm sorry I didn't think it was an option when I
remodeled my kitchen.

> Formica is dated, of course. I'd like a glass tile or ceramic tile
> counter tops.

I don't like that look, though it was big in the 80s.

nancy

"jmcquown" wrote:
> Nancy Young wrote:
> > l, not -l wrote:
>
> >> Yes, I agree. �I have a rather small kitchen and painted the walls
> >> white a few years ago (formerly yellow) and with the white
> >> appliances, it is much brighter and seems roomier.
>
> > Imagine how nice it's going to be when you ditch the yellow
> > countertops! �(laugh) �Are they formica? �You can glue a
> > new layer on top of the old if they're in good shape.
>
> > nancy
>
> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming "granite!" for
> counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. �
> Formica is dated, of course.

There's nothing dated about Formica, it's you who is dated... you
haven't been to: http://formica.com/publish/site/na/us/en/index.html


---

Sheldon > wrote in
:

> "jmcquown" wrote:
>> Nancy Young wrote:
>> > l, not -l wrote:
>>
>> >> Yes, I agree. �I have a rather small kitchen and painted the w
> alls
>> >> white a few years ago (formerly yellow) and with the white
>> >> appliances, it is much brighter and seems roomier.
>>
>> > Imagine how nice it's going to be when you ditch the yellow
>> > countertops! �(laugh) �Are they formica? �You c
> an glue a
>> > new layer on top of the old if they're in good shape.
>>
>> > nancy
>>
>> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming
>> "granite!"
> for
>> counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. �
>> Formica is dated, of course.
>
> There's nothing dated about Formica, it's you who is dated... you
> haven't been to: http://formica.com/publish/site/na/us/en/index.html
>
>
> ---
>
>
>
>
>

There's also acid stained concrete. With a mirror finish it looks nice
and is reasonably priced.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

hahabogus wrote:

> There's also acid stained concrete. With a mirror finish it looks nice
> and is reasonably priced.

I've seen some absolutely gorgeous concrete countertops.

I wonder if there's a problem with cracking, as with sidewalks.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in news:F-
:

> hahabogus wrote:
>
>> There's also acid stained concrete. With a mirror finish it looks nice
>> and is reasonably priced.
>
> I've seen some absolutely gorgeous concrete countertops.
>
> I wonder if there's a problem with cracking, as with sidewalks.
>
> nancy
>

Cracking occurs from shifting underlay (sinking) or frost heaving
(rising) or too much weight in one spot. Parking your chevy on the
counter next to the bread box might be a bit of a concern....don't expect
there's much of that in your average kitchen though.

I've never had a in house sink hole.... I've had a in sink drain hole,
though.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

Alan wrote:

> There's also acid stained concrete. With a mirror finish it looks nice
> and is reasonably priced.

That's what I want to do with my FLOORS (though not in the kitchen; there,
I'd prefer a surface which would be more forgiving of dropped glassware).

http://www.concretenetwork.com/photo...crete-floors_1 is a gallery
of painted concrete flooring; I have a hard time deciding which I like best!

Bob

On Fri 20 Jun 2008 08:51:32p, Bob Terwilliger told us...

> Alan wrote:
>
>> There's also acid stained concrete. With a mirror finish it looks nice
>> and is reasonably priced.
>
> That's what I want to do with my FLOORS (though not in the kitchen;
> there, I'd prefer a surface which would be more forgiving of dropped
> glassware).
>
> http://www.concretenetwork.com/photo...crete-floors_1 is a
> gallery of painted concrete flooring; I have a hard time deciding which
> I like best!
>
> Bob

I love the look. Our new office building has this through the major
portionis of the ground floor. I would actually live having it in the
kitchen despite the risk to dropped items. (I rarely ever drop anything.)
However, we have wood floors underneath or floor covering.


--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Friday, 06(VI)/20(XX)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
A dandelion for your thoughts *--
-------------------------------------------

Wayne wrote about stained concrete flooring:

> I love the look. Our new office building has this through the major
> portionis of the ground floor. I would actually live having it in the
> kitchen despite the risk to dropped items. (I rarely ever drop anything.)
> However, we have wood floors underneath or floor covering.

I also like the fact that a concrete floor is inherently cool; it makes it
easier to keep the house cool. And if the floor ISN'T cool, you can cool it
off just by mopping it! (This trick wouldn't necessarily work elsewhere. If
your humidity is high, mopping the floor will just add to the humidity and
the water won't evaporate. But it's very dry here, so the water evaporates
and the net effect is to cool the floor.)

When I lived in San Diego I had painted concrete floors; that's where I
learned to appreciate them. It's a lot hotter where I am now, so concrete
floors make even more sense.

For the kitchen, I'm trying to find out more about eucalyptus or cork
flooring. Both seem to offer the "forgiving" surface I'd like when I'm
carrying around slippery crystalware.

Bob

Sheldon > wrote in
:

> "jmcquown" wrote:
>> Nancy Young wrote:
>> > l, not -l wrote:
>>
>> >> Yes, I agree. �I have a rather small kitchen and painted the w
> alls
>> >> white a few years ago (formerly yellow) and with the white
>> >> appliances, it is much brighter and seems roomier.
>>
>> > Imagine how nice it's going to be when you ditch the yellow
>> > countertops! �(laugh) �Are they formica? �You c
> an glue a
>> > new layer on top of the old if they're in good shape.
>>
>> > nancy
>>
>> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming
>> "granite!"
> for
>> counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. �
>> Formica is dated, of course.
>
> There's nothing dated about Formica, it's you who is dated... you
> haven't been to: http://formica.com/publish/site/na/us/en/index.html
>
>
> ---
>
>
>
>
>

I forgot this http://www.idealsurface.com/gallery.html

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:04:24 -0400, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

>I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming "granite!" for
>counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. Formica is dated, of
>course. I'd like a glass tile or ceramic tile counter tops. Sure, both are
>breakable but I don't plan to take a sledgehammer to the counters and I'm
>not that dangerous in the kitchen Mom's neighbor has ceramic tile
>counterops; she can set a hot pan right off the burner on it without
>bothering with hot pads. It's inexpensive, very attractive and touching up
>the grout if it gets grungy is a fairly easy cosmetic thing to do.

Never liked ceramic tile, never will and have lived with them for 30+
years. UGH. I'm looking forward to granite counters with a pretty
glass tile backslash.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Fri 20 Jun 2008 02:04:24a, jmcquown told us...

> Nancy Young wrote:
>> l, not -l wrote:
>>
>>> Yes, I agree. I have a rather small kitchen and painted the walls
>>> white a few years ago (formerly yellow) and with the white
>>> appliances, it is much brighter and seems roomier.
>>
>> Imagine how nice it's going to be when you ditch the yellow
>> countertops! (laugh) Are they formica? You can glue a
>> new layer on top of the old if they're in good shape.
>>
>> nancy
>
>
> I'm getting sick of HGTV and all the home magazines screaming "granite!"
> for counter tops every time they do a kitchen remodel. Formica is
> dated, of course. I'd like a glass tile or ceramic tile counter tops.
> Sure, both are breakable but I don't plan to take a sledgehammer to the
> counters and I'm not that dangerous in the kitchen Mom's neighbor
> has ceramic tile counterops; she can set a hot pan right off the burner
> on it without bothering with hot pads. It's inexpensive, very
> attractive and touching up the grout if it gets grungy is a fairly easy
> cosmetic thing to do.
>
> Jill
>
>

Choosing a dark grout for both floor and countertop tiles is a great
solution to grunge. If you already have any tile with light grout, it can
be stained to any other color you wish, even black.


--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Friday, 06(VI)/20(XX)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
In-con-CEIvable!
-------------------------------------------

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:57:10 GMT, "Michael \"Dog3\""
> wrote:

>Have you seen the new stuff out? Formica has some really excellent stuff
>out. We looked at it but it did not have the beauty of the granite.

No kidding! If I couldn't buy granite so doggone inexpensively,
Formica would be the way to go.
http://www.formica.com/publish/site/...inate/new.html

>We also considered quartz which would have been our next choice.

I love quartz, but the last time I priced it... it was way more
expensive than granite (and that was before you could find real deals
on granite).


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:19:59 GMT, "Michael \"Dog3\""
> wrote:

>sf <.> : in
>rec.food.cooking
>
>> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:57:10 GMT, "Michael \"Dog3\""
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>Have you seen the new stuff out? Formica has some really excellent
>>>stuff out. We looked at it but it did not have the beauty of the
>>>granite.
>>
>> No kidding! If I couldn't buy granite so doggone inexpensively,
>> Formica would be the way to go.
>> http://www.formica.com/publish/site/...inate/new.html
>
>The American Rose and Brazilian Brown are pretty cool. I've seen them
>both in a couple of the stores.
>
>>
>>>We also considered quartz which would have been our next choice.
>>
>> I love quartz, but the last time I priced it... it was way more
>> expensive than granite (and that was before you could find real deals
>> on granite).
>
>The people at Stone Fabricators INC. which is where we bought the granite
>there are several grades of granite. The blue pearl we had installed is
>a grade 3. It is called Blue Pearl. Grades 1&2 granite is what most
>contractors use. The guy at SFI was very knowledgeable. I saw one slab
>that I fell in love with but it was a grade 8. Cost wise it would have
>sent us into the poor house.

I have a feeling grading has more to do with scarceness rather than
actual quality.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...=1006022508255
http://www.americanmarbleandgranitei...ite_Colors.htm

I'm drawn to Dakota Mahogany... the stuff they put on the outside of
office buildings.
http://www.mkgranite.co.uk/thumbs/dakota%20mahogony.jpg

I'm not into wavy grains (which I will grant you look good on an uncut
slab), I just want an even, sprinkled grain - like your blue pearl or
black galaxy. My counters are background, not the main attraction.

If I was inclined to go with dark cabinets... I think kashmir white
would go well with them.
http://www.natural-stones-suppliers....ages/10041.jpg
>
>Quartz is about the same from my understanding. Quartz and granite both
>have their pros and cons.
>
Granite is harder than marble and quartz is harder than granite.
That's the extent of my knowledge!

Now, polished or honed? Decisions, decisions....


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West