If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?

I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
thinking I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint
where the wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up
to the bottoms of the cabinets.

"Al Fresco" > wrote in message
...
> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>
> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm thinking
> I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint where the
> wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up to the
> bottoms of the cabinets.

Al,
We built this house three years ago.. hubby told me to get whatever I
wanted, because I was going to live here all my life. heh.. So, I got
marble countertop on one area, Corian on another (hard to explain.. I should
post a pic I guess).. and a mosiac tile design on the backsplash, and up
around the sides of the kitchen window that's above the sink. I love mosiac
tiles.. I could have really gone nuts with it, without some guidance.
I got marble because the decorator told me it is good for baking.. but I
haven't advanced that far in my culinary skills yet. I'm still on good terms
with the Stouffer family. <grins>
lucy

"Al Fresco" > wrote in message
...
> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>
> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm thinking
> I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint where the
> wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up to the
> bottoms of the cabinets.

Granite

Ophelia replied:

>> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>>
>> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm thinking
>> I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint where the
>> wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up to the
>> bottoms of the cabinets.
>
> Granite

Durcon

Bob

"Al Fresco" > wrote in message
...
> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>
> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm thinking
> I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint where the
> wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up to the
> bottoms of the cabinets.

Best for what? Stainless is hard to beat, but while it is very utilitarian,
it won't have the pizzazz of granite. Marble is nice for baking, but not
the best for care. Compared to the price of others, Formica is probably best
for the pocketbook. List your priorities and it may help you decide.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "Al Fresco" wrote:
> > If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you
have?
> >
> > I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
thinking
> > I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint
where the
> > wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up to
the
> > bottoms of the cabinets.
>
> Best for what? Stainless is hard to beat, but while it is very
utilitarian,
> it won't have the pizzazz of granite. Marble is nice for baking, but
not
> the best for care. Compared to the price of others, Formica is
probably best
> for the pocketbook. List your priorities and it may help you decide.

Personally I prefer plastic laminate, it's relatively inexpensive so I
can afford to change the counter top after a few years and my kitchen
will have an entirely new look. Even if one were to spend forty years
in the same house, and very few do (most move every five years), I
think it can be very boring looking at the same stone for ones entire
life... soon enough one will have the same stone forever, marking their
grave.

Sheldon

On 29 Jan 2005 17:30:15 -0800, "Sheldon" >
wrote:

>
> Personally I prefer plastic laminate, it's relatively inexpensive so I
> can afford to change the counter top after a few years and my kitchen
> will have an entirely new look.

I have no problem with that concept.

> Even if one were to spend forty years
> in the same house, and very few do (most move every five years), I
> think it can be very boring looking at the same stone for ones entire
> life... soon enough one will have the same stone forever, marking their
> grave.
>
Spoken like someone who hasn't put down "roots".



sf

"Al Fresco" > wrote in message
...
> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>
> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm thinking
> I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint where the
> wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up to the
> bottoms of the cabinets.

We will soon be moving and one of the things to be done in the new kitchen
is upgrading. I will definitely want granite. Didn't do it in our last
upgrade and regretted it. Also adds to resale value.

Mom

Al Fresco wrote:
> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>
> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
> thinking I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint
> where the wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up
> to the bottoms of the cabinets.

Granite is my pick. Here at least it's even less expensive that Corian.

Jessica

What about the new stone-and-plastic composites, like Silestone and
Cambria? The manufacturers claim it's tougher than granite.

Jessica V. wrote:
> Al Fresco wrote:
>
>> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>>
>> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
>> thinking I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless
>> joint where the wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all
>> the way up to the bottoms of the cabinets.
>
>
> Granite is my pick. Here at least it's even less expensive that Corian.
>
> Jessica

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 08:50:34 -0500, Al Fresco
> wrote:

>If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>
>I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
>thinking I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint
>where the wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up
>to the bottoms of the cabinets.

Granite, without a doubt. Slab granite if you can afford it. I've had
it in two houses now and swear by it. Great stuff.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA


"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

-- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "spaminator" with "cox"

"Terry Pulliam Burd" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 08:50:34 -0500, Al Fresco
> > wrote:
>
>>If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>>
>>I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
>>thinking I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint
>>where the wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up
>>to the bottoms of the cabinets.
>
> Granite, without a doubt. Slab granite if you can afford it. I've had
> it in two houses now and swear by it. Great stuff.
>

Granite is indeed great stuff. The only drawback we have had in 5 years is
that the granite pattern - beautiful in itself - makes it diffiicult to see
dirt. This is a good thing sometimes (granite almost always looks good) ,
but when you want to clean up it is a bother!

Be sure that you see the actual slab you will get first. Even rock from the
same quarry can differ a lot.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 00:42:46 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:

> Be sure that you see the actual slab you will get first. Even rock from the
> same quarry can differ a lot.

I learned a new term this month reguarding slabs of
granite... "book". It means consecutive "slices" out of the
quarry, which makes matching the pattern for larger jobs
easier.

sf

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 14:51:47 -0800, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:

>On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 08:50:34 -0500, Al Fresco
> wrote:
>
>>If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>>
>>I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
>>thinking I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint
>>where the wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up
>>to the bottoms of the cabinets.
>
>Granite, without a doubt. Slab granite if you can afford it. I've had
>it in two houses now and swear by it. Great stuff.

I must be a loon, but I really don't care for stone counters. I don't like
how they sound when I put anything down on them, or the way they feel. They
look great, but I'm very tactile... So I prefer a composite like Corian.

--
Siobhan Perricone
Humans wrote the bible,
God wrote the rocks
-- Word of God by Kathy Mar

"Al Fresco" > wrote in message
...
> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>
> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
> thinking I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint
> where the wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up
> to the bottoms of the cabinets.

I think that running the corian up the backsplash is too much of a good
thing. Solid surface material is nice, but it can scratch and burn. They
always tell you that it can be repaired and polished, and that is true.
Still, you would most likely have to have someone repair it unless you are
very handy and some repairs can only be done by licensed vendors because the
manufacturer won't sell the color matched adhesive to the public.

I would go with granite if money is no object. It won't be a lot more than
solid surface if you don't get carried away with fancy edge details. I have
tile and like it a lot. The only consideration with tile over granite is
that you have grout lines. That isn't a big problem is you use large tile
(like 12 x 12 or 24 x 24) and use dark grout that is properly sealed. I
like tile on the backsplash no matter if solid surface, tile, or stone is
used for the counters. It offers a break from a large expanse of counter
top material and there are limitless design options.

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 00:54:18 GMT, "Vox Humana"
> wrote:

> I would go with granite if money is no object.

Granite isn't expensive anymore. You can get a 2x8 foot
slab with a full bullnose for around $150... and sometimes a
cutout is included in the price.

sf

Al Fresco wrote:
> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?
>
> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
> thinking I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless joint
> where the wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all the way up
> to the bottoms of the cabinets.

My choice would be granite.

In > Al Fresco wrote:
> If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you
> have?
>
> I like stainless, but I know it will scratch up eventually. I'm
> thinking I should get something like Corian, made with a seamless
> joint where the wall meets the counter, with the Corian running all
> the way up to the bottoms of the cabinets.


We're sort of tossing the idea around as well and my pick without doubt
is...drum roll:

butcher block

It's the only only thing I'll even consider...


--
Cheers

Dennis

Remove 'Elle-Kabong' to reply

"Ruddell" > wrote in message
> We're sort of tossing the idea around as well and my pick without doubt
> is...drum roll:
>
> butcher block
>
> It's the only only thing I'll even consider...

No matter what the choice is, at least on section of butcher block is very
handy to have. If you have one cabinet between appliances, it is a good
place for it.

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 08:50:34 -0500, Al Fresco
> wrote:

>If you were building a new kitchen, what kind of counters would you have?

We put corian in our new house. It's darned expensive. If I were doing it
again, I'd push a lot harder on the "what other composite materials are
available that don't cost as much as Corian" question, but I'd still go
with a composite.

Our counters are beautiful, they're a sort of slate blue that goes very
well with the maple cupboards.

--
Siobhan Perricone
Humans wrote the bible,
God wrote the rocks
-- Word of God by Kathy Mar