I’d like to hear from people who have had the above materials put in. I like the look of cast glass-but the durabiloity issue scares me. Concrete looks nice, but is fragile. How about corian? I saw one countertop that looked justy like nice blue granite-is it durable?
You missed one — quartz, aka “silestone”. Looks great, utterly maintenance-free.
Glass and stone materials seem too hard to me, like a dish that you dropped on them would be far more likely to break. We have Corian and I love it. You shouldn’t use knives directly on it or put a hot pot on it, but I grew up with laminate countertops so I’ve never been in the habit of doing either.
We’ve had a granite countertop for probably 10 years now, and done minimal maintenance on it beyond wiping it clean. I love it, and love not having to worry about damaging it.
We’ve had Corian for 8 years and it looks pretty good despite our never having done anything to maintain it other than cleaning it.
My parents have had granite for the same amount of time and it looks pretty good. My aunt has had granite in her kitchen for 20 years and it looks new which is more than I can say for the rest of her kitchen.
Came to mention Quartz for your list too. I’ve heard good things about it, but don’t know anyone who uses it myself.
We have granite, and it looks great and is durable, as you probably know. The drawback is cost. You can set a pot right on the counter from the stove and you will get no damage, which I’m not sure you can say about corian. I’m sure it has advanced though the years to be extremely durable.
There is an option for granite that I would consider if I ever buy another home. Some companies will cut a granite overlay for you, which fits tightly over the existing countertop. The owner supposedly gets the benefits of granite, without the high cost.
Again, not sure how this works in practice, but it sounds like it would work just fine, assuming the granite top has a minimum thickness.
You shouldn’t use knives on any countertop, period. A wood or HDPE cutting board is the only surface on which you should use an open bladed instrument. Using a knife on a hard surface like glass or granite will quickly dull the blade past the point of simple honing.
Personally, I prefer hardwood and bamboo composite countertops, which are surprisingly robust, don’t threaten to shatter any glass or ceramic item they come into contact with and more importantly easy to clean and refinish using a hand sander and sealant.
Stranger
I can’t see this being any improvement over a complete replacement. It sounds like it would appeal to people who don’t quite understand how cabinets and countertops are built. Just removing the old countertop and replacing it with a new, precision-cut one is simpler and likely a superior result, although it might sound like more work and expense than just “refacing” a possibly faulty existing one.
Also thickness, which you mentioned. At a certain point, a granite sheet would be prone to cracking and damage from things like standing or sitting on it, or just banging a heavy stock pot down on it. I’ve had, and I’ll take, a full-thickness countertop, not some kind of “aluminum siding” over the old.
I agree. I recently did a complete kitchen rehab, and had every intention of getting Silestone. But then Home Depot had a crazy sale on granite (half the cost of Silestone) so I went with that. Never had any regrets.
This, with an old marble top table slab for working pastry and candy.
Formica.
Silestone, like Caesarstone, is an engineered quartz product. AFAIK, it comes only in “static” styles, so if you like the “movement” that can be obtained from natural stone, then this isn’t for you.
Of the natural stones, limestone is about the softest and most porous. It takes a lot of care to keep it stain free. Quartzite is a good alternative, coming in lots of different varieties and is essentially as hard as glass.
Concrete, when done right, is no more fragile than natural stone. It has the advantage that you can do any size/shape without seams. Most natural and engineered stone comes in slabs roughly 112 x 65 in. sq.
We just had granite installed, and frankly, I’d have been fine with laminate. Besides having a really busy pattern to it, there are pits (it’s natural stone - it’s to be expected) and seams that are rough to the touch, plus one seam where the mating stones are jarringly different, and I worry every time I set something glass on the counter - I feel like I have to be super careful. My husband really really wanted granite and he really really likes it. But if it had been up to me, I’d have formica.
Granite; it’s the most premium option.
There’s also soapstone. The stuff lab counter tops are made of. It may cost more than granite.
A good formica is hard to beat. It’s tough and durable and some of it looks pretty good, especially if you spend the savings on a glass tile backsplash. Quartz is a good material. We replaced the formica in our last house with it and it looked fabulous. There were granite tiles in this house when we bought it. I don’t like them as well as quartz, but they’re easy to maintain. I’ve never liked the looks of Corian or it’s knock-off brothers.
We put Corian in our remodeled kitchen. It’s quiet, has a forgiving feel, is warm to the touch, and a matte/satin sheen. The seams are utterly invisible. The appearance is uniform across the whole kitchen. It is a cafe au lait color, with small random flecks of different colors in it, but no ‘veins’ or patterns to catch the eye. It is nonabsorbent and nonstaining. Tiny scratches come out with a touch of sandpaper, and the whole surface can be rejuvenated in this way multiple times if need be. We have an undermount stainless steel sink which works very well too.
My parents put creamy colored cultured quartz in their new kitchen. It echoes, is hard and cold to the touch, is slick when wet, and has visible (but subtle) seams. It has required no maintenance. I cringe when putting glassware or ceramic items down on it. It is also nonabsorbent and hasn’t stained, but it is far too reflective for my tastes - you can see the undersides of the cabinets reflected in it, and the undercabinet lights and ceiling lights and windows throw glare all over the place. It makes my head throb to use that kitchen on a sunny day. My parents now wish that they had a more forgiving surface, at least on the main island work area.
I know that granite, glass, metal, and other hard/shiny surfaces are in style now, but if I had a kitchen with them in it I would replace them with Corian, butcher block, or paperstone/richlite. Granted, some forms of Corian look plasticy or feel greasy, but those can be avoided. There’s some really ugly granite out there, too. Laminate is perfectly respectable IMO if you avoid the garish patterns or textures. I also think that soapstone would also be a good option, but I haven’t seen it in person outside of laboratory benches scarred by years of undergraduate abuse.
Tile.
My house was built in 1985 and has tile counters. The white tiles are 6" square and the grouting is ¼" wide with a rough texture and light gray color. The edges and corners are smoothly curved tiles - I didn’t realize tiles could be curved. I do not know what these tiles are made of but they look and feel like standard bathroom wall tiles.
It’s low maintenance, easy to clean and you can put hot pots directly on it. We’re very happy with it.
Sounds like an incompetent granite fabricator/installer. They should work with you upfront to show you where the seems will be, and let you pick the areas you want to match. There should be no pits (they should be filled in), and the seams should be smooth.
But you can hardly blame the “busy pattern” on granite. There are plenty of styles to choose from.
It’s just “curved” clay before it’s fired. Same with a vase.
It’s all a matter of taste, and if you like the tile that’s great. But it’s a date look, and most people prefer something more up-to-date.
Another vote for hardwood. It requires a bit of treatment from new with regular applications of oil for a couple of weeks to build up a tough coating, but after that it is totally waterproof, hardwearing and looks a lot less “clinical” than other materials.
Plus you can use the piece you cut out for the hob or sink as a butcher block that matches the counter.