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[Abrowneyegirl]

On 1/23/2015 brii said: A friend of mine has soapstone. I've never seen it in person before. Hers Is black. She put it in the bathrooms too. She oils it every few months

Soapstone is gorgeous! I love the feel of it too. Extremely durable material.

[GiGi53_1]

In our recent kitchen remodel we used recycled glass countertops..something different and quite durable. It reminds me of beach glass!

[kalikokty]

On 1/23/2015 happy housewife said:

There really is a reason HGTV exists - it is to sell expensive ideas to gullible homeowners that make them feel they must have these trendy upgrades. Then in a few years the upgrade is passe and they are selling hard on something else. It is unfortunate that so many people fall for what is really no more than hype.

AND BTW - I have always worked in hospitals where there were granite countertops and almost every one of them has been either cracked or downright broken.They do not last forever as some of you seem to think.

Almost everyone I know has granite, and none of them have had ANY problems with their granite cracked or been "downright broken". So, you're WRONG.

[Anniecamp]

I have a relative who does contracting, remodeling kitchens and bathrooms. He also owns his own plumbing company. He and his wife are not hurting for money, and live in a really nice area. They recently gutted their home's kitchen and remodeled. Since I've been thinking of new countertops, I asked him what he put in for their countertops. (I haven't seen their new kitchen yet.) They put in laminate! He's very, very picky about using "good" materials, so, if laminate's his choice, I'm thinking that's the way to go. I respect his knowledge and opinion. I'm sure their new kitchen is beautiful.

[Nonametoday]

I think you can make your decision based on what you want to pay, what you expect of countertops, the price of the neighborhood in which you live and how the neighbors upgrade for resale, how long you intend to stay in the house. Many factors to take into consideration. Shop around and let a good representative in several different stores make the decision with you based on your expectations and cash outlay. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot but also go to a nice tile place that installs stone and a shop that installs nothing but stone. Get some ideas and see about buying the stone or tile and subcontracting the craftsman.

[geegerbee]

When I redid my countertops last year, I thought quartz was cheaper. But the salesman at Lowe's said no. Granite was slightly less---maybe because it was on sale. So I am happy with my granite. I would avoid Corian because it is impossible to repair cheaply and laminate is old fashioned and can chip.

Go to more than 1 place and look around. I'm sure you will enjoy your new look no matter what you choose.

[HappyDaze]

On 1/23/2015 GiGi53 said: In our recent kitchen remodel we used recycled glass countertops..something different and quite durable. It reminds me of beach glass!

oh wow, that is interesting!

[shoekitty]

We live near Silicon Valley in California. Some recycled countertops are among the the best you can get now. I just gutted the Master bedroom and bath and had a contractor rebuild. I wanted recycled top, but it would have cost 1500 for top only. The only thing we left when we gutted these rooms was a marble shower we had installed 20 years ago. We didn't use it for 18 years, so it was like new. The grout was still like new, they thought we had just installed it.

The problem was getting the vanity top to co ordinate with the marble shower and the rest of the room and not look piece mill. I chose Absolute Black granite. The vanity is solid cherry. I had to buy a half slab, which might have done 3 vanity tops. I could NOT find a small piece. I live in California. The half slab of 1.5 inch thick Premium Absolute black was 800 bucks. It was 900 to fabricate, ( cut sink hole and one faucet hole) do bull nose edging, and make back splash and install. So that 45 inch counter top cost me 1700. I might have been better off with the recycled top! Geesh! Was I in sticker shock.

My daughter had fancy stone top put in her kitchen. It was 6 years ago. She has a large, large kitchen, and about 4 counters. Her counter ran 4,000 without installation I think.

[Marienkaefer2]

On 1/23/2015 colliegirls said:

On 1/23/2015 Marienkaefer2 said:

On 1/22/2015 Sooner said:

DON'T let granite scare you. It is NOT hard to take care of and does not require a lot of maintenance. If you see a slab you love and can afford it, get it!

I agree with this. I have granite in kitchen and bathrooms. I'm not sure why it's considered hard to care for. Maybe people do things to their counters that I don't?

The only maintenance with granite is that it must be sealed. I have seen granite elsewhere with a deep stain that ruined it and it would be heart breaking in this price range. I take care of every countertop material that we have had over the years but not everybody does.

[shoekitty]

Granite is very sturdy, and comes in different fabrications. There is cultured, or man made granite, and there is natural granite. These come in different grades as well. If granite cracks with everyday use, it is because the person who installed it or fabricated it put fractures in it cutting it.

You can get pre fab counter tops. That means already bullnosed, edged, and polished. I could have got one of these for 300 bucks in black. But the bullnosing is so evident, it just glued on with clear glue and you can see it, especially on black!. I was really bothered by this, so I didn't go this route.

There are man made stone and granite tops at a more affordable price. Go to a stone yard and look. I don't know about elsewhere but home depot prices on counters are as much or more installed as natural stone with a free lance fabricator.

One consideration in choosing counter materials is the look you like. I am weird I know, but I do not care for busy, mottled stone in my kitchen or bath. Some reminds me os snakes and I do not care for it. That said, I wanted something more uniform and plain. The faucets, hardware and my gorgeous sink are the center of the design.

Some ( I think most) love the look and original formation of natural stone, and they decorate around the counter, It is a personal choice.

Laminates and other materials are available for every price point and look good too!