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[webbgarner1]

@wildlifewitch  I have quartz as well, glad I went for it.

[aubnwa01]

When I replaced the laminate countertops in my kitchen about 4-5 years ago, i went with quartz: Silestone-Lagoon, & I love it.  It has the look of Carrera marble, but not the upkeep.

[Carmie]

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@violann wrote:

BIG problem in my kitchen- the cabinetry is high quality and I wouldn’t want to replace it,  BUT, the counters are a really sad Formica, and they are INSTALLED within wood trim, so to replace the surfaces, all of the tops must be totally removed, a whole lot of mess for not a lot of gain. 

I’ve been brooding about this since Spring 2016.......

Also, I DESPISE SOFFITS, and I want them to be GONE, and DH, who really IS a great guy, just curls up like a little hedge hog and ignores me.......

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My house has soffits.  We built our home, so I know that there is plumbing behind them.  There is no way they can be removed. Do you know what's behind yours?

Personally, I know that the builders of today do not use soffits because they are more work and more money to install.  It is cheaper to just float cabinets on the walls.  If I had my preference, I would install customer made extra tall cabinets that go to the ceiling.  That's a great finished look.

[Carmie]

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@wildlifewitch wrote:

@wagirl Quartz all day long. Granite needs to be selaed once  a year. Quartz is durable and needs no maintenance. I have dark counters that do show messes, but it makes me keep them clean. The lighter ones can hide kitty paws, so I like dark. Good luck and sorry about your house and the tree.

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My granite was professionally sealed by the stone cutters told it and it will never need sealed again.  They told me the sealer would last a lifetime, and so far it has.  I have granite in my kitchen and in two baths.

I have quartz in two bathrooms.  One  bathroom has a dark water spot ring around the facets when it is connected to the counter top. I think water was allowed to sit there for a while.  I have hard water.

[ptagirl]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

OH okay @violann. Got it. I have a section with a soffit above my stove where the exhaust fan vent goes up into the ceiling and that part is covered by the soffit. My other cabinets are all open up there...dusty and I hate looking to see just how much!

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I also have open top cabinets.... I absolutely HATE them... always greasy/dirty up there and it's NOT easy to climb a ladder to clean ... I would much rather have the soffits to block the extra dirt/grease..... this is the second home I've had open top cabinets... but it's hard to know what to do with these cabinets when there is a vaulted ceiling... catch 22... but if you have soffits, please don't remove them, or you may be sorry in the future.. JMO...

[wagirl]

@wildlifewitch--yes, am leaning towards quartz too but will look at all options when the time comes--do not want any dark counter tops tho----want light and airy and easy to maintain and clean---thanks for the good wishes----was the most traumatic thing I have been thru--and I went thru breast cancer !!!