Kitchen Counter Tops

[Tazman1602]

Cambria just installed in wife's kitchen, indestructible compressed bonded quartz almost as hard as diamonds. We were warned even though they are food grade not to cut directly on them as they will dull your knives right now. Beautiful too.

Art

[winelover]

Tried Corion countertops, when I renovated our house in Detroit, in 1985. Back then white was the only option. Had a counter top with molded in sink, in our downstairs 1/2 bath. It got the most use. Still looked like new, when we moved in 2012. When I built the new Arkansas home, in 2011, we put Corion in two baths, the main kitchen, laundry, basement kitchen and matching window sills. That's how much I think of it. At that time, only factory certified installers could purchase the material.

Winelover

[lightman]

In one of my rental houses I have the original 1953 counter tops. I'd really like to know what material it was made with. They don't look new but whatever it was made from has definitely stood the test of time.

Thats certainly stood the test of time!

[high standard 40]

I have been using a Formica top on my loading bench for the last 30 years without any issues. The base for this top is a double layer of 3/4" BC pine plywood, glued and screwed together. Very solid and stable. I don't do any casting on this particular bench. My dedicated casting bench is also a double layer of 3/4" plywood which is simply painted with porch & deck enamel. Works fine for me.

[DocSavage]

Had to have our 1st floor apartment remodeled due to my wife is disabled,we went with Corian for countertops. Easy to repair and the cost was within our budget.
Been 5 years and still look as good as the day they were installed.

[Down South]

I went with Granite the last two times "Two Houses". My last house, the one that I live in now, I have Granite counter tops and an island out of a slab of 1-1/4" Granite.
It ain't cheap but it is permanent.

[lightman]

Thanks Guys! I failed to mention that I'm looking for good, durable or permeant. I'm not planning to do this ever again, at least not at this location.

[popper]

Corian all the way.
17 yrs and a wife that cooks a lot, no scratches, dings, etc. Also I put in a double sink (replaced the cheap SS one the builder put in) that is cast man made stuff I got at home depot (black iron stone or something like that), heavy as coated cast iron but no scratches on it either.

[Edward]

Granite in the 2 houses I have built and permanent like the wife

[mold maker]

Yeah, I'm frugal. I helped my Dad build the kitchen cabinets and install Formica tops. I don't remember exactly what the date was, but I was around 30. I'm still using those Formica tops and the aluminum edging is the only thing needing attention. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. As long as what you have can be sanitary and functions, why " improve" (throw money at it). I don't have any thought of keeping up with the Jones unless their paying.
The memories of Mom, my Wife, my Daughter, and now my Granddaughters preparing my meals on that stone patterned Formica are precious. Not to mention the memories of a project completed with Dad who left this life in "99.

[Geezer in NH]

Next counter tops will be Granite from Mount Dessert Island ME .
Sweet pink speckled my DW loves and will have. Mama gets what Mama wants eventually.

[dbosman]

Corian scratches, shows heat rings from pots fresh off the stove, cracks if the corners are not round, and cracks at the drains if one doesn't know not to tighten them when you change the garbage disposer.
A random orbit sander and very fine sand "paper" followed by polishing and it looks like new. Except the cracks around the disposal drain.
If we were doing it now, I'd encourage my wife to look at the man made bonded glass tops.

[bfuller14]

Granite is a rock...Always gritty.
I have had them in the last two houses and will install
quarts in the next. Compare them and see.

[white eagle]

Granite.... its costly but very,very nice natural product
definitely not a do it yourself operation unless you are in the
countertop business yourself and do granite
I know of no grit unless you didn't have it finished and are eating on the
mountain it came from

[bfuller14]

No not on a mountain, I have it through out my house......
I answered the OP.... Thank you

[Grmps]

I used to install fabricate and install Corian many years ago. Countertops, tub surrounds shower walls......
It has a high acid resistance, the bonded sink is a joy with no lip to wipe things over, scratches can be easily sanded/polished out. A good installer can do a practically invisible patch to any serious damage that might occur by routing out the dammage and replacing with a piece left by the installer ( we would leave several large hot plates / cutting boards cut out of the sink hole cutout or scrap from the job for this purpose. The only time I had to do this on site (we practiced thisin the shop) was when a finish charpenter "accidently" discharged his nail gun into the top. the civit was to big to sand/polish so I routed a hole, mad a plug with matching material and "glued" the plug in with the proper colored 2 part epoxy resin. After routing the patch close to level and sanding it smooth and polishing it to match the rest of the top the patch was invisible.

[lightman]

Well, we did a little shopping today and got to look at some different material. We're really liking the Quartz. Going to look at some more places tomorrow. Thanks for the replys so far.

[Battis]

Unless I missed it, I haven't seen soapstone mentioned. It's something we're considering.

[lightman]

Went and looked at a few more places yesterday. Suppost to have someone come out Friday to measure and give us a price. We're starting to lean towards the quartz. We are also thinking about new cabinets. This project is starting to get expensive! Oh well, Happy Wife Happy Life! We plan to live here for several more years and we will still have a lot less in the house than its appraised at.

[Skunk1]

Concrete tops can be done yourself. I helped a friend pour 20 feet of it. 1/2" ply bottom, reinforcing mesh wire held up 1/2 inch, then a lip around the edges and for the back wall we just layered up tape and poured up tight to the wall then cut off the exposed tape when it was dry. That was 10 years ago. His house is as old as mine and settles and moves and no cracking yet. Some stains now but that is a part of a concrete tops character... he reseals it once a year.

That’s something I always wanted to do. What did he use for concrete and sealer?