Wood countertop - resale value - would it be a dealbreaker for you?

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Bonjour compatriote. There is certain preference around here that things ought to look "expensive". For example, many Americans prefer kitchens that, instead of the clean lines ("euro" style), have lots of mouldings, crown molding, corbels, glazes, etc, even though such elements may not be appropriate for the size.

So, yes, quite a few of them would prefer a stone plan de travaille than w wood one.

If you do wood, do a premium wood countertop, not just ikea wood. If you plan to resale very soon, perhaps your husband is right.


Yes you are right I guess the Ikea butcher block as shown in my first picture will def be too low key (god I hate the bloated pretentious kitchens ) . But if I go wood to do a cherry glazed type that looks more expensive it is not the style I want either in that case I may just do whatever my husband wants, at least one of us will be happy with it
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Get cheap granite. The French are stupid don't listen to them


Thanks for the thoughtful cultural insight French OP here. Cost is not really the issue, it is more about style so if i go for granite I would pick a good one. But I can see the good points from my husband and other PPs on the practicality of granite indeed
Anonymous
Are we talking wood or butcher block. "Wood" to me means the kind you can buy at Home Depot. Butcher block is very nice and is pricey. I know lots of people with them. It's higher maintenance.

This whole clean line Euro thing vs fussy American kitchens is funny. I prefer American kitchens because I think European style kitchens are rather cold and uninviting. I wouldn't call my kitchen pretentious either though.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I don't know of a way to avoid water damage around the sink and would be thinking of bacteria in the wood.
Wood countertops are gorgeous if done right, but seem unsanitary.
Is there a stone surface that you can live with? Soapstone is very soft and brittle and though pretty, is easily damaged.


I have been trying to research this as it was the first concern of my husband. Apparently when treated well wood is very sanitary actually (but that's preliminary goodle search I may be totally out of it). I also like the worn in look it gets and the possibility to sand/refine as much as you want. I currently have lamniate in the kitchen and there is black mold growing in the creases of the sink at light speed, eeeewwww....
Anonymous
Ugh, I want that French Ikea kitchen island!!! Way better than the US options *pouts*
Anonymous
I love the look of new caledonia granite with white cabinets..of course so does everyone else these days. But only a 5 or so years ago I was in love with black/dark granite on white cabinets. Now that is sort of dated looking to me...

Another look that seems to be hot is white cabinets + white counter tops. But who knows if that look will be "in" in 5 years.

Get what you like. If you are worried about staining near the sink or heavy work areas (that would bug me) but a less porous counter top in those areas. I think a combo of wood and hard surface could look really nice.





Anonymous
We wouldnt mind, others might factor in the cost to replace. You should just get them and enjoy.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Are we talking wood or butcher block. "Wood" to me means the kind you can buy at Home Depot. Butcher block is very nice and is pricey. I know lots of people with them. It's higher maintenance.

This whole clean line Euro thing vs fussy American kitchens is funny. I prefer American kitchens because I think European style kitchens are rather cold and uninviting. I wouldn't call my kitchen pretentious either though.


OP here, I agree with you on the fact that american kitchen are much more of a living space, there is a nice homey look in a lot of them that I really like. European are often more simple/modern/functional and are not as much of a hang out space I think. My MIL has such a kitchen, very pleasant country style. The only thing I don't like in it is that some of her cabinets are a bit too heavy, ornamented for my taste and the granite countertop seems cold and blah to me (she loves it, just splurged on it). It makes the whole thing more "heavy", "tiresome to the eye" if that makes sense.. I love the very light, open, white look of scandinavian kitchen (by that I don't mean super modern Ikea)
Anonymous
OP, have you looked at the white quartz countertops like Cambria or Silestone? I think these could give you more of the feel you're looking for while still satisfying the American tastes. How about something like this:

http://www.cambriausa.com/en/Designs/design-palette/Torquay/
Anonymous
OP what about white marble? It's very traditional and doesn't weight the space down.

I'm a clean freak and I think that if I got butcher block countertops I wouldn't ever use them. I have beautiful cutting boards that I don't use because I worry about meat germs and sanitizing them.
Anonymous
OP Granite is easy to love once you have it. I used t think like you do, but after I got the granite, it was love.
Anonymous
I am from Europe, love clean lines, and I would never put wood countertops. I use the kitchen a lot and think that wood countertops are nonsense, unless you want to replace them every once in a while. Because wood also absorbs much more than stone, I see them as not very sanitary (I have a wood board that I use for cutting vegetables and I wash it with water and soap every time, I think cleaning well a wood countertop would be more difficult and time consuming that cleaning a stone countertop) they would not be a dealbraker, but I would consider the price of replacing them with marble or granite or similar materials if I was going to make an offer on a house. and between two equivalent homes, I would chose the one without wood countertops.
Anonymous
Wood countertop wouldn't be a dealbreaker for me, in fact I kind of like it. But an Ikea kitchen actually would be a dealbreaker for me (and was during a recent housing search). I've lived in two rentals with Ikea kitchens and they just don't hold up.
Anonymous
I'm American and I really like butcher block countertops. I think a lot of granite is ugly, including the granite installed by a previous owner in my house. I don't know how I would feel about using a butcher block countertop used by a previous owner, it feels a bit ick to me so I might consider replacing.

I don't like fancy ornate kitchens with corbels and other details, and I don't actually know anyone my age who does. My mother in law filps houses and loves that stuff, though.
Anonymous
I like the look of wood, but am also concerned with maintenance.

Personally when we redo in the next year or so I am going to shop based on low maintenance first, and then look & price. I'm very much a 'function first' person. Some great ideas for materials are here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/27854353/list/7-low-maintenance-countertops-for-your-dream-kitchen

Also with a 7-8 year time horizon I think you should focus on what YOU like, especially for easily changeable items like countertops, paint colors, etc. With that time horizon I'd think about resale for fundamental issues like overall house layout, # of bedrooms, general population who would be looking at your house (is this for seniors or young families), etc. but much less for style type decisions which are so personal and change so much over time.
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