Wood countertop - resale value - would it be a dealbreaker for you?
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Anonymous
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Ugh - don't get granite. So ugly and dated. Unless maybe you do honed black...
soapstone marble quartzite But use butcher block on an island or small section. |
Anonymous
| If money isn't an issue I would put in quartz or silestone and if I didn't like any of those a granite. Wood is terrible. |
Anonymous
Sorry granite is not dated, patterns are dated but it is always an option, it's a material not a syle. Skip marble and soapstone BTDT terrible wear and tear, maintenance and looks like crap after a year. Get a quartize (silestone) or granite. |
Anonymous
| I love wood countertops. So it would be a selling point for me! I would rip out a granite countertop the minute I moved in, but that's just me. These things are so subjective. |
Anonymous
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The look you want is more important than the material itself. For a rustic / retro kitchen, perhaps granite won't work. Absolute advice like "get granite" or "get soapstone " should be subordinated to the look you want. If wood is what works, get wood.
Faitez confiance a votre gout. |
Anonymous
lol - please post one granite - aside from absolute black - that doesn't look dated |
Anonymous
| We have butcher block countertops and love them. If you just oil them properly ( which is not hard unless you're the kind of person who never, ever wipes down your counters to begin with) you will not need to worry about water damage. And wood is naturally anti microbial - all these people droning on about them being unsanitary have no idea what they're talking about. I find them so much nicer than the granite we had in our condo which needed to be periodically resealed, and heaven forbid you dropped anything on it because iIt's would break. Granite also stains, and you can't whip out the sander and buff it away the way you can with butcher block, either! I won't hate on granite (only just plain hate it, ha), I have friends that love it, but any surface is going to have its own set of issues so I agree you should pick what you like and not worry about resale. There are plenty of Americans who love butcher block. I get compliments on and envious glances towards ours all the time. |
Anonymous
I love butcher block counters as well, but I do think there can be issues around the sink. My parents in Germany used to have it, and I remember that by the sink near the faucet was a narrow area where water would drip or splash during use and the wood started to discolor and rot. I guess it could have been prevented if they had wiped the area after each use, but who does that? They eventually replaced it with something else (not granite, not sure what the material is they have now). So maybe make sure that if you do get butcher block, your sink/faucet area doesn't have any places where water could pool. Ideally no wood right around the faucet. |
Anonymous
It wouldn't be a deal breaker if I loved the home, but I would replace the counters. Wood is beautiful but more high maintenance than other surfaces. You have to oil it, it stains easily with red wine (and I'm clumsy.) Wood also burns easily, so if you accidentally put something too hot on the counter you'll get a burn mark. I like light colored granite, it is easy to keep clean. My favorite is bianco romano, it looks like marble. |
Anonymous
| Wood and soapstone require oiling and great care. I wouldn't want that in a kitchen. |
Anonymous
| I would love them, but overall countertops would never be a deal breaker for me as they are something that can easily be replaced. heck I bought a home with formica counters. I really can't imagine anyone not buying a house just because they didn't like the countertops. |
Anonymous
| The ick factor is pretty high. |
Anonymous
+1. I always laugh at the buyers on HGTV who complain about a missing or outdated fridge etc. Easy fix of a few thousand dollars, should never be a deal breaker unless you don't have any financial reserves, in which case you shouldn't be buying a home to begin with. |
Anonymous
| At least with wood counters the buyers can find a reason to replace if they don't like them. We have black granite (and black floors) in an already dark, small kitchen, and I would love to replace with white quartz, but can't justify the cost since the granite lasts forever. |
Anonymous
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Coucou!
I am French too, and insisted on walnut countertops (noyer), that we got at Home Depot - they were on display there as a luxury bar countertop, but I had them installed for my kitchen. It gives a warm and elegant feel to that whole space: the dark brown countertop and the off-white cabinets. I hate stone inside the house, it's so cold. So no granite. Two things: 1. I dry the counter obsessively with a dishtowel as soon as a drop lands on it, particularly around my copper sink. 2. I do not bang things down on it thoughtlessly. My water bottles, olives oils and other things permanently left out are on corkboard (liege) or pretty bits of fabric. 5 years after installation, it looks like new. That has taken some doing. |