Countertops - cheaper alternatives to granite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:tahnks PP, that is exactly what I was thinking of!

Be careful. Fabricated epoxy is not always FOOD SAFE. If you are considering this for your kitchen, I would make sure you do research on this before installing a lab surface for your kitchen.

[Anonymous]

I'm considering using this "granite" paint kit for less than $100, as I have zero budget for the kitchen right now. I have stained off-white 1980s laminate right now and figure this can't be worse. But maybe I'm just insane.

http://www.gianigranite.com/

[Anonymous]

13:09, I am considering foam faux crown moulding! You'll have to share how your faux granite turns out. o the things we'll do on a shoestring budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here

My problem is not that I dont like granite, its that I have a big kitchen and its expensive. Is there anything cheaper than granite? Just laminate? If so, is there anyone with a good laminate recommendation?

I have looked at wood counters, but they are also expensive and difficult to maintain.

We spent $800 on wood counters. Estimates for the cheap granites for the same kitchen were $3,000. I seal my wood counters once every 6mo. No big deal. All the other solid surface countertops will cost equal to or more than granite. Laminte is cheaper and looks cheap. Tile is also cheap, but we had tile before the wood and cleaning the grout drove me nuts and it was constantly stained.

[Anonymous]

15:01, do you have Ikea counters? Who did you use?

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, granite has become one of the cheapest countertop options.

We just renovated our kitchen and I feel like I researched countertops to death to try to settle on a granite alternative (because I don't like granite). I love wood, but after doing a lot of research and talking to my contractor and several kitchen people, I decided it was not durable enough for us. If you cook and use your kitchen a lot, no amount of sealant will prevent the wood from getting water stains (note, I did not research Ikea wood blocks, so I know nothing about those). Also the harder, more durable high quality woods I looked at were more expensive than granite.

Silestone, Ceasarstone and other quartz brands area a nice alternative to granite, but they are more expensive.

I'm not sure how much less it is than granite, but I was surprised at how far Corian has come. There are really a lot of nice Corian options. Here are some examples:
http://www.houzz.com/photos/query/corian

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:01, do you have Ikea counters? Who did you use?

Yes, we have the oak, NUMERAR Ikea ones. We got them installed by a handyman who did other updates in the kitchen for us. It doesn't take much skill, just someone with the right saw (they need a table saw for a straight cut) who knows how to attach a countertop and could cut the hole for the sink.

I can't say enough good things about the counters. At first I planned to darken them with a stain and then seal them, but once they were in I really liked the color. I ended up using the Ikea sealer you get for $5 then applied this beeswax sealer that we reapply every 6mo. I think one tub will last me a decade http://www.amazon.com/Claphams-Beeswax-870-3008-Finish-8-Ounces/dp/B0012XP7LQ Water just beads right up on the countertops. The countertops definitely darkened up a bit after sealing and I would say are about 2 shades darker than this photo http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00086414#/20057397/. To me, the photo is more accurate to what they will look like in your house, sealed. I don't think the ones in the sample kitchens have been sealed and they are MUCH lighter than our end product.

If you go with wood, seal the rough edge of the sink cutout with a waterproof sealer like silicone caulk and then seal around the sink once it is installed. And buy (@Ikea) the flimsy looking aluminum guard you put under the lip of the counter over the dishwasher.

[Anonymous]

http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/kitchen-fixtures/1757-has-anyone-used-epoxy-resin-phenolic-resin-countertops-3.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm considering using this "granite" paint kit for less than $100, as I have zero budget for the kitchen right now. I have stained off-white 1980s laminate right now and figure this can't be worse. But maybe I'm just insane.

http://www.gianigranite.com/

Please let us know how this turns out! There is a product by Rustoleum as well, for both countertops and cabinets.

http://www.rustoleumtransformations.com/

[Anonymous]

Laminate is cheaper than granite but so is tile. You could use ceramic tile or even 1 foot x 1 foot marble or granite tile, still cheaper than granite which is made the length of the counter. I would talk to a real estate agent if you plan to sell anytime in the next 5 years or so. If you are spending lots of money on cabinets and other stuff and then get laminate it might deter potential buyers.

5 years ago laminate was OK in my neighborhood. Now even in this very middle class neighborhood, buyers expect granite if you have redone your kitchen. I prefer laminate to tile but when we got new cabinets, I got granite (which is cheaper than silestone and all the other fabricated stones) because it is expected and we would like to sell in 5 years.

If you plan on staying in your house for 20 more years, then get the laminate. I would prefer laminate to tile countertops.

[Anonymous]

Are you going through a Home Depot or similar store? If you go directly to the fabricator, you can cut out the middle man and probably save about 20%. We used Home Depot for our kitchen and ended up cutting them out of the process and just working directly with the fabricators for the granite countertops in our bathrooms and basement.

The name of the granite fabricator we used was acropolis granite in beltsville, md and we were pleased with the workmanship and the cost. We even got to select the actual slabs of granite that we wanted. We also looked at silestone and that was more expensive and corian was nice, but not that much cheaper than the granite we selected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Laminate is cheaper than granite but so is tile. You could use ceramic tile or even 1 foot x 1 foot marble or granite tile, still cheaper than granite which is made the length of the counter. I would talk to a real estate agent if you plan to sell anytime in the next 5 years or so. If you are spending lots of money on cabinets and other stuff and then get laminate it might deter potential buyers.

5 years ago laminate was OK in my neighborhood. Now even in this very middle class neighborhood, buyers expect granite if you have redone your kitchen. I prefer laminate to tile but when we got new cabinets, I got granite (which is cheaper than silestone and all the other fabricated stones) because it is expected and we would like to sell in 5 years.

If you plan on staying in your house for 20 more years, then get the laminate. I would prefer laminate to tile countertops.

This is a really good point.

[Anonymous]

Is granite over laminate really going to be a tipping point on whether or not a house sells? I am not trying to play devil's advocate, truly wondering.

If a house is ideal and has laminate counters, that wouldn't make me choose another house...and how often would a buyer really be in a situation where two houses are exactly the same and the deal breaker is on has granite and one has laminate? Sometimes I think this is crap realtors tell us that is more anecdotal than factual.

Maybe I am naive.

[Anonymous]

Ikea wood. Saves money, looks great. I'll never do granite again. I hate my black shiny granite. If I had the money, I'd rip it out and put in Ikea wood. Look at Garden Web, and there are LOVELY wood countertops. It's a very natural look that's adaptable to many types of houses. I'm having an island made with a butcher block top I can cut on. I can't wait to have it in my kitchen.

[Anonymous]

I'm not the OP but I am sold on Ikea wood countertops now. I can't want to find someone to install them!