For bathrooms I heard that toilets and sinks were out, what's in is a room with concrete floors sloped floor to a center drain and one outdoor house bib at the opposite end to spray down surfaces.

Anonymous wrote:All you have to do to know that granite is passe is watch House Hunters....

Ah yes, that beacon of taste and style - ha! That show is the biggest fraud on TV.

Counters are out- food prep sitting cross legged on the floor is the new in thing. Everyone is doing it from Bushwick to Beverly Hills.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am in the process of buying a house with silestone counters... and I did not even KNOW what they were. They looked cheaper than granite to me, and my realtor kept insisting "No, no, these are a step up from granite!" and she's ESL so I had no idea what that meant. So I think most buyers are still looking for granite.

Silestone is fake granite.
The agent was trying to make the sale.

Well if that's her goal she stinks at it! We searched for almost a year (and it looks like this sale may fall through ), and there were plenty of times she'd walk into a house and say "This is UGLY!"

Anonymous wrote:I am in the process of buying a house with silestone counters... and I did not even KNOW what they were. They looked cheaper than granite to me, and my realtor kept insisting "No, no, these are a step up from granite!" and she's ESL so I had no idea what that meant. So I think most buyers are still looking for granite.

Silestone is fake granite.
The agent was trying to make the sale.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am in the process of buying a house with silestone counters... and I did not even KNOW what they were. They looked cheaper than granite to me, and my realtor kept insisting "No, no, these are a step up from granite!" and she's ESL so I had no idea what that meant. So I think most buyers are still looking for granite.

You just contradicted yourself. The agent pointed out that it was superior material. It's not her fault you're behind the times.

Yes, but I had a hard time believing her because I thought that the silestone was a lot less attractive than granite. Basically I thought it looks sort of ugly but bought the house anyway because everything else was nice.

silestone is a man made solid stone which is the same hardness and durability as granite but doesn't require sealing. The pros is that there is no maintenance but the cons is that it is man made and doesn't have the natural beauty and character of granite. I have had both and I don't mind sealing my granite every 3-5 years or so. You can get that dupont sealer which will seal it for 3-5 years. If you notice water not beading up then it is time to seal granite. Like wood furniture I would pick something natural with a unique finish over mandmade for my main show pieces. There is some resentment to granite because of the non eco friendly aspects of mining and creating it but nothing can match up with it's beauty.

Concrete. Yeah, now that is really happening...in my garage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am in the process of buying a house with silestone counters... and I did not even KNOW what they were. They looked cheaper than granite to me, and my realtor kept insisting "No, no, these are a step up from granite!" and she's ESL so I had no idea what that meant. So I think most buyers are still looking for granite.

You just contradicted yourself. The agent pointed out that it was superior material. It's not her fault you're behind the times.

Yes, but I had a hard time believing her because I thought that the silestone was a lot less attractive than granite. Basically I thought it looks sort of ugly but bought the house anyway because everything else was nice.

All you have to do to know that granite is passe is watch House Hunters....

OMG! Rip it all out or people will stop being your friend!!

Once people start asking if something is dated.... it's dated.

Quartz (engineered stone) $40-$100
84

Granite 40-100
81

Recycled glass (penetrating sealer) 60-120
69

Laminate 10-40
68

Tile (ceramic and porcelain) 5-30
67

Solid surfacing 35-100
53

Soapstone (mineral oil finish) 50-100
46

Concrete (penetrating sealer) 60-120
40

Concrete (topical sealer) 60-120
39

Stainless steel 50-150
39

Butcher block (varnished) 40-100
37

Paper composite 30-100
34

Limestone 50-100
27

Butcher block (oil finish) 40-100
24

Marble 50-150
14

Bamboo (beeswax finish) 40-100
10

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Granite is definitely dated. As I said in the other thread, it screams 2002.

And as several of us said in the other thread, you are a moron!

+1, the other counters people want are silstone or quartz which do their best to look like granite but are less maintenance. concrete or glass are fads that will die out soon.

Granite is a fad and done.

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/10599/prediction-2010-granite-countertops-are-so-last-decade

http://hookedonhouses.net/2010/06/09/are-granite-countertops-on-their-way-out/

http://homerenovations.about.com/od/legalsafetyissues/ss/renotrends.htm

I realize DC tends to lag behind in trends and tastes, but come ON.

enjoy fema trailer living

I have black granite with small speckles in it. It came with the house and probably isn't what I would have chosen, but I like it. It's good for rolling out dough and is very low maintenance. White marble is very pretty but maybe not with cranberry stains on it.

The article from fine home building says to get formica counters. REALLY???