Wat OT but need some help. Kitchen counter tops
I know OT isn't popular right now with the season so close but I need some info. I bought a new house and I'm moving soon but want to remodel the kitchen when I move in. Anyways I'm thinking about going with granite tops or butcher block. Anyone have any opinions on either of these good or bad? Is there any problems I might run into with either? I don't really just salesmen and prefer some info from outsiders. Thanks.
August 15th, 2015 at 9:43 PM ^
August 15th, 2015 at 10:10 PM ^
Now if you are feeling really crafty (and this is what I hope to do at some point) build our a small area with dovetailed end grain maple, maybe 3 inches thick. You could butcher pigs on that block for 50 years and it would be just fine. . . It would be pricy, but probably less expensive than doing a whole kitchen in granite.
August 15th, 2015 at 9:05 PM ^
But it really is a design preference. If you have an island considering 2 colors or materials. Maybe butcher for the island and granite for the outer counters.
August 15th, 2015 at 9:09 PM ^
August 15th, 2015 at 9:13 PM ^
Floors-marble
Cabinets-cherrywood
Dishes-Gemstar (very good)
August 15th, 2015 at 9:42 PM ^
August 15th, 2015 at 9:47 PM ^
I juuuust finished installing butcher block in our kitchen. I also used to install quartz during summers in college. If you can afford quartz, go that route. I love our butcher blocks though and am damn proud of how they turned out. They are a fraction of the cost and if you know how to maintain them they can be well worth it, especially if you have a large kitchen.
August 15th, 2015 at 9:48 PM ^
August 15th, 2015 at 10:24 PM ^
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August 15th, 2015 at 11:03 PM ^
August 15th, 2015 at 11:10 PM ^
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August 15th, 2015 at 11:19 PM ^
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August 15th, 2015 at 11:32 PM ^
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August 16th, 2015 at 12:50 AM ^
Ikea - they're really cheap (a fraction of the cost of other places for solid oak) if you get the pre-cut ones. We're at the end of a full house renovation (so at this point costs are a huge factor) and are ordering some from Ikea (haven't gotten them yet, but the samples in store look/feel pretty good). There's also the added bonus of being able to use the scrap pieces as cutting boards.
August 16th, 2015 at 1:53 AM ^
Granite is obviously the standard assuming you are moving into a standard looking 1970s-2000s home. I bought a house from the 1920s when granite wasn't a thing so I had a woodworker make me some custom counters that are similar in concept to butcher block but stained dark, made with rough lumber and heavily sealed to protect them. Wouldn't be the right choice in most houses but fits this house.
August 16th, 2015 at 1:55 AM ^
August 16th, 2015 at 3:20 AM ^
We put granite in 14 years ago and it still looks pretty much the same. I never seal it, just clean it with a stone cleaner, which is as easy as using windex. I get the cleaner at Target. It has chipped in one spot, but other than that, looks great. I also have a butcher block island and I have to oil it occasionally. Also, you might want to check out how butcherblock and water mix. What happens to the area around the sink?
August 16th, 2015 at 6:38 AM ^
I have granite countertops and a butcher block island. I like them both. l:love the look of the real stone and wood combo. I just did the butcher block for looks though rather than use. The finish on it is polyurethane. When I think of quartz, I think of corian and wonder if it is just a fad.
August 16th, 2015 at 7:03 AM ^
August 16th, 2015 at 10:52 AM ^
I just redid our kitchen and spent a LOT of time on sites like houzz and gardenweb as my wife and I made design choices. A lot of kitchen designers and fashion-conscious housewives that frequent that site seem to agree that granite is passe now and soapstone/marble is the way to go for a timeless looking kitchen that won't look dated.
I really like the look of both, but we have kids and the maintenace seemed too high. We went with a quartz that looks like marble. I found that the smaller fabricator shops had more selection than Lowe's/HD. They were slightly more expensive but we got what we wanted.
Any choice you make will turn somebody off, maybe even yourself years in the future as trends change....however I'd say don't skimp on price. Get what you think looks the best and works the best at the top of your budget, you won't regret it later.
August 16th, 2015 at 8:54 AM ^
August 16th, 2015 at 10:54 AM ^
Where do you live that has granite prices higher than quartz? Here in Ann Arbor quartz is more expensive by about 15-20%.
August 16th, 2015 at 10:04 AM ^
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August 16th, 2015 at 10:39 AM ^
Our granite countertop. When we remodeled our kitchen a few years ago, we labored over which type of countertop to install more than anything else. It will be the quarterback of the kitchen remodel, so I feel for you, as I know the choices you face. You have many good options, but it's delicate, because you must live with your decision for a VERY long time. For my wife and I, it came down to the top two qbs in camp. Brady or Henson. Henson (quartz) was the latest and greatest new kid in town, but came at a higher cost. Quartz is a hard natural mineral but the actual countertop is artificial; flashes of natural brilliance embedded in mainly epoxy (Steinbrenner?) or some type of contaminant. While initially beautiful to the lusting eye, upon closer examination, it will break your heart. There's no loyalty or love of art in a quartz countertop. Its appears rich at first sight, but soon the pattern is revealed to be redundant and boring. While "seemingly" low maintenance, the work will be looking at the same picture, inch by inch, day after day. The disappointment of this largely artificial piece of work will set in with the betrayal of interesting.
Granite (Brady) on the other hand, is the real article. All natural, hardened stone, formed under heat and pressure from the hands of time. Each slab is cut from the good earth in one piece, strikingly different than the last. Once installed and polished, it has a soothing calm of presence. It truly radiates a strength and beauty all its own. Unique in every way. One of a kind. Built from the ground up. A masterpiece of artwork from Mother Nature herself. Every square inch a different brushstroke than the last.
I was once told that the beauty of granite is in its depth. Every square inch of granite is truly deep with colors and specks of minerals found only in nature. While you look AT quartz, you look INTO granite. Much like seeing a laminate countertop, vs admiring a Rembrandt.
Or to be more precise... GLANCING at Henson vs STARING at Brady... for a very very long time.
But hey, that's just my take. Maybe not so OT after all.
P.S. If wiping your dining room table is a nonissue, then polishing granite is exactly the same effort; except only once or twice a year. WELL worth it!
Good luck with your decision! And GO BLUE!!!
August 16th, 2015 at 1:59 PM ^
clap
August 16th, 2015 at 12:08 PM ^
Monkey House,
Where do you live? If you live in the Metro-Detroit/Ann Arbor area, I can get you a great deal on countertops. I work for a Kitchen and Bath Remodeling business and our focus is cabinetry and countertops. I can point you in the right direction. Feel free to get in contact with me, my email is charlie (at) mjcabinetdesigns (dot) com, and even if you're not local, I can provide you with some insight regarding finding the right material and the costs associated with each.
As far as your question, if you've got the budget, definitely go with an engineered quartz - stain/heat resistant, non-porous (unlike both granite and butcher block), very little upkeep, and will last you a lifetime.