…by far is picking out the material/colors/style right before starting a new project.
But maybe that’s obvious by all the pictures of what I’d like to do to our house…
Anyway, while we still are working on getting the insulation installed upstairs, I got to indulge a bit this past weekend when M and I took a real look at materials for the kitchen.
After I left a pool of drool in front of the most expensive kitchens in two (count ‘em TWO) home improvement stores, we actually started settling into a more realistic budget realm for the kitchen.
The problem now? While I love choosing the various parts of the project…I’m also a bit indecisive.
So, what would you choose?
Soapstone?
Or the more common Corian?
Or maybe concrete?
Or something I haven’t even thought of?
Too many choices- but a fun position to be in.
I want soapstone, but the stone people want to talk me out of it….I love the way it looks. Not too glossy like granite. I would love to hear from someone who has lived with soapstone for a while and see how they like it.
Comment by jenni — February 21, 2008 @ 8:08 am |
How messy are you? If you are a messy cook, I would go with granite. Soapstone is pretty porous, and needs wiped up RIGHT away if there are spills.
If you are messy and WANT the look of soapstone, concrete with a heavy sealer would be good.
Personally, I would go with soapstone…
However, our budget is leaving us with the (free) granite. Ah, well.
Comment by Jennifer — February 21, 2008 @ 8:27 am |
jenni is correct about soap stone being pourous.
Corian is impervious to stains. It was developed by Dupont Chemicals as an easy to clean/sterilize counter top material for medical/restaurant applications. You can mark Corian with a permanant marker, let it dry, and then remove the mark with a Scotchbrite pad. Bars like Corian because you can basically sand out burns from cigarettes etc.
To offset the plain appearance of Corian you can have edges inlaid in a different color/texture of Corian. Because Corian is solvent welded you can mix color and texture. This also allow Corian to be seamless, NOT an option with Granite, Soapstone.
(Think seam in our countertop right at the faucet).
Granite is great but unforgiving on glassware. Also needs to be re-glazed after a number of years.
Most prospective buyers for a house will recognize and appreciate Granite, fewer Corian, fewer still Soapstone, and most will ask “Concrete? Concrete counter tops? Are you kidding?!?”
Always consider resale when doing a major change to the house.
(Could you tell I used to sell countertops?)
D
Comment by Dad — February 21, 2008 @ 3:38 pm |
PaperStone
Comment by Kim — February 22, 2008 @ 9:27 am |
There are pros and cons to every countertop material. But here are a few options that you might not have thought of:
-PaperStone, which is recycled paper
-IceStone, which is recycled glass
-Zodiaq, which is a quartz surface
You could also choose stainless steel or wood for your countertops.
There are so many options out there, you are bound to find something that you think looks elegant, but is also practical and affordable.
Comment by replacementcounters.com — May 27, 2008 @ 9:04 am |