Kitchen Countertops

[pras]

Where did you purchase your kitchen countertops from and were you satisfied?

[dracisk]

 

On 8/11/2018 at 10:12 PM, pras said:

Where did you purchase your kitchen countertops from and were you satisfied?

We haven’t used them, but I’ve heard consistently positive things about Counter Culture in Wheaton.

[Ferris Bueller]

Depending on where you live, NEKA, located off 606 behind Dulles airport is excellent.  Their have a beautiful showroom, are very knowledgeable and helpful, and know everything about granite and quartz tops.  They are not the cheapest but their quality and attention to detail is paramount.

[lion]

Recently I visited five granite counter top places as we are doing a small addition to the kitchen by adding a cabinet where the tv media center stands. We needed to use a remnant piece after visiting all of those places found prices varied $35-$55 per square feet. The piece chosen to use is a close match but still a couple of shades away from our countertop.

There are several places in Merrifield and tons more in Sterling and would recommend negotiating. We decided to use Granite Center  as it was a good mixture of service and cost.

Actually enjoyed some tacos and beer at Crooked Run in Sterling after making a final decision. 

[smithhemb]

We’ve had dark gray granite counter tops for 23 years with no problem.  So, as I contemplate a gut rehab of our kitchen, I had put granite countertops in the category of “things that have worked well” rather than “things I want to change.”  Kitchen planner is encouraging me to look at Caesarstone and Silestone instead.  Is there any good reason I should prefer them to granite?  Planner said less absorbent/won’t stain, but (perhaps because of the dark color of our granite) that’s been a non-issue for me.  Is the choice here essentially aesthetic or are there functional reasons to prefer granite to quartz or vice versa?

[Ericandblueboy]

I know my granite counter has little chips in them but my Silestone counter is smooth and flat.  I also think there are more and prettier Silestone to pick from.  

[MarkS]

Its esthetics.  We sent with Caesarstone in Kitchen,  3 bathrooms and bar. All told 6 different colors/styles, we are very happy.  

[smithhemb]

Which gray do you have on top of the dark (black) cabinets?

[dcandohio]

I love my Cesarstone counter. I think the color is “Buttermilk.” Easy to keep clean. I don’t worry about chipping. 

[pras]

BTW, we ended up getting granite from Artelye in Belsville.  They were very professional and run a pretty large modern shop.  They have an image of every slab in stock and can superimpose your layout onto the slab for a "rough" design.  Once they take actual measurements, we went back and used masking tape to do the actual layout.  You can skip this step and let them do this if you aren't as hands on as I am (also, if you go the quartz route, there is little need for this step).  We were very happy with the entire process.  Our renovation was a bit adhoc, with me acting as the GC.  Once our floor was done and it was time to push the appliances into place, we learned that there was a 1/8 of an inch issue and the stove and refrigerator wouldn't fit.  I called Artelye and they sent out a crew who on-site shaved the counters and fixed the issue.  I can't figure out if this was their mistake or mine, but it doesn't matter as there was no charge for them to come out and make the fix.

One note--they are a contractor for Home Depot, and if you read on-line reviews there are clearly two sets-those who bought directly from them and those who bought from Home Depot.  I asked them about the discrepancy and they said that they have no control over the Home Depot cases all the way down to scheduling.  All calls, customer service, etc. is handled by Home Depot directly.  They do not even provide slabs--just measure, cut, and install.

Needless to say we were very happy with the experience, including, cost, value, and service.

[Ferris Bueller]

Natural stone(s) (granite, marble) have to be sealed.  This takes about 20-25 minutes every 4-6 months, and is as simple as "wax-on, wax off."  Stains, if they do occur, may possibly be removed, but it is the risk you run for having a unique stone.  We went with hard marble in our kitchen and it looks fantastic; could not be happier, from picking the slab for our island to the patterns in the perimeter.  Regular cleaning is a breeze.

Manufactured products, we used in our bathrooms, are no maintenance, and easily cleaned with any normal cleaner.  They have distinct looks, but whatever you select is not "unique" and anyone can order the same countertop as long as it is being produced. 

I believe the general rule is with manufactured products the composition is something like 93/7% stone to resin.  Since it has some resin or polymer to bind it, if you set something hot on it, it is possible to scar the countertop.  We do not care in the bathrooms and have never had any issues, but perhaps in a kitchen with hot pots/pans - albeit crazy hot pots/pans from the BlueStar range - I would not want to scar the countertops and have to replace.  I am certain someone(s) will weigh in with their experience(s).

[smithhemb]

I thought sealing granite was a one-time thing.  In 20+ years, we’ve never had to do anything more/other than wipe the counter down with a damp cloth.  No chipping or staining either.  And, yeah, the resin/burn issue concerns me more than staining (given my experience with granite).  I put hot pans on the granite all the time with no issues and, at this point, no worries — that’s one of the things I value most about my current countertops.  And, given our kitchen layout, it’s gonna keep happening.

Uniqueness isn’t a voting issue for me in this context, but I do experience granite as live/interesting and Caesarstone as dead/sterile.  Something about the ability to capture/reflect/refract light, I think.  (Though today’s Caesarstone patterns look better to me than what was on the market maybe 5 years ago).  At any rate, aesthetically, I prefer granite but I’d be willing to shift if there were a functional advantage.  I’m looking at this kitchen more as a workspace than anything else.  When I look at Poggenpohl and Henrybuilt kitchens I do see more counter cutouts (e.g. for things like pop-up outlets or knife holders), so maybe that’s more of a PITA with granite.  Which might  mean that the functional difference is at the design/fabrication stage. 

[Ferris Bueller]

Darker granite colors are more resilient but all granite should be sealed to limit stains.  Lighter granites may show stains more easily. 

There are a lot of more recent finishes to granites/quartzes like leathering, honed, polished, brushed etc.  These can drastically change the appearance and I would suggest you get cutting board samples when considering a specific finish.  Many of the synthetic stones have lifetime warranties but I have not read them to know what they cover.  Pop-up outlets and knife holders can be installed in either type of stone, however if you go with some "exotic" granite or marble often times they are a little more challenging to work with and can make those options tedious.  Perhaps the quartzes are more uniform and less troublesome.  A good fabricator should be able to accomodate what you need. Good luck out there, there are many new or revised products in the market than just a few years ago.

[PollyG]

We went with Silestone on our first countertop replacement about 15 years ago.  The sealing issue was the selling point for us then.  Fast forward to this year, when we're almost done with a complete renovation of the kitchen which precluded use of the existing countertops (still in pristine condition), and we went with Silestone again.  I'm impressed with how far they've come in creating options that look more like natural stone.  This time we went with Pietra.