The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Share Your Badassity => Topic started by: Aelias on December 29, 2017, 10:02:27 AM
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Our old dishwasher is dying. And to get out the old dishwasher, we'll need to pull off the old laminate countertop. So we decided it was finally time for a new dishwasher and countertop. Being earthy-crunchy types with a few dollars saved up, we prioritized a highly efficient dishwasher and countertops made of recycled glass.
The first recycled glass option that caught my eye was BioGlass. It's very pretty, made of 100% recycled glass, and basically indestructible unless you're a total moron. We went to the showroom to take a look, and the first thing the lady told us was, "You know, it's expensive. Like, really expensive." (We must have looked particularly broke that day). We're like, "Yeah, we know. Just back of the napkin, about how much?" Well, for about 20 sq ft. of countertop, we were looking at $8-10K. And there was no warranty.
As a point of comparison, we went to Home Depot and took at look at their GEOS line of recycled glass countertops. Lower recycled material content, but still acceptable. Even with the fancy color I liked, it would come to around $3K. And it never needs to be sealed. And it comes with a 15 year warranty.
We had the money to spend, but obviously, that wasn't the point. Could I really justify that cost, knowing that even high-end granite would be about half that, and a perfectly good recycled option was $3K? Would I feel bad that I settled every morning when I looked and my less-then countertop? It was a long night of the frugal soul.
Thankfully, I got some sleep and came to my senses. I had a severe case of Tiny Details Exaggeration Syndrome. I went downstairs this morning, and realized, "At the end of the day, it's just a countertop. It's the place where I truss chickens and make bread and leave out my dishes sometimes. It's not going to change our lives and it sure as fuck is not a reflection of who I am as a person."
So, yeah, we're going with the GEOS. It was the right choice. It just took me a while to get there.
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It's not normal to have to remove the countertop to access a dishwasher, they usually screw in from the front, but if that's what you need to do it's a good time to replace the countertop. From a frugality & environmental standpoint keeping the old countertop is best, but if that's not an option I'd say you made the next best decision.
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My sister bought a “handyman special” house where the dishwasher was installed before the wood floor. Then of course they installed a granite countertop - and glued it on to the dishwasher.
Ain’t no way that thing’s coming out without some major problems.
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Exactly--there's a 1/2" lip down from the wood floor to the base of the dishwasher. We're reasonably handy, and we haven't been able to figure a way to extract the dishwasher without destroying the countertop. I suppose we could pop up the floorboard directly in front of the dishwasher, wiggle it out, and then put the new one in with the floorboard lightly nailed into place.
I'm not really expecting a ticker tape parade on this board for spending $3K on a countertop, but I'm willing to bet others have been tempted by their own pretty shiny spendy things. I was glad to have the clarity of mind to talk myself out of the ridiculous option, rather than just saying, "Screw it. We can afford it."
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Wait a minute...you settled for the GEOS when you could have had the BioGlass?
HAVE YOU NO STANDARDS?????
Those recycled glass countertops are beautiful! We recently remodeled our kitchen and chose granite. Now that we have granite, it's kind of "meh," not all that impressive. We chose what we chose because we absolutely loved one of the floor sample kitchens they had set up and pretty much modeled ours after it. Not complaining, don't get me wrong, but there are so many lovely options these days.
Congrats on making a wise and beautiful choice!
ETA: Since I just put myself out there as a non-mustachian kitchen remodeler, I feel the need to say that we did all of the labor ourselves for the remodel. So there's that.
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Miss Piggy--Thanks for the literal LOL!
Yeah, we congratulate ourselves for all the stuff we're not replacing. But whoever flipped our house clearly put in the worst dishwasher on the market. And we cook a ton, so there are a lot of dishes.
Our next project is a totally DIY bathroom reno. And hopefully a fireplace insert made by a family friend.
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I recently had to replace my dishwasher and had a bitch of a time getting it out. I basically had to cut a strip out of the floorboard in front of it but after a lot of F-bombs, sweat etc..I got it. Kitchen had beautiful granite tops and wasn't going to spend the money to replace them. If it would of been laminate I would of ripped them out as well.
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Ha ha yes. When we bought our old small house, it had tile countertops. It's a galley-style. The exterior wall had sink, lower counters, and upper cabinets on either side of the sink/ window.
The other wall had nothing. Literally no cabinets, no appliances (prior owner took them).
So first we put in our fridge (that we owned) and bought a stove and had a plumber do the gas plumbing. Then we had a table next to it. Over the next several months, my spouse built cabinets (3 of them) to go around the fridge and stove.
The other side, with the sink, was unfortunately old enough that the cabinets were only 22" deep, and dishwashers are 24". So we tore out the cabinets and put in a dishwasher and he built new cabinets.
We had plywood counters for a LONG time. In the end, we decided on tile. I love love granite. But honestly? It's an 1100 sf 2BR, 1BA house on a very small lot with no garage. Granite, in our house, would be overkill. He tiled it (it was still $1200 in tile!) Done, the end.
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Well, thanks a lot. Now I want these with the Patina background https://www.vetrazzo.com/product/cobalt-sky/?lang=en
Our kitchen was horrid when we moved in. The previous owner had got his hands on the world's worst 6" greyish shiny wall tile and glued it right on to the old 1970's Formica, then used the same stuff as a backsplash without any sort of finishing edge, and nice wide grout lines to capture all the dirt. I found some marble tile on clearance at Lowe's for about $1.60/sf, and then some clearance 4" biscuit tile and a mosaic accent for the backsplash that set us back another $50. Oak trim all the way around. The idea was to do a "real" kitchen remodel after a few years, but it's going on eight years now, and I like it all just fine (and also cook a ton), and don't plan to change it any time soon. The finish has worn off the marble in the heavier use areas, but it's not a big deal. The faux stone stuff they put in the restroom counters at the office has worn more quickly than the marble tile. Recycled glass countertops are on the list now though, if we ever do decide to gut this kitchen.
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them. This was an argument I had with my realtor when I sold my last place.
I recently read an article about a woman whose mobile home got destroyed during Hurricane Irma in Southwest Florida. She went shopping for a new mobile home and realized they were unaffordable since they were all being built with these fancy kitchens and stuff. Don't builders realize they need to build for all tiers of the market?
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them.
How granite countertops became an American obsession (https://www.vox.com/2015/9/4/9258233/granite-countertops)
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them.
How granite countertops became an American obsession (https://www.vox.com/2015/9/4/9258233/granite-countertops)
I would love to see a similar article about how Americans were duped into converting to stainless steel appliances. But I digress.
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them.
How granite countertops became an American obsession (https://www.vox.com/2015/9/4/9258233/granite-countertops)
I would love to see a similar article about how Americans were duped into converting to stainless steel appliances. But I digress.
+1 The feedback I got this summer at one point was that my house was great except for having black appliances.
Confession, I went ahead and did a complete remodel of my new to me home on my kitchen and baths. (And all of the flooring). I comfort myself that at least I got the employee deal on the kitchen and bath part, thanks cousin for the cost +10%. Almost everything is done except for the backsplash.
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them.
How granite countertops became an American obsession (https://www.vox.com/2015/9/4/9258233/granite-countertops)
I would love to see a similar article about how Americans were duped into converting to stainless steel appliances. But I digress.
I thought I was the only one who hated the recent stainless steel appliance craze. IMO stainless steel makes a kitchen look cold and industrial and is a maddening fingerprint magnet. Maybe it's because I grew up with them, but white appliances always make a kitchen feel "homey" to me.
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I love the subject line of this thread! Makes me smile when I see it.
For the record, I live in a rental with no granite anything. I've seen granite countertops in other people's homes and I think they look nice. But I don't think I would want to pay for them.
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To the OP, I would take the opportunity while the countertop is off to pad the top up 1/2"or whatever you need to clear that dishwasher. Use furniture grade plywood strips, glue and nail them, then put a small trim piece under the edge of the the countertop after installation.
That way if you're unlucky and the new dishwasher fails, you won't be doing this again.
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I still smile when I look at my granite countertop in the morning. I.love.it:)
The designer and the frugalista warred with each other for a month.
The designer won, but the frugalista had her day too - standing in the rain in a huge yard filled with granite - yet to be cut at less than half the price:)
The designer didn't bat an eyelash standing in the rain either - I got to pick the exact part of the granite block that I wanted, the one that looked like a riverbed.
I'm still smitten:)
So I guess in a way I disagree - I am my countertop:). ... and the old dude with a cane that showed up to measure the surfaces, had some excellent ideas about including some fancy details for twenty bucks more - score:) It always pays off to be nice and engage in conversation with people who know their craft.
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I've always been a big laminate fan. It's heat resistant, stain resistant, soft on glassware, seamless and affordable. I know countertops can be daunting, but all you need is a <$100 laminate router, a sharp knife and some files and you can make as custom of a kitchen as you like. Many patterns now offer a pre-cut edgestrip to make it even easier. Just remember, edges first, then the surface ; )
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them.
How granite countertops became an American obsession (https://www.vox.com/2015/9/4/9258233/granite-countertops)
I would love to see a similar article about how Americans were duped into converting to stainless steel appliances. But I digress.
I despise stainless steel. But it came in the house and replacing working appliances with white seems a bit ridiculous.
Most upscale houses around here don't have granite anymore. Quartz, marble, poured concrete. Granite is so "builder grade"
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them.
How granite countertops became an American obsession (https://www.vox.com/2015/9/4/9258233/granite-countertops)
I would love to see a similar article about how Americans were duped into converting to stainless steel appliances. But I digress.
I despise stainless steel. But it came in the house and replacing working appliances with white seems a bit ridiculous.
Most upscale houses around here don't have granite anymore. Quartz, marble, poured concrete. Granite is so "builder grade"
I didnt install the granite it was here when I bought the house. I am not the biggest fan of it but whats in our kitchen is simple and matches well so I dont want to replace what was probably 10k worth of overpriced granite. With that said If I was to do a new kitchen I really like how poured concrete tops have made there way overtime . Love the look and now so many different things you can do to make it your own and original
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I just wanted to say I literally lol'd at the topic title. Very Fight Club. I like it.
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And of course granite is seen as tacky and passé now that everyone has it. Time to tear out the granite and put in whatever’s next! (Sarcasm)
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I just had to laugh at your title! With the prospect of finishing a family farm house in the future I will be saying the same thing about everything from counter tops to flooring....
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Glad I brought a smile to a few faces. For me, it was a humbling reminder than I am most certainly not immune to the pull of lifestyle inflation and that it's possible to make the better choice.
On granite--I irrationally hate granite countertops. Probably because everyone's doing it these days. Our neighborhood is absolutely overrun with condo conversions and they ALL LOOK THE SAME! It's like every developer went to Condos, Condos, Condos and bought the "Basic Condo Starter Kit" which includes granite countertops, hardwood floors, and stainless steel appliances.
I really love our white appliances. They're bright and clean looking, they work with the white painted cabinets, and they don't fingerprint. What's not to like?
I'm thinking Mexican painted tile accents for the bathroom, which are probably too "individual" to add to the resale value. In fact, I'm pretty sure any decent realtor would tell us to pull them down and make it all gray. But fuck it--we're not planning to move, and I like bright colors!
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We just finished a super-fancy house remodel, and I can so relate to your experience. Just curious if you considered butcher-block or wood countertops? That's what we ended up going with: hard-working, trendy but timeless, replaceable and maintainable (just sand and re-oil!), and environmentally friendly...and for us, somewhere between laminate and anything else, cost wise. We LOVE ours.
We also looked at all the recycled glass, concrete, and other fancy "green" finishes that are uber-pricey, and in the end just tried to make a lot of choices that we could live with and would age gracefully/be maintainable for 25+ years. Agreed that tearing out things every five to ten years just because the "look" isn't right anymore is the worst issue.
Hope you're thrilled with your new kitchen!
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them.
How granite countertops became an American obsession (https://www.vox.com/2015/9/4/9258233/granite-countertops)
I would love to see a similar article about how Americans were duped into converting to stainless steel appliances. But I digress.
It's like we all want to live in 1999, forever.
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Our house came with new stainless appliances. The only way they look decent is if I wax and buff them. I hate them with the fire of a thousand suns, but am too cheap to replace them.
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We just finished a super-fancy house remodel, and I can so relate to your experience. Just curious if you considered butcher-block or wood countertops? That's what we ended up going with: hard-working, trendy but timeless, replaceable and maintainable (just sand and re-oil!), and environmentally friendly...and for us, somewhere between laminate and anything else, cost wise. We LOVE ours.
Hmm. Hadn't really considered butcher block, but maybe I should. Was turned off by the maintenance, but it sounds like it's not actually that bad. Thanks for the tip!
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I really really want those GEOS counter tops but we needed some in a hurry and on a really really cheap budget when we moved in so we have those pre-cut/formed laminate counter tops. Now that those are down my environmental and my budget side refuses to let me replace them. It is bad but I keep hoping that somebody will figure out a way to ruin them so that I can replace them without feeling guilty, we are going on 6 years with these ones and nobody has helped me out with this yet.
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You guys must be from a different planet than me!
When we renovated our kitchen, we put in Ikea laminated countertops at £10 per metre. This was 15 years ago, and they still look as good as the day they were installed. Stains come off easily, and there is no delamination or any other problem. 100% satisfied!
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I am definitely my countertops.
For 15 years I was 70s-style, gold, formica laminate. Cheap, adequate.
Now I am partly warm butcher-block wood (the counters proper) and partly polished granite (like the kitchen island).
It's fun to be shiny, durable, with fascinating details created thousands of years ago in the fires of tectonic . . . something.
Glad to have waited until the stash accumulated to burst out of the formica cocoon, though.
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Our house came with new stainless appliances. The only way they look decent is if I wax and buff them. I hate them with the fire of a thousand suns, but am too cheap to replace them.
Same here.
I commented on your journal about this too. I have no place to put my great collection of travel-acquired magnets with my stainless steel refrigerator. :-(
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I really really want those GEOS counter tops but we needed some in a hurry and on a really really cheap budget when we moved in so we have those pre-cut/formed laminate counter tops. Now that those are down my environmental and my budget side refuses to let me replace them. It is bad but I keep hoping that somebody will figure out a way to ruin them so that I can replace them without feeling guilty, we are going on 6 years with these ones and nobody has helped me out with this yet.
Accidentally spilling hot grease on them should take care of it for you. ;)
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Our house came with new stainless appliances. The only way they look decent is if I wax and buff them. I hate them with the fire of a thousand suns, but am too cheap to replace them.
Hit the nail on the head with this statement.
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them. This was an argument I had with my realtor when I sold my last place.
I recently read an article about a woman whose mobile home got destroyed during Hurricane Irma in Southwest Florida. She went shopping for a new mobile home and realized they were unaffordable since they were all being built with these fancy kitchens and stuff. Don't builders realize they need to build for all tiers of the market?
I think they are pretty!
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Confession, I went ahead and did a complete remodel of my new to me home on my kitchen and baths. (And all of the flooring). I comfort myself that at least I got the employee deal on the kitchen and bath part, thanks cousin for the cost +10%. Almost everything is done except for the backsplash.
Well, you have done the two most expensive(and hard work) rooms in the house..the rest will be a breeze! Congrats on all the work.
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them. This was an argument I had with my realtor when I sold my last place.
I recently read an article about a woman whose mobile home got destroyed during Hurricane Irma in Southwest Florida. She went shopping for a new mobile home and realized they were unaffordable since they were all being built with these fancy kitchens and stuff. Don't builders realize they need to build for all tiers of the market?
I think they are pretty!
I used to like them, until they started appearing everywhere. And when I sold my house my realtor said some lady came in to look at the house and looked at the kitchen and bathrooms, which were in excellent shape with new white appliances, and wanted me to reduce the asking price by $100k because she would have to redo all of the bathrooms and kitchen. My realtor was trying to get me to reduce my asking price because of this comment. I think she just wanted to move the inventory faster. I said no...someone would like the kitchen and bathrooms.
I am happy that the couple that ended up buying my house said they liked the kitchen and bathrooms.
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My kitchen is poorly laid out (stove and fridge are right next to each other - smart thinking there). Cabinets were painted black, and they did a crappy job. Drips all over bad. The ugly granite look laminate counters. Pergo that wasn't properly installed, over laminate I think.
I would love to rip it all out, redesign the layout so the stove doesn't prematurely kill the fridge, and get rid of the damn Pergo. It is very far down the priority list. But granite will not be making an appearance when (if) I do.
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them. This was an argument I had with my realtor when I sold my last place.
I recently read an article about a woman whose mobile home got destroyed during Hurricane Irma in Southwest Florida. She went shopping for a new mobile home and realized they were unaffordable since they were all being built with these fancy kitchens and stuff. Don't builders realize they need to build for all tiers of the market?
I think they are pretty!
I used to like them, until they started appearing everywhere. And when I sold my house my realtor said some lady came in to look at the house and looked at the kitchen and bathrooms, which were in excellent shape with new white appliances, and wanted me to reduce the asking price by $100k because she would have to redo all of the bathrooms and kitchen. My realtor was trying to get me to reduce my asking price because of this comment. I think she just wanted to move the inventory faster. I said no...someone would like the kitchen and bathrooms.
I am happy that the couple that ended up buying my house said they liked the kitchen and bathrooms.
I am glad I stopped watching home improvement shows. They just make you want to tear out perfectly functional things.
Why would you do that? I have friends who bought a house years ago, built in the 70s, still with yellow laminate counters. And my first thought was "rip those out!" They didn't, and you know, they've grown on me. And they are in good condition and functional.
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My kitchen is poorly laid out (stove and fridge are right next to each other - smart thinking there). Cabinets were painted black, and they did a crappy job. Drips all over bad. The ugly granite look laminate counters. Pergo that wasn't properly installed, over laminate I think.
I would love to rip it all out, redesign the layout so the stove doesn't prematurely kill the fridge, and get rid of the damn Pergo. It is very far down the priority list. But granite will not be making an appearance when (if) I do.
This seemed to be common at one point. I've toured a LOT of small homes built in the 1920's and 1940s, and the # of homes with fridge and stove next to each other, with no countertop, is staggering.
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I'm laughing inside at the people who used to like granite countertops until they started appearing everywhere and now don't like them. Meanwhile, these same people probably drive boring commuter cars that everyone else has...and can't possibly comprehend why people drive impractical sports cars (that cost more money and provide the same basic function).
The irony is amusing.
I love the granite/stainless in my house. Doesn't matter to me if a million other people have it.
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My kitchen is poorly laid out (stove and fridge are right next to each other - smart thinking there). Cabinets were painted black, and they did a crappy job. Drips all over bad. The ugly granite look laminate counters. Pergo that wasn't properly installed, over laminate I think.
I would love to rip it all out, redesign the layout so the stove doesn't prematurely kill the fridge, and get rid of the damn Pergo. It is very far down the priority list. But granite will not be making an appearance when (if) I do.
This seemed to be common at one point. I've toured a LOT of small homes built in the 1920's and 1940s, and the # of homes with fridge and stove next to each other, with no countertop, is staggering.
House was built 1919. My main objection to the layout is that the oven stresses the fridge. Cabinets I could strip and repaint, floor I could replace, etc. But I can't fix the oven/fridge problem without a full gut.
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Our house came with new stainless appliances. The only way they look decent is if I wax and buff them. I hate them with the fire of a thousand suns, but am too cheap to replace them.
Hit the nail on the head with this statement.
This is why I have mismatching appliances now. Stainless range and fridge, black stainless dishwasher. While the dishwasher hadn't completely broken, there was enough wrong with it that I justified it's replacement when it was pulled for the rest of the renovation anyway.
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Uh oh, I think I am partly my counter tops.
TheHusbandHalf and I bought a 1915 house from the original owner, in 1980. We have been working on it ever since. My Dad did a lot, our kids grew up here. We finally remodeled the kitchen in the spring and it included quartz counter tops.
Why quartz? Our cabinetmaker recommended Cambria quartz, and after doing a bit of research, we were happy to buy from a company based here in the US. The cabinetmaker lives just over the soybean field. 7 of his employees are family, the shop was started by his Dad back in 1983.
We take 'buying locally when possible' very seriously. Cambria follows OSHA rules. (I heard too many horror stories of workers in other companies, in other countries.)
This house, and working on it has brought us so close together. We are partly our house.
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Before I had my baby my job was helping people select their countertops (and other kitchen/bathroom elements).
I can confirm that people are their countertops. It is apparently the single most important decision in building a house. I witnessed a middle aged woman throw a tantrum because she couldn’t find a quartz top with enough sparkle in it and another confess to me that she was terrified of making the wrong choice because everyone in her book club might talk about it behind her back (I suggested that book club was not for her).
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This thread is timely because we are planning to gut and reno our 40+ year old bathroom and kitchen in about 6 months. Endless decisions await us.
Before I had my baby my job was helping people select their countertops (and other kitchen/bathroom elements).
I can confirm that people are their countertops. It is apparently the single most important decision in building a house. I witnessed a middle aged woman throw a tantrum because she couldn’t find a quartz top with enough sparkle in it and another confess to me that she was terrified of making the wrong choice because everyone in her book club might talk about it behind her back (I suggested that book club was not for her).
Oh. Wow.
My actual plan for choosing a countertop is looking at what my friend chose for her kitchen (a white composite stone) and finding something vaguely similar. Not in a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses way, but more, she chose something that we like the look of, that's one less decision to make.
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them.
How granite countertops became an American obsession (https://www.vox.com/2015/9/4/9258233/granite-countertops)
I would love to see a similar article about how Americans were duped into converting to stainless steel appliances. But I digress.
I thought I was the only one who hated the recent stainless steel appliance craze. IMO stainless steel makes a kitchen look cold and industrial and is a maddening fingerprint magnet. Maybe it's because I grew up with them, but white appliances always make a kitchen feel "homey" to me.
Same.
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I'm going to redo our countertops this year. I've put it off for a decade. I cook all the time and our current set up is freaking floor tiles - on the counter - like the same exact tile that is on the floor is my countertop. I loathe them, but I valued $6k more. Until now. I've been saving in a kitchen/hone savings account, and by golly, I'm finally going to do it.
After research, I really want quartz. It's more durable than granite. I also am planning a new backsplash but I do.not.want white subway. Because I'm special. Even though I'm in a contractor grade house, I want nice unique finishes, dammit. It seems ridiculous to spend more since it's not a fancy house, but I am my countertops. I figure any upgrade we do is justified since we never eat out. I make everything I can from scratch and cooking is a big part of my identity.
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I am definitely my countertops.
For 15 years I was 70s-style, gold, formica laminate. Cheap, adequate.
Now I am partly warm butcher-block wood (the counters proper) and partly polished granite (like the kitchen island).
It's fun to be shiny, durable, with fascinating details created thousands of years ago in the fires of tectonic . . . something.
Glad to have waited until the stash accumulated to burst out of the formica cocoon, though.
I adore granite because I am a bit of a geology nerd (cooking/eating on an ancient rock that was created inside a volcano, yes please), and it's very pretty. My apartment has granite, and I'll miss it when I move if the new place doesn't have it. That said, there are a lot of very ugly/boring granites out there.
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I really love our white appliances. They're bright and clean looking, they work with the white painted cabinets, and they don't fingerprint. What's not to like?
I am SO with you on the white appliances! We put white appliances in our last house. They were less expensive than stainless and showed no grime (that's HUGE, I tell you!). Our current apartment has a stainless fridge and a black stove. They are the bane of my existence. They *always* look filthy. We also have granite countertops. I don't know if it is just me being a butterfingers but I have broken so many glasses and mugs on that stupid countertop because it is so hard. The laminate countertops at our old place were pretty ugly, but I never broke anything on them. :)
I haven't seen the recycled glass countertops yet, but when we talked about replacing our old ones I was leaning towards stainless. I loved the look and the practicality.
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I don’t think I ever even noticed countertops until around 2005 when I started watching cable TV again and learned that if a house didn’t have granite and stainless appliances that it should probably be set on fire.
Exactly...and unfortunately for the homeowners, all of these houses are uninsured...because what kind of crappy insurance company would insure a house that doesn't have stainless appliances and granite countertops? The horrors!
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My countertops were put in probably 30 years ago. They still do the job. It would take a lot of damage for them not to.
You're not your fucking khakis.
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We have a nice granite island and had Formica countertops which I hated but it's what we could afford at the time. We were going to spend the $8k to convert them all to granite to match the island but in a last minute stroke of genius I settled on reclaimed American Chestnut countertops. They are gorgeous and so much warmer than the old laminate were and the granite would have been. Left the granite island which looks even better now offset by the wood everywhere else. It's been a few years and so far they have held up like new. So what's old is new again in my house.
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We have a fancy-ass kitchen in a custom-built clown house. Granite, stainless, stone floors, the works. However, the house was not custom built for us. It was a spec house, finished at the precipice of the crash. We bought it on a short sale several years later, so we paid builder grade prices for luxury finishes. I admit, except for fingerprints on the stainless steel (grrrr), it is nice. In fact, I'm rather surprised at how nice it is. It sure makes it easy to enjoy the privilege of cooking at home everyday. It tickles me that most of the contents of the kitchen, and the rest of the house, were purchased second hand.
Our version of this game is: "What a lovely house. I wonder who lives there?"
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"I am not my countertops" just had to. Everytime I see that thread heading makes me think to do that!
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I can confirm that people are their countertops. It is apparently the single most important decision in building a house. I witnessed a middle aged woman throw a tantrum because she couldn’t find a quartz top with enough sparkle in it and another confess to me that she was terrified of making the wrong choice because everyone in her book club might talk about it behind her back (I suggested that book club was not for her).
I feel like this needs to be a short story. Or a plot thread in a sitcom at the very least.
"But the quartz doesn't have enough sparkle! What will the book club think?"
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We are in the midst of a speedypants kitchen remodel. We moved into our 1970's house 13 years ago and survived just fine with 40+ year old cabinets we painted and put new knobs on. I love to cook, though, and have been dreaming of a better layout and, tbh, a more beautiful space.
I crack up at all the pronouncements about granite, which used to be a "must have" and now people denigrate as "so over" and have moved on to quartz, generally. We ended up choosing granite, partially bc I love that it's ancient rock right in your house and pretty to me, but probably even moreso that I resist climbing on the trendy bandwagon: marble looking quartz, white shaker cabinets etc.
It's embarrassing to admit how much thought I gave to which countertop we'd ultimately choose, but I know I'll keep them for the next 20+ years, as long as we live in this house, trends be damned.
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The reason I'd pick quartz over granite is durability and not having to reseal after a few years. Plus, I think it's prettier. The cheaper quartz I've priced is about the same as mid-range granite.
I love that some of y'all are happy with the cheaper practical option of laminate. It wouldn't work in our house if we had to sell. (Which we might, this is not our fire location.) Realtor said to do granite if we wanted to sell quickly (instead of the craptastic floor tile countertops that we currently have). So when, if, we do the work, the upgrade to quartz would all be on me. I won't do white on white though, and no subway tile backsplash. And no shiplap, and no pine boards on the ceiling. And I will not be installing a barn door on my pantry, with chalkboard paint, declaring "live, love, eat. "
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We are doing our kitchen remodel right now. Mrs honeyfill is in charge but I am tagging along to all the meetings. It started because Mrs HF hated the tile counter tops but it has grown to ripping out walls , floors, some new appliances , the works. Looks like I will be lucky to keep it under 50k.
But as for the all important counter tops , she decided on quartz. It has no resealing it stands up to stains better etc. I am immune to the cost now. They have beaten me into submission! And by the way we always went with the black appliances , stainless steel never made any sense to us.
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The reason I'd pick quartz over granite is durability and not having to reseal after a few years. Plus, I think it's prettier. The cheaper quartz I've priced is about the same as mid-range granite.
I love that some of y'all are happy with the cheaper practical option of laminate. It wouldn't work in our house if we had to sell. (Which we might, this is not our fire location.) Realtor said to do granite if we wanted to sell quickly (instead of the craptastic floor tile countertops that we currently have). So when, if, we do the work, the upgrade to quartz would all be on me. I won't do white on white though, and no subway tile backsplash. And no shiplap, and no pine boards on the ceiling. And I will not be installing a barn door on my pantry, with chalkboard paint, declaring "live, love, eat. "
LOL ... gee, I wonder which show you might be referencing ... set in Waco, perhaps?
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Never even seen the show, but those suggestions are all over my pinterest. :) I'm more of a modern/minimalist with an accent or two of mid-century modern thrown in.
Our appliances are black, which I love. Cabinets are white. So if I get new countertops, they'll be greige maybe, to match the neutral darker brown tile floor (which will also remain). Aiming for $4000-$6000 max on reno.
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W put in Corian about 20 years ago, before granite was a thing. We still love it and it looks as good as new, but I never hear about it any more.
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W put in Corian about 20 years ago, before granite was a thing. We still love it and it looks as good as new, but I never hear about it any more.
Two of our rentals have Corian countertops, about the same age as yours. It's holding up just fine.
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We have a fancy-ass kitchen in a custom-built clown house. Granite, stainless, stone floors, the works. However, the house was not custom built for us. It was a spec house, finished at the precipice of the crash. We bought it on a short sale several years later, so we paid builder grade prices for luxury finishes. I admit, except for fingerprints on the stainless steel (grrrr), it is nice. In fact, I'm rather surprised at how nice it is. It sure makes it easy to enjoy the privilege of cooking at home everyday. It tickles me that most of the contents of the kitchen, and the rest of the house, were purchased second hand.
Our version of this game is: "What a lovely house. I wonder who lives there?"
The fingerprints are what make stainless steel suck. That and the non-magnetic fridge front, but I guess more expensive ones are magnetic?
I hate the damn fingerprints.
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We have a fancy-ass kitchen in a custom-built clown house. Granite, stainless, stone floors, the works. However, the house was not custom built for us. It was a spec house, finished at the precipice of the crash. We bought it on a short sale several years later, so we paid builder grade prices for luxury finishes. I admit, except for fingerprints on the stainless steel (grrrr), it is nice. In fact, I'm rather surprised at how nice it is. It sure makes it easy to enjoy the privilege of cooking at home everyday. It tickles me that most of the contents of the kitchen, and the rest of the house, were purchased second hand.
Our version of this game is: "What a lovely house. I wonder who lives there?"
The fingerprints are what make stainless steel suck. That and the non-magnetic fridge front, but I guess more expensive ones are magnetic?
I hate the damn fingerprints.
Funny, I just had to go check...yup, there's a magnet on my fridge. It's the booby prize from a group of friends we play dice with. Apparently one of us "won" it when we were hosting. Someone stuck it there and I hardly noticed it. Doesn't endear me to SS one iota more though.
Hey, wait another minute... We did some work on my old house recently for the new buyers. Long story, basically DH is a prince among men and they are super nice too. They replaced the refrigerator with a new SS one and the upper cabinet needed to be modified to fit, so he modified it for them. They have three little kids and the new fridge was plastered with pictures in these cool flexible holders. Literally, sheets of photos all over the fridge. They were sticking just fine. Maybe it's just some models that aren't magnetic?
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Oh wow, so if I replace my fridge I have to consider if the replacement will be magnetic? What will I do with all my free nonsense magnets from the last ~five years!?
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Seriously what's with all the granite countertops? They are no longer a specialty since everybody has them. This was an argument I had with my realtor when I sold my last place.
I recently read an article about a woman whose mobile home got destroyed during Hurricane Irma in Southwest Florida. She went shopping for a new mobile home and realized they were unaffordable since they were all being built with these fancy kitchens and stuff. Don't builders realize they need to build for all tiers of the market?
I actually just re-did my kitchen and installed Quartz. Its amazing.
I did the research on granite and the more I learned the less I liked it. And, I didn't want to go thru granite yards looking at slabs for the right colors. Plus, there are different levels of granite and some are pretty expensive anyway. So I picked out a great Quartz color and it looked exactly as I expected and feels great. Highly recommend it over granite.
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The best magnet on the refrigerator (gift to Dad, from son):
arrow pointing to the left Dad's way arrow pointing to the right The Highway
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Has anyone done the quartz from Ikea? That's what I've got my eye on.
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Our kitchen has a vintage look in keeping with the 1940 birthday of the house, and when we redid the counters we compared 12" squares of white marble ($3.99/sf) with solid granite ($39/sf). It was no contest. DH honed the tiles to have a satin finish, and I have to say it is really nice to just put hot pans and stuff right on the counter and not worry about melting it. I'm sure the tiny 1/8" grout lines would HORRIFY some spendypants people! OMG WE COULDN'T POSSIBLY. For a 90% savings we can rough it, and it looks and performs great.
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W put in Corian about 20 years ago, before granite was a thing. We still love it and it looks as good as new, but I never hear about it any more.
Two of our rentals have Corian countertops, about the same age as yours. It's holding up just fine.
Best thing about Corian is it can be repaired so easily. If it does get stained or scratched you can buff them out, eithe using a non-scratch kitchen scourer or if the bench is glossy, some polishing equipment.
If someone really makes a mess of it, I used to tell people to have the installer leave some decent sized offcuts because a piece can be cut out and replaced and if the repairer does a good job, the joins should be very hard to spot.
Also way less likely to smash your glasses on Corian vs stone
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For those of you who have quartz: are you able to put hot pots on it?
That's my only complaint with formica - I often find myself looking for a place to park an extra pot or pan and can't find one. I'd really like my new counters to be able to provide that.
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For those of you who have quartz: are you able to put hot pots on it?
That's my only complaint with formica - I often find myself looking for a place to park an extra pot or pan and can't find one. I'd really like my new counters to be able to provide that.
Yes and no but mostly no.
The heat can cause two potential issues. First dulling of the surface, you probably won’t see it but when a device is used to measure the gloss levels, the dull spot left can be traced out. Why would you even look for that? Because the heat can cause cracks and cracks due to heat stress are not covered by warranty.
People will tell you they’ve been doing it for years with no problems and I used to do it without issue before I started working for a supplier. After seeing a bunch of people really sad about their expensive cracked quartz, I don’t do it anymore.
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I got quartz countertops in May, and I bought 8 wooden cutting boards in May.
I have them strategically placed around the kitchen so it's no bother, to ANYONE, to put their hot whatever on a cutting board.
Our builder showed us theirs, we went over to TheHusbandHalf's coworker's house and they said the same, nothing you couldn't comfortably touch with your hand should be placed on the quartz without a good hot pad or cutting board.
One thing I learned, before choosing a pattern, plain colors show dust. Easy to solve, I got a more swirly pattern
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Has anyone done the quartz from Ikea? That's what I've got my eye on.
I did, and it's gorgeous. It doesn't stain, doesn't scratch through normal use (knives, pots, cleaning products), though if you accidentally drop a microwave on it from a couple of feet up a week after having it installed, it will show a small scratch. I am a touch hard on my kitchens (I make huge batches of stain-y things and am accident prone), and it still looks new so long as you don't look under the potted plant to see the tiny microwave scratch. I went with a dark grey counter along with the white cabinets, did some fancy white tile backsplash myself and painted the walls a cheery turquoise and am delighted with the result.
Thanks for the info. I'd love to see pics!
I'll be doing white cabinets and I've narrowed down the walls to turquoise or light green. I'm torn between cheerful and classic.
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Has anyone done the quartz from Ikea? That's what I've got my eye on.
I did, and it's gorgeous. It doesn't stain, doesn't scratch through normal use (knives, pots, cleaning products), though if you accidentally drop a microwave on it from a couple of feet up a week after having it installed, it will show a small scratch. I am a touch hard on my kitchens (I make huge batches of stain-y things and am accident prone), and it still looks new so long as you don't look under the potted plant to see the tiny microwave scratch. I went with a dark grey counter along with the white cabinets, did some fancy white tile backsplash myself and painted the walls a cheery turquoise and am delighted with the result.
How difficult was the backsplash to diy? I think I could do the demo & sheet rock repair myself, but I've never installed tile before. That could be a way to really reduce the cost of our upgrades.
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After soul searching and wanting to be frugal, I'm now looking into epoxy countertops to go over our tile. I'm waiting to hear about cost, but I am seeing diy products. I'd probably hire it out just to ensure it gets done.
Has anyone here had experience with something like this?
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When we built this house five years ago, I deliberately chose black appliances and Formica countertops (the higher-end stuff that mimics a granite pattern.) We had a strict budget and in order to afford solid wood cabinetry and wood floors, something had to give. I hate stainless steel and my view on countertops is that the Formica was so much less expensive than granite that if I hated it in a few years, I could replace it three times over for what I would have spent on granite. (I really like white appliances too -- I'm in the camp that thinks stainless looks cold and industrial.) I cook a lot and the Formica is holding up great and is really easy to care for.
Also -- I appealed my tax assessment last spring -- my home was appraised higher than any other on the street. The assessor came out to take a look and said "oh -- I thought you had one of those high-end kitchens with granite counters and stainless appliances." Knocked $75,000 off my tax assessment, so I was happy (the kitchen wasn't the only sticking point, but I did think it was amusing.)
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...I've narrowed down the walls to turquoise or light green. I'm torn between cheerful and classic.
So will it be cheerfully classic or classically cheerful? Since your fundamentals are neutral, it doesn't really matter, because paint is easy to change. Just be super careful not to get it on the grout #askmehowiknow.
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Also -- I appealed my tax assessment last spring -- my home was appraised higher than any other on the street. The assessor came out to take a look and said "oh -- I thought you had one of those high-end kitchens with granite counters and stainless appliances."
So even from a distance (like, outside the house), your countertops look amazing! :)
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Not too late at all, Sun Hat. I'm slooooooow when it comes to getting home projects done, especially when there's a financial outlay. I've been thinking really hard about more diy on the kitchen to save thousands.
Thank you for sharing your experience. :)
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Our 1952 house still has the original kitchen, with newer appliances.
It is the original laminate counters, that someone before us painted with flat house paint. You can imagine how well this works.
I have one motivation to have granite or quartz (no strong opinion either way)- an undermount sink. I will pay $$$$$ just for that.
We will be getting new countertops in the next year or so, and when we do that we'll do a new cooktop. We will keep the original wood cabinets hopefully forever- they are solid oak and plywood, none of that particle board shit.
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I got quartz countertops in May, and I bought 8 wooden cutting boards in May.
I have them strategically placed around the kitchen so it's no bother, to ANYONE, to put their hot whatever on a cutting board.
Our builder showed us theirs, we went over to TheHusbandHalf's coworker's house and they said the same, nothing you couldn't comfortably touch with your hand should be placed on the quartz without a good hot pad or cutting board.
Wow, thank you for saying this. <crosses off quartz> Because my very-creative-cheffy-husband would Find A Way.
Currently this woman's clever solution is winning for me, whenever we get around to redoing our 60-yr-old homemade cabinets...
http://www.assortmentblog.com/assortment/2014/03/chalkboard-painted-countertops-open-kitchen-shelves.html (http://www.assortmentblog.com/assortment/2014/03/chalkboard-painted-countertops-open-kitchen-shelves.html)
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I love the chalkboard look, but I think touch-up painting every 3 - 6 months would be a deal-breaker for me.
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I've never understood why someone would buy super expensive fancy countertops just so they could put hot pans on them. Every person I've known to do this is too scared to actually put hot pans on them because they cost so much. Every kitchen I've ever had would have melted or burnt countertops if I attempted this, so I've been thoroughly trained to throw a trivet or potholder on the counter before placing the pan down.
We just bought a new place and I thought for a second about quartz or granite before the giant price tag slapped some sense into me. We ended up going with oak butcher block -- having it installed today. It cost us $179 per 8-foot long block and we needed two of these to cover all our counters. Add in the installation fee and it's about $600 for the whole kitchen. Plus once I slap some polyurethane on it, it will take on this lovely golden-tone. I've always loved the look of wood, so this is my dream counter. We'll even have enough butcher block left over to make a large cutting board.
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I agree about the trivet habit! I'm trained and wouldn't even think to put a hot pan on a bare counter.
Where are you getting the wood?
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Agree on the trivet. My husband made me a big wooden trivet from pallet wood (think big enough to put my largest cast iron frying pan or my hot-water bath canner on.) It lives in the pantry when not in use, but it gets a lot of use. It looks really nice and I've had people ask me where I got it.
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I've never understood why someone would buy super expensive fancy countertops just so they could put hot pans on them. Every person I've known to do this is too scared to actually put hot pans on them because they cost so much.
At our house, it's the difference between domestically trained (me) and commercially trained (my husband) cooks. A commercial kitchen is stainless steel (also $$$), but the cost is well-spent on making it terribly tough. When my husband gets in a production pace, cooking at home, he's not going to stop to grab a trivet, etc. (Mr. Asbestos-Hands barely grabs a hotpad! The wooden cutting boards have burn marks.) We must compromise, because we can neither afford, nor think a commercial-grade kitchen is appropriate to the house. I like the 'shows wear, but I can fix it on my own' less expensive options, because after he's cranked out 10 dishes for 20 in 4 hours, the room does look like a war-zone anyway. I'd like to be able to buzz through and put it right every so often.
Now that I've typed this, I've realized I completely disagree with the thread title - we are our countertops, and we're pretty badass!
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I am my countertops! Kind of.
Mr. D and I just scheduled to have our countertops replaced. They are over 20 years old, blue laminate and just beaten and water logged to death. We briefly went back and forth about doing a complete kitchen gut and rebuild, but decided to just update it because the layout is fine.
We are getting quartz countertops installed (materials and labor is about $3290). My husband is going to remove the old countertops and sink. The installers will do the countertops, sink, and faucet ($152 from faucetdirect.com).
My husband is going to replace the kitchen island laminate with butcherblock (not sure how much it will cost yet). I will paint the kitchen island cabinets and install the backsplash this spring (scouring the second hand shops for tile each week).
Using Ebates, AMEX Cash Back, and the coins we have been tossing in a basket we have $700 we are using to help offset the cost. I'm going to try to sell some of the furniture in the basement to further offset the cost and declutter at the same time.
Total Kitchen Counters: $3442
Cash Back (so far): $700
Total OOP: $2742
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We will need to redo our kitchen and bathroom in the next few years. I want combination of slate and butcher block counters. Ideally Vermont Slate but I doubt the budget will allow that. I prefer red appliances but I also like black which is much more affordable.
What is going to kill us in renovations in the need to make everything handicap friendly. We want to age in place, possibly have my in laws move in, and most importantly handle my increasing physical limitations. I can't avoid them and we are slowly designing our lives to accommodate them.
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Most upscale houses around here don't have granite anymore. Quartz, marble, poured concrete. Granite is so "builder grade"
I found granite to be just about the cheapest option there was. I confess I didn't price out DIY laminate, though.
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When we built this house five years ago, I deliberately chose black appliances and Formica countertops (the higher-end stuff that mimics a granite pattern.) We had a strict budget and in order to afford solid wood cabinetry and wood floors, something had to give. I hate stainless steel and my view on countertops is that the Formica was so much less expensive than granite that if I hated it in a few years, I could replace it three times over for what I would have spent on granite. (I really like white appliances too -- I'm in the camp that thinks stainless looks cold and industrial.) I cook a lot and the Formica is holding up great and is really easy to care for.
Also -- I appealed my tax assessment last spring -- my home was appraised higher than any other on the street. The assessor came out to take a look and said "oh -- I thought you had one of those high-end kitchens with granite counters and stainless appliances." Knocked $75,000 off my tax assessment, so I was happy (the kitchen wasn't the only sticking point, but I did think it was amusing.)
omg that is so stupid. This makes me consider installing formica in my kitchen.
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I am actually going to try to DIY as much as possible a new kitchen. Current configuration does not have dishwasher, plus the oven and fridge are right next to each other, and very little counter space.
I could use the existing quartz countertop we put in 19 years ago, but then it wouldn't match the rest of the countertop that needs to be added. The cheapest would be to add different countertop and cabs I need to fill it. For example go to reuse stores and find extra pieces of granite. The thing is, I kind of don't like granite. I like it fine in other people's houses, but it's not me. I also don't know if the non matching of the countertop would bug me. Gah.
What would people rather do, have countertops that are not continuous/same color but are good materials (quartz and granite?) Or get a nice looking formica that is continuous?
The cabinets I'm not as concerned about. I'm thinking for less money I can replace doors if need be for matching purposes.
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We just replaced our "20-year-old broken-white-tile countertops with disgusting grout" with laminate/Formica and replaced our "10-year-old cheapest model at Home Depot" dishwasher with a Bosch and I am so so so happy.
It's so easy to wipe down/sanitize the counters now, and the dishwasher is so quiet I have to look at the display to make sure it is even running.
And now I need to repaint the kitchen and most of the house too, but eh, later...
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I am actually going to try to DIY as much as possible a new kitchen. Current configuration does not have dishwasher, plus the oven and fridge are right next to each other, and very little counter space.
I could use the existing quartz countertop we put in 19 years ago, but then it wouldn't match the rest of the countertop that needs to be added. The cheapest would be to add different countertop and cabs I need to fill it. For example go to reuse stores and find extra pieces of granite. The thing is, I kind of don't like granite. I like it fine in other people's houses, but it's not me. I also don't know if the non matching of the countertop would bug me. Gah.
What would people rather do, have countertops that are not continuous/same color but are good materials (quartz and granite?) Or get a nice looking formica that is continuous?
The cabinets I'm not as concerned about. I'm thinking for less money I can replace doors if need be for matching purposes.
I've seen a mix of quartz & wood or granite & wood that looks nice. Look on pinterest for images that might look like what you're describing.
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I am actually going to try to DIY as much as possible a new kitchen. Current configuration does not have dishwasher, plus the oven and fridge are right next to each other, and very little counter space.
I could use the existing quartz countertop we put in 19 years ago, but then it wouldn't match the rest of the countertop that needs to be added. The cheapest would be to add different countertop and cabs I need to fill it. For example go to reuse stores and find extra pieces of granite. The thing is, I kind of don't like granite. I like it fine in other people's houses, but it's not me. I also don't know if the non matching of the countertop would bug me. Gah.
What would people rather do, have countertops that are not continuous/same color but are good materials (quartz and granite?) Or get a nice looking formica that is continuous?
The cabinets I'm not as concerned about. I'm thinking for less money I can replace doors if need be for matching purposes.
I think it really depends on the plan of the kitchen and where the new bits need to be added. Also whether or not you really care about the aesthetics of your kitchen and how attached you are to the quartz.
You can definitely use two different countertop materials in the same kitchen and make it look purposeful. I often helped clients that picked a different material/colour for an island bench for example. Like @Carrie suggested, wood and some kind of stone was popular, also popular was quartz for the main prep bench since it is more practical and a natural stone such as marble for the island. If the two materials will join, it is much harder to make it look purposeful. I did it a few times by adding a slightly raised or overlapping element (typically in timber and at a section of bench where one might eat) but again, it would depend completely on the layout of the kitchen.
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I am actually going to try to DIY as much as possible a new kitchen. Current configuration does not have dishwasher, plus the oven and fridge are right next to each other, and very little counter space.
I could use the existing quartz countertop we put in 19 years ago, but then it wouldn't match the rest of the countertop that needs to be added. The cheapest would be to add different countertop and cabs I need to fill it. For example go to reuse stores and find extra pieces of granite. The thing is, I kind of don't like granite. I like it fine in other people's houses, but it's not me. I also don't know if the non matching of the countertop would bug me. Gah.
What would people rather do, have countertops that are not continuous/same color but are good materials (quartz and granite?) Or get a nice looking formica that is continuous?
The cabinets I'm not as concerned about. I'm thinking for less money I can replace doors if need be for matching purposes.
What about all butcher block countertops? Or butcher block in the areas that need repairing? My husband and I went back and forth (and back and forth) all butcher block vs all quartz before we decided on a mix of the two. The butcher block would have been easy to order and DIY and would have cost less than the quartz, but the mix was a compromise.
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I like butcher block, but I know the area that will be added on, will surround the oven (either start to the left of stove and then jog 90 degrees along the wall, or existing countertop, stove, new countertop, then stove. I know the 2nd would look weird. The first I'm not sure of butcher block being next to a stove.
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I like butcher block, but I know the area that will be added on, will surround the oven (either start to the left of stove and then jog 90 degrees along the wall, or existing countertop, stove, new countertop, then stove. I know the 2nd would look weird. The first I'm not sure of butcher block being next to a stove.
I've seen it plenty kitchens on Pinterest with the butcher block next to the stove. It looks nice. I don't think it would look weird to have a piece of the original counter top behind the stove, I think most materials and colors go with the wood look.
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Our kitchen was 25 years old, chosen by the previous owners. The cabinets are good quality, solid wood dove tailed etc., cherry and we had already changed the hardware and tiled the floor a few years ago. I wanted to diy the counters and backsplash and read many blogs about doing it. It took a couple years before I convinced DH that I can do it! So 2 years ago I skim coated our laminate countertops with stained concrete (the product is called Henry featherfinish) and sealed them with a food-grade high quality sealer (Buddy Rhodes matte finish). It looks like soapstone which was what I originally wanted, but didn't like the price! There were mixed reviews of how it held up, I'm happy to report that it has held up exceptionally well and I attribute that to the sealer. I use my kitchen ALOT and no issues over 2 years in! We learned to do the tile backsplash, my dad got us started showed us the ropes, and let us borrow his wet saw. I measured and marked and DH cut and I laid the tile and grouted etc. I think it came out great and cost very little but totally updated the look of the kitchen. I was originally planning on painting the cabinets, but without the presence of blue counters and backsplash the warm tone of the wood is now pleasing to me and isn't so orange. We also installed pendant lights into the recessed lighting, found these at Lowes, they just screw in like light bulbs! I do like the look of stainless steel appliances, but I agree that the finger prints are super annoying to stay on top of. The appliances were all purchased on clearance or ding & dent over the years as needed.
Before and after pic attached:!
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that looks good!
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Thanks partgypsy!!!
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Wow, nice work! You are badass doing the countertops!
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Aww thanks rosarugosa! It feels really good and makes me proud to diy and save money!
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We just bought a new place and I thought for a second about quartz or granite before the giant price tag slapped some sense into me. We ended up going with oak butcher block -- having it installed today. It cost us $179 per 8-foot long block and we needed two of these to cover all our counters. Add in the installation fee and it's about $600 for the whole kitchen. Plus once I slap some polyurethane on it, it will take on this lovely golden-tone. I've always loved the look of wood, so this is my dream counter. We'll even have enough butcher block left over to make a large cutting board.
I did an update on my kitchen a couple of years ago, and went with a high end laminate that I like, but kind of wish I had gone with a softer gray colour. It is black with white veins running through it. I bet the butcher block is beautiful.
And I will not be installing a barn door on my pantry, with chalkboard paint, declaring "live, love, eat. "
Lol. It cracks me No-one needs to remind me to eat. Maybe I should put a SLEEP sign in my bedroom. That would be more helpful.
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I like to say, "if people notice your countertops the food isn't good enough".
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I can talk at length now about kitchen countertops. Watch me!
We are just finishing up a $7,500 face lift of our kitchen, swapping in a new stove, new quartz countertops, tile backsplash, repainting all cabinets. Dh is installing the tile so that is not very expensive. The lions share was $5,300 for quartz countertop. I chose plain jane grey, it looks like a shiney cement. It is very utilitarian looking.
While we can easily afford anything, I went round and round about material. I really love granite, that is, many of them. I dont like the type I call “polka dot” which doesnt have a sweeping rhythmic movement althpugh I DO like the tiny grain granite, the kind that usually is black and sparkles like glitter. Ultimately I love the look and idea of solid stone and the quartz I ended up with kind of skeeves me out if I think about it because it is manmade and it is too much like cultured marble, remember that chit? So, I do not allow myself to,think of it that way. I pretend my countop is slate, or sometimes cement.
Surprisingly, our savvy sales guy showed me a granite in my grey/cream color range that was very pretty,cheaper than the quartz by a decent amount, and it also had fair sweeps of veining. It was not polka dot, it was more circley.
But in the end I did not want that distracting swirly granite, I wanted peaceful, quiet plainness. Having had grey formica for 25 years, grey quartz seemed comfortable. Somewhere in there I considered the quartz that everyone is getting, the one that mimcs marble and decided against it as too busy and trendy.
Then I saw a slab of “quartzite” which is solid stone, and loved that. loved it! Gorgeous! But could not bring myself to spend that much, around $11,000 especially since that meant fussing for another several hours over pattern layoit.
I think that is what ultimately made my decision about this plain jane quartz—there was no pattern to match up or track. I have limited patience for shopping for certain things and by the time I had spent half a day on countertops, I was done!
I did look at recycled glass online but that was a very modern look, and our kitchen is Victorian.
Tl;dr I love granite the material! I got quartz because it was simpler. Oth in look and process. What I really wanted was cherry wood countertops but DH would not hear of that.
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One thing that is cool about our obsessive focus on kitchen finishes is that when we install a new kitchen in our weekend house next year I will be “up” on tile and countertop material.
Right now I am planning a yellow and red kitchen there and I think I will have red formica countertops. Our weekend house is in a tiny tourist town, and granite is not a requirement in that real estate market.
What do ya’ll think of Red countertops?!! Like from the 50’s doncha know.
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Is it just me, or has this thread about not being your countertops been chock full of examples of people spending thousands on countertops but then justifying it because they didn't spend thousands more than the thousands they spent? I think your post is counter what you meant it to be.
"Updated" your kitchen? That is a marketing idea. You might need to repair broken things in your kitchen, but it doesn't need updated.
If you sold your house after spending this money and made a real profit off of your improvements to your kitchen, then I guess you can brag on here.
Let's call changing out functional household items for more expensive household items what it is... spendypants spending. Which you are free to do. But saying you only spent $10k instead of $25k on something that didn't need replaced in the first place isn't really a mustachian move.
If I made a post about 'updating' my car, or just really wanting to different color car so I bought a newer one, I'd get face punched off this forum.
On the other hand, I'm happy that some of you managed to spend less money than you could have when you decided to change your kitchens so you'd like them better.
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Well, my guy who is helping me, did granite countertops in his kitchen, and the material only cost 450. He thinks I can get new granite for either 450 or 600. Its cheaper bc it's 3/4 inch versus being a thicker slab, and is dependent in their stock. I'm going to check out place tomorrow. Decided to move stove to outside wall, so can have range hood that vents outside. Exciting! I'm still going to try to reuse existing cabinetry. It's not the best, but still has some life. I did a calculator a cliq studios, and if I replaced them the cost would be 5-6k. Too much.
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Is it just me, or has this thread about not being your countertops been chock full of examples of people spending thousands on countertops but then justifying it because they didn't spend thousands more than the thousands they spent? I think your post is counter what you meant it to be.
"Updated" your kitchen? That is a marketing idea. You might need to repair broken things in your kitchen, but it doesn't need updated.
If you sold your house after spending this money and made a real profit off of your improvements to your kitchen, then I guess you can brag on here.
Let's call changing out functional household items for more expensive household items what it is... spendypants spending. Which you are free to do. But saying you only spent $10k instead of $25k on something that didn't need replaced in the first place isn't really a mustachian move.
If I made a post about 'updating' my car, or just really wanting to different color car so I bought a newer one, I'd get face punched off this forum.
On the other hand, I'm happy that some of you managed to spend less money than you could have when you decided to change your kitchens so you'd like them better.
If you are adressing me, YASS Baby!!! My spending was spendypants indeed. I am heading for Die Broke country which is my goal.
It actually bugs me a lot that quartz, a manmade materiat is so freekin expensive.Granite costs I can understand because it is natural as well as beautiful, most of them anyway.
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I am definitely my countertops.
For 15 years I was 70s-style, gold, formica laminate. Cheap, adequate.
Now I am partly warm butcher-block wood (the counters proper) and partly polished granite (like the kitchen island).
It's fun to be shiny, durable, with fascinating details created thousands of years ago in the fires of tectonic . . . something.
Glad to have waited until the stash accumulated to burst out of the formica cocoon, though.
I adore granite because I am a bit of a geology nerd (cooking/eating on an ancient rock that was created inside a volcano, yes please), and it's very pretty. My apartment has granite, and I'll miss it when I move if the new place doesn't have it. That said, there are a lot of very ugly/boring granites out there.
Like first post, I lived with dingy formica for 25 years until our stash was complete.
I do miss the idea of standing over a handsome granite counter, obsessing about the swirls and veins and patterns. I know I would, haved loved that. It was that just, for me, the overall busyness of the granites i loved overwhelmed the overall look of the kitchen.
Maybe I will get a really pretty granite cutting board. Hmmmm.
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I like butcher block, but I know the area that will be added on, will surround the oven (either start to the left of stove and then jog 90 degrees along the wall, or existing countertop, stove, new countertop, then stove. I know the 2nd would look weird. The first I'm not sure of butcher block being next to a stove.
I’ve got butcher block next to the stove. It’s fine.
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Is it just me, or has this thread about not being your countertops been chock full of examples of people spending thousands on countertops but then justifying it because they didn't spend thousands more than the thousands they spent? I think your post is counter what you meant it to be.
"Updated" your kitchen? That is a marketing idea. You might need to repair broken things in your kitchen, but it doesn't need updated.
If you sold your house after spending this money and made a real profit off of your improvements to your kitchen, then I guess you can brag on here.
Let's call changing out functional household items for more expensive household items what it is... spendypants spending. Which you are free to do. But saying you only spent $10k instead of $25k on something that didn't need replaced in the first place isn't really a mustachian move.
If I made a post about 'updating' my car, or just really wanting to different color car so I bought a newer one, I'd get face punched off this forum.
On the other hand, I'm happy that some of you managed to spend less money than you could have when you decided to change your kitchens so you'd like them better.
Well, my kitchen was built in 1960, and it wasn’t the deluxe version even then. So, indeed, many things were actually falling apart, plus everything was in the wrong darned place.
I cooked in the old kitchen for 20 years, so indeed I didn’t “need” a new one, but I’m getting a lot more enjoyment out of my kitchen than I would any amount of travel. YMMV
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Indeed, we each one of use gets to choose priorities. I haven't spent money traveling in the past 11 years, but I have cooked 365 days /year in my kitchen that whole time. I believe if I spent $3000 updating the floor-tile countertops, 1/2 grout joints, with sonething easier to clean, that I would spend zero time regretting it. The only reason I'm hesitant to spend $6000 updating it is that I'm not sure how long we'll stay here in this house. If it's 4 years, I may be sorry I went with more expensive reno, if we're here another 11, then I'll regret I didn't get exactly what I wanted.
Always, always amazes me how travel can be a five digit budget item and not get a second glance but a countertop redo for the same cost is untenable.
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W put in Corian about 20 years ago, before granite was a thing. We still love it and it looks as good as new, but I never hear about it any more.
When we did countertops a while back (Formica falling apart was the motivator) Corian was more expensive than granite.
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Just to get people's feedback. The redone kitchen will have about 33-34 square feet counterspace. The quotes were 1500 or so for the less expensive granite, and 1800 or so for the more expensive granite (that I kind of like better). it's essentially 35 or 45/square feet, but with some expenses like taxes, sink cut out added, and 5% taken off. Would you pay an extra $400, to get the "style" of granite you prefer, even though both are nice?
Is that insane? anything that is not formica that is less than that per square feet, with installation included?
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I would pay a little extra for the one I liked better. Your price sounds reasonable, not bad at all.
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To me I'm stressing about the money. But- the redone kitchen will have 1 1/2 times the counter space as well as new dishwasher (the reason I'm doing the renovation!), new stove, new microwave/vent. It will cost around $4500, plus work from me. It's a lot, especially for myself this year.
I'm 95% sure I'm going to stay and pay it off which means I'm doing this for selfish reasons (make my life easier; kids can help with dishwashing or at least loading, unloading dishwasher, also enough space more than 1 person can be in there at one time so kids can help with food prep). The plan is to rent it out 1 or 2 times a year due to it's proximity to local university; for this alone a "nicer" kitchen makes sense.
This does make me even more motivated to think where I can cuts costs elsewhere.
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Just to get people's feedback. The redone kitchen will have about 33-34 square feet. The quotes were 1500 or so for the less expensive granite, and 1800 or so for the more expensive granite (that I kind of like better). it's essentially 35 or 45/square feet, but with some expenses like taxes, sink cut out added, and 5% taken off. Would you pay an extra $400, to get the "style" of granite you prefer, even though both are nice?
Is that insane? anything that is not formica that is less than that per square feet, with installation included?
Yes. DH and I house hunt a LOT. When we see the cheap (and not very attractive) granite, we take it as proof that shortcuts were taken anywhere and everywhere possible. Seriously, you look at your countertops a zillion times a day. They last forever*. Make working your kitchen a pleasant experience (within reason) and you'll use it more, which is a good thing.
*Especially compared to almost anything electronic, such as a cell phone or laptop.
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Yes. DH and I house hunt a LOT. When we see the cheap (and not very attractive) granite, we take it as proof that shortcuts were taken anywhere and everywhere possible.
OMG, now I'm wondering if we got the cheap granite. I mean, it certainly wasn't inexpensive, and it looks very nice TO ME, but damn, I didn't even know there was a cheap granite!!! Did I get it? Please describe what you're talking about! I have to know!
(Okay, I admit that the text above could be read very sarcastically, but that's not my intent. I genuinely want to know what this "cheap granite" looks like.)
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Yes. DH and I house hunt a LOT. When we see the cheap (and not very attractive) granite, we take it as proof that shortcuts were taken anywhere and everywhere possible.
OMG, now I'm wondering if we got the cheap granite. I mean, it certainly wasn't inexpensive, and it looks very nice TO ME, but damn, I didn't even know there was a cheap granite!!! Did I get it? Please describe what you're talking about! I have to know!
(Okay, I admit that the text above could be read very sarcastically, but that's not my intent. I genuinely want to know what this "cheap granite" looks like.)
Ha! I could hedge and say I know it when I see it. Truth is, I have a packed schedule today and my lazy ass is still in bed. If no one's beaten me to it, I'll dig up some pictures at my next opportunity. Gotta mosey, lots of volunteer work needs to happen today.
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Ha! I could hedge and say I know it when I see it.
I kind of thought that might turn out to be one aspect of it. I hated the granite in my sister's previous house, but hey, it was granite, and aren't we supposed to love all granite? ;) (Plus she picked it out, so there was that...)
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Well, for one granite that is cut thinner, 2 cm versus 3 cm. Pure black is actually inexpensive (it is actually not granite but a related stone gabbro). Spring green or butterfly green (black with green background), It seems that ones that are kind of splotchy often are in the lower tier golden garnet (I actually like this one), pebble beach, some of the giallo -- names.
http://www.simplyadditions.com/Kitchens/Top-Five-Beautiful-But-Inexpensive-Granite-Countertop-Choices.html
Unfortunately almost all the very white granite seem to be more expensive (it also supposedly stains easier too). Soapstone is more expensive than granite.
This may or may not be relevant, but mineralogically speaking, not all granites are "granite". They also vary in hardness and porosity. https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2016/06/05/granite-colors-white-black-countertops/#7f0cb9b67b98
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You can get granite pretty cheap now days which we did 6 years ago when we remodeled our house. I have lived with Formica for years and it sucks. If anyone cuts on it without a cutting board it looks crappy. I also love being able to put hot pans right on my granite. That glass also looks amazing but it either wasn't available 6 years ago or I didn't know about it. I see countertops as the thing that if you do it well you have it for 30 years.
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You can get granite pretty cheap now days which we did 6 years ago when we remodeled our house. I have lived with Formica for years and it sucks. If anyone cuts on it without a cutting board it looks crappy. I also love being able to put hot pans right on my granite. That glass also looks amazing but it either wasn't available 6 years ago or I didn't know about it. I see countertops as the thing that if you do it well you have it for 30 years.
Wait what!? People do that!?
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The usual suspects are men:))
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I like our faux granite countertops and stainless appliances.
Now, why someone would get real granite vs the "fake" granite that looks the same but is better in all ways? (shrug)
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What kind of faux granite, formica or quartz? Formica is definitely cheaper, but you can make cuts on it. I think quartz is my number one choice (have it in the bathroom) but it's not any less expensive than granite and oftentimes more expensive.
I'm also considering solid surface. That's what I currently have in the kitchen and to tell the truth of everything in our kitchen (floor, appliances, sink, cabinets) it has worn the best. It's 19 years old and with casual inspection it looks new. You can look really close, and see nicks and cuts, but since it is matt and not shiny, it's not noticeable. And I hear with a regular sander you can sand all that out and make it look new again. It's basically plastic.
Haven't made final decision. Most likely granite or a solid surface at HD if it is still on sale when cabinets come in. Still waiting on cabinets! I bought an undermount sink so it restricts my countertop choices (no formica, no granite that I need to install myself.
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What kind of faux granite, formica or quartz? Formica is definitely cheaper, but you can make cuts on it. I think quartz is my number one choice (have it in the bathroom) but it's not any less expensive than granite and oftentimes more expensive.
I'm also considering solid surface. That's what I currently have in the kitchen and to tell the truth of everything in our kitchen (floor, appliances, sink, cabinets) it has worn the best. It's 19 years old and with casual inspection it looks new. You can look really close, and see nicks and cuts, but since it is matt and not shiny, it's not noticeable. And I hear with a regular sander you can sand all that out and make it look new again. It's basically plastic.
Haven't made final decision. Most likely granite or a solid surface at HD if it is still on sale when cabinets come in. Still waiting on cabinets! I bought an undermount sink so it restricts my countertop choices (no formica, no granite that I need to install myself.
I'm actually not sure. Our house had them when we bought it.