Michael Bulatovich wrote:
"JerseyMike" wrote in message
...
"M&S" wrote in message
link.net...
JerseyMike wrote:
i'm somewhere between 8-16 months from redoing the entire kitchen. i
don't
necessarily need to "break the bank" and go high end on everything, but
i
don't want formica countertops. the time frame on doing the kitchen
over
isn't a pressing situation where it has to be done ASAP but we've been
in
the house 14yrs and it's still origional, early '60's but w/ new
appliances
6 yrs ago. i'm looking for the best bang for my $$ on countertops
and
i
like the smooth look and feel of Corian and similar tops but looking
for
the
best of both worlds....good price, long life and durability to usage.
is
waiting on newer products advisable??? or are the products ouit there
now
the best to offer??

thanks for any tips and advice,

mike.........



Where you have 8 mos to a year and a half why dont you look into
polished concrete. You have plenty of time to even do a mock up in your
basement/garage and run some tests to see if you could do it yourself.
There are plenty of resources on the net and at the bookstore/library
about concrete countertops and with a modest investment in some fairly
basic tools you could have some great countertops AND some tools to put
in the garage when your done.

Just an idea,
Mark

this is why i posted this topic....i've been away from construction and
the
service end of home improvements for a while now and never heard of
concrete
counter tops. it could be an option if i liked the results.

I spec'd on in a custom house a couple of years ago, and depending on the
level of finish expected, it can require a very experienced artisan, like
the guy who did this one:

http://www.michaelbulatovich.ca/Pres...ton-powder.PDF

I haven't gotten around to taking some pix but it's quite pretty.

If rough, blotchy and stained is ok, then a DIY project it could be.

God made Granite... (pretty much) everything else is man-made. That says
it all for me... we chose Verde Peacock granite (see pic I found on a
web page)... http://www.askthebuilder.com/N8_Gran...p_Stains.shtml

That looks just like mine, and my wife and I just love it. Had it now
for about 15 months, and the only reactions we get from everyone is raw
envy. I don't ususlly cut on it, but I have, and I sure don't baby it. I
don't see any stains or cuts or scratches anywhere. At 3 cm, it sure
would take a heavy pot to crack it. We have the typical 15 year old 10ft
by 10ft "U" shaped kitchen, and we found a slab at the granite
distributor that was able to be cut so that there were no seams in
either (long) side where it goes in an "L" shape with a diagonal corner
to accommodate the corner cabinets. Just a tiny little seam where the
built in range goes (behind the range near the blackspash. We also got
full backsplashes out of that single granite slab... Yes, it's a dark
color, but with built-in under-counter halogen lights, it's beautiful.
I'd do exactly the same thing again in a heartbeat...

One tip... BEFORE you go to Home Depot and request a quote, find out
who THEIR supplier is, and go directly to them. If you wait until after
the HD quote, they won't be able to help you because of their
partnership with HD... the HD markup adds a lot. Our supplier was in the
same (big) shopping area near St. Louis.. just a little shop, but they
run a big warehouse about 15 miles away where a zillion big granite
slabs are stored with overhead crane arrangement so they can move them
around. We went out and picked out the exact slab that we wanted. They
came out and measured after we had the new cabinets in, and then went
back and cut everything. Only the faucet hole was cut on site. One
backsplash had to be polished on the end to make it fit, but other than
being a dusty operation out in the garage, it was fine. It took three
BIG husky guys to carry in the largest "L" side. We used black hair-line
grout on the little seams behind the range, and a couple of vetical
seams in the backsplash. Can't see them unless you know where to look.
And they are THIN. Another advantage... it's so dense that the maytag
diswasher is VERY quiet. yes, we got one with sound in mind, but it was
the only appliance we kept from our old kitchen since it was only a
couple of years old, and it's much quieter now than it was under our old
builder's grade formica countertop.

We got a black sink make out of ground granite (can't remember the name
of it), and had it mounted UNDER the granite, so you don't see any seam.
I'll tell you, I LOVE that black sink. Nothing scratches it, and
unlike white or other light colors, scraping a utensil or pot against it
does absolutely nothing to it. We just clean it ever once in a while
because we know it HAS to get dirty, but it sure never looks that way.

In case you haven't guessed by now, I recommend granite. grin

Steve Henderson