We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble, etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I don't
even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a lot, but it
seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering about how well
it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,

Autumn

Formica now offers solid surface tops like corain (synthetic) and silestone
(composite quartz) while still offering the traditional plastic laminate
tops they are more well known for as well as wood and metal. What are you
talking about?

I have to assume the Formica brand of solid surface tops is very similar to
the other brands (excepting color choices). If you are talking about the
laminates, they have several thicknesses and grades as well as surface
finishes.

Its a tough personal descision I am also working on. though in my case,
laminates and tiles smaller than 16" are a no-go. I thinkl I prefer stone
but if the others can offer a significant price break then I might go with
the quartz composite as it is the hardest to scratch or stain


"Autumn" wrote in message
. com...
We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble,
etc. Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I
don't even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a
lot, but it seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering
about how well it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,

Autumn

I did not know of silestone. I will have to look into this. I just started
looking and wanted to hear others opinions of the things available. Thank
you, I have learned about a few things I did not know about.

Autumn

My house is about 21 years old and I had white formica from that
vintage. If you go with formica, get the kind that has the color
through and through. The older kind and probably cheaper kind has a
black edge and with even a small scratch the black shows.

When I replaced the counters about 3 years ago, I put in granite. I
still love it and would do it again. I priced all kinds of materials.
The formica was the cheapest and there are some that look like stone
and a very nice. I was recommended to two stone yards who are actually
doing the work for builders and home centers. One of them beat every
price I'd gotten anywhere else on silestone, corian, and granite. It's
not cheap at all but it was cheaper than everything except the formica.

Don't let anyone scare you with the business of having to seal the
granite. The place that makes the counters does the sealing. They say
you can do it once more and then it never has to be done again. The
sealer costs about $20 for a small bottle and goes a long way. You just
pour a little on and wipe it all over.

To clean it I use windex! That's what the installer told me.

Well, I hope this helps. If you want stone, find a place that will deal
with you directly and you'll save money.

Myrna

In article , Autumn says...

We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble, etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I don't
even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a lot, but it
seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering about how well
it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.


I went with granite, but, when I was considering what direction to go with my
kitchen, I considered a whole range, and all, except maybe for marble (porous,
isn't it?) have their advantages.

Formica - don't turn your nose up and don't let others make you turn your nose
up - it's good for the budget, lasts a lot longer than replacing it more often
would make uneconomic (I'd say 15 years), and does have a lot of cool patterns
that you won't find elsewhere and are actually coming back in style. Even
high-end designers still turn to good ol' Formica for certain looks and
applications. Maybe pick that pattern you love, and fly to Europe this summer
instead of buying granite and staying home. Specially if you won't be in your
house very many years.

Granite - very durable (so you have to smear a little sealant over it once a
year bigeffindeal...) and beautiful, many patterns. Do shop around and get
references. Going to a supplier and looking at slabs is way fun. Why *I* did it
- I have some mineralology knowledge and am fascinated by stone, period. (How
can I not have granite, my friends said...) It's way fashionable now; that
shoudln't be your primary concern, though.

Solid surface - similar to granite in cost (unfortunately) and durability, has a
different, smoother finer grained look. When it tries to look like granite, it
doesn't - BUT, in my opinion a lot of the solid surfaces (like Silestone) have a
wonderful 'clean' look that I did seriously consider although I love the natural
stones. All in the eye of the beholder. No sealing, durable.

Banty


--

Autumn wrote:
We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble, etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I don't
even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a lot, but it
seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering about how well
it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,

Autumn

I'd recommend looking at Silestone if it's within your budget:

http://tinyurl.com/oklps

"Autumn" wrote in message
. com...
We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble,
etc. Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it?
I don't even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a
lot, but it seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was
wondering about how well it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,

Autumn

We just finished our kitchen. I have formica laminate in butcher block in
the sink area. Real butcher block for the counter beside the stove and
quartz for my baking peninsula. I love it!

"Autumn" writes:

We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble, etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I don't
even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a lot, but it
seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering about how well
it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

One of the nice things about Corian is that you can get the counter
and sink as effectively one unit. They're glued together, but you can't
feel a seam.

Someone just posted that Corian stains. I can't imagine what you would use
to stain it. I think it's impervious to stains.

wrote in message
oups.com...

Autumn wrote:
We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble,
etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I
don't
even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a lot, but
it
seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering about how
well
it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,

Autumn

I'd recommend looking at Silestone if it's within your budget:

http://tinyurl.com/oklps


Zodiaq is the other brand of composite quatrz (like Silestone) and I think
it is affiliated with Corian. All of them are licencees of the same patent,
only difference is color choice and maybe some on price.

Also rising in popularity is polished concrete but I don't think it will be
popular with me.

On Wed, 24 May 2006, Autumn wrote:

We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble, etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it?

I prefer Glacier White Corian. I like the resiliancy of a plastic over a
stone. I like the white, as it shows where the debris and dirt are, plus
when you shine lights on it, it brightens up the area all around. The front
edges don't chip like stone. You never have to seal it. To keep it clean
just periodically use some Ajax.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

"Autumn" wrote in message
. com...
We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble,
etc. Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I
don't even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a
lot, but it seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering
about how well it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,

Autumn
Granite There is no substitute for Mother natures art. I was dead
set on corian for our kitchen then I looked at granite. The patterns and
colors are endless Go check it out, the prices vary quite bite for the
granite the installation is the real cost. Try and find a supplier that
sells the granite and installs it. Just beware there is a lot of backyard
installers with circular saws with diamond blades.

On Thu, 25 May 2006, Sacramento Dave wrote:

Granite There is no substitute for Mother natures art. I was dead
set on corian for our kitchen then I looked at granite. The patterns and
colors are endless Go check it out,

I care more about practicality than what it looks like, and whether it
impresses my neighbors or not. Sorry.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

We put Corian in our previous house and will be replacing formica in current
house with Corian soon. The seamless sinks made from Corian are great.
Just don't get nail polish remover on it or you will need a pro to fix the
damage. But quartz and granite can be ruined by line a way and similar
cleaners.


"Autumn" wrote in message
. com...
We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble,
etc. Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I
don't even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a
lot, but it seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering
about how well it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,

Autumn

Don Wiss wrote:
On Thu, 25 May 2006, Sacramento Dave wrote:


Granite There is no substitute for Mother natures art. I was dead
set on corian for our kitchen then I looked at granite. The patterns and
colors are endless Go check it out,


I care more about practicality than what it looks like, and whether it
impresses my neighbors or not. Sorry.



Practicality wins almost EVERY time. Corian looks great, wears
wonderfully, and is almost as impervious as Formica.

Zodiac is a step towards stone as it is over 90% quartz and from the
same manufacturer (Dupont). Silestone is a similar product.

Natural stone products look great, BUT, edge chipping, staining,
cracking (from less than perfect installations), uneven color across
long counters, and moderate maintenance requirements are all downsides
to this surface. However, one way to remove the edge concern is to use
a wooden edge. I have seen this with some of the artificial surfaces, I
think with Zodiac.

"PipeDown" wrote in message
k.net...

wrote in message
oups.com...

Autumn wrote:
We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian,
marble, etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I
don't
even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a lot,
but it
seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering about
how well
it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,

Autumn

I'd recommend looking at Silestone if it's within your budget:

http://tinyurl.com/oklps


Zodiaq is the other brand of composite quatrz (like Silestone) and I
think it is affiliated with Corian. All of them are licencees of the
same patent, only difference is color choice and maybe some on price.

Also rising in popularity is polished concrete but I don't think it will
be popular with me.

We didn't go with Zodiaq. Too expensive. We went with HanStone.

http://www.hanstone.com/

MoM

Composite quartz (engineered stone) is also damaged by solvents like nail
polish remover (acetone) and paint thinner) It damages the epoxy binder not
the quartz itself.


"Art" wrote in message
nk.net...
We put Corian in our previous house and will be replacing formica in
current house with Corian soon. The seamless sinks made from Corian are
great. Just don't get nail polish remover on it or you will need a pro to
fix the damage. But quartz and granite can be ruined by line a way and
similar cleaners.


"Autumn" wrote in message
. com...
We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble,
etc. Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it?
I don't even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a
lot, but it seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering
about how well it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

Thank you,

Autumn

Wow, do I have a lot to think about. I have got to get out and see some of
these things in person. Thanks for all the additional ideas.

Autumn

I have heard that Corain stains but have no experience with it. The
salespeople say if it stains you can scour it out because it's a solid
surface. But over time in areas where food is prepared, I imagine you
can scour so much until it has valleys in the surface.

Myrna



Dan Espen wrote:
"Autumn" writes:

We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble, etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I don't
even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a lot, but it
seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering about how well
it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

One of the nice things about Corian is that you can get the counter
and sink as effectively one unit. They're glued together, but you can't
feel a seam.

Someone just posted that Corian stains. I can't imagine what you would use
to stain it. I think it's impervious to stains.

Myrna wrote:
I have heard that Corain stains but have no experience with it. The
salespeople say if it stains you can scour it out because it's a solid
surface. But over time in areas where food is prepared, I imagine you
can scour so much until it has valleys in the surface.

Myrna



Dan Espen wrote:

"Autumn" writes:


We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble, etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I don't
even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a lot, but it
seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering about how well
it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

One of the nice things about Corian is that you can get the counter
and sink as effectively one unit. They're glued together, but you can't
feel a seam.

Someone just posted that Corian stains. I can't imagine what you would use
to stain it. I think it's impervious to stains.




All surfaces, EXCEPT Formica (i.e. the laminate surfaces) and Ceramics
will stain to some degree. Doesn't matter whether we talk about natural
stone products, quartz embedded products (Silestone, Zodiaq...) or
artificial surfaces (Corian)

All these surfaces will discolor if a hot pot is allowed to rest on them
for more than a very few seconds. The natural stone products may CRACK
due to thermal stress.

The MOST worry free surface is the laminates like Formica, however, they
can peel, they will discolor if subjected to high heat. New patterns
can make this REALLY attractive when combined with a wooden trim piece
to form the edge. Heavy use will wear the pattern over time, but it is
a LONG time, or a VERY heavy use pattern of sliding things across it
before the protective top layer wears away.

Solid surfaces like Corian can have very attractive edges applied, and
are for the most part, worry free, if you mop up spills PROMPTLY.
Blemishes can be sanded out

Solid natural stone surfaces like granite, marble, slate, or any of the
other countless Limestone products need care

1. Mop up spills instantly,
2. Do not let sharp objects fall on them,
3. Do not let heavy objects bump them,
4. Do not set hot pots or pans on them
....
....

Finally, what is your plan for selling the home, and what price range is
it in?

In some prices ranges, buyers will openly discount the value of a home
that has Corian or Formica in it, even when the counters are only a very
few years old, saying that they want a natural stone product (usually
Granite)

So if you are going to stay in this house for a LONG time, get the most
worry free surface that you and your significant other agree is
attractive and you can afford.

If you plan on selling in the next few years, and you can afford a
natural stone product, get granite, it will make the house more salable,
if the home will sell for $150,000 or more

Robert Gammon wrote:


All surfaces, EXCEPT Formica (i.e. the laminate surfaces) and Ceramics
will stain to some degree. Doesn't matter whether we talk about natural
stone products, quartz embedded products (Silestone, Zodiaq...) or
artificial surfaces (Corian)

I have stained Formica with hot blueberries. Perhaps there are some
other types that do better. I tested Silestone and was unable to stain
it.

All these surfaces will discolor if a hot pot is allowed to rest on them
for more than a very few seconds. The natural stone products may CRACK
due to thermal stress.

Discoloration from a hot pan is not a risk with Silestone & granite
although there may be certain granite sealers that may scorch. I was
able to leave a smoking hot cast iron skillet on a Silestone sample
with zero damage. I was also able to build a small fire with wood
matches on Silestone with zero damage as a result. Thermal shock is a
legimitate reason not to use non-metallic, heat resistant countertops
as if they are trivets.

I encourage people to get free samples from stores and test them for
themselves.

The MOST worry free surface is the laminates like Formica, however, they

I strongly disagree, but you're entitled to your opinion. I will give
Formica credit for being more scratch resistant than Corian.

"Myrna" writes:

I have heard that Corain stains but have no experience with it. The
salespeople say if it stains you can scour it out because it's a solid
surface. But over time in areas where food is prepared, I imagine you
can scour so much until it has valleys in the surface.

Myrna



Dan Espen wrote:
"Autumn" writes:

We are planning on getting new countertops and are having a hard time
deciding between all the available materials - Formica, Corian, marble, etc.
Just wondering what you have and what you like or dislike about it? I don't
even know where to start in deciding. I like a Formica pattern a lot, but it
seems it is not as thick as it used to be and I was wondering about how well
it will wear. Open to any other suggestions.

One of the nice things about Corian is that you can get the counter
and sink as effectively one unit. They're glued together, but you can't
feel a seam.

Someone just posted that Corian stains. I can't imagine what you would use
to stain it. I think it's impervious to stains.

Someone mentioned nail polish. I suppose that might dissolve the Corian, but
to my mind, that's not a stain.

I can tell you that red wine and coffee left on overnight
do not stain Corian.

You clean the counter with those plastic scrub pads.
I don't think I could rub long enough to make any visible change
to the counter with one of those.