A Moment of Silence Please

[DD]

Here's a couple of other suggestions for counter top alternatives. IMO granite is over done and it's certainly not an environmentally sensitive material, though perhaps there will be a great use for all those granite counters that will be ripped out over the next 10 years.

RichLite makes a composite counter top from cellulous and resin. http://www.richlite.com/

Fireslate is another interesting alternative, also a sort of concrete composite...think old school lab tables. http://www.fireslate.com/pages/home.cfm

and...

last but not least, for an affordable countertop, 3/4" birch plywood with a plaster and water based urethane finish (my special blend). This is what I put in my home for under $200 in materials with the intention of ripping them out as soon as I figured out what I "really" wanted. The thing is, I get so many compliments on the counters and 4 years later, they still look great. I'll probably do a light sanding and throw another coat of matte urethane of them later this year. People can't figure out what it is...looks like slate, or could be concrete, but it's warm to the touch and has a thin profile. It's definitely not for everyone. Just another idea.[/quote]

Got pics?

 

[beachmouse]

Ohhh...want fireslate. We've frequently talked about how it would be neat to have lab counters as kitchen counters.

 

[elgordoboy]

Ohhh...want fireslate. We've frequently talked about how it would be neat to have lab counters as kitchen counters.

That would be really cool. I have a mental flash -cooking in white lab coats, reducing on a Bunsen burner in beakers, mise en place petri dishes hmm.

 

[Teresa]

Anything that is tasteful, functional, not matchy-matchy, and not the inferior desecrater finish du jour won't look dated.

I love a mix of stone (especially soapstone), butcher block, concrete, and laminate countertops depending on their location and function. My grandmother's white laminate kitchen counters are on their 4th decade!

Tile countertops always looks uneven or I worry about keeping the grout clean/uncracked. Metal countertops (esp. copper) are cool, but not very functional IMO.

yes, a mix of texture in the kitchen sounds ideal. would not want a butcher block top, but I do have a very large butcher block piece that sits on top of the counter that I can not live without. also cannot live without my funky laminate. but would like to add something different to the mix. no metal please. no tile (done this - not for me). but not sure what.

 

[Matt J]

Ohhh...want fireslate. We've frequently talked about how it would be neat to have lab counters as kitchen counters.

That would be really cool. I have a mental flash -cooking in white lab coats, reducing on a Bunsen burner in beakers, mise en place petri dishes hmm.

A science themed dinner party, that could be fun. I wonder if any of the medical pros on here could scare up dinner service for 8?

 

[JUL]

Say good-bye to granite countertops

High-end kitchen and bath renovations just aren't boosting a home's value the way they used to. Sellers who succumbed to home over-improvement syndrome are feeling the pain.
By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer
February 29 2008: 2:15 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The granite countertop's glory days might be over.

During the housing boom, updating a kitchen with high end materials like cherry wood cabinets and a Viking stove was a sure bet to boost a home's value. Homeowners often recovered about 80% of the cost when the house was later sold.

But with so much more inventory on the market for buyers to choose from, they just aren't as impressed with the bells and whistles. Now most upscale renovations are returning less than 70% of their cost, according to a recent survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Remodeling magazine.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/26/rea..._ratio_drops/index.htm?postversion=2008022811

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Top Ramen will never taste the same


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Well, if it makes you feel any better I for one would buy the Viking stove and granite kitchen over the laminate and whirlpool.....Just think of it this way...Your's might sell may not be netting more $$$ but it may sell before the other.

 

[John R]

Zinc!

2x

and of course Paperstone. The coolest.