Saw a home that had the kitchen redone using medical lab counters. Epoxy resin I think? High heat resistance, durable as anything and looked unlike every other granite/ quartz kitchen. I liked the idea & look, no idea of cost.
I did Corian, as I liked the modern aesthetic of having a seamless sink and continued it down to the floor with a bent piece on a bar. I would compare it to knives. Granite is forged hard steel and Corian is soft steel.Granite stays nicer longer but it is easy to sand down and/or repair Corian. I redid my kitchen in 2009 and my counters look brand new. I cook nearly everyday.
I do think granite (especially with stainless steel appliances) looks dated and like suburban tract housing—but there are some that look less like granite, like Mt. Airy.
What about poured and polished concrete? It can hold up to all the abuse that granite can but also let’s you pull off a modern/industrial look?
We have had granite for the last 10 years in various houses and have never sealed our countertops. But when we remodel the current kitchen we will be doing polished concrete with a 3x3 marble insert in one space. There are some inherent advantages to doing pastry work on marble as it keeps doughs cooler than other countertop materials, even if it’s soft and pourous.
From what I’ve read the really dark granites don’t need sealing. Medium colored granites need sealing every so often. Whitish granites need sealing every other day.
Yeah ours is dark grey so we’re probably good but I bought some sealant just in case.
One thing you can get from quartz that you can’t get from granite - the look of marble. Or just about any other kind of stone for that matter.
You guys heard of TuffSkin? It’s a polymer that goes on top of marble and it makes it stain, etch and acid proof. Seems like a good solution.
We had concrete and really loved it. BUT, it can stain – particularly acids, such as lemon. We had to rent it out for a while when we were living overseas, and the renters obviously rested a lemon on the counter at some point. Sigh. Next time we have to leave we will try not to have to rent out out house!
In addition to the acid risk, the concrete did show some other stains a bit. Nothing terrible, and we sort of liked it. But if you are looking for a clean unblemished surface, I am not sure concrete will do it for you.
The stains can resemble abstract art.
That’s good to know about the staining happening in real life. From what I understand, the darker you go the less obtrusive the issue is. I’ve also heard that you need to seal them really well so that oils doesn’t seep in and leave stains.
Does anyone have experience with soapstone? If I recall it has some interesting properties but the color options are pretty limited.
Agreed. We have concrete in our current house and at the old house as well. It’s very versatile, as you can run electric through it, make it exactly the shape you want easily, control the color, put hot things on it, and it’s beautiful. But it does stain and chip. You have to be a little careful, wipe it regularly, and be okay with the patina that develops regardless. Since our house is largely Japanese in design and aesthetic, the wabi-sabi aspect is not a problem at all. If you want everything to remain looking perfect and new, it’s not a good choice for you.
If you love maintenance, we have friends who remodeled their kitchen and installed butcher block counters. ALL of their counters are butcher block.
We went quartz for looks, maintenance, acid / spill resistance (the heat issue being correctly judged as manageable (god I hope I won’t regret writing that!), with use of pads trivets etc, whereas spills are a fact of life. Re: looks, I find most granite looks a bit 80s, but obviously tastes differ.
Black caesarstone for side counters, and a matching black sink (Franke Onyx Fraganite), and Vicostone marble effect for centre island. Very happy all round. Don’t have great pictures handy but these will give the idea.
You can get the idea of the sink. (Which is great design, double sink but with low divider)
(The island is sail shaped which makes best use of limited space)
Soapstone looks nice, but HUGE maintenance. And super soft, so if dings and chips and scratches is your thing….
Put it in one house of mine. Liked the look, but would not do it again. Arms got buff rubbing it with oil almost every week…
But in a very man-made unnatural-looking way IMO, but some are better than others. Quartz trying to replicate something like calcatta marble looks cheesy. Makes me cringe, but YMMV. If you want the look of natural stone but need some durability and natural beauty, then I think quartzite is a far better option. Quartz is improving every year though…
Granite – most look outdated, but can’t argue with durability. My parent’s kitchen counters look new after 20 years.
Marble – looks best to my eye, but can etch or stain if not careful. prices varies greatly depending on the type of marble.
quartz – can look out of place in an expensive home, don’t mean to offend anyone, but I do like a few from caeserstone. The Silestone “marble” patterns look bad.
quartzite – the average slab doesn’t have the same beauty as marble, but looks next best, and has near granite-like durability. prices reasonable for natural stone.
soapstone - too soft for me in a kitchen, but would look great in a bathroom
My wife works for a hospitality company and they use marble almost entirely even in commercial-grade settings, but looks are important for them. In our own home, we went with quartzite.
Finally, regardless of what you choose, consider a honed finish instead of gloss. More modern look and for natural stone is easier to maintain.
We’ve had ours for over 20 years. Never have sealed it, never have damaged it and it also looks brand new. I would not consider another material in my kitchen at this time