Kitchen counters...

MariePR84
MariePR84 Posts: 8
in Chit-Chat
We're planning on redoing our kitchen. Right now it has a horrible tile countertop (I can just imagine the germs lurking in that grout line), an ugly old backsplash, and white cabinets that are in decent shape.
I'm planning on painting and glazing the cabinets myself (there aren't many), and we have ideas for the backsplash. The one thing we're stuck on is the countertop material. At first I thought laminate would be good since it's cheap, but then my husband wanted to go with solid surface like Corian. THEN, a friend gave us her friend's info who does granite countertops cheaper than Corian (wholesale/discount price - not a huge selection, but they have what we would want). Our total countertop area is about 35 square feet, so it's not a huge area. My question is: what is the best choice?

A little background to help with the decision:
We bought the house foreclosed for about $125k, and don't want to put too much money into it. We plan on selling in about 5 years, depending on the market. There are 2 homes on our street that are in foreclosure, just sitting there, and they are priced pretty low (one might be $75k, the other $120k), and it looks like another might be headed that way. It's a nice neighborhood - middle class families, big backyards, super school district. I looked online, and my house has been valued (before the crash) at around $180-190k. Basically, we would like to make some money on it when we sell, but we don't know if granite is really worth it.

Replies

  • beernpizza
    beernpizza Posts: 431 Member
    Have you thought about butcher block? Or concrete? If you and your husband are handy enough or know someone that is, you could do the concrete yourselves to save on some money.
  • ohmariposa
    ohmariposa Posts: 372 Member
    we did granite and even though it was more expensive, I am glad we did it. It looks gorgeous, just makes the kitchen look better. Plus you can put hot things on it no problem. Good luck with the remodel!
  • Lone_Wolf70
    Lone_Wolf70 Posts: 2,820 Member
    so disappointed
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
    We have granite at home. It's beautiful but the biggest problem is maintaining it. We have to use special granite cleaner and then a special wax or something to keep it shiny...it is easier to clean and sanitize than tile but it's a bit of a pain to keep it looking nice. I've seen people with wooden countertops and it looks lovely.
  • smiley245
    smiley245 Posts: 420 Member
    so disappointed
    :laugh: !!

    Speaking from a resale point of view, stone will give you more bang for your buck than laminate. If you can get it at a great price (comparable to corian) and a neutral look. I say go for it.
  • colleen586
    colleen586 Posts: 12 Member
    My parents have a quartz countertop. I guess they said if it gets scratched they can repair it very easily unlike granite. It looks very nice too.

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