Solid Surface (e.g., Corian) vs Granite or Quartz countertop for kitchen

[jbeall]

Hi All,

My wife and I are debating whether to go with a solid surface countertop (that's Dupont Corian, Samsung Staron, etc.), or a granite or quartz (e.g., Silestone).

Solid Surface would be a *little* cheaper, but the pricing is close enough that we want to go with whichever would be a wiser choice for us.

At this moment we're leaning towards a solid surface because we've heard stories about how granite chips and cracks--something we would not have a problem with if we did a solid surface. However, solid surfaces can scorch easier than granite or quartz, and they scratch easier to. But from everything I can tell, they are easier to repair--damage can be buffed out with a scotch-brite or other very fine abrasive.

Also, there's the hardness issue. We've got kids and it's just inevitable that somebody is going to bang their head on a corner, or a drop a glass on the counter. Solid surfaces, being an acrylic resin, are not quite as hard as granite, and that, to me, seems like it's a pro for solid surfaces--they're less likely to bust a head or shatter a glass.

But, what are the opinions here? Experiences with one, both, or the other?

Thanks!

-Josh

p.s. this is for a house we plan to *live* in, not a house we're going to try and flip.

[Shark]

We originally wanted to do our own concrete countertops, but we just didn't have enough time for a project like that.

We ended up finding a smokin' deal on craigslist so we have granite. So far very happy with it. Pretty user-friendly as far as installation (even had to cut a piece shorter, bought a cheap circular saw diamond blade & cut it myself)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HFplLoZMmaI/SfI7_RPKs2I/AAAAAAAAAl8/LZlLxy5o-y4/s1600-h/IMG_1183.JPG

One other thing to keep in mind, granite & some other countertops deal well with hot pots & pans, while others might not be a good idea.


Personally I'd go with what you can find the best deal on :)
Make sure to call around, alot of places with have "remnants" or smaller slabs of countertop, depending on your layout & size of kitchen, you may be able to make that work too.

Edit:
Our bath vanity tops are "solid surface" & they are nice, but you can tell a difference between them & the granite.

[jbeall]

Edit:
Our bath vanity tops are "solid surface" & they are nice, but you can tell a difference between them & the granite.

And you like the granite better?

Have you had any trouble with the granite chipping? E.g, when somebody sets a glass down hard, or if you've ever dropped a plate on it?

[Shark]

Edit:
Our bath vanity tops are "solid surface" & they are nice, but you can tell a difference between them & the granite.

And you like the granite better?

Have you had any trouble with the granite chipping? E.g, when somebody sets a glass down hard, or if you've ever dropped a plate on it?

Yah I like the granite better, it just has more "mass" feels better you know?
No issues with chipping or scratching on either surface, but we've only been living in the house since March. I would think it would take a very hard hit, with something alot harder than a glass or plate, to damage granite...

Come to think of it, I have a couple small chunks left over, I wonder what it would take to actually damage the stuff?....
I may have to try :)

[panderson03]

Come to think of it, I have a couple small chunks left over, I wonder what it would take to actually damage the stuff?....
I may have to try :)

Yes please, Shark. Do experiment with some of your left over pieces and let us know if the granite chipped relatively easily. sure would help us make our decisions!!
thanks:)

[jbeall]

Yes, that sounds like something I'd be very interested in. Everything I've heard so far has been anecdotal--e.g., "my granite chips easily, it's got pits and dings all over the place!" vs "my granite has never chipped and we love it!"

[chadfortman]

First off i not expert but Dupont Corian stains easy but it does look nice.
Granite is supose be sealed ever now then with sealent.
I think Granite aslo put off small amount Radon gas also.
My parents ended up redoing there kitchen a few year back spent allot money on cabinet they did the research and still ended up doing the cheep counter top.
Now i know where i get being cheep from ahahha.
I look into the cement tops its poor man granite and it can be colored to suite your style.
My friends have granite it look very nice clean.
But it has that look when a kid put his gruby hands on clean glass window. I dont like that look so looks dirty if not spotless.
I think it shows human skin oil on it to easy.
i want look more into people that have the cement Stu made one on his own and they do sell kits on it and books on the web how do it.
I did try get some used corian for 100 buck grey and when i seen the picture looked smurf blue.
Always looking for people remodel deals to suite my needs.
The restore alaways have granite slabs but my weight lifting days are over ahhaha.
Take picture when yout done so we see what look like seya

[loghousenut]

It is a wood house, what's wrong with wood countertops? I am assuming that everyone but Rckcmbr Ronnie is building their house to live in and not to sell. So what is wrong with a good oiled or Varathaned wood surface. When I built my motorhome (school bus) I laminated a ton of wood I had left over from High School shop class and ended up with a very liveable and gorgeous 2" thick butcherblock countertop full of everything from mahogany to walnut to gumwood to oak to rosewood. I know it's only a school bus, and it'll always be ugly on the outside, but it is pretty darned sophisticated on the inside and the "labor only" countertops turned it into a showcase (I'm not lying here).

How about some of you oldtimers who took the class from Skip in the old tall log house that had the small front door. Any of you remember just how rustic a countertop could be and still be a center of conversation? As I remember that one was nailed together and oiled and had a very "worn" aura about it. We have always planned to have thick, handmilled, oiled wood for our counters in the kitchen and I'll bet they will be fairly maintenance free and a real crowd pleaser. But then again I suppose rock or an imitation rock wood be OK.

[NM bound]

We watched one of the science channel programs a while ago & they were trying to damage the different counter top materials.
Granite was extremley strong as far as chipping / breaking & very heat resisitant....BUT it will stain & you have to keep it sealed if you go with a lighter color. Of course, the darker colors show water spots (we have black galaxy in the kitchen) & it will NOT be going into our kitchen in the log home!

[rocklock]

We have had Silestone for 7 years in our Hawaiian home. It looks like its brand new, still shiny... But it is pricey ($1800 which included installation). It still looks like this, except for all the stuff that we put on the counter....
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s274/flintlock1/114-1471_IMG_2.jpg
I plan on having an antique wood chopping block (I already have it) and stone counter tops for different types of food preparation in my log home. This includes having stone on one side and a flour board on the other side of the counter top in a food prep work station.
A few additional comments... Keep your kitchen work triangle as small as possible (sink-stove-refer). I want a small gas stove that has 4 burners that are at least 100,000 btu's (boil tap water in less than 1 minute). I want a double sink and a huge Refrigerator with lots of storage and two workstations on either side of the sink.

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Seems like each has it's own shortcoming.
There just doesn't appear to be a "do it all" perfect
countertop material.

Back in the early '70's we laid a plastic laminate that
looked like butcher block. It looked great, people liked
it, so we laid some more, then more....

I got sick of the "butcher block" look.

All I could do was silently moan when my wife said she wants maple butcher block counters

but

they actually make a lot of sense;

*anti microbial properties
*low-cost (well...for me)
easy to install
*easy to remove, repair, and reinstall with Dzus fasteners.

I just ran the numbers. Because I bought a lot of
close-out, hard maple from a wholesale supplier, I
estimate the countertop (with glue, planing, sanding,
fasteners, etc. would be about $225. I can't even lay
plastic laminate for than price.

-Rick

[rckclmbr428]

as far as the hardness goes, I think that would be a moot point. I have bounced my head off of concrete (still have a knot on my head from kindergarten crash) to trees, rocks, car frames, etc. I have never been able to tell a difference, they all just hurt like hell. I would be willing to bet if you bounced your head off solid surface vs granite, you would end up saying "Son of a Biscuit" either way. also willing to bet a glass dropped from 3' on either one will soon become a million pieces that only a foot can find.
I havent heard anyone mention doing a tile countertop? very cheap, easy to do yourself, and heat resistant, I did the countertop in the stick house I live in in tile, and have been very happy with it. it might come back to bite me in the butt when I sell it, but if you plan on living in it...?
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk122/rckclmbr428/basement%20idea/kitchen.jpg

[jbeall]

I just ran the numbers. Because I bought a lot of
close-out, hard maple from a wholesale supplier, I
estimate the countertop (with glue, planing, sanding,
fasteners, etc. would be about $225. I can't even lay
plastic laminate for than price.

That's materials only, yes? So, you have to add in the value of your time for a true comparison.

Seems like laminate would be pretty quicky and easy, just slap the pieces down. With butcher block you have to plane, sand, finish, etc. At least, that's what I'm thinking--I've never done either.

What are you figuring for time to install butcher block? The number of hours, I mean. And how much countertop would you be putting in?

-Josh

[jbeall]

That looks great, Ronnie! I'll have to check in to tile, it's just something I never thought too much about for countertop.

[Simple Mind]

I just ran the numbers. Because I bought a lot of
close-out, hard maple from a wholesale supplier, I
estimate the countertop (with glue, planing, sanding,
fasteners, etc. would be about $225. I can't even lay
plastic laminate for than price.

That's materials only, yes? So, you have to add in the value of your time for a true comparison.

Seems like laminate would be pretty quicky and easy, just slap the pieces down. With butcher block you have to plane, sand, finish, etc. At least, that's what I'm thinking--I've never done either.

What are you figuring for time to install butcher block? The number of hours, I mean. And how much countertop would you be putting in?

-Josh

Don't take this as argumentative, it is not at all. It seems to me we actually should not add in the cost of our time. The premise for most of us is to purchase materials and put them together ourselves. I have seen Shark, 2 cents etc. post cost to build quotes. I don't think they included estimated labor rates at all.

As I approach this project, I have been trying to find a balance. I am lucky, in that I have job that pays well. Lets say I make $1,000 a day. Do I go work 2 days to pay for a project that will cost $2,000 and take me 5 days.

I like when Rick etc. post just the material cost. I can then add in the "lazy tax" later if I want to contract it out.

[loghousenut]

*anti microbial properties
*low-cost (well...for me)
easy to install
*easy to remove, repair, and reinstall with Dzus fasteners.

I just ran the numbers. Because I bought a lot of
close-out, hard maple from a wholesale supplier, I
estimate the countertop (with glue, planing, sanding,
fasteners, etc. would be about $225. I can't even lay
plastic laminate for than price.

-Rick[/quote]

Waitaminute!!! Dzus fasteners under a countertop for easy removal? Please don't tell me you're gonna use accordian-style water lines so you won't have to disconnect the sink. I must live a long way from Boeing.

OK don't get ruffled, it's all in fun. Seriously I have never removed the only wooden countertop I've ever made in the 25 years since it was installed (held down with drywall screws). Wood can't be all that bad can it? If you're going to laminate it butcherblock style you will only care how the top looks so you will line your wood up for gluing with the top side fairly flat. Hardwood is great but it seems like the softwoods are holding up well in my experience. Course sanding it after it has all set up takes 1 hour. Fine sanding will take another 2 hours. If it all adds up to five hours of extra labor that's not that much time to save some pretty hefty change and then end up with the only countertop like it in the universe.

[jbeall]

As I approach this project, I have been trying to find a balance. I am lucky, in that I have job that pays well. Lets say I make $1,000 a day. Do I go work 2 days to pay for a project that will cost $2,000 and take me 5 days.

I like when Rick etc. post just the material cost. I can then add in the "lazy tax" later if I want to contract it out.

I was asking for a time estimate on how long it would take, not a labor cost estimate.

I can them multiple Rick's time estimate by 3 or 4 to figure out how long it would take me ;-)

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Ahhh...you're right. I never did count the labor.

About 23 lineal feet, two seams with laminate, or maple.
About 14 hours if I lay the substrate, and install the
selvedge, (or self-edge if it is a different material than
the substrate) and laminate backsplash. About 11 hours
if I use a gun instead of a roller, or trowel.

The laminate would be eleven glue-ups, then sand to 320
grit (a few passes through the sander, then hand
sand (pneumatic line sander) to 320. Joint the seams,
install the draw bolts, and Dzus fasteners, and backsplash,
then install. As a side note, install 1/8"
plywood strips to the back of the backsplash.
Just lightly pin it in place. It's sacrificial when scribing to
the wall. Might take a few hands to install three big
sections. Probably double the time of plastic laminate,
but no fumes. My first kitchen was in '69, and over the
years of breathing vapors I've accumulated enough
dead brain cells to insulate the remaining good cells...
not that there are that many good cells left....

As a side note....

I found a new glue.
It looks just like ARG (yellow) glue, sold under the Elmer's brand, and is tenacious. It's an indoor/outdoor glue. A friend of mine let the glue drip onto his melamine work surface after a glue-up. He just planned to pop-off the dried glue with a scraper (works for epoxy). When he scraped off the dried drops it took off the melamine. I was sold! It does have a shorter open time, but that's about the only difference from regular ARG.
Last side note (I promise).

If anyone is planning to install plastic laminate, and we
can arrange our time and location, I can come and help,
IF:
*You have a video camera.
*Have a tripod.
*Have editing softwear.

We can make a quick how-to DVD for other members.
I'll include some tricks I learned over the years, including
a seamer that was invented by Dale Whitehall (RIP)
when we worked together at Bagdons back in 1980.
Makes a seam on white laminate is invisible, and is
hard to find when scraping the seam with a fingernail.

-Rick

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Oh yes...they are mandatory on my project.

Why?

Because screws are easier, faster, and cheaper, and I
have a subconscious need to over complicate everything. ;-)

-Rick