Replacing kitchen countertops

[PierreBear]

Hi PSers,

We are in the planning stages of putting a property on the market and renovating it to sell. Any tips on kitchen counter tops? I'm hearing that white is really popular right now and people prefer quartz over granite. I always thought that granite was more expensive but I'm learning that man made quartz can be more than granite as well. Any thoughts or experiences to share is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[lovedogs]

My husband and I are currently replacing our countertops with granite (we purchased the house in April and have been waiting to replace the HORRIBLE tile that's currently there). We spoke to a contractor about quartz vs. granite and he recommended granite, although the reason why escape me at the moment.

He did say that lighter granite is much more popular right now (and more expensive) than the darker options, but we were partial to colors like the one below (which was happily much less expensive).




One interesting thing he told us about backlash options was that some people put granite all the way up to their kitchen cabinets (like this):


but that he ends up doing TONS of jobs to change the backsplash to tile (like the pic I posted above where granite = countertops and tile = backsplash up to the cabinets). He chalks it up to the fact that too much granite can end up looking weird.

Anyway, I'm not sure if that's helpful or not, but we've been pouring over a million pics over the last month or so and just went to look at granite + backsplash options in person a few days ago so I wanted to respond

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I much prefer quartz since it's more durable, granite can be damaged and stained quite easily, needs to be sealed, etc. Quartz is much lighter on the maintenance.

http://homerenovations.about.com/od/kitchencounters/a/QuartzVsGraniteCountertops.htm

My dream counter would be a nice light gray quartz.

 

[AGBF]

Like lovedogs, I am going to have to replace kitchen countertops. The only question in my case is whether I am also going to replace cabinets and, maybe move walls, as well. The choices are probably going to be quartz or granite, and I am leaning towards granite. I love corian and think I would like butcher's block, too. The former two are more popular for resale and probably more durable, however.

I saved some photos of kitchens I liked for inspiration. I liked the cabinet color more than the countertops, I think, but I will share some here. I love remodeling.

Deb

 

[Tekate]

I too am starting to look around about changing the granite in my house, it's nice, but I would never had chosen it, it is too dark. I know that quartz is in if one watches all the fixer upper shows, you cannot put a hot pot on it.. and no matter one says, it lacks the natural, flowing look of granite. But if you want to have a millenial buy your house, white cabinets, grey quartz, tile back-splash (often glass of some type in herring bone pattern) it's funny, when my realtor was taking us around to houses a little over a year ago she said that young people want WHITE kitchens because their mom's all had cherry cabinets and it looks old to them! I on the other hand remember my mother having a white kitchen and renovating to light cherry cabinets and colored appliances! White looks sooo boring and old fashioned to me, like both my grandmother's kitchens.. subway tile is big with these kids, UGH I used to commute to college on the IRT in NYC and subway tile was dirty, ugly and looks old to me.. it's has no soul. So each generation doesn't want what mom or grandma had!!

 

[Queenie60]

I have had my granite counter tops for 18 years and still love them very much. And we use our kitchen all of the time. Easy to clean up and always look good.

 

[dk168]

Granite for me, and if I were to have a new kitchen, I would choose granite again.

DK

 

[lambskin]

Listen to your realtor-you want to sell the house so your preference may not bring the best value.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I have had my granite counter tops for 18 years and still love them very much. And we use our kitchen all of the time. Easy to clean up and always look good.

Ditto! I wanted every aspect of my kitchen to be max-function. Granite does that for me, and I love it!

BUT - what does your realtor suggest? Do other houses in that area have granite? If I was flipping, I would probably go with a neutral "mid-range" option to keep things versatile.

 

[distracts]

My husband and I are currently replacing our countertops with granite (we purchased the house in April and have been waiting to replace the HORRIBLE tile that's currently there). We spoke to a contractor about quartz vs. granite and he recommended granite, although the reason why escape me at the moment.

He did say that lighter granite is much more popular right now (and more expensive) than the darker options, but we were partial to colors like the one below (which was happily much less expensive).

This picture is nearly exactly the color of our countertops. They are not solid granite but granite veneer? idk that was what the house had when it was bought, and my husband has lived here over a decade and has had no problems. I honestly would never have noticed that it's just a thin layer if he hadn't pointed it out to me. My husband is really serious about cooking and we have a lot of industrial cooking thingies that have many hot surfaces and we have variously burned not-as-heat-resistant-as-thought items and ourselves on them, but haven't yet damaged the countertops.

I too am starting to look around about changing the granite in my house, it's nice, but I would never had chosen it, it is too dark. I know that quartz is in if one watches all the fixer upper shows, you cannot put a hot pot on it.. and no matter one says, it lacks the natural, flowing look of granite. But if you want to have a millenial buy your house, white cabinets, grey quartz, tile back-splash (often glass of some type in herring bone pattern) it's funny, when my realtor was taking us around to houses a little over a year ago she said that young people want WHITE kitchens because their mom's all had cherry cabinets and it looks old to them! I on the other hand remember my mother having a white kitchen and renovating to light cherry cabinets and colored appliances! White looks sooo boring and old fashioned to me, like both my grandmother's kitchens.. subway tile is big with these kids, UGH I used to commute to college on the IRT in NYC and subway tile was dirty, ugly and looks old to me.. it's has no soul. So each generation doesn't want what mom or grandma had!!

lolol yes, me and my friends all want or have white kitchens, and most of us loooove subway tile. I helped my bff renovate her dad's house before he sold it and we did subway tile backsplash in the kitchen with a white/gray quartz countertop. More or less like this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/544161567454111193/

 

[Gypsy]

I am going to be honest. That brown granite you are going for is out dated. My parent's have that exact look in their kitchen. And they had a real estate agent tell them, very honestly, that if order to get top dollar for their home they would have to change that out. And I agree... it's not what buyers now are looking for.
I am not a milenial, and I don't like the look either. If I were buying right now, that granite would be a deal breaker for me. So I would know from the get go, that I would need to spend money on new counters, and that would affect my offer. Or I may not even make one, if another house has a more up to date kitchen.

I would advise going for a white or cream quartz instead. Or if you paint your cabinets white, then gray or dark gray counters will work. It will stand the test of time better and if something happens and you need to list your home for sale, the counters will not work against you.

I have had both granite and quartz counters, and quartz are by far preferable in terms of maintenance and wear and durability. When a buyer hears quartz they hear "worry free." And most people are happy to know their counters are low maintenance.

I would also do a basic clean backsplash with it. Subway tiles are neutral. If you want to jazz them up use colored grout.

Are your cabinets that brown color above? If you want to sell the house, I would paint them. White or Gray.

Here are some looks that are clean and modern right now.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296814027419/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296818722351/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/Aeh583CDg9JWkI1GbhNj7k_GNEFUpMlFiMSpfSdXCo64FLW3CXyJLng/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815205429/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815205665/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815106332/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815205483/

 

[AGBF]

I am going to be honest. The look you are going for is out dated. My parent's have that exact look in their kitchen. And they had a real estate agent tell them, very honestly, that if order to get top dollar for their home they would have to change that out. And I agree... it's not what buyers now are looking for.

I would advise going for a white or cream quartz instead. It will stand the test of time better and if something happens and you need to list your home for sale, the counters will not work against you.

I have had both granite and quartz counters, and quartz are by far preferable in terms of maintenance and wear and durability.

I would also do a basic clean backsplash with it.

Are your cabinets that brown color above?

I didn't check this thread for tips on selling a home, but we may be selling our house in Virginia if we ever get our act together. The way my husband and I have been living is a tremendous waste of money. (Basically one person lives in a five bedroom house on which we pay very high taxes.) These ideas on kitchens will be priceless when we put that house on the market. It will have a white kitchen with pale grey quartz counters and subway tile! Thank you!

 

[Missy]

I am having the same internal debate right now.

I thought I wanted to go with quartz for our kitchen renovation but I am finding I prefer the more ethereal (IMO) quality that granite possesses. There seems to be more "life" and personality in granite over quartz if that makes sense.

We have granite counters in both our homes right now and our NYC home is IMO classic and timeless with black honed granite and custom maple cabinets and we did that over 12 years ago. Our beach house has the beige granite I dislike and I cannot wait to completely gut renovate that kitchen and replace the countertops and island with a white/white pattern granite or quartz.

We have been looking at all possibilities of countertop materials and I keep coming back to granite. I am still not sure but just sharing my thoughts as they are right now. And while I thought I wanted a "marble" look alike I have determined there is no such thing. They all pale in comparison to the marble look so I am not trying to recreate that anymore. And marble is of course out for kitchen counters. Completely impractical and a bad idea.

IMO you need a tough countertop material that can withstand high heat and scratching and staining and one that has an easy maintenance. Quartz is one of the hardiest and Granite is tough too though involves more care it is doable.

Here is another option I found recently but don't know anything about it yet. We need to visit the distributor before I make my final choice of material for our kitchen counters and island.

http://aureastone.com


And here are some articles I found helpful.

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/16354930/list/5-favorite-granites-for-gorgeous-kitchen-countertops

http://thesweetestdigs.com/kitchen-reno-choosing-quartz-countertops/

Good luck with your decision!

 

[AGBF]

An aside: this thread is finally making me understand why the color I painted the living room in the house in which I am living got the responses it did. It had been a very, very pale yellow-almost an eggshell-called Man in the Moon. No one really knew it wasn't off-white. Since I have a Newfoundland dog, it gets filthy from flying drool very quickly. (drool can fly 20 feet.) Someone told me not to be afraid of color and suggested lilac. I do not like purple, however. So I decided to do grey, which I have always loved. I had no idea whatsoever that it was "in" for kitchens. I picked a color on my own; I believe it was called "seawall". I had white crown moulding put up at the same time I had the room painted. Then people started to tell me that the color was very "in". Now I know why. Grey is extremely popular, at least in kitchen! When I looked up subway tile and white kitchens I saw many grey counters!

 

[soxfan]

What color are your cabinets?

 

[Missy]

Sharing a few of my inspiration dream kitchen pics fyi.

 

[wildcat03]

I have black granite countertops and they are gorgeous. They contrast nicely with my white wood cabinets. The granite that the builder chose is very shiny and less porous than other granites I've seen. My fiancé is a little careless with leaving olive oil sitting on the counter and when I see it (3 days later) and put it away and wipe the oil up, the oil spot disappears quite quickly. I couldn't be happier with granite in my case.



Sorry for the sideways picture - I can't figure out how to fix them!

 

[Missy]

Wildcat, your kitchen is beautiful! Here it is right side up.
When you post pics hit edit and rotate 360 degrees and that should fix the problem and allow you to post pics right side up.

 

[PierreBear]

Wow ya'll are on top of this thread. Thank you all for the comments and glad that it is helping others think through their future reno projects as well.

The home that we currently live in has a gray quartz and we really like it with natural wood cabinets. I am in my 30s but am unfortunately considered a "millennial" and find it interesting that I too have an appreciate for a white kitchen. It seems to "brighten" up the room and has a clean look and appeal.

Doing a renovation to sell a place versus a renovation to live in your forever home is a bit different. I'm trying to go with low cost but most bang for your buck. However, I did learn about somethings to consider when talking to vendors from Home Depot to local counter top places. I'll share in case this is helpful.

- You need to demo your current counter top. Most places offer this service and it looks like ti's from $4/sq foot to $6/sq foot. I think the benefit is that they haul the old stuff away.
- We are going to replace the sink with an undermount sink, which the places that sell counter tops also seem to sell sinks. some places will disconnect your old sink for you... some places I talked to won't disconnect the old. None of the places I talked to would reconnect the new sink. So just consider that a plumber might not be involved even when it's replacing kitchen counters.
- The $/sq footage of the material seems to include fabrication and installation. Costs extra for a sink cut out. I've seen prices ranging from 40 sq footage to 60 sq footage.
- There are different types of edging or finishes. The basic ones I've seen are generally free.
- Consider what type of back splash that you want. Since we are just trying to keep things as worry free as possible, we are going to just use the same material as counter tops and go up 4 to 5 inches. Others options would be tile work but I think that would involve a different vendor to install.

Good luck everyone! Please continue to share any other tips and thoughts!

 

[wildcat03]

Wildcat, your kitchen is beautiful! Here it is right side up.
When you post pics hit edit and rotate 360 degrees and that should fix the problem and allow you to post pics right side up.

Thanks, Missy! Where do you hit "edit" - on your phone, somewhere in the photo storage app on your computer (I have a mac) or somewhere on PS? Thanks!

 

[Missy]

Hi Wildcat, ok bear with me as I'm pretty technologically challenged and not sure I can explain it properly. In fact I found this solution via trial and error a long time back and it has always worked like a charm since I have been doing it this way.

Before I save a photo to my computer (Mac) I hit top left the edit button on my laptop screen and then hit the arrow to rotate it 360 degrees so that equals 4 rotations of 90 degrees each. Then I hit save. And then I attach to ps. Does that make sense?

 

[partgypsy]

I am going to be honest. That brown granite you are going for is out dated. My parent's have that exact look in their kitchen. And they had a real estate agent tell them, very honestly, that if order to get top dollar for their home they would have to change that out. And I agree... it's not what buyers now are looking for.
I am not a milenial, and I don't like the look either. If I were buying right now, that granite would be a deal breaker for me. So I would know from the get go, that I would need to spend money on new counters, and that would affect my offer. Or I may not even make one, if another house has a more up to date kitchen.

I would advise going for a white or cream quartz instead. Or if you paint your cabinets white, then gray or dark gray counters will work. It will stand the test of time better and if something happens and you need to list your home for sale, the counters will not work against you.

I have had both granite and quartz counters, and quartz are by far preferable in terms of maintenance and wear and durability. When a buyer hears quartz they hear "worry free." And most people are happy to know their counters are low maintenance.

I would also do a basic clean backsplash with it. Subway tiles are neutral. If you want to jazz them up use colored grout.

Are your cabinets that brown color above? If you want to sell the house, I would paint them. White or Gray.

Here are some looks that are clean and modern right now.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296814027419/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296818722351/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/Aeh583CDg9JWkI1GbhNj7k_GNEFUpMlFiMSpfSdXCo64FLW3CXyJLng/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815205429/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815205665/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815106332/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815205483/

I agree with everything you said. Our kitchen is small on kitchen counter, so we splurged and got quartz. Maintenance free. Cooler colors like white and grays are more current than warm browns/neutrals. If you are remodeling for yourself, do what you want. If you are remodeling to sell, listen to gypsy.

 

[Tekate]

I am going to be honest. That brown granite you are going for is out dated. My parent's have that exact look in their kitchen. And they had a real estate agent tell them, very honestly, that if order to get top dollar for their home they would have to change that out. And I agree... it's not what buyers now are looking for.
I am not a milenial, and I don't like the look either. If I were buying right now, that granite would be a deal breaker for me. So I would know from the get go, that I would need to spend money on new counters, and that would affect my offer. Or I may not even make one, if another house has a more up to date kitchen.

I would advise going for a white or cream quartz instead. Or if you paint your cabinets white, then gray or dark gray counters will work. It will stand the test of time better and if something happens and you need to list your home for sale, the counters will not work against you.

I have had both granite and quartz counters, and quartz are by far preferable in terms of maintenance and wear and durability. When a buyer hears quartz they hear "worry free." And most people are happy to know their counters are low maintenance.

I would also do a basic clean backsplash with it. Subway tiles are neutral. If you want to jazz them up use colored grout.

Are your cabinets that brown color above? If you want to sell the house, I would paint them. White or Gray.

Here are some looks that are clean and modern right now.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296814027419/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296818722351/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/Aeh583CDg9JWkI1GbhNj7k_GNEFUpMlFiMSpfSdXCo64FLW3CXyJLng/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815205429/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815205665/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815106332/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38210296815205483/

I agree with everything you said. Our kitchen is small on kitchen counter, so we splurged and got quartz. Maintenance free. Cooler colors like white and grays are more current than warm browns/neutrals. If you are remodeling for yourself, do what you want. If you are remodeling to sell, listen to gypsy.

I agree with both gypsy's. If I were to renovate my kitchen to resell, I'd have the most beautiful cabinets that are stained a lovely, warm gorgeous cherry brown, not dark cherry (although I have had those too).. For me, walking into a white kitchen with grey reminds me of the operating rooms I had my sons in! White, antiseptic, which is what people want, they want to clean, light look, me, I live on 2.40 acres, in New England, so many pines and maple trees, I can't see all white with this.. if I were to move into a city though I would love the white look, here I am looking more to make the outside feel inside if that makes any sense.. the only thing I am doing here is getting rid of the granite which I think darkens the kitchen and the lights here were all 'heavy' Mediterranean with lots of bronze, pulled them out (actually I got a decorator to help me uplift this house) with the lights, she picked colored blown glass with turqoise, brown and white pattern, it's awesome. Turqoise is in also. I did read several times that the farm style sink in the kitchen is out.. for whatever that is worth I would never get one anyway, I remember them ha! Can't wait to see what you do. Here is a pix of my new kitchen lights. Peace!

 

[soxfan]

The home that we currently live in has a gray quartz and we really like it with natural wood cabinets. I am in my 30s but am unfortunately considered a "millennial" and find it interesting that I too have an appreciate for a white kitchen. It seems to "brighten" up the room and has a clean look and appeal.

My old kitchen was white with black shiny granite. We moved and my kitchen has gorgeous custom natural cherry cabinets. I went with steel gray leathered granite. This is a price point a (least expensive) granite, and they finish one side shiny and the other leathered right at the quarry, so you can choose the side you want. I like the matte finish- almost looks like soapstone. Was VERY inexpensive too! I hate granite backsplashes- I think they make a kitchen look smaller. I really wanted to pull in some white, so I did a beveled marble subway tile backsplash. It had veins of gray and some beige which matched the countertops an cabinets perfectly. I managed to dig up a couple pics. They were taken at Christmastime-hence the decor LOL!

 

[azstonie]

I just renovated my kitchen in April.

I went with solid surface for the countertops and it cost MORE than most quartz

I did this after talking to the install/repair at my countertop seller. He told me that quartz is also somewhat porous and stains and cracks at about the same rate as granite *if* moisture gets in.

If I were to do this again, I'd go with quartz. My DH really liked the solid surface option so I thought "I'm only living here another 5 years at most, I'll let him 'have' this but in our next house I'm choosing!"

 

[azstonie]

Tekate, I love your pendant light! Would you be willing to share the details on it? I need to put lighting in my kitchen but I did not find a pendant I liked! To your lighting fixture!

 

[Arcadian]

Personally I hate granite. I prefer other materials. however, the house I purchased has.... you guessed it, granite. If the market is hot where the house is, its not going to really matter much. I didn't like the granite OR the floors but the house was at a price I was comfortable with, in an area I wanted to be in.

Sold our house in the NE well over asking and we had butcher-block up there that had been in the house for a long time. And yes they were well loved and worn!! People who saw it went gaga's over that kitchen ( I guess because it looked very 1940's farmhouse).

If you're just flipping the house, don't go crazy. White, near white, or even something like this


That probably would be just fine as it can go either way with cabinets

IF the floor is neutral or dark, then maybe go with butcher block counter and do a white cabinet with either antiqued or stainless pulls.



Personally I love butcher block

The main point is, don't spend a lot. people generally will end up changing it.

 

[House Cat]

Honed Virginia Mist Granite:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/32721534771602429/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/32721534771602427/

Marble Look-alikes:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/Af_zOIlevfoirKW0U5Z8D6Y0bUNU3zuahIkw2T84lSqh5NuskjOIkZ0/

Another blog post on marble look-alikes:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/32721534771602413/

Personally, I would go with a granite that looked like white marble. I have quartz now and it is less durable than granite.

 

[Tekate]

Tekate, I love your pendant light! Would you be willing to share the details on it? I need to put lighting in my kitchen but I did not find a pendant I liked! To your lighting fixture!

Ah thanks so much! our decorater uses Houzz - that is where I found her!. Here's most of the work she did for us.. the kitchen pendants we got afterwards! she got them through Houzz, so not sure about much more than that, she was a gem! I think one can see why I changed out the pendants and am working on the foyer and dining room lights as there is a lot of metal, I will look around a pix of the kitchen so you all can see the granite.. too heavy, but I knew it when I bought this house, as one can also see - I'm a fall chick! peace.

http://www.houzz.com/projects/1480504/scarborough-home

ETA: here's the pendants - not sure if she got them at this place, I really love them.

http://www.shadesoflight.com/strata-art-glass_pendant-light.html

 

[Natalie222]

We've just started renovating our house and I'm also looking for the new kitchen countertops. Like most people here, I prefer the light ones. Recently I have been suggested to address a Toronto Kitchen company as they have a wide variety of the kitchen cabinets and countertops. Also they can install a backsplash tiling (I want to know more about it as I find it to be an interesting idea). So' I'm going to find out more about their services, but I don't want to miss anything in order not to regret my choice later. Thanks for sharing your experience, guys!