Counter Tops 101- Materials (Quartz, Marble and Beyond)
ADAMANTIUM Quartzite with 6cm Edge
There are so, so, so many choices and things to consider when it comes to countertops, it is the number one thing that overwhelms people when starting a remodel but it is also one of the decisions I like to start with when designing. The first factor is budget, then application, then aesthetics. I am going to go over the pros and cons of each of the following items, starting at the lowest end of the budget and working our way up.
LAMINATE - What is often referred to as Formica. Formica is actually one of a number of manufacturers of laminate counters. I grew up with bright orange counters in our kitchen, am I giving away my age? Laminate has come along way since the 40’s when it was first introduced to the market. It now comes in thousands of color choices and is actually a pretty good product. It works in a plethora of locations, kitchen, bath, laundry, garage, office virtually anywhere. It lasts forever, is non-porous, and therefore does not retain bacteria and is easy, easy to install and repair, and it’s the most affordable. So, why don’t we all have it? It’s just not as sexy as the other options. There are other cons, it’s easy to damage, burns, knife marks, etc. Also, it does not increase the value of your home.
TILE - Whether ceramic or granite tile is an option and was very common before the introduction of laminate counters. Granite tile had a little moment in the ’90s when Granite slabs were making the rounds again but the slab did not fit into the budget. Personally, I’ve had both ceramic and granite tile and anyone who has ever had tile counters knows the headache of trying to keep the grout clean. Nights when I could not fall asleep I would tell myself, “if you’re still awake in 30 minutes you’re going to get up and scrub the grout” invariably I would drift right off to sleep. The pro’s, they don’t melt if you put a hot pan on them, that’s about all I can think of without having flashbacks.
GRANITE - Boy, granite slab counters were all the rage in the ’90s and early ’00s. Practically indestructible, you really have to bang on granite to get it to chip or crack, but drop a cast iron pan on the edge and it certainly will. It comes in a huge array of colors but is mostly known for its grainy appearance. It has fallen out of favor in the last 15 or so years since the big box stores started all carrying 10 or so most affordable stones. But I warn you, don’t give up on granite. It’s more affordable now than ever and given an updated finish, think honed or leathered, and staying away from the most commonly used stones it is still quite beautiful. I have a solid black, leathered granite on our bar and I love it, it’s very dramatic with the white cabinets and because it is not polished, it does not show fingerprints.
PORCELAIN SLAB - Not very common yet and while the product is reasonably priced, installation can be difficult to find and pricey. Apparently, it takes a special blade to cut through, meaning that it is very durable. What they do is actually scan real stone and “print” it on porcelain panels. They are perfect for a modern-looking kitchen or bath as they are so slim, giving a very sleek look. Check out the video at Bedrosians and see what you think.
SOLID SURFACE - Once known by its manufacturer Corrian and now known as Quartz, this is not a very popular opinion but it really is one of my least favorite products on the market. I’m a naturalist and Quartz just screams, man-made to me. It’s priced on the high end of affordable and is durable and for someone that wants the marble look without the maintenance or cost, it is an option. Personally, I would urge someone into looking at Porcelain Slab before jumping into Quartz.
CONCRETE - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE concrete, when it’s new. Concrete is probably better suited for a bathroom or laundry room rather than a kitchen as, while it is durable, it does stain and requires a lot of love. It also requires a great installer, you don’t want any cracks. But if you can embrace imperfection and you enjoy the look of a well-loved piece then put this beautiful material in your kitchen and watch evolve for years to come.
CONCRETE TERRAZZO - Oh this is a beautiful material in a variety of colors and choices, check-out https://www.concrete-collaborative.com/ to take a look. I am using it for a bathroom project I have coming up so keep an eye out on my Instagram or right here on my website for images.
SOAPSTONE - Used in high school science labs all across the country this is an indestructible material and when honed it just glows.
MARBLE - Absolutely beautiful!! Elegant and timeless right up until you stain or etch it. While remodeling our kitchen I considered marble (Lincoln marble, quarried right here in Colorado and used in the Lincoln Memorial) We are not big cooks and I’m rather fussy, certainly I could keep them looking good. Then I spoke with my Aunt, also a decorator but she has no kids, cooks even less than I do, and is even fussier! She etched her marble, UGH! Had a couple over for dinner, it got late, she decided to do the dishes in the morning. She woke up and one of the dishes had salad dressing on the bottom and there was a big, round, etch mark right in the center of her new marble counters. That’s when I decided to go with Quartzite.
QUARTZITE - Ahhh, the perfect material, other than cost. It looks like marble but acts like granite, the perfect marriage. But like any good trophy wife, she’s going to cost ya.
I’m no DIY’er
UGHHHH!! What were these manufactures thinking???
I’m no DIY’er
But that won’t stop me
As with many people my office is a spare bedroom in the basement, poor me! It’s a good sized room and has a large built-in storage area and is right next to our storage room. For a home office the layout is not bad, but it’s in the basement, so it’s dark, and, it’s in the basement, so it’s the last part of the house to be updated. The tile! oh my is it ugly. I’ve been looking at this tile for 3 years now and I decided I cannot take it anymore. Being, IN THE BASEMENT, and having tile floors on concrete and in Colorado, it is so cold in my office and my feet freeze. About a month ago, sitting at my desk, teeth chattering I hopped online and started looking at carpet. I had envisioned sisal carpeting with a beautiful area rug. Sisal carpet is not as economical (cheap) as I wanted to go. Plan B. sisal area rug! Did you know, Pottery Barn sells custom size rugs? I ordered the largest size that would fit in my office, 13’ x 13’. My office is a little larger than that so I would still have 6” showing on 3 sides and about 2’ on the fourth. Not wanting to spend a fortune on this area, since I don’t see clients in my office because, again, ITS IN THE BASEMENT, I decided to paint the tile floors. Could this even be done? off to Pinterest I go and low and behold I came across a lot of people that had discovered this before me. One of the videos showed the floors 5 years later, they still look good. Apparently, there are a lot of people with ugly tile, who is making this stuff? It didn’t look too difficult, a DIY project I could do. So the prep work begins! because I am lazy and the majority of the tile will be covered by the rug I make the decision to only paint the 2’ perimeter and two hallways. So I moved my desk into the family room and pushed the rest of the furniture to the center of the room and clean the floor with Simple Green and go back over with clear water and tape the trim. Writing this out, I realize, that doesn’t seem like a lot but by this point it is early afternoon and I’ve still got all the painting to do and I’ve decided to also paint the storage space and the attached bathroom. Just the thought had me overwhelmed.
Out to the garage I go to take inventory of the paint supplies I have before heading the local DIY big box store. Who do you suppose is sitting in front of my house? MY PAINTER!!! He had no idea it was my house and being in my painting clothes it took him a minute to recognize me. If that is not a sign, I don’t know what is. So yada, yada, yada… his crew is here painting the floors and bathroom. While they are here, I think I’m going to have him paint the doors as well. It’s something I’ve been debating for 5 years. All of our doors are stained natural wood, but I really want them to be black. We’re going to start with the doors in my office and see how I like it. I’ll post pictures when it’s done.
Virtual Decorating???
I knew that some walls had to come down but I was not sure how the client would take the news. I went to the next appointment with my 3D images in hand to show them how it would look in the end, and they agreed.
It’s a thing! A year ago I got a call from a past real estate client that he was ready to redo the house he had bought a few years before. As I recalled, the house, a quad-level, was dated and had a lot of small rooms. We arranged a meeting and put a plan together, we would start at the top and work our way down. Together we came up with a soothing color scheme for the whole house.
Now, a year later we have completed the top level, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, you can read a little about it here https://www.masseyinteriors.com/blog/2019/3/3/the-fruits-of-our-labors and we have started on the main level. When you entered the house there was a very small tile area that was open to an L shaped living/dining room. then behind a wall was a very small kitchen. These homeowners love to cook and bake, something that was just not enjoyable in such tight quarters. I knew that some walls had to come down but I was not sure how the client would take the news. I went to the next appointment with my 3D images in hand to show them how it would look in the end, and they agreed. We would take down two walls to make room for a large island with a built-in stove, place the refrigerator between the two windows, add cabinets above the half wall, expand the foyer space and replace all the carpet and vinyl flooring with engineered hardwood. The plan was set into motion.
We had the walls down and the flooring out when the news came out that we would be quarantined for the next 4-6 weeks. We were lucky in that everything was in and setting in the clients garage and the contractor had a good grasp on what to do. between good planning and the help of technology, we are getting through and it is looking great. Here are some before and during photos. A few more weeks for after pics.
