tof

We are FINALLY replacing our well-worn Formica counter tops from around 1985 (as far as we know) with new. We are considering granite and quartz. Any advantages or disadvantages to quartz? Or is this just a matter of which one we like appearance-wise? We have been told the cost will be about the same either way.

Edit: Are there any other materials we should be considering?

Emil St-Hilaire

Granite.

MsPerky

I have granite in my kitchen and love it. Supposedly, it has to be sealed periodically, but I haven't done it and it's been almost nine years. Still looks great. I don't think you could go wrong with either one - look at different samples and see what you like. I looked at the whole slab (about 12' x 5') in the warehouse and picked the area I wanted cut. There are lots of colors and patterns to the stone. Just looking at a 12" by 12" sample won't show you all of that.

I just posted to my kitchen renovation thread. Next to last page shows the granite. I can't link to the thread for some reason.

tof

Thanks, Deb. I will check your renovation thread out. Should have done that already as we are about to embark on a complete (except for appliances) kitchen re-do.

jukngene

Allow me to cast a strong vote for Silestone! We have had ours for about 7 years and still love it. It requires no sealing ever, is impervious to heat, and just looks great.

PokS2k

We had quartz put in our kitchen in our prior house. No sealing and we were told could put hot items on it ( we never tested that). Ours was black which I would not do again. If you've ever owned a black car you will know what I mean.

CitadelBlue

We purchased our bathroom and kitchen cabinets with counter tops from these guys ..... http://www.cabinetdiscounters.com/ . They have a quartz product call cambria http://www.cambriaus...esign-palette/. The seam in the kitchen corner is almost seamless ..... great stuff and it looks great .....

dlq04

After a lot of debate and research we went with Silestone from Office Depot. What a mistake. They had a seam in the middle of the top. Had them come back and tear it out. It took several visits by some of their brass. I ended up losing a $1k in the end after a partial refund. I will never do business with them again.

We then selected Black Galaxy Granite from a local company. That was 9 years ago. Yeah, it is like a black car but when it's wiped down it's like a black mirror and I love it. We sealed it once, at the end of the first year, cause they recommend it but I haven't bother to do it since - even tho I have to stuff to do it. Maybe it's a bigger deal with a lighter color but honestly, I've not seen any need.

Emil St-Hilaire

Pics... please...

jukngene

Didn't know Office Depot sold countertops. Sure it wasn't Home Depot? We sure didn't have any similar issues with ours. The one seam is almost invisible. Ours was also installed by a local company.