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janepa or anyone with Wilsonart HD laminate, Crystalline series

15 years ago

Janepa, I read in one of the threads that you really like the Wilsonart HD laminate, Crystalline Onyx. I'm interested in a laminate in this series. Would you have a picture of the laminate with your cabinets? I have some of the small chips, but it is very difficult to imagine what a countertop would look like. I also like the chrystalline braun sample.

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Comments (5)

janepa
15 years ago
hondagirl, I will take a photo when I get home from work and post it ASAP. I have never regretted going with the laminate instead of granite etc. We our using our original cabinet frames, but getting new doors and a new wall unit which will have a place for the microwave, a pantry, and a broom/misc. closet. They will all be painted white. I still have to smile when I enter the kitchen.
Jane
janepa
15 years ago
Sorry this is so late in getting posted. I got home late from work, and forgot about it until after dinner. These photos do not do the laminate justice. The lighting is horrible, but I said I would post a couple of photos this evening. Tomorrow I will get some others in the morning light.

This photo has to much of a yellow/orange glow from the fluorescent under cabinet light (which is going to be changed).
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This photo is the closest to the actual color.
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I would get this laminate all over again.
Jane
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I am one of the few who like laminates. We recently did a DIY refacing in our kitchen. We looked at all different types of counter tops and decided on premium laminate. The durability and ease of care is what convinced us. Granite is beautiful, but I didn't want to seal it, solid surface scratches too easily, not practical in my much used/lived in kitchen.. We went with Formica fx180, their premium line in antique mascarello. I also love Wilsonart HD, but they didn't have the color I wanted.The Wilsonart has a higher gloss to it than the Formica fx180, which I did like and probably would have purchased if it came in the pattern/color I wanted. It is true that premium laminate is not much cheaper than solid surface or the lower priced granites, but it works for our family and I am happy with it. Both Formica and Wilsonart will send you larger samples for free if you go to their websites to order them. The Formica was a large 12 x 12 size sample, (The wilsonart was a 4 x 5 think) This sample still comes in handy, I take it with me when I go to pick out paint and backsplash tiles. And I did test it, scratching it with sandpaper, knives, brillo, etc, its tough stuff!The sheet laminate is not expensive, its the installing that costs. But if you can get it in a preformed counter top that might be cheaper. Still, for us it was the right choice, my last kitchen's laminate was 28 yrs old and was still in great shape and it took plenty of abuse from our 3 kids, the durability and ease of care and cleaning is what helped me to choose laminate again..
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Hi JaneinColorado, I'll take some pics tomorrow when it's light out when I don't have to use the flash and can hopefully get a better picture for you. It doesn't really have much veining, it's more of splotches of gray, white and black. We just did a normal edge and I colored it with Sharpie to take away the small bit of brown and white that was showing. I'm sure it would look good with a rounded edge too and it would be nice not to have any seams on the edge, but in our case it was much less expensive to go with the traditional edge profile. It worked out because I actually prefer the look square edge anyways :) Another option that I considered was the Formica basalt in a honed finish. The dealer near us had the Wilsonart soapstone in stock, so I was able to go and see a big piece in person. It's so hard to tell from the tiny samples, so it was helpful to see it in person. We were in a hurry so we just went with the Wilsonart, but I'm sure the basalt would have been pretty too.
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That's exactly what my line of thinking is, caryscott. I have to laugh (weep?) when I read here about low-end kitchen makeovers well nigh into five figures. Design on a dime? Sheesh. I'm designing on a peso. Thanks for the good news about the backsplash, though! Might mean I can pop for a different finish. I have a 60-year-old kitchen with a layout that offers no hope of real renovation unless the entire house gets gutted and enlarged at the same time. Not happening. Two exterior brick-and-block walls with lots of windows to the front elevation, stairs and doors everywhere and only 11x10 to work with. Landlocked. As if that weren't enough, it's a major pathway through my 976 sf (many kitchens here are that big) raised ranch, so it takes a wear-and-tear beating courtesy of my three teenagers. I've just begun stripping the yellowed finish from my cabinets, plan to stain them cherry chocolate (can't paint -- it'd be chipped in a matter of hours) and put in a high def laminate counter. Will wait until something really strikes me for the backsplash; I like bamaspice's split face tile and I'm pleased to see her report that its sealant is wearing well. (Redi-whip and spaghetti sauce? My kitchen precisely.) One benefit to having a small kitchen is I can pick up leftovers from those 1,000 sf kitchen makeovers; gotta love Craig's List! I regularly see granite remnants but in the end I think I'm just not a fan of it. Dyed concrete, well, I've seen some absolutely beauteous displays of that but no tengo pesos.
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hondagirl
Original Author
15 years ago
janepa, thanks for posting the pictures for me.......hey dinner is important!

The counter looks good.....I thought it may be at bit busy but it doesn't seem so. I don't have white cabs, mine are oak. Do you think the pattern will go with the busy grain of oak? I noticed that you got the beveled edge. When I went to HD this week, they had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned a beveled edge. Sheesh!

I like the pulls, verrry nice!
janepa
15 years ago
Sorry for the delay, but this is the third time I have tried to continue my answer.

I did take more photos of the countertop and cabinets, but after uploading them to my server I felt that they do not add anything to my first photos and the ones on the earlier post.

I did a search of all of the Wilsonart HD Series and I have included an URL to one that says it goes well with all woods.

Is the grain in your oak doors very prominent, and are they a natural color, or are they stained? I think going with a laminate that is on the light side or the dark side will not show as much 'movement'.

I work at a building supply and our samples of the Wilsonart are 3" x 5". I originally selected a different pattern, but went to a local Lowes to see if they had my choice made up on a display countertop. They did, and I immediately changed my mind. If you can see some display countertops I think that will help you very much since they also have the cabinets with the countertops.

I do have a beveled edge, and unless the glue would for some reason 'melt', I think you would have to take a hammer to make a chip. Make sure your fabricator is top notch to insure a great countertop.

Good luck with your choice. I am very happy with mine.
Jane

Here is a link that might be useful: Wilsonart
caryscott
15 years ago
Bevelled edges are set on and must be done by a custom fabricator (or a DIYer). Box stores sell their tops with postform edges which they buy in one piece from a manufacturer. Probably someone in kitchens might know about the bevelled edge if the company they contract with for countertops does this (from experience the company our HD's in this area work with doesn't do it so not even the kitchen folks were familiar).

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