Help me decide on a counter top material

14 years ago

I was able to score on a nice base cabinet for my pantry reno. I'll have a tall pantry cabinet and this base cabinet, both painted satin black with a distressed finish.

The hardware will be ORB. The kitchen is done in a creamy color with an espresso glaze (walls and cabs) and the trim in the dining area is black distressed with deep cranberry red walls. Floors are a dark honey oak color HW look vinyl (for what I paid for that vinyl we could have gotten hardwood!) Kitchen counter tops and back splash are black 6" tile and the accent paint is the same cranberry red. My appliances are black. (Yeeps, this sounds so dark, but really it's quite bright!)

I don't want to do black for the small pantry countertop (it's 41"x24") and I'm open to ANY type of top. I stopped by a 'discount' granite place today to see what they had for remnants...uh, he quoted me $155-$175 for a piece that size!! I personally think that's nuts for the piece I need.

Any other suggestions? I could do granite tiles, ceramic tiles, saltillio tile, granite slab, butcher block...you name it. I want a rustic feeling top, as the kitchen is very tuscan country feeling. What color do you think would work? I'm open to ALL suggestions.

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Comments (5)

les917
14 years ago
What about a piece of granite that has a lot of movement, and some burgundy tones in it? Honed finish, not polished. I know nothing about granites, but I looked under "burgundy granite" and found several that seemed interesting. Lambada was one, Maracana was another.

Another alternative would be some kind of mosaic in a matte finish.

Or, you could do a wood countertop. I am a big fan of zebrawood, so I could see something like that as a great accent on your pantry cabinet. Matte finish, very hard wood. Plus that is considered sustainable wood for harvesting, so eco-friendly.

zebrawood counter
caminnc
14 years ago
I like the butcher block idea or how about marble. Stainless might look nice too.
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Suggestions: - Go to Lowes, Home Depot or another place that sells countertops and cabinetry and look at the choices. You'll get a general idea of the FINISHED PRODUCT in a way that you don't really get from looking at big, uncut stones. Hopefully you'll come away saying, I like dark granite ... or whatever. - Granite, soapstone, marble and quartz are the big boys on the block right now, but keep your mind open to other options. Butcher block and recycled glass, for example, are great -- but they don't get much screen time here. - You say you want to stick with something mid-priced. Remember that most of these options come in a variety of prices (especially granite). Low-end granite will give you the same "food safe, heat resistant, stain resistant" finish as high end. - Remember that stone is sold by the square foot, not the linear foot. So a $40 granite on a typical 24" deep cabinet would end up costing $80 per linear foot -- no accident that they write it down that way. - If you go with a stone, remember that some edge treatments cost more than others. - Remember to include the cost of installation in your budget. - Finally, I see no reason why you must use the same materials in the kitchen and bathrooms. And don't forget the laundry room.
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for the handles, may I suggest something to pick up on the hues in the flooring? A little more copper toned. you have light cabs, light floors. I think throwing in a dark ORB w/o actual copper highlights would be too much of a contrast. IMO. cypress park Sandra, I like the porcelain one better than the other one. Does the backsplash have to be done immediately? If the tones in the porcelain tile you picked clash w/the ivory tones in the counter, it could be a problem. However, I did find some copper toned ones that should be avail. these are porcelain/SS, and treated so as not to stain or tarnish. I LOVE these for your kitchen. timeless and gorgeous. They are probably not super cheap, but it would be worth it for me. http://www.miusartmosaics.com/arabesque-lantern-beacon-copper-tile-in these would also work. the site is here: maybe they have them in stock.http://www.westsidetile.com/arabesque-tiles/ i like this one too. notice the copper faucet. beautiful w/the glass mosaic. if you got the cream countertop, this would look amazing w/your floors. this last one is a copper colored slate/quartzite.
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juddgirl2
14 years ago
I like the idea of a granite or marble, to contrast with the black cabinets.

Would you mind posting pictures of your kitchen? It sounds wonderful. I've been considering painting my kitchen cabinets a creamy off white with an espresso glaze and I'd like to see how they would look with black appliances.
mrsmarv
14 years ago
I think marble or butcher block would be lovely. My first choice would be marble because it's wonderful for rolling out pastry (if you're so inclined). It can also have the rustic Old World feel you're looking for.

Yes, please post pics...it sounds devine.
User
14 years ago
Pesky, if you're really interested in a remnant of granite, keep looking and just call around. I needed some remnants for our shower curb & threshold and after many attempts with quotes at over 100 ea, I finally found a place who gives you the remnant and just charges only for fabrication so I basically paid 50 for each. This guy did fabricating for a lot of the local dealers and had a whole warehouse of remnants as a result, maybe if you find a guy like that in your area you can get a better deal.

Help me decide on a counter top material

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les917

caminnc

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