I'm also shopping for new counters. I used Home Depot's countertop estimator online, selecting Formica, Wilsonart, two quartz and one granite. The first two were significantly cheaper than the others $19-$29/sq.ft.. The granite was $49. Quartz was $69-$75/sq.ft. I'm leaning toward quartz because I've lived with laminate all my life and I'm ready to spend some money for it, knowing I won't have as much for swapping out appliances, perhaps. I did have granite in one home that I liked but didn't like sealing it periodically. The Formica and Wilsonart are tempting because of the price point though.

Formica's FX line looks beautiful but it was also the most expensive countertop in my area. I ended up with Corian. I am quite satisfied.

I had planned to go with one of the formica FX laminates in my kitchen dolce vita or something like that , till I priced it out using a professional FX installer which I would definitely recommend . I ended up getting fantasy brown quartzite for close to the same price . It was more expensive than several of the granites I looked at . Especially if using an undermount sink. The edge has to be done by someone who knows how to work with that product . It is a good looking product and easy to use and clean .

Labdunbar be very careful using that estimator ! You must get a professional FX installer not just any body that has installed formica ! Research ! I thought it was going to be cheaper too . I was wrong once I found all the true costs for installing and edges .

My experience with light colored laminate has not been positive. It stains horribly. A few drops of pickle juice, wiped up right after the sandwich is made--yellow stain. Mustard--stain. Red wine--stain. And so on. This is when I've cleaned things up quickly. Some things will come out with bleach, others are here to stay. It's awful. Mine was put in prior to my living there. I don't know if laminate brands differ from one another, so maybe the FX stuff is better than whatever I have, but I hate mine. If I use laminate again, it will be a dark, very busy pattern.

Years ago I had white Formica counters and I don't recall them being anything other than a pleasure because they didn't stain. That said, there of been so many changes in environmental regulations it may be that products are not as good as they once were. I would get a sample (whether formica, soapstone, corian, granite or other surface) and test it by leaving mustard, tomatoes, red wine, lemon, a wet can bottom etc. on it overnight. It seems kind of odd to run such a test but it will save you a lot of grief in the long run.

ravencajun, Home Depot's estimator says "installed" but I'm sure there could be additional costs.

I feel like it's a full job researching and shopping. I guess that's why there still lots of non-updated kitchens out there. It can be tiring collecting data, samples, etc! In my neighborhood, houses with kitchens like mine, or those same cabinets painted white, sold recently for $475k, a whole lot more than I bought my house for. I don't plan to update for marketability, just for me. But my cash budget dictates all purchases!

I used to live in a 1962 house with original light maple look polished laminate with aluminum trim. Nothing stained them. My parents had white laminate installed in the late 80s. Everything did. Right now I have 7 year old laminate that stains moderately but they always fade after a few days, save some light discoloration next to the sink. Even food coloring. I don't know what the difference is. Maybe the shiny finish makes them more resistant to stains. Maybe brand. The EPA regs changing never occurred to me but that makes sense too. I wouldn't hesitate to get laminate again after living with a sample for a while. That said, were going butcher block in our upcoming remodel.

Jen, I didn't look at the specs, but I'm pretty sure it was not a premium line I priced out.

I had Formica Ouro Romano in my last house. It was beautiful and never stained.

Like ravencajun, I had thought I wanted to get the new Formica
laminate for a kitchen facelift in early 2015. They will send you big
samples free of charge.

I went to Lowe's to see more and was
shocked to find that with an Ogee edge, like diymom79 shows above, that I
could get real stone for almost the same price. I ended up using the
Fantasy Brown quartzite that raven did, also.

This is the one I priced and was going to use. Formica fx 180 dolce macchiato?

We have the Formica FX Calacatta in our kitchen and are very happy. Since we DIY, it was a very inexpensive option and we were content to have a regular square edge. We would choose a square edge or just eased even if getting real stone. Of course, we did use some extra material so we could match the edges to the top so the veining was more realistic.

The flat edge is done by the local fabricator rather than being post formed from the factory. It is the most labor intensive choice, and thus the most expensive. Yes, even more expensive than the ogee edge.

diymom79 what is color of glass tile? where did you buy the tile?

This was a ceramic tile from Lowe’s in a grey color.