We went from laminate to granite and we are very glad we did! We actually had no problems w/our laminate...but I was careful not to put hot pots directly on it. My big complaint was the "look & feel" as well as the "feel" under the edge of the laminate....it was rough like a "torn" piece of particle board. It was even shredding in a couple of places. We had a gray speckled laminate so the stains we had did not show. The granite has been great! No sealing ever required (we have Absolute Black Premium w/some silver inclusions....very few though). Yes, dust is noticeable if the counter is not wiped off for a few days, but since we generally wipe off all counters each day, it hasn't been an issue. We also have a stainless steel sink. Our old kitchen had one as well....for 12 years. There was only one recent rust spot that I remember when a steel can was left in the wet sink overnight...but it was not that noticeable (I now know that Bar Keepers Friend would have removed that stain). It did, however have scratches....but after a year or two it developed a "patina" as the scratches melded together to form a "finish". It was very easy to keep clean! We decided to put another stainless steel sink in with the remodel and we have no regrets...undermounted this time! As to "breaking dishes and glasses against the undermount sink edges"....most likely the sink had a "negative" reveal (countertop extends past sink edges so you don't see the edge of the sink) and, yes, I've heard that can be a problem w/that reveal--at least until you get used to it. We went for a positive reveal b/c of that plus I didn't want to have to feel or crane my neck to look under the reveal to see if there was any "gunk" under there. BTW...we have not yet broken a single glass or dish on our granite [knock on wood!]...and I was prepared to deal with it until we got used to it! We ruled out Corian/solid surface very quickly as I think it looks "plasticy"...but that's only my opinion. If you are that concerned about the structural integrity of you house...then I really think you should have a building/structural engineer (correct person?) look at your house to see if you have anything to worry about....and not just for granite (think of water in a bathtub!). You might also consider 2cm granite instead of 3cm. This is your kitchen, though, so go with what you are comfortable with and like! Good luck!

Hi, I'm late to the party but I did laminate in my kitchen. For a little more, I could have gotten bottom of the line granite, but the BOL granite didn't have the look I wanted, and I couldn't afford a granite that did. It was as simple as that, so I chose a laminate that had the look I wanted. Should I ever win the lottery, I'll install soapstone or a dark granite with lots of movement. Until then, this will do nicely. I use my kitchen hard--lots of cooking, lots of baking, and teenagers that like to cook and bake as well. I can see some microscratches in the "command center", where we work the most. We always use cutting boards, trivets, or hot pads. It's only visible if you look at it from the side under good light, so I'm not stressing about it. Thanks, Westsider for the nice words about my kitchen! :-) So, no, you're not crazy. If this is what you want, then by all means, this is what you should get. This is your kitchen and it needs to function the way you want it to. Enjoy the process, Cj

>I don't know if the price has skyrocketed or if it's just the fact that I live in a very high labor cost area, and our kitchen has irregular shapes such as a window to the dining room - but it was certainly not an inexpensive option. It's not cheap around here (East coast FL) either, unless you go with the prefab grab and go laminates from the stock areas at the big box stores. Otherwise, one reason formica is less popular in this area is that it's perceived as over-priced these days. Some of those styles are very handsome, but there's nothing budget-friendly about them in this particular market.

Mabeldingeltine...I actually have the option of that color cabinet, but the sample is pink toned and the floor is yellow-toned, so I think it would be clashy clashy. Thus the black cabinet choice. Interesting how cream-colored your counter looks, when the online sample is so white. I might be able to reproduce it in Formica. I love your space, though, and that is a great countertop. Off topic, what are those blinds you have?