KCRemodeler, That price for materials seems high. I just calculated my install an it was under 20 sq/ft which includes the wilsonart HD laminate, bevel front edging, bevel backsplash, plywood, glue, screws, cement, rollers, odds and ends you never budget for... everything but the trim router. I also have some materials leftover that will go towards my two bathrooms at a later date which will drop that sq/ft price some. We also opted for an undermount, which would've added labor cost. It might depend on your kitchen layout as that dictates how much scrap is leftover vs how much can be reused elsewhere. I can see wide islands or large L's being a problem with waste, and I didn't have any of those. In addition to lowes/HD quotes check some online venues as well (my experiences with bevel-edge.com were good. Prices were more or less competitive and their bevel edge shipped 10" longer than HD could without switching to freight shipping). Seize the big-box stores during sales - they seem to run regularly. I guess another factor to consider is lead time. We were quoted a lengthy lead time which seemed ridiculous plus was going to cause scheduling issues and ultimately delay the end of our project. It took about a week for supplies to come in and I was able to do the fabrication and install in a weekend. HTH, good luck in your decision!

rmancuso - I just finally got samples of a bunch of quartz and brought it home with the ikea door to see in my apartment. Glad I did - I took the london grey, along with some of the recommendations above and some other randoms. I ended up liking the london grey the best! It doesn't look the same in an ikea showroom as in your home. Also I find the quartz was more grey/beige tone then bright white as it appeared at ikea. On a side note - I like the picture of Jillian Harris's kitchen on the ikea website - there is no where that lists what her counters are. I emailed ikea and they let me know all of the details and they were london grey. http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/SEKTION-kitchen/sektion_inspiration.html?page=2 My biggest recommendation to you is to buy a door at ikes (you can return it) and take out samples of quartz home in your kitchen. Helped a ton!

We are still waiting for the sink we ordered, unfortunately (one that we found thanks to the people on this forum) :-( I totally understand that the splurge comment. If we were doing everything at once we wouldn't be able to do this, but this project has been in the works for many years! I told my husband that it has to completed this year, or else, lol. You will love your beautiful piece of Fusion no matter what you decide. Bye the way, we have been living with a mix of real stone and Formica for several years, and no one has ever noticed or commented on it.

I've had white laminate countertops for 35 years. Get rid of the scrubbies. I only use a bit of comet on my washcloth to get rid of marks. Gently. Other than that, windex or a similar liquid cleaner will keep them nice and clean and fresh. Every so often I might use a magic eraser, very very lightly. The key is to wipe up stains quickly if at all possible. But I've had permanent marker on them, crayons, tea and wine stains,....gentle is the operative word. I've also used organic goo-gone for sticky stuff with a cotton ball. Again, get rid of those brillo pads or anything rough & abrasive. We are in the process of getting ready to redo our kitchen and honestly I'm about to do white laminate again - they are quiet, warm, and I've never broken a dish on one. Good luck.