We installed LG HiMac countertops in our previous kitchen--mainly because I knew we were not going to stay in house that long and I couldln't stand the cream tiles with the brown grout--yuk! It look beautiful!! Yes, it does scratch but I used cutting boards and it always looked nice and shiney. We had it for about 3 years. I can't remember the exact color but it was a darker green with larger multi-colored flecks in it--pretty!! Now we bought our dream home and wouldn't you know? Same cream tile and ugly brown grout--what is with that?? Anyway, I am actually thinking of going with the LG Hi Mac again because we aren't ready to gut the kitchen for a few years and I just can't live with this tile. I think it would work great in a laundry room!!

I purchased all my clawfoot tub plumbing items in unlacquered nickel from Mac, who were the only supplier who could deliver this finish (I wanted them to age to match my vintage originals). I found Mac to be very helpful, friendly on the phone, and the items arrived in a timely fashion shipped across the country. So far so good, 3 years later, although with the caveat that I didn't get their house brand faucet; I believe my faucet and showerhead set are from Strom Plumbing aka Sign of the Crab. They're heavy and gorgeous. Too bad folks have had issues with their quality - from the site, their house items do look great (love the wooden victorian and corner toilet sets) and they have some designs I haven't seen elsewhere. I know there was another GWer from the CA area who went there in person and loved the store; maybe she'll see this and comment also.

Eleena, I am sorry, I seem to have been optimistic in my earlier report on the price. Let me explain. I paid $15/sq. ft for the raw materials. (This was a 50% off sale from M. Teixeira's usual price of $30.) Shipping added another $10/sq. ft. to the price of the raw materials, so that comes to about $25/sq. ft. However, that is for the raw slabs. Obviously, I had to buy more square footage than my actual countertop area. After factoring in the reduced area, my price was about $36/sq. ft. of installed countertop. Finally, there was labor. I did almost all of the fabrication myself, but there is no way I could possibly carry the slabs to install them. I "hired" some friends and their young son to help carry them to the fabrication spot for the cost of a nice dinner. I also had to pay some other young'uns to carry the slabs into the kitchen after fabrication. So these labor costs bumped my total costs up to just over $40/sq. ft. I apologize for misleading with my selective memory!

Years ago when solid surface was relatively new and Corian sort of held the monopoly DH went and got certified as an Avonite fabricator so I could have it in the bath we were remodeling. Today DH is past the point where he wants to mess with it. Plus the industry has come up with fabrication techniques far more advanced than way back when. So when we do do our kitchen we will out source the counter tops to someone with the up to date tooling and knowledge gained over the years. I will not hesitate to use any of the major SS products. Corian, Hi Macs, Avonite, it simply doesn't matter. I will choose what goes best with the cabinets, flooring etc. I will choose the product whose performance will work best in the area. No Avonite "glass series" in the kitchen for example. LOL I will however be vetting the fabricator/installer with a fine toothed comb. Virtually every complaint I read about any solid surface here is either fabricator/installation error or user error. Never have I seen something that is due to inferior product with the exception perhaps of sink failure back in the early days. Corian kept tight reins on who could install their products thus was better able to both back up their warranty and defend their product when necessary. They are what Kleenex is to tissue. Brand name is synonymous with solid surface. But there are perfectly fine products out there without the Corian name.