I was told by two countertop companies that you need professional equipment to do any kind of curved edge, IOW it is not for the DIY person. I have laminate countertops with wood edging. When I was pricing new laminate countertops, I got prices all over the board. I had considered just relaminating the countertops (leaving the wood edge) but I had one company tell me that it would cost more than installed new counters (with new substrate) b/c of the labor involved. So I don't mean to sound discouraging but it doesn't sound like relaminating the waterfall counters would be a great project. I am still trying to decide what to do for my own kitchen. I may do laminate on the perimeter and granite/quartz on the island.

Thank you all for your responses! You have made me feel much better about the possibility of using formica. I live in rural Iowa, and formica is definitely the norm around here and I have never actually seen soapstone in anyone else's home, so I would be keeping up with the "Jones" by putting in the cheaper alternative. I was feeling like I was doing a disservice to my vision by not putting in the soapstone, but you all have shown me that it really wouldn't affect the overall look. We are currently in drywall stage, but have lots of flooring to lay and finish and cabinets to install before I have to make the final countertop decision. It will probably be August before that is done. Traceee, I would love to just install the plywood countertops and live with those until we saved up more money. However, in order to transition from our construction loan to a permanent mortgage, this is one detail that will need to be done first. I think I will go forward with the idea of using formica, but keep in the back of mind the soapstone just in case we come in below budget on any items in the meantime. Because this is one of the last purchases we will need to make for the house, I will have a much better idea of our final numbers at that point. Chisue, we love our Westie who has been with us for over 10 years. Our daughter refers to her as her "sister" :) Thanks again for all of the thoughts, I really do feel more at peace with my decision now. I am no longer afraid of "ruining" the kitchen with either option!

You can have laminate countertops made in any thickness you like -- provided you don't go so thin as co compromise the structure. In the 60s 1" thick laminate counterops was the rage for a while. We still replace a lot of it. The 1-1/2" standard laminate thickness serves no particular purpose. It just happens to be what you get when you glue two 3/4" board together. We commonly have tops made 1-1/4" thick to match Formica's ideal edge thickness. Other edge fabricators will go as thin a 1-1/8" which is about 2 cm. This helps the illusion that the laminate is stone since stone tops are typically 2 cm.

I once built a light steel soffit above new kitchen cabinets in an 80 year old home, carefully leveling it as I would in a new build. Big mistake, pointed out my tile guy, as the floor was far from level--in several directions. My "perfect" soffit only emphasized the irregularities. You're not in the same situation. Still better to leave it.