Input on counter material
It's time to purchase our countertop, and I wanted to do a gut check before we proceed with our current choice.
Below you can see the main elements: main cabs in Shiloh Soft White, wet bar & pantry cabs in SW Unusual Gray. The background flooring is the existing (bossy) kitchen floor, which is staying. Hardware metals will include polished chrome, burnished bronze, and copper.
Also shown in the foreground is our front runner countertop choice: Vadara Cascada Perla. It looks cool in this picture but in person it has a warmer look.
We've (reluctantly) ruled out natural stone for lifestyle reasons. As for stone pattern/color, I don't like a lot of motion but I also hate no motion; and most white quartz slabs are too white/cool. So when we saw the Vadara it seemed to tick lots of boxes.
Nonetheless, are there other similar QUARTZ slabs we should consider before pulling the trigger?
MSI Calacatta Valentin looks to have the exact same veining pattern (?!) but a browner hue. Any others?
For reference here are a couple of renderings of the kitchen plan:
Comments (11)
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Comments (12)Funny that you guys started to discuss this just when I am about to start this same project myself. Here are my findings. First off, if you plan of putting a counter on top of the new 3.8 cu ft FL, good luck, and have your pocket book ready. You see, the deepest "standard" counters are those for kitchens, at 25 1/8". Assuming that one leaves around 5" of clearance behind those newer FL machines for vents, air circulation, heat, etc, then you are looking at about 30"-35" of depth, depending on how flush you want the counter to come to the front of the machine. Having said that, there are 3 prices for laminate counters in the stores (like Home Depot). The counters you see in the store in stock are the cheapest, and will cost around $10 li ft. If you need to pick a finish that matches say the sink counter top in your bathroom where the machines are also located, then that is considered a custom order, even if it is a standard depth. This will easily double the price to $20 li ft. Now if you want to order a non-standard depth so that it goes from the back of the wall to the front of your new FL, then you are looking at $35-$50 li ft, depending on type of finish like rounded vs sqaure front edge, back ledge or no ledge, etc... Keep this in mind when shopping for a counter top. I would like my counter to cover the machines completely, so I might have to bite the bullet and order the more expensive counter top.... Again, I am talking about a laminate counter top, no fancy materials here.... I am from Canada, and here is what the local Home Depot quoted me in Canadian dollars for the 3 options.. 1) In-Store counter (limited finishes) 25 1/8" (standard depth) X 6 feet = $68 CAD Custom order counter (you choose the finish) 25 1/8" (standard depth) X 6 feet = $132 - $150 CAD 30 Csutom order counter (you choose the finish) 30-35" (non standard depth) X 6 feet = $222 CAD I believe the last option of non-standard depth only allows for a square front edge finish. If you want a rounder edge in front, like that found on your kitchen counter, the price jumps to $500 CAD, since the guy said that they have to charge for a full 4X8 sheet, and then cut the custom size from there, in order to get the rounded front edge... One other option you can do, which my brother did very nicely is lay down 2 sheets of plywood (for extra thickness), and tile the top and sides, looks really nice, but is a lot more work......See MoreHelp in choosing counter top material!!!!!!
Comments (94)Every choice has pluses and minuses, in the end you have to choose which plus and which minus matters the most to you and/or which have an easy fix (like using a cutting board under the crockpot; at work we have an extra piece under the big coffeemaker). budget mattered a lot to me (and I hated formica) so, I ended up with a lesser expensive granite and am very happy, no sealing or extra work for the stone I chose. I had formica previously which looked like h#*! from the day I moved in and didn't get better (except that I could use bleach to remove stains) so those of you whose formica looks like new after 30 years must be taking appropriate care -- using cutting boards (mine had little cuts all over) and so forth -- where my previous owners did not. But, I read that formica now is much better quality than what was installed 30 or 40 years ago. I looked at Burled Beach and liked it. It looked a warm sand-ish color on my samples in my house, but I saw a demo kitchen of it at a big box store and it was a warm greenish tone (I still liked it) under their fluorescent lights. You always have to ability to STOP and make changes unless the cabinets are all already made. If he is just now starting it might not be too late -- call him now! PS do you have an IKEA near to you? Most counter materials are less expensive there....See MoreInput on bathroom makeup counter, medicine cabinets, and countertops
Comments (6)I would call your $/sf very pricey. In Des Moines Iowa, its around $133/sf, I believe according to a quick look on the internet. National average is $175/sf. Anyway, I have marble in my bathroom and have been happy with it. Its not subjected to intense chemicals. No nail polish. Just toothpaste, hairspray, and soap. I love the marble. I have it honed. I also have a medicine cabinet that I think is terrific. Though I don't use it as much as I thought I would. I have drawers in the vanity for most things. I do love the large mirror. The history of my medicine cabinet is that I aquired the mirror for free back in the early 90's, before I knew what I had. I thought it was a lower cabinet door for a fancy home bar. So when I was redoing my one bathroom 4 years ago, I noticed mirrors in the show room that reminded me of the mirror I had stored in the basement. It was a Robern fairly large mirrored medicine cabinet mirror. So I had my wonderful carpenter make me a cabinet to go with the trim and cabinetry in the bathroom. I love it, and I think it's pretty....See MoreCounter Top Material
Comments (2)yes I think so too! I just looked it up! It is gourgeous! Parts of it shimmer blue in sunlight! I love it!!!...See Moreherbflavor
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Here is ARIA by LG Viatera on a stark white cabinet. This was a flip job by a friend of mine. It wouldn't have been my choice for the tops...but after it was installed, it actually looked really good! I've come to realize that Aria pretty much goes with anything. LOL. The gray walls here remind me of your Agreeable Gray color.course411 thanked The Kitchen Placeherbflavor
last yearlast modified: last yearthe reason I would have flipped is the gray green seems a little military like and along a pretty long wall w all cabinets I thought I would prefer a lighter look than the darker tone..... over at the window side the UV keeps it bright and light so darker color there wouldnt be any issue . Just my personal feeling about it. It'll be fine anyway. here's the color..if you can do a lighter backsplash on that side..any warmer metal for variety [handles/pendant??] even a light counter there....I see you have some glass fronts..thats good......little things can keep it fresh and invigorating. Its a nice solid color...details can play well with it.
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last yearOk now I'm completely second guessing myself. Would soapstone on perimeter with wood butcher block on island, be worth exploring? Something like this image
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last yearUpdate: we've chosen a counter: MSI Gray Lagoon. The photo gives the impression that the counter is darker than it is in person. It picks up the green-gray tone of the Unusual Gray, with areas of white that don't compete with the Soft White.
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last yearlast modified: last yearWell, what do you know. The day I went to MSI to confirm the Gray Lagoon slab, there was a gorgeous Taj quartzite that had more gray than I usually see, and that looked beautiful with our samples.
I posted more pictures on this thread.
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