We're going to replace our existing tile countertops, and also add a raised "bar" above the countertop along the dining room side of the new peninsula. Our tile countertops looked great when they were new, but with the tiny tiles there is so much grout that it is impossible to keep clean in a busy kitchen. Especially around the sink, it is now permanently moldy. We've read that with tile counters, you should re-seal them regularly, and we think for us that probably means several times a year. That's just not going to happen (and hasn't more than a couple times in 5.5 years) and it probably only prolongs the inevitable anyway. The tile also has gotten chipped along the edges fairly often, so it's starting to look pretty beat up, too. Ultimately, it's just not working for us, and as long as we'll have to get a new countertop for the new peninsula portion, we've opted to replace the whole thing rather than duplicate what we have (or have 1/3 of the counter different from the rest - ugh).We considered all kinds of options. This was actually one of the first products we researched for this remodel, because we wanted to make the decision early as to whether to spend the money and on what. The cost of countertop options varies very widely, so it really depended we decided to use. One of our favorite resources for product research is consumer reports, and sure enough they had recently (Aug 09) done a review of countertop options. We decided that this is one place where we wouldn't compromise. We use our kitchen counters a lot and wanted high quality with a low a maintenance as possible. The CR guide (which you probably can't see unless you subscribe) lists some myths about surfaces, relative cost estimates, and, importantly, test results. They rated everything from marble to laminate to concrete on resistance to stain, heat, cutting, abrasion, and impact. I love CR! Engineered quartz comes out on top. All of the brands are made by the same patented process, and the decision to make is really what kind of aggregate/design you want to see in it. The big brands seem to be Cambria, Zodiaq (from DuPont), Silestone, Ceasarstone.
One day when we were in Costco we saw a posting that they sell countertops - Score! Like everything else they carry, they have limited choices, a unique method of payment/delivery, and a good deal. Luckily they carried quartz! The quote seemed pretty reasonable to us (in comparison to what we expected - it ain't cheap), and indeed turned out significantly cheaper than anyone else for the same options, so we ended up going with them and their local distributor/installer Stone Etc.of Oakland.
We also visited Sullivan Countertops in Oakland and got a bid from them. They carry all the brands of quartz and other surfaces as well. They were far from customer-friendly, though, and the bid was at least as high as the others.
The other significant place we visited was EcoHome Improvement just a mile or two away from our house in Berkeley. They offer, well, a lot of eco-friendly options for, well, home improvement. I guess that should be obvious. We had purchased some no-VOC paint from them before and been in a bunch of time looking at other things. We did want to go eco-friendly, and so talked with them about other options. "Paperstone" was one major one that we seriously considered. It is an engineered paper-based product with a long lifespan and good performance. It is touted as quite eco-friendly because it is paper-based and not mined. Unfortunately, it does require occasional re-sealing and CR didn't rate it so highly on cutting and abrasion performance. We might have chosen it anyway, since we could do a few other things with it, like create a built-in drainboard with it without voiding the warranty (like Ceasarstone), or refinishing the surface later to create a like-new countertop again (as with wood floors). All hope was dashed, though, when the estimate was roughly twice the cost of the already top-end Ceasarstone we were using as a comparison. The same for most of the other "eco-friendly" options we looked at, including Vetrazzo, which our architect was fond of. In addition, most of these were basically concrete with recycled aggregate, and we knew that concrete (as with grout) will chip and stain unless regularly refinished or sealed.
Ultimately we stuck with the Ceasarstone. We figured that we would not only save money (again, in comparison), but get better performance and thus have a solution that would last longer. This not only would allow us to spend our money on other eco-friendly options elsewhere, but also if we don't have to replace our countertops for a longer time, it is a more eco-friendly solution anyway. It was a bit of a disappointing and decision, since we did want to go with a more "green" solution. Personally, though, I wasn't so convinced with the "grenness" of the alternatives. Yeah, their primary ingredients weren't stone (and thus weren't mined, tearing up ground, etc.), but most were basically concrete. Even the paper either comes from trees or has to be massively reclaimed, treated, and manufactured into a new surface. Other than containing some recycled content (and for some it wasn't even the majority of the content), I didn't see anything radically different or better about the "green" alternatives. Ceasarstone actually has some environmental qualifications itself to consider, and has some product with recycled content, too.
Here's the style we ultimately chose:
This image actually appears darker than it is. It's a fairly bright white. More photos soon of our sample along with how it will look with the other surfaces nearby.
References we used:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment