countertops

got a new place out east with a quartz master bath. Nice for that but not a classic 6 kitchen. I love nothing more than Carrera Marble.White with the gray marbling will be amazing with the stainless accents and the dark cabinets. My apt has a gray ceasrstone countertop and carrera in the bathrooms. got to be willing to do the upkeep, but its worth the work for such a nice stone. dont ever mention silestone or corion again. Awful

I was just over at the Wood Mode showroom in the A&D building yesterday. The owner of the showroom cautioned me heavily against using any type of marble for the kitchen counters. Anything acidic will ruin them. The sealers do nothing really to protect them. I love the look of marble, but it seems like it is back to granite for me based upon her reaction. Oh well.

I would recommend Composite Glass (in white). Check out the Devonshire homes in greenwich. Very clean finish without the plastic look of corion, but retaining the look of something earthly.

From what I know, quartz is even more durable and stain resistant than granite, so you should have no concern there.

I agree with Jasie that there's nothing more beautiful than Carrara marble, but then again, I don't cook. All of the engineered stones look disgusting to me, and if I moved into a place that had one, I would have to rip it out immediately. We saw an apartment that had some stone with (seriously) sparkly teal green flecks in it. I almost lost my lunch....

Concrete can be cool and allows you to create just about any color or pattern you want. Granite, for the most part, is passe. A lot of the granites that were heavily used in the early 00s already look very dated to me.

Enough with the carrara marble bashing! I'm wondering of the folks at the A&D building have ever set foot in a pre-war apartment building before. If it's sturdy enough to survive eighty years underfoot as a stair tread, I think it might withstand a little lemon juice. It reminds me of the period during which people thought margarine was better than butter.

Seriously - just clean up after yourself. And try not to bang anything too hard on it - it can chip/discolor. If you love marble, there's no need to fear it, and there's no substitution for it.

Tina
(Brooklyn broker)

Count another vote for marble; it's beautiful, and I have seen "weathered" marble in century-old mansions' kitchens. I love the way it ages and scars.

thanks for all the feedback. i do love marble but i also love to cook and perhaps i am not the best at cleaning quickly when it comes to spills etc. the kitchen MUST be a workable one for me and as carefree as i can make it so i can enjoy the process. i was really hoping that someone out there had experience with real quartz. i am told it can be factory sealed so that is a plus though the seal must be updated regularly. however, no one that i am talking to at the kitchen place in the A&D building really seems to have much experience with it and i am wondering what the complete story is...

Marble needs to be treated(sealed). I would go with Granite.

Get granite...marble is beautiful but not for a serious cook.

You should be able to find a light-toned, non-busy granite. You can also pick out the exact slab(s) that will be used, so you'll know beforehand what you are getting into. I think there is a color called something like "Brazilian Yellow" that fits the bill. It's also not a particularly expensive granite option, fwiw.

White Fantasy granite from Brazil.

Just discovered White Fantasy yesterday - I'm interested in seeing a sample in person. Found a stone yard in Newark that carries - http://newjerseystone.com/naturalstone/granite/?nggpage=15

FYI - they also call White Fantasy / Super White

NYRE...thanks for the idea of the white fantasy. hadn't seen it before but went online to look at pictures. will try to see some slabs here locally but it looks as if it will work if i can't get more info about the quartz.. the difficult part is that we are in SC and the apartment is in NY so nothing has been easy.

You may want to check out "Misty Carrera" by Caesarstone.

I'm somewhat surprised that I've never seen a counter top made of vulcanized rubber. Seems like it might be a great thing for many applications.

http://www.armynavysuperstores.com/import10.jpg ?

luce de luna is REALLY nice. it's 5x harder than granite and not susceptible to the same kinds of staining as marble or even some granites. but it has a defined striation pattern which you might not love. some slabs are more pronounced, some less. it's really hard to work with since it's so hard, so all finishes (polished, honed, etc) have to be done at the factory level. i'm using a mother of pearl quartzite in my kitchen but had considered luce de luna. the other color worked better. i previously had ceasarstone and just thought it looked plastic. i love patterned white marbles, but just decided that i wasn't up for the care needed. a friend of mine is and he has honed marble countertops and they are gorgeous.

In case anyone else is wondering what luce di luna looks like, it's on page 9 of the newjerseystone.com website listed above. - http://newjerseystone.com/naturalstone/granite/?nggpage=9

Formica.

If you like to bake a lot or make your own pizza pies, of course go will marble. Heck, I'd go marble anyway. It ages very nicely.

Formica does not preclude one from baking or making pizzas.

" i have looked at all the corion, silestone, and caesarstones and they look too fabricated/manmade for me" Are your cabinets fabricated? How about the appliances?

Poured concrete- it's great

PMG, i agree about the corion, silestone, and saesarstones looking too fabricated though i love their ease of care. The cabinets are Wood-mode brand wenge wood edged with stainless steel. the appliances are all stainless steel as is the backsplash. so i need something light in color as well as light reflective. The kitchen is 22 feet long by 8 feet wide and there is a window at the end by the dining room. i will have an archway cut into the wall between the dining room/kitchen so i can serve into that room or adults/kids can sit on bar stools and look into kitchen.
fhsack, xellem, thanks for the leads about the luce di luna as well as the white fantasy granite. interesting that they list the luce di luna with the granites on that website. i will have to try to see these in person when next i get back to ny.
hopefulbutskeptical, thanks for the quartz info and i so wished you had used it so you could give me more comfort!

newmove1, i have some poured concrete here in SC and the problem is getting a large area the same coloration. but hardy it is!

rosina - also keep the floors fairly light. When we were doing our renovation, kitchen person said "light,dark,light" or dark,light,dark" e.g. floors, cabinets,countertops. It definitely worked for us (cherry cabinets, light Italina tile floors, fairly light granite counters.

ph41...thanks and that was probably really good advice. the architect and i went around and around on the floor color but finally decided on an italian porcelain whose name is the very exotic handle of "brown". it is fairly light and really not brown or grey but something in between. again, i was thinking really of ease of care and hopefully it will be light enough so i dont think i am living in a tunnel. i did have the ceiling recessed so i could put in a lot of recessed cans which along with the decent sized window should help keep it bright.

the new whatever you want to call it of granite, iterations, are beautiful and don't say this is a 200x renovation. poured concrete is great.

rosina, there was some talk about quartz (and some granites) being mildly radioactive. To me, that alone would disqualify it.
What about 0.75 inch thick stainless steel? I had it and loved it.
Poured concrete cracks after a while and the mess involved in replacing it...

Rosina, I know you're not crazy about Corian, but I have to say I renovated my kitchen 4 years ago and (VERY hesitantly) went with Corian because of the many color choices. I'm so happy I did! It still looks new.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400453/Are-Granite-Countertops-Radioactive.html

Some granite and other natural stones contains trace amounts of uranium. If it emits radon, it typically does so at very low levels. However, in some instances, tests have found that granite countertops give off potentially dangerous levels of radiation. The New York Times reported in July 2008 that the increased popularity of granite countertops over the past decade has resulted in an expansion of the kinds of granite available and that reports of "hot" countertops seem to come from "the more exotic and striated varieties from Brazil and Namibia."

However, allegations that granite countertops are radioactive and can emit radon gas are not new. They have been raised periodically, mostly by manufacturers and distributors of competing countertop materials as well as the manufacturers of radon detection devices. But the extent and significance of the problem is unknown. The Marble Institute of America (MIA) sponsored a study of 13 granite samples said to be representative of 95 percent of the countertops on the market. Conducted by a geologist from the University of Akron, the study showed that 10 of the 13 samples tested emit only insignificant amounts of radon; of the other three, one added only about seven percent of the amount of radon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deems "actionable" (in other words, the levels you should do something about, by installing venting systems for example). The other two granites tested added only one percent of the EPA action level.

On the other hand, according to the Times, preliminary results of another study at Rice University suggest that all of the 55 samples tested emit radiation at higher-than-background levels, some at 100 times background levels.

If you're interested in exotic granite, or worried about your existing countertops, testing for both radon and radiation makes sense. And note that the EPA advises that all homes be tested for radon - regardless of countertop material. If significant levels are found, you've got to do something about it to protect your family's health. For EPA information on radon, go to http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html. To see the MIA study on granite, go to http://www.marble-institute.com/industryresources/radontesting_u-akron2008.pdf (pdf, Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

Andrew Weil, M.D.

riversider,inquirer...thanks for the radon/granite info. I have heard this for years but have never had any testing done. If I do go with granite or quartz i will ask if it can be tested beforehand. Wonder if they do that?
I eliminated stainless steel because it scratches easily. i know it can be sanded out but don't want to have the bother. and Michael, I had corion in homes in the 80s/90s and i know they have improved it now. if i did do that i would have it done with a stainless steel inset which is quite interesting. But still holding out for something naturally beautiful...

The granite/radon thing seems exaggerated. Natural substances emit radiation.

I'm a Carrara marble fan and figure that if it's been good enough for the streets, fountains and buildings of Rome for the past 2000 years, it can withstand whatever abuse I give it in my pre-war kitchen. I cook a lot and if I get a stain I just scrub it off with Softscrub, Bar Keeper's Friend, or a paste of baking soda and water. Any honed stone will gradually develop a beautiful patina which is so much more beautiful than some glitzy polished granite which we had in our former apartment -- hated it. We put honed Carrara in our kitchen (counter tops and backsplash except behind the stove where we used a stack of large 12 x 30" grease-resistant porcelain tiles) plus in two baths in our recent gut renovation.

As for Corian, I, too, love all the colors it comes in but if you go with a light color be prepared for it to gradually turn yellow. Our contractor told me stories of the many Corian counters he's torn out after 10 years because of this problem. Also love the new artificial stones like Caesarstone for their durability and range of colors, but in a pre-war I think a natural stone is more fitting.

Good luck with the renovation. We finished ours recently so I can promise you, it will finally get to the end and you'll get your new home.

ok. where's the formica crowd?

NextEra - also, paste of OxiClean and water works wonders as well.

"where's the formica crowd?"

Here.

Every designer and architect I speak to says quartz (Caesarstone/Silestone) will be THE countertop, at least for the next decade. Aside from the durability, stain/heat resistance, easy maintenance and the expensive appearance, it is eco-friendly. That speaks to a lot of people.

Some people here might be confusing quartz with something else. The statement that quartz looks too fabricated just doesn't make sense, especially when s/he puts quartz in the same appearance category as Corian. For example, the Mountain Series from Silestone has fooled many professionals I know--they actually cannot tell it's not granite! Quartz just doesn't look fabricated, unless maybe the design s/he saw was intentionally made to look artificial--and there are many of those designs...

"eco-friendly"

I love the hypocrisy of the "eco-friendly" crowd. They're so concerned with the manufacture of one product they buy every 20 years, while they gleefully drive their SUVs and run their power-hungry flat screen TVs, oversized computers, and electric books (Kindles).

Go with Caesarstone "Misty Carrera" if you want a practical solution or find a granite option since that is a durable material that will always be a classic. I have marble in the bathroom and it wears terribly. My kitchen has Caesarstone "Pebble" which I first read about on this web site. Costs were comparable at three different NY metro area fabricators, including Costco.com and IKEA. You can see all the Caesarstone samples at Gracious Homes in convenient 8x8 inch squares, or buy 4x4 inch samples directly from the manufacturer's web site. To me, "Pebble" looks like a natural stone and goes especially well with white cabinets and stainless steel appliances.

I love the hypocrisy of the "eco-friendly" crowd.

Great point! But they'll defend this as a safety issue. Must have a four wheel drive SUV for weekend trips to the Summer home! The kids must be safe.

"The kids must be safe."

Please.

Generations of kids were safely carted around in cars without car seats, seat belts, or air bags. Hell, we used to pile into the back of a Pinto.

Have you considered butcherblock, cherry perhaps? It looks so warm with white cabinetry. You can treat every once in a while and it is stunning.

Manhattan schist

"Have you considered butcherblock, cherry perhaps? It looks so warm with white cabinetry. You can treat every once in a while and it is stunning."

STUNNING?

Spoken like someone who apparently doesn't use their kitchen for anything more than unwrapping their take-out deliveries.

Could you get Manhattan schist for a countertop if you wanted to? That would be so cool.

nycmatt I cook every night.

thanks Bela, but we did not consider butcherblock because of possible bacteria contamination. we have a son living in the city with a compromised immune system (hence the reason for our apartment purchase) and have to be extra cautious and only employ materials which are easy to sanitize.
I still have confusion about the piece of quartz called Luce di luna that I originally saw. It is a piece of quartz...not fabricated like silestone or caesarstone...and i am still trying to get definitive information about it's reliability. Does it need to be sealed? How often? etc. And i find it is usually listed with the granites so is it really granite????

STX, i was intrigues with your suggestion of composite glass in white but i have not found any samples locally here in SC to look at. I will try to find out more about the product. have you used it?

rosina, you're adverse to something "fabricated" but you would consider "glass". at least you're inconsistent.

NextEra - would you give your contractor a recommendation? I may be in the market for one.

rosina bacteria is not really an issue because you use chopping board for meats, fish and vegies and the rest can be just wiped

>I love the hypocrisy of the "eco-friendly" crowd.

NYCMatt, as a philosophical statement, whaat you say may (or may not be) right--I am not really concerned about that, although many of my earth-friendly friends could bite your head off for your stereotypic comment.

However, if one is concerned about what appeals to the potential renters/buyers--as most of us here are--then dismissing the eco-friendliness factor would be a silly move, given that the product in question (quartz) is just as good or better than their less-eco-friendly counterparts, both functionally and cosmetically.

"Every designer and architect I speak to says quartz (Caesarstone/Silestone) will be THE countertop, at least for the next decade."

one thing to remember when renovating: I'm sure lots of you have gotten to the point I reached many years ago, which was when walking into a kitchen immediately thought "oh, they renovated in 1993" (or pick any other year). This is why whenever I do renovations, I try my best to make it look like you couldn't really tell when it was done. Does this result in a kitchen (or bath) which is not the MOST beautiful, SOTA functional or whatever? Absolutely. But when you go to resell, you may be shocked by the visceral "oh, that's SOOOO 2010" reactions from potential purchasers.

David Goldsmith
DG Neary Realty

Why pay more for a man made material way more expensive. Granite its beautiful and unique and the better cheaper! I found this company that you can buy your granite countertops with affordable prices even quartz http://www.tsstone.com

Good Day

"Granite its beautiful and unique and the better cheaper!"

And hey, it causes cancer!