If you have had laminate and quartz / granite countertops

[ksr5377]

Which did you like more? Why? We are debating between quartz and a formica FX product. Is it just the look of quartz or Granite that everyone loves more? Or is there something about the day-to-day use of it that makes it worth it? The Carrara marble Formica product looks very similar to the quartz we're looking at.

[prairiewindmomma]

We like quartz best--heat resistant, stainless, not prone to knife marks or dings, no need to seal.  They were the ultimate dummy-proof countertop.

[TranquilMind]

I have granite. Will go quartz next time. 

[regentrude]

Love my granite. Heat resistant, easy to clean, I can roll pastry and knead dough right on the counter.

[Seasider]

I've had laminate, Corian, Silestone and granite. Of those, granite is my far and away favorite.

 

It does need to be sealed and cared for, though. So next time around I will look at all the options. I really want a surface that I can set hot things on.

[MEmama]

I have a super high quality laminate on my kitchen countertops and a large granite island. I love the combination--it would be overkill if every surface was granite, but I do appreciate how easy it is to keep clean. I love the look of white marble but I understand it stains easily, which has not been an issue with my granite.

[Guest]

Granite OR quartz vs laminate is an easy choice;

Better resale

Better heat resistance--it makes your kitchen effectively larger because you can use every bit of it for anything

Better appearance over time

 

Quartz is supposed to be lower maintenance than granite but there is a newish permanent sealant for granite that evens things up on that score

 

Other than that, between granite and quartz, seems to me that the difference comes down to preference and what the house wants.

 

Our old houses needed the substantiality of granit but we put granite in our beach house and we should have used quartz for a lighter look and tone. We could have had some fun with it.

 

If we re-do our kitchen in our present home, I'll likely give quartz a better look than I did at the beach house. My dh liked granite for its irregularity and interest. I also think other hard surfaces could be interesting--soapstone for example

 

But do what you want and what works with your house.

[Free Indeed]

We are building a house now and this is what we did: Granite in the kitchen, granite composite in the bathrooms, and laminate in the laundry room. I have never had anything other than laminate and it has been fine- but I am looking forward to the upgrade.

[KungFuPanda]

Following because I swear I'm going to upgrade when my laminate shows some wear.  The trouble is, it's been in place for 15 years and it's still perfect.  I'm just too cheap to replace something with zero defects.  It's cream colored.  I thought it would be stained by now.  Since trivet use doesn't phase me i'm going to live vicariously through you guys for now :-)

[Guest]

I like quartz best, it has all the best properties of granite for cooking and heat but none of the downsides. Laminate just doesn't resell well, I don't love the look, and it's not nearly as friendly in terms of resilience in use.

[Pawz4me]

I've had laminate, Corian and granite. In order of my preference I'd rank them granite, laminate and Corian. I'd take a good quality laminate over Corian any day, but I do like granite the best.

[StephanieZ]

I have granite, and I love, love, love it. It is just beautiful to look at. My granite is a pretty high end complicated gray/brown/beige/sparkly pattern with a "lot going on", so it looks like big slabs of stone, which is what it is. LOL. So, to me, it's just really pretty and lovely and I enjoy the look of it. It's super impervious to stains. We've had it 2 years and not a stain/mark/problem in it. 

 

I have a lot of granite bathroom counters, too, in other patterns/stones, and some are more impervious to stains than others, probably due to not being sealed adequately at the time of installation, but also I do know that some "granites" are not as impervious as others, and, indeed, plenty of "granites" aren't even granite! There are a couple bathroom counters where a kid left a puddle of oily lotion for weeks/months, and they got an oil stain, so then you have to google up ways to pull the stain out (which we've done successfully). 

 

We have quartz counters in an investment house that college girl lives in, and they are attractive enough but are very "dead" looking to me as opposed to the granites, especially in comparison to the "lot going on" granite that we have in our kitchen. 

 

We used a few small pieces of quartz in our master bathroom (for a threshold at the entry to the shower and also a shelf sort of thing at the top of the half wall in the shower, supporting a glass half wall above . . .) and it is really nice looking -- it is a quartz that is made to look like that white with grey patterns marble (goes nicely with the same sort of pattern on the wall/floor porcelain tile in there). If I were looking at quartz counters, I'd totally look at one of those more "alive" looking patterns, specifically one that mimics marble. (Real marble is way too vulnerable to imperfections for my taste.)

[Lawyer&Mom]

I'm not going to replace my laminate. It's already there, it's doing just fine. But I wouldn't install it new either. Unless you need to save the money, I'd go for the higher end finish. Resale value etc.

[ktgrok]

Love granite. Before we got it I didn't understand the hype about "oh, you can set a hot pan on it." Um, why would I need to do that? But now that I CAN do it, I do it all the time. ALL the time. It really makes life easier. And no worries about stains, marks, etc. (mind is a dark color, which may help in that regard). We've sealed it once in the past 4 years, lol. Still no stains. 

[Guest]

I've had everything under the sun. My preference is Corian solid surface.

[OneStepAtATime]

I have had it all.  I will, whenever possible, from now on do quartz.  Extremely easy to clean, never ever needs sealing (granite is supposed to be resealed periodically), very heat resistant, not prone to markings from knives or pots/pans, etc., really rugged,  and comes in a huge range of colors/designs, many of which look pretty natural.  We remodeled a few years ago (maybe 6 years?) and took the leap to quartz.  We STILL love it, still wish we had done it sooner, still enjoy how easy it is to clean and how nice it still looks, etc.

 

I admit granite looks very nice, too, and has some of the same qualities but I don't like the idea that it needs sealing and at least here it is more expensive than quartz.  If you don't mind that and you find a granite look you like and you can afford it granite works well, too.

 

ETA:   From a post up thread apparently there is a new sealant for granite that means it doesn't have to be resealed?  That's nice.  Then in that case it would depend on the look someone wanted and the cost where they are.  I think quartz and granite would be a toss up for functionality if you take away the need to reseal.

Edited December 12, 2016 by OneStepAtATime

[Spryte]

I've had high end laminate, corian and granite. Love the granite.

 

Haven't had quartz, personally, but it seems nice as well.

[OneStepAtATime]

I will say I hated seeing the colors for quartz only on-line.  Did NOT do the options justice at all.  We had to go look in person and were allowed to bring samples home.  Made a world of difference.  We found the perfect one and it had looked ugly on-line.  We still love it.  Glad we had an option to see samples in person.

[Sherry in OH]

I've had quartz and laminate.  I loved the quartz.  I won't tear out perfectly good laminate just to install quartz, but should we ever remodel our current kitchen, quartz is at the top of my wish list. 

[Bluegoat]

I've had laminate and quartz, and also butcherblock.  I liked, but in different ways.  I liked that I could cut right on the butcher block.  I quartz was hardwearing and pretty good for pastry, and the laminate was no-fuss and also inexpensive.  Both the laminate and quartz required being careful either about hot pots or knives.  I didn't like how hard the quartz was, things broke if you dropped them and you couldn't fudge it with using a knife either.  Butcher block required the most maintanence but overall I liked it best. 

 

 

If I had to choose one, I would go with what fit the house.  (And, TBH, I don't like the look of a lot of granite.  It often seems too heavy.  But I think that's largely because it's been trendy and people put it in houses it didn't fit in.)

 

In an ideal situation though, I might well choose several types of countertop - probably butcher block mixed with something else.

 

I'll also mention - my mom had a large kitchen with a big island.  It was prohibitively expensive to do silestone over the whole thing, so they used it for the island which was most used.  The  other parts were laminate, but with a silestone edge which made it look much nicer and also was more durable.  They were coloured differently so there were no issues with them not matching.

 

 

 

 

[regentrude]

Just a word about granite sealing: it is really no big deal. Once a year we take everything off the counters, spray the sealant on, rub it with paper towel, let dry for 30 minutes. The end. We do it after new year's when the big party is over, the holiday leftovers are eaten, the cookie jar gets put away...

[ksr5377]

OK, this is what I was really wondering and you all have answered it. We're not worried about resale at all, so I was wanting to hear that people like using the solid surfaces more and it's not just that they look nicer. I was having a difficult time spending three times the cost of laminate just because I like the look, you know?

[Jann in TX]

Quartz lover here-- 14+ years and still looks new... no maintenance...easy to clean...

[EmilyGF]

I really liked the quartz with the build in sink and back splash. 

 

My dad (who sells kitchens) says you should only get quartz if you are going to have an integrated sink. Otherwise you should go for granite if you can afford it. But he was a geologist before a carpenter and so he may be biased.

 

Emily

[gardenmom5]

granite is a hard stone. I've had it for 10+ years.   you can put super hot dishes on it right out of the oven or off the burner.  you can spill red food coloring - and it wipes right off.  

 

(marble is softer - and can stain, burn, and gouge. keep perfume and make-up away. I have a travertine hearth with gouges in it.)

 

dropping stuff and/or knives do not hurt it.

 

my formica ...stained, burned, and gouged.

[Shelly in IL]

FYI - granite is an amazing thawing surface. Things thaw so much faster if they sit on the granite. Don't know why - I'm sure there's some chemical or physical reasoning that I lack, but it's an awesome side benefit!

[gardenmom5]

I really liked the quartz with the build in sink and back splash. 

 

My dad (who sells kitchens) says you should only get quartz if you are going to have an integrated sink. Otherwise you should go for granite if you can afford it. But he was a geologist before a carpenter and so he may be biased.

 

Emily

 

that sounds more like he knows  what he's talking about because he understands the differences in the stone.

 

I sealed my granite when it was new.  10+ years ago.  never bothered afterwards - never had a problem.

 

there are *many* "granites" on the market that aren't "granite".   there are "granites" with wide variation, and some that are very uniform.  darker tends to be harder (mine is dark)

I didn't like the looks of the quartz - but it's hard enough. I have a quartizite floor.  (after my dishwasher piddled and destroyed my hardwood floor) oil stays on top.  you can't tell water is because it stays on top and doesn't go into the stone.   it's possible there was a sealer applied at the factory (the front and back looked different.)

[gardenmom5]

FYI - granite is an amazing thawing surface. Things thaw so much faster if they sit on the granite. Don't know why - I'm sure there's some chemical or physical reasoning that I lack, but it's an awesome side benefit!

 

we put an aluminum tray between the granite and the item we're thawing.  its physical.  a thermodynamics I assume.  it is very temperature sensitive.  put something cold - it gets cold (makes it great for pasty dough), put hot - it gets warm.  my quartzite floor absorbs heat from my spots.  

[OneStepAtATime]

I really liked the quartz with the build in sink and back splash. 

 

My dad (who sells kitchens) says you should only get quartz if you are going to have an integrated sink. Otherwise you should go for granite if you can afford it. But he was a geologist before a carpenter and so he may be biased.

 

Emily

 Does he mean a sink made of the same material?  I'm curious why this would be necessary with quartz (and studied to be a geologist before going into a different field so I do get the potential bias).  We have quartz and went with an undermount stainless steel sink.  Works beautifully.  No issues since it was installed several years ago.

[MEmama]

You're supposed to reseal granite?

 

Ours has been in our kitchen for 8-10 years; we've lived here for 5 and I've never done anything to it. It's in perfect condition. Definitely a no maintenance surface.

 

I would never put a hot dish directly on the granite or use a knife on it. But that goes for any surface; it's just habit I guess.

[ktgrok]

that sounds more like he knows  what he's talking about because he understands the differences in the stone.

 

I sealed my granite when it was new.  10+ years ago.  never bothered afterwards - never had a problem.

 

 

 

Ok, glad I'm not the only slacker who has never bothered to reseal their granite!!!! Seriously, still doesn't stain. But it is a darker granite. (the darker ones are less porus than the lighter ones)

[ktgrok]

 

I would never put a hot dish directly on the granite or use a knife on it. But that goes for any surface; it's just habit I guess.

 

Do it! Rebel!  

 

Seriously though, you totally can put a hot pan from the oven right on it. Won't hurt it. You can also cut on it I guess...it won't hurt the granite but WILL mess up your knife, so I don't recommend it. 

[solascriptura]

I've had both and prefer granite.  My previous home had white laminate and over the years it began to hold some staining.  Also, because it was old I had to be careful to wipe all water relatively quickly. We noticed that the wood composite under the laminate was weakening and starting to swell and flake due to some water seepage.  

[LifeLovePassion]

I love my black honed granite. Looks more soapstone like.

[wapiti]

FWIW, while "granite" should technically refer to very particular types of stone, there are different types of stone that are often referred to as "granite" that may not be, technically, and they have different levels of hardness.  E.g., our "granite" is an anarthosite, if I recall correctly (blue eyes is the pattern), very hard.  Typically, darker colors tend to be harder.

 

Our granite is 11 yrs old.  It came sealed from the factory as all countertops do, though supposedly how much sealant gets into the harder granites is questionable.  We have never sealed it at home, not once.

 

I remember our first thanksgiving in this house, when I had put the turkey in for a little while at 500 degrees before turning it down, and for whatever reason I took the whole thing out of the oven and put it on the counter.  Really freaked out my mom LOL.  I love putting hot pans on it.

 

[gardenmom5]

Ok, glad I'm not the only slacker who has never bothered to reseal their granite!!!! Seriously, still doesn't stain. But it is a darker granite. (the darker ones are less porus than the lighter ones)

 

this.

 

I've also never sealed my bathroom counters - a lighter granite.  very pretty.

 

 

Do it! Rebel!  

 

Seriously though, you totally can put a hot pan from the oven right on it. Won't hurt it. You can also cut on it I guess...it won't hurt the granite but WILL mess up your knife, so I don't recommend it. 

 

yep.  it will dull your knives.   think - originally knives were dragged across stone to sharpen them.  it doesn't hurt the stone.

 

granite prices vary considerably.  edging adds a whole new dimension to the price.

[ktgrok]

Also, regarding pricing...we went with a smaller, locally owned store and the pricing was much less than the big box stores. And they had good reviews, have been around a long time, etc. We've had zero problems. Definitely check into local stores, not just Home Depot and such. 

[gardenmom5]

Also, regarding pricing...we went with a smaller, locally owned store and the pricing was much less than the big box stores. And they had good reviews, have been around a long time, etc. We've had zero problems. Definitely check into local stores, not just Home Depot and such. 

 

this.  I would never use a big box store.  plus - you can find much nicer granite from a local supplier.

 

[Bambam]

We had laminate in our first two houses. Never again. Stains semi-easily, and just doesn't look good long term.

 

Our last two houses had/have granite. I love it.

-You can put hot pans and dishes directly on it and not hurt it (although I typically try to use an old wooden cutting board or hot pan holder because I don't want my girls to develop that habit and then move somewhere with laminate and ruin it).

-You can cut directly on it and not cut the surface.

-It is great for thawing foods quickly.

-It cleans up easily.

-It doesn't stain (we have never sealed either house, and we were the first owners at the first house, this house was used). 

 

 

No clues on cost. Both houses have had mid-dark countertops. First house had a stainless sink, this house has a underslung (? not sure what to call it) sink but it appears to be an engineered material because it most definitely is not granite. I dislike it because there is one 'stain' or lightened patch on the side. Nothing helps with that. 

 

[Lisa R.]

Another question to ask yourself: do you prefer made or natural products? Quartz is man made. This does give it a durability that gratite doesn't have.

 

Having said that, granite really is almost as durable. It really is. And being a natural stone, it has a depth that no man made product can reproduce. As beautiful as many of the man made products are today (and there are really beautiful ones out there) I can spot man made vs natural because of granite's depth.

 

Laminate is very practical but I wouldn't install it in a home due to resale. Solid surfaces are really what most people want and expect in a new or remodeled kitchen.

[Splash]

Granite or quartz.  We went with granite when we built our house 12 years ago and it still looks great.  Ours is medium to dark with lots of color and movement because when my mom had a dark black type granite it showed streaks and dust. Ours shows nothing.  House before this we had laminate which I preferred over tile due to the yucky grout, but ds then 9 placed a hot pan on it and burned a hole into the middle and we had to replace it.  Dh wanted the most indestructible surface we could find.  

 

Kimberly

[displace]

Zombie thread...

 

Reported

Edited May 11, 2017 by displace

[Guest]

You're supposed to reseal granite?

 

Ours has been in our kitchen for 8-10 years; we've lived here for 5 and I've never done anything to it. It's in perfect condition. Definitely a no maintenance surface.

 

I would never put a hot dish directly on the granite or use a knife on it. But that goes for any surface; it's just habit I guess.

Same here. We sealed it when we first installed it, 14 years ago. I also don't cut on it or put hot things on it, and it's partially habit and partially I want my kids to adopt the habit that will spare countertops assuming they don't move directly into a house or apartment with granite tops.

 

My only granite warning is this: do not get black.

 

My other thought is this: for laundry rooms or kid's bathrooms, don't spend for granite. In those cases, it is mainly about how it looks, not how it functions and IMO, formica is just fine for the laundry room.

[Guest]

Zombie thread...

 

Reported

Dang! I was caught!

[Katy]

The granite was gorgeous, cold, heat proof, luxurious, long-lasting, and made of a natural material.

 

I think natural stone is always preferable.   Quartz isn't a natural stone - it's basically sand pressed together with epoxy.  I personally hate it.