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» mfmst - Kitchen Design & Counter Tops

Dear Brian,

I'm beginning the process of rennovating our very small lake house kitchen. Would you and other kitchen veterans weigh in on a couple of topics? The present counter tops and back splash are tile. Besides the fact that it's turquoise, I don't like tile for a working surface. Granite is all the rage these days but it's not a casual cottage look. Anyone have any suggestions? I know there will be some disagreement, but where in order of importance should I spend money? I enjoy cooking but do not need chef quality appliances. The floor is already sautillo tile. Thanks in advance!

-- posted by mfmst

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» Jojo - countertop suggestions

Hi there

I'm not a reno veteran but will say from experience that for the occasional use kitchen wood slab counters are very nice. I got mine made from trees on my property, at a local mill.

Barring that, arborite is great. I don't mean the molded kind - I hate that. What I am talking about the stuff that you have to affix yourself and edge with countertop stripping. It's available in a huge array of colours. It's much more classic than the molded kind, with it's rounded edges. That stuff is so 80s.

The turquoise tile you have presently sounds very 50s. I must agree -- tile is a pain to utilize as a countertop - almost as bad as carpet in bathrooms in my opinion. If you ever knead or roll out dough you need a large board to work on. Additionally, the grout gets gungy like crazy. It's really nice on a back splash though.

When I save up some money I'm going to re-do my kitchen completely. The existing cupboards are really bad.

-- posted by Jojo

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» BMahoney - Concerning Countertops

My input would probably be to stick with melamine, sometimes called by it's trademarked names of Arborite/Formica/etc. There is a style available here in Canada that has a front edge of maple wood, or oak. It's real wood and looks real nice! If you don't want the '80's' look of postformed rolls, you can order a 27 inch bar top and have the supplier cut it to a depth to match your cabinets. This is usually 25.5 inches.

The bar top cut down in depth would eliminate the backsplash and give you a nice clean edge against the wall. Remember that if you have to scribe the top to an uneven wall, you should order a greater depth than 25.5.

Alternatively, you could have someone do a concrete top. Never seen one, only read about it in Fine Homebuilding. Check out the back issues at your local library and see if it's for you. You can color concrete to match almost anything.

There are some homey granite colors, not all flash and dash kinds. Marble is an alterative if you can find something to seal it with. Otherwise is too porous for kitchen use.

As for spending money, you work at the countertop while you are in the kitchen so don't scrimp too much.

Hope this helps!

Brian Mahoney

-- posted by BMahoney

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