Hi chocolatebunny, If you can swing it cost wise, it makes a lot more sense to get the quartz for your perimeter counters and butcher block for the island. I know that many people of GW have put butcher block near their sinks. But I wouldn't recommend it.

Since quartz is a big investment, it would make sense to get a new sink (undermount if you wish) at the same time.

The counter argument would be that the light colored quartz you have picked out would make a nice contrast with the wood of your island.

Both your quartz picks would look very nice in your kitchen (I slightly prefer the second choice).

Since your laminate counters actually look quite nice in your kitchen, would you consider saving lots of money and just putting the butcher block on your island and leaving your counters as they are? This would not preclude installing the quartz at some later time.

hi chocolatebunny...

i'm actually debating this too! zodiaq and possibly cherry butcherblock.

i don't really have a vote either way... just wanted to say that you're not alone. we were thinking of doing the butcherblock to save a little too, because dh will DIY it. but we have a really small kitchen, which helps.

i did see a photo in the sunset kitchen design book of a mahogany and marble combination. the marble was only in the sink area, with drainboard runnels in it. it is something you might consider with the quartz... sorry no photo, though.

here's a picture i came across from houzz which combines quartz and cherry. good luck whatever you decide! :)

[traditional exterior design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-exterior-home-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_736~s_2107) by seattle general contractor Michael J Cox

First let me say that I'm a big fan of mixing countertop materials. I would definitely do the quartz on the perimeter or at least around the sink. Your formica looks nice so if you had to wait until you could do it the way you want (with Silgranite sink), I think it would be worth it. I think Ikea would be a great option for the bb. You might also want to be sure to put the quartz under the toaster oven for safety reasons (in case you decide on bb for perimater).

personally-I would focus on the island-I really see cherry ballyblock with a nice ogee edge-let it hand over the edge...being central in the room and adding texture will make your whole kitchen pop-beautiful...the perimeter doesn't look that wrong or bad or beat up-could you LEAVE the perimeter as your eyes won't settle there with the new center of the room focus....or maybe you could do the newer laminates or corian after finding you may not need the embellishing effect of quartz. Just get a fancy faucet.

You have a really nice kitchen and I can see with with some updating it could look spectacular. I am concerned about the wood tone of the BB with your island's wood tone. How do you see it? I guess you are not considering granite? I think if you looked you could find a good deal. Or, since your kitchen is nice now, save up and do it the way you would like to in the near future.

What if you did the BB on the island and over by the frig where the it looks like there's a toaster oven. IKEA has very reasonable BB. Maybe you could then use the quartz on the perimeter but budget in a sink? I much prefer the Hanstone color. The other one seems to have pinkish undertones on my monitor.

Thanks for the suggestions!

I am leaning toward the BB on the island and quartz on the perimeter. I didn't think about having the toaster oven (over by the refrigerator) on BB being a fire hazard. I could move it to over on the perimiter but I really like it in the corner.

I am really not considering granite. I don't like the movement in it. I want something more serene and consistant. I actually did look at a couple of granite yards and naturally anything I would consider is very pricy. I also want something light and I have read of staining issues with lighter colored granites. It sounds snobish, but I just have my heart set on quartz.

The countertops photographed much nicer than they are in person. They aren't horrible, but there are a lot of scratches and nicks on the edges. There's a couple of burn marks on the island. The stain on the wood edging is starting to wear off and it is driving me crazy. I am considering having the cabinets re-stained as there are several areas where the stain is wearing down. They are 13 years old so I kind of expected this to happen. I like the color so I would probably restain them a very similar color, maybe slightly darker.

I have read that a lot of people like IKEA for the BB countertops, plus the price really can't be beat. I have read mixed reviews of Lumbar Liquidators so I am leary to try them. Since I am doing this on a tight budget, I don't want to spend a ton on the island top. To do just the island in quartz, I got a quote of $800 so I am hoping to do it for MUCH cheaper than that but at the same time I realize you get what you pay for.

Should I go with IKEA, I don't think the oak or beech would go with my kitchen. I think my only choice is the birch.

I have read maple is a better choice (my cabinets are maple) because it's harder than birch. I will have to start researching that as well.

I do already have a faucet :) It's sitting in my hall waiting to be installed. I didn't want to install it on the current sink if I was going to get a new one.

This is all going to be done in bits and pieces so maybe if I change out the island first I can live with things a bit longer.

Thanks again. Any thoughts on BB would be appreciated too. :)

I'd keep an eye on CL and see if you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore nearby (or even ebay). You may find a good island top that way. If you are lucky, you would not need to pay for much fabrication if the size were right. You could also find a counter that could work on your other runs if you got really lucky.
Try solidsurface.com as well and see if you can pick up a remnant.

Here is a link that might be useful: solid surface

Thanks diannalo (love your floor BTW - sorry to hear of all the problems you've had with it!). I have been checking CL (so far nothing) and a Habitat for Humanity Resore just opened near me, but it seems like all they have is your basic granite tops like Baltic Brown, Absolute Black and other very dark colors that I don't want.

I will check out the solid surface site!

Chocolatebunny - my old counters I just replaced look like yours, except the edge was oak stained to match the floors and they would've been 13 years old in August. Your's looks very nice, but totally understand how tired you can get of white laminate. You said you weren't looking at granite because you wanted consistency but there are MANY granites that are as consistent as quartz, and probably CHEAPER! But if you are looking at white granites, then maybe not.

Here are my before and after pics same cabinets, new counter tops and sink/faucet/hardware...

Chocolatebunny,
love your kitchen and the color you painted it. Can you tell me what color you used? Thank you in advance. Kim

CB - are you any where near a greendemolitions.com location? I know there is another store in Conn like theirs as well. There are probably other places like that throughout the country, but these are the ones I know of. Maybe someone else has a lead for you if you are out west or far south.

P.s thanks for the encouragement ;) The Forbo people come tomorrow night to see my floor. The seams all went back down so I am glad to have pix and that the cleaning people saw the damage too.

Mrsdowfire - the kitchen color is Sherwin Williams Whole Wheat. It has a greenish undertone so in the evening it looks darker, but not too dark. We really like it.

I love what you've done with your kitchen mountaineergirl. We definately want light countertops. That is the only decision we have actually made.

DH doesn't want to do anything to the kitchen at all. It thinks it looks "fine". My reasoning for wanting to update things is that if we wait to do everything at once, then it becomes financially a lot more to handle as opposed to doing it in bits and pieces.

I found some maple countertops on JohnBoos.com that I think would go better than the birch from IKEA. More expensive than IKEA naturally, but they offer the width I want. I don't plan on using it as a cutting board so I think the maple will hold up fine.

hi chocolatebunny...

i just happened to come across the kitchen at houzz.com that i was describing earlier (from the sunset kitchen book).

check out how they just put marble with runnels in the sink area. just an idea. :)

[spaces design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/home-design-ideas-phbr0-bp~)