We have laminate counters and will put them in again on the renovation. I can't justify the cost of granite (nor do I really like the coldness of it) or corian. The laminate we have is stuff we did through Lowe's 8 years ago and it looks like new. I never use it for anything except as a place to "put" stuff (my prep work is all done on my butcher block island counter, which is where my money is going on the renovation as well), and if I do forget and put something hot on it (hasn't happened yet), I can get a new piece without wringing my hands about it.

I think it depends on how you are using the counter, what YOU like, what your budget is, and how long you are plannign to stay in the house. Stone sells, for sure. If you are happy with laminate and it fits your priorities, then go that direction. It looks just fine, IMHO.

Good luck!

Nica

We are in the process of upgrading our kitchen and we are definitely going with laminate. There are so many great patterns available now. Laminate countertops are warmer than stone. They are more forgiving if we knock over a glass or drop something on them. Also we are not putting a small fortune into a stone countertop that a potential buyer may hate and decide not to buy our house because they don't like it, if we ever decide to move. Finally stone is the current rage with many exotic patterns and edge treatments, but in five years will the same styles be in fashion or will they be considered to be outdated? We can redo laminate three or four times for the cost of stone. Since we are not trying to impress anyone, laminate is the right choice for us.

The only real disadvantage with laminate is that you can't use an under-mounted sink. I had it for 25 years in the old kitchen and I chose to put it in the new laundry room, but went with quartz and granite in the kitchen.

I'm so glad to see that other people are putting in laminate too. We were looking into granite, marble, etc., but I couldn't decide. So my husband (impatient!) ordered a laminate countertop and told me we can change it out when I finally do make up my mind since it was so inexpensive. I really like the one he chose, so I may just keep it. Laminates definitely are different than they were 33 years ago.

I've always had laminate and will again. We are also using wood (on the island) and stainless (next to the rangetop), but if we weren't able add those for next to nothing, like we are, we'd have laminate everywhere. It's always worked perfectly fine for me, so I couldn't see spending several thousand dollars to have stone. Actually, it would have been a huge blow to our budget, and would have limited other choices in the house that were much more important to me. Counter is counter, basically, and if I've never known anything else, I won't miss it.

You won't find many on this forum with laminate, but I just put in Wilsonart HD and I love it. Laminate is a good fit for us. Do what works for you.

Just don't get the beveled edge with a contrasting color! I had dark green laminate with a white beveled edge in my kitchen before our remodel. My house was a new build (spec house...I didn't choose the green laminate) when we bought it almost 6 years ago. The white edge got chipped and stained during that time (I have 3 kids). The rest of the laminate held up fairly well except for a spot where I was resting a pot on the edge of the drop in sink and it tipped and burned the counter. And another spot where I spilled nail polish remover. It left an etched spot on the counter. Other than that, it was fine and easy to care for. I do have granite now though, and I love it!

I am not sure there is a single advantage to an under-counter sink. I have heard some stories about exchanging them when the time comes. No problem with a self-rimming sink. Now I am dreading the day mine have to be replaced with the granite counters. Maybe I will have moved before then or figure a slef-rimmming can work ?

Patricia, why would you have to replace your sink? Isn't that usually something that's done when a new countertop is installed? I used the same kitchen sink for 25 years. If we hadn't remodeled I'd still be using it.

well glad to hear some positives on laminate...we are going to a kitchen showroom and look at cabinets etc...if there are other things that I want and feel i can't afford the gramite too I probably will sacrifice the granite for laminate..just wanted opinions before i make that decision if i do...thanks

Does anyone have any pictures of their laminate countertops?

we used laminate in our 2nd bathroom (3 years old) I like it for its total ease of cleaning - spray windex on and wipe.
I also don't care if the kids make a mess in the bathroom - drop hair dryers, brushes etc.

I had briefly considered it in the kitchen but in the end I know in my heart I am lusting after stone.

Here's my bathroom counter. If i recall it was Formica brand and the color was mousegraphics

There are lots of laminate pictures in the finished kitchen blog. Just do a search under the listed catagories. Laminate is here to stay and a good choice for many of us
. Choose what works best for you. I wouldn't worry about what others have. i am using granite though as it was 2500.00 for the laminate I chose with a beveled edge and 3500.00 for the ubatuba. Go figure....Gayle

We love laminate counters. There were so many nice patterns. We had a modest budget anyway, but we didn't want anything other than laminate. The laminate counter we took out had nothing wrong with it except for its dated color and pattern, and it was quite old. We used the Pionite Rock On pattern. If these pictures work...

[IMG]http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb144/myfoursquare/7-6-07002.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb144/myfoursquare/RockOncountertop.jpg[/IMG]

Laminate is very durable (imo) and not unattractive (imo) especially if you don't do the self backsplash, but rather run it straight to the wall and do a real backsplash.

However, I long for an undermount sink. The ick factor of the drop in sink is pretty big for me. No, its not because I'm an undermount sink snob- I've never had any other style. Its more that I'm a less than stellar kitchen keeper.

I also have had issues with the seams on my laminates in the past. My previous house was only 5yrs old and the seams already had taken on water and the laminate was puffed up in that area. And my current laminate seams are not even- there's probably an 1/8" lip where one section meets the other. Bad install? Or did it happen over time? Not sure.

So- I'd consider it if not for my previous experience with the seams and my personal aversion to sinks. Maybe I'll justify a farm sink since perhaps that would be easier to replace? I still find it rather unlikely that I'd ever have reason to replace my sink.

Longing for soapstone here

I thought that there were some new undermount options for laminate now? Or am I misremembering? (Like Sammi, it's not that I am an undermount sink snob, I'm "a less than stellar kitchen keeper". Although, stainless dropins are much easier to keep clean around the edges than cast iron or other fatty sinks.

There are some great laminate patterns out there now, even if you don't go with Boomerang.

I'd go another direction if there were tricky seams, but if you can get solid sheets without seams, I think it's pretty durable. (If taken care of, of course. No cutting, no scorching. But you know how to live with it, so go for it if you like it!)

We have a two-tier penninsula. How do you think the laminate would look?

I just put some new laminate counters in at my lake home. I have Corian and granite in my now two year old kitchen at home and to be quite honest, I'm just as happy with the new laminate as I am with the other stuff. I think with some folks there's a sort of "peer pressure" or herd mentality about not using laminate. Like you're deficient in some way if you "can't" get something "better". I've received some unspoken "how could you" reactions that I chose laminate. I just don't succumb to that. There are so many great laminate choices, it's such a good value, and it's quite durable. Mine was 15 years old - yours is 33 years old!! I like the idea it doesn't last forever and I didn't pay a fortune so it might be reasonable to change it if I get really tired of it after another 15 years.

Here's a picture of mine - with an undermounted sink - that can be done too. This is Pionite Coriander Fibre - it has a little bit of a pattern in it but I chose something pretty simple once I decided on this tile backsplash.

{{!gwi}}

I have Formica laminate in my kitchen and so far I like it very much. I've never had a surface other than laminate, though. I got the sparkle finish (I read it was the most durable) and a beveled edge. There are no seams, even though I have two corners, and the only black line is on the trim pieces on either side of the stove -- there is no black line on the beveled edges.

kbmas0n, Here is the 2 level bar in our last house. Maybe not a laminate and tile combo I'd choose now, but we liked it and it still looks nice.

If you have bad seams, lumping or overlapping, that's definitely a bad install job. I've never had anything like that. At a seam the 2 pieces of laminate should be cut together so that they meet like a puzzle.

Gibby3000, I love the look you have. I, too, will be renovating a kitchen in a lake home we recently purchased. Would you mind telling me about your window? I think that is what I want. TIA, and BTW, this is my very first post here.

myfoursquare, gibby, buffetgirl, rhome... this isn't my thread, but i really appreciate your photos. really really pretty combos for laminate.

i'm in a terrible stage...have never been opposed to laminate, have always had it. then i saw and touched a couple of zodiac and ceasarstone quartz pieces. i love them.......sigh, i just can't afford them.

can we see more laminate pictures from more people???? not everyone is in the finished kitchen blog....

There are a couple of very nice laminate pics in a thread about counter top colors:

Here is a link that might be useful: Laminate Pics

We had laminate in our old kitchen, and it was edged with corian and I have to agree with Sammi2 "especially if you don't do the self backsplash, but rather run it straight to the wall and do a real backsplash". I actually had lots of compliments on my counter and backsplash- but I do have to admit, that I can hardly wait until next week when hopefully my granite will be installed (first time for me). One benefit of the laminate is that it is probably quieter than stone.

pupwhipped - I just have two kind of square Marvin crank out windows - one on either side. It's two separate windows.

Another vote for laminate.....We are in the planning stages for "sprucing up" an old, tired kitchen. Not a remodel, just a little botox and peel.

Our home is in a highly sought after older, refined, established neighborhood and the people who are buying, do so then tear these 50-60 yr. old homes apart. McMansions, I think they call them on completion. At the age of 70 and my husband 80, I don't want the hassle some of you are going through with a total redo and without a total redo, the granite install is not where I want to be.

To those who choose that route, my heart goes out to you.
Plenty of anxiety over choices and follow through of contractors. I don't need that hassle but appreciate your hard work and your beautiful kitchens.

For me, let me spruce up the old cabinets, paint,new appliances new "laminate countertops" and floor and I'll feel rejuvenated again. Work should be completed in less than a month, not a year, and I can get back to life again.
Whoever buys this home will be tearing it apart anyway so just let my husband and I enjoy the partial update.

I have WilsonArt laminate with the wood edges. I was about to change to quartz until I found this. I love it and wouldn't change for anything. My laminate goes to the wall and has porcelin backsplashes. The wood matches my cabinets.

http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z203/printersdevil72/Front%20Room%20and%20kitchen%20final/?action=view&current=DSCN2358.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful:

There are numerous pics shown on the link I posted above if you want to see more views of my WilsonArt Mesa Gold laminate countertops

We are doing a mini kitchen redo, not the major remodel most on this forum do. Here's our counters. We ordered new flooring tonight and that will be it.

We like our basalt slate laminate by Wilsonart. It's got texture and interesting tones of grey to black (looks dusty actually).

In the laundry room (former galley kitchen still in need of paint) we chose a retro looking laminate by Formica. Love it.

How did you get the pics to post directly in the post?

I post my pics directly by using this tag
Use this

I hope you understand this,I have to break up the tags with words or you wont see the tag!! Of course your picture needs to be hosted somewhere. My instructions go in front of the properties of your picture.

There are detailed instructions in this link, as well in the FAQs section:

Here is a link that might be useful: How to insert pics

We have granite and mahogany in our primary home and laminate in our weekend place. The laminate looks great. We used a Kohler cast iron sink with it. I don't have any interest in replacing it with granite. If you do a big buck kitchen remodel granite/quartz/soapstone would probably be required for resale, but otherwise I think there is some extremely nice looking laminate now.

If you are a fan on Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) and like her kitchen, take a look at the Q&A on her web site. Her island is black honed granite and the perimeter counters are black formica.

I cannot say enough good things about laminate countertops. I had them through out in my last home, and when remodeling this place we put granite in the kitchen, a "cultured marble" countertop w/ built-in sink in the guest bath, and laminate in the master bath.

The granite we baby (regardless of whether or not you "have" to, with the size of our investment, I'm babying it!), and the guest bathcountertop was scratched severely right after install (we still don't know how) and everything stains it. On the flip side our master bath countertop is absolutely no hassle. Clean it with *whatever* you have handy, happen to spill hair dye or nail polish, etc., etc., no problem...it all cleans easily with no staining...seriously cannot say enough good things!

It is Wilsonart Kalahari Topaz, and we went with a 7" back splash which does a great job of protecting the walls while giving it an updated look:

I love Ina...I'll have to pay attention to the countertops next time.

I have wilsonart HD -- Deepstar Fossil laminate counters -- love em

abbycat1990, can you tell me about your basalt slate laminate?
I have read that it can scratch easily?

We are trying to decide on honed absolute black granite or the basalt slate for our perimeter countertops.

Also, I've never seen the basalt slate on an area larger than the sample chip, LOL. Do you have any other pics of the basalt slate that you would be willing to share?

I have the basalt slate too, and I haven't found that there's a scratching problem. I can't post a picture (camera's broken). If you want to see a bigger piece in person, I think Home Depot had it in stock. It was seeing the large piece there that convinced me to let my husband order ours.

Does anyone have a prep sink in their laminate countertops AND a main cleanup sink?

jennymama: Happy to oblige. We were just a little surprised when the counters arrived, as the laminate has a lot of color variation that does not show up in the chip.

Also, beware of squared edges. I was unpleasantly surprised to see the white underlayer show through at the edge. Our contractor said to color it with a sharpie. Sigh. Maybe a different fabricator could get a better result. Definitely something to check on!

I'm happy with it for now, but I'd change it for Zodiac Galaxy Black in a second if we could justify scrapping it! There are scratches, but I think those happened during the several times the contractor's guys had to remove the island top to properly position and support it (sigh--again). So far I haven't seen any scratches happen as a result of normal wear and tear--and the efforts of my 3-yr old.

Thanks abbycat, for the pics and info!
And thanks lorrainebecker for the feedback as well!

Oh decisions, decisions :-)

I have the Basalt Slate counters as well. We are getting close to 2 years since installation. I love the way they look, but overall have not been thrilled with them. Mine aren't honed, just the matte finish, and it does scratch quite easily, though the scratches are only visible in certain lights and from certain angles. Just last week I discovered a very visible chip right in front of the cooktop on the island. I am really upset. I don't know what caused it, and have had laminate counters all my life without a problem like this. I didn't love our fabricator, but I have no idea if it has to do with fabrication.

So, while I love the look, and was perfectly happy to have laminate counters, I can't say I would get this particular counter again. If I could afford it, I'd replace the island top right now and just leave them on the perimeter.

Sorry to be a downer. Until I got this counter I would have been completely gung-ho about laminate. Now I'm not so sure. . .

I am remodeling and decided to use laminate again. Mine was almost 20 years old and looked almost as good as new. If you have other things you'd rather spend the extra money on, I wouldn't hesitate to go with laminate. Take some time to learn about the different finishes. Some scratch more easy than others. One of the brands has a "quarry finish" that's supposed to be tougher. You can also pick different edges. Ours will have a full bullnose edge that curves all the way under but it's costing me extra.

I replaced ancient formica (original to the house built in 1964) with Formica's Rosso Granite honed finish. Granite was running about $50-60 per sq foot and the laminate was $47 a linear foot (rolled edge). I love it!! Don't baby it, but then I always use cutting boards (more to protect my knives)and trivets/hot mats. For the difference, I'm planning a "culinary vacation" to France or Italy!!

The Wilsonart HD doesn't show scratches, I love it! People can't resist touching it either. I actually replaced 33 year old formica that really looked pretty good.

So glad to know Im not the only one out there who likes laminate! I have it with a wood edge to match cabs and get lots of comments on it. Agree with others that it looks great just to the edge of back wall and then do a different back splash.
I am doing a new kitchen in a different house now and trying to convince husband to do laminate. Would rather put $ into other aspects of the kitchen. The only issue I had was one seam near sink swelled but all others pristine after 15 years. Let's hear it for laminate!
I am thinking of doing laminate again but at the sink island doing quartz.