By solid surface, do you mean Corian?

I mean granite slab most likely.

People have lived with tiled counters in the past. I would find a nice dark tile with matching grout to make the counter look uniform-ish. Have you considered butcher block from Ikea? Personally I would prefer butcher block or Corian Glacier White to tile.

Well I have dark cabinets so I assumed butcher block might clash?
My thought on the tile would be a nice porcelain with larger tiles.
Tile tops the list because hubby can install which makes it much more affordable.

It's so frustrating facing this delema so soon after our home was built.

When we built our home my DH installed large tile with narrow joints for our counters. The tile was gorgeous but I wouldn't do it again because I really hated cleaning the grout lines.. (We removed the counters a couple years ago when our range died.)

Ikea has some reasonable butcher block that we used in part of the kitchen. I'm not up on the current cost of laminate but my advice would be "no" to the tile.

Thanks barncatz, I'm hesitant too which is why I love getting advice here. Thanks for your opinion ; )

I don't think butcher block would not work with dark cabinets. Can you post a pic of cabs?

balou, can you post your cabinets and counter dimensions? That might help generate ideas. Maybe you could find a granite remnant? I'd consider laminate too.

I would do butcher block. If that won't work then laminate.

Here's a photo of the cabinets...

In our previous home I installed porcelain 12x12 inch tiles with charcoal epoxy grout on our kitchen counters and they were easy to clean and held up beautifully.

Thanks for the compliment ; ) So even granite reminents won't work unfortunately because my husband wouldn't be able to do that himself.
Oh how I wish tile was back in style lol!

We stayed at a VRBO a couple of years ago where the kitchen had large tiled counters. They were dark and at first I didn't realize they were tile as whoever installed them did a great job with having super teeny tiny grout lines. So while I do think it's doable, I'd rather see laminate put in. You can buy pre made lengths from the big box stores for a couple of hundred bucks.

What's wrong with the counters?

I'm trying to decide if I was being too harsh. I thought my counters looked great. But the grout, especially by the sink, was hard to maintain and crumbs would get in even the teeny joints and although DH did a great job, sometimes you'd set something down and it would rock. I don't know. If you love the look, you'll put up with the downsides but as a make do - that's what they are.

What's the problem with the counters you have now?

I wouldn't do tile at all. Yuck. I would and have done laminate.

Good to know about the laminate, thanks.

There are definitely consider with tile grout sucks for sure. The issue with my countertops are... installed poorly, etched surface from either fabricator or factory and chipped edges from the wrong angle being cut, again fabricator was a nightmare.

sorry I meant there are definitely things to consider.... typing on my tiny phone leaves a lot to desire for grammar and spelling!

Please tell us what is wrong with the counters- we are a curious bunch ;-)

I see why you don't like butcher block with those lovely wooden cabinets. Is Glacier White Corian out of the budget? That is the cheapest Corian and I actually love it.

Otherwise, I am with everyone else who says to go with a laminate like Formica. Your cabinets are far too nice to cheapen with tile. Plain white Formica would be better.

Hi Rita, see my post above for the reasons why we are unhappy with our counters.
I did consider reinstalling with another fabricator because we may get new quartz for free from the manufacturer but the fabrication is just too pricey.

I actually just remembered we have a family friend that works with Corian, I will check into that along with the color you are referring to. I much prefer Corian to tile for sure!

Thanks everyone for chiming in : )

Yeh they seem nice - what are your current counters made of?

Can you add tile somewhere in there!?

Ok they're damaged - some houzzers know about that stuff...

How are they damaged? Can you take a picture of the damage? Maybe they can be fixed? What material are they?

Unfortunately I have had a fabricator come out and there is no way of repairing, believe me I've tried every angle.
Not only is the surface damaged but they were also cut wrong at the seams. It's sad to be in this position, we spent a lot of money and were so excited to get quartz. Caesarstone basically lets anyone with a pulse sell and fabricate their product, hard lesson learned.

I would put laminate in ovver tile. I have tile now and I cant wait to rip that effen counter out. I would put anything else over that. concrete, epoxy anything but tile.

I am so sorry this happened to you balou. I know Caesarstone is expensive. A huge bummer.

If you use tile for the grout pick an epoxy grout like Fusion. The color, even light, will stay the same.

Thanks Rita I'm definitely disappointed.
Well I haven't had tile for years but several of you definitely dislike it, I can see why.

My husband's going to put a call out this weekend to check if we can swing Corian.

I have see tile done with thin lines and epoxy grout helps with the cleaning. I personally would choose laminate over tile though.

I think you have two choices. Live with what you have until you have the money to replace, or install Formica. I think tile would be too high maintenance. Here are two examples of Formica. Good luck.

njay, I've never seen Formica look so nice. Thanks for the pictures!

Wilsonart HD can be bought fabricated (attached to particleboard and with an edge profile) for about $20 SF. That does not include installation. I would not get an integrated 4” backsplash. The real value of laminate is a DIY install, which almost always means a top-mount sink.

Corian IMO is a huge step up. Cost typically is more than Wilsonart HD but less than quartz. Corian or other solid surface is used at many fast food establishments.

If you must pay an installer, I would not do laminate.

I'd take damaged Caesarstone with bad seams over a tile countertop.

I lived in a rental apartment with counters covered in standard ceramic tiles, like you'd find in a bathroom. The landlord had done a nice job matching the tile to the kitchen, and created borders, so it looked nice enough. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but I really didn't mind it. It was easy to clean and sturdy -- didn't have to worry about putting a hot pot down, or stains. If you get tile that isn't porous, it's very easy to clean. One very important thing is that when you install it, be sure to seal the grout very well, or it will get stained quickly and make you sad. My landlord was good enough to fix the problem, and the white grout stayed perfectly clean for the four subsequent years I was there. The one downside for me was that when it was little chilly, the counter was quite cold to the touch -- and this was in Los Angeles. I see a few recommendations here for laminate over tile -- I would agree ONLY if you get top quality laminate, like Formica, which can get pricy. My current rental has cheap laminate, and it is a misery.