You got here, right? Google all of them. It matters not what someone else has in their home, it isn't YOUR home.

You order samples of those, and you look at them next to your cabinets. : )

You can go to one of the Big Box stores (Lowes or Home Depot, etc), and they have a wall, with the samples hanging there and you can get them for free.

Echoing what others have said. Get the samples and hold them up to a sample of your cabinets in your home, in your light.

So the newer laminates that are installed the right way to look like real stone are expensive to have done I would suggest you go look at some real stone counters many are pretty afforadble . As for the actual laminate the comments before are right only you can tell what looks good in your space . Actual real wood butcher block is also affordable BTW .Ikea has some great choices for counters too

@Patricia Colwell Consulting I already have ordered a ton of samples...really looking to see large scale / real life pictures. Plus as mentioned we are starting from scratch - I can't see how it would look in my space as there is no space yet... And I can't do real butcher block as my island is too long and large, I would need to have joints which I don't want

@Kendrah I already have ordered a ton of samples...really looking to see large scale / real life pictures. Plus as mentioned we are starting from scratch - I can't see how it would look in my space as there is no space yet... no cabinets, nothing. Everything is to be installed soon

@JAN MOYER I already have ordered a ton of samples...really looking to see large scale / real life pictures. Plus as mentioned we are starting from scratch - I can't see how it would look in my space as there is no space yet... ... no cabinets, nothing. Everything is to be installed soon

@cat_ky I already have ordered a ton of samples...really looking to see large scale / real life pictures.

Few pictures of laminate will exist, unless you google the Porfolio pics of Wilsonite an Formica.

Honestly, you are better off at a stone shop, or at least show us your kitchen plan .....on paper.

Otherwise? You do your due diligence on their sites

example below

I hear you. My DD is in the planning stages of a remodel. She is thinking of doing laminate because of the cost savings. It also would be appropiate for her house. I would just Google as has been suggested. You also might see if there is a laminate fabricator near you that would let you see actual sheets of the ones you wanted. Or maybe they could give feedback on them.

The small samples really do not help much in the laminates with color variation. DD thought she liked one and then happened to see a large piece of it and you never would have known they were the same thing.

We ALL understand the dilemma. We are all telling you the images of other folks kitchens won't exist: ) : )

Much depends on how long you plan to have the new kitchen. That is a scenario where you ask...........

What is the difference in pricing installed tops, between the laminate, and a solid surface.

How long will I have this kitchen?

Is it five years? Ten? Then you divide that dollar difference by that number of years.

Example? It is 2500.00 to do the tops in laminate. It is double to do a stone.

2500.00 more spread over five years? You do your math.: )

Fannie, have you looked at the info provided on the manufacturers webpages? Wilsonart was much better about giving you info on being able to see a full sheet, repeat, etc. The repeat is one of the things that you want to check. That is the area of the pattern that is printed every X number of inches.

I found that Wilsonart had a much larger repeat than Formica, therefore it would give a more realistic appearance.

@RNmomof2 zone 5 thanks for your input :) I searched deeply on Houzz's threads and saw several threads where people posted photos of their own kitchens (but not the exact same ones as I am looking) so I though I might get some answers showing these particular designs.

it is partially because I don't like the look of stone and don't want to go with quartz as I find the price difference with laminate vs durability (resistance to stains, scratches) not worth it.

Here I could do all my countertops for 900$ with laminate and it is 3500-4000$ minimum for quartz or stone. We probably won't stay here for more than 5 years - and laminate is easy to swap if we end up staying longer and want to go with stone later on.

I looked a lot at both Formica and Wilsonart websites and patterns, I have my mind set on Wilsonart because of that and I tested the samples for scratch resistance and staining and they held up well.

I guess my best bet now is to return to the fabricant and ask to see full sheets!

Have you checked Pinterest for pictures. I have seen several pictures of laminate there, in the marble.. I often get them in my feed.

I tried a search of ”Wilsonart Calcutta Marble Laminate” and ”Wilsonart Calcutta Marble Laminate Pinterest,” going to the Images (not ’All’ tab) to see how that looked on various countertops. It’s by no mesns exhaustive, but it’s a start. Substiture the names of the ones you are most interested in and see if it gives you a better idea.