I'm looking at getting the Wilsonart Calcutta marble from HomeDepot. I'm wondering if anybody can tell me how the Wilsonart or Formica fx180 feels compared to stone. And when I say feel, I'm talking about the sensation from touching it. Does it feel like a laminate? Does it feel like a stone/ceramic/glass?

it feels like a smooth surface, not as smooth at glass, but not rough like a honed stone either. if you get a sample at the store--that will be what it feels like. You can have them order you a larger sample also so you can get a feel for it. I love love mine.

call Wilson Art, order a sample of the color you like. They will send a sample for free.

If you drop something on granite, it will break. Laminate is a LOT more forgiving. I like it by far the best for everyday use, even though I think granite is beautiful. I need a kitchen I can USE. I don't care for Corian as I don't feel it justifies its expense. Wilsonart has some finishes that look like high end granite. In fact I heard a woman in Lowes asking how much the granite on a kitchen model was and it was the laminate. My daughter is buying her first home and we looked at granite. Then we looked at laminate and she found a dark sample with silvery chips and a glossy finish that looks almost identical to the granite she liked. Cost is $350 for the kitchen compared to $1800 for discount remnant granite. She is going with laminate. She can put all new counters in the house for less than the cost of one counter in granite. By the time she sells the house, she can update to whatever is then in vogue.

We did a whole house remodel 13 years ago and I chose granite for my countertops. I selected the black with gray speckles. It looks outstanding with stainless appliances and stainless hoffritz cabinet handles. Our cabinets are riff cut Maple and our floor is porcelain in a swirl pattern that picks up all of the grays in the stainless. I did a time of research and wanted a kitchen that is timeless and so far we are still well within the parameters of current styles in our area. The granite is very easy to maintain – reseal it every couple of years. we love to cook and entertain and are often shifting hot pots and pans around and the granite takes the heat with no problem. In a pinch I have had to cut things on the granite - and that's fine also. It was more expensive – we knew we were going to be in our house for at least 15 years and I have truly enjoyed every aspect of the granite and the selections we made in the kitchen itself. I was fortunate enough to work with a kitchen designer as we changed our whole kitchen footprint. I have dropped glasses on all kinds of surfaces – I think it is a myth that glasses break more often on granite. Breakage has more to do with the angle of the fall and the type and style of the glass.

When we did our new kitchen in phases, thought about granite but replacing central AC/heat was more important. DIY installed Wilsonart Luna Shadow. $20 SF vs $50/60. In 2-3 or even 4-5 years, after we have tackled other projects, may well replace with granite. Or leave. Nice product, works well, shows well. Wish MIL had used Wilsonart instead of granite in her Reno that kept old warped oak cabinets from the 70s with unfinished particleboard shelves. Whenever her house has to be sold, old cabinets and new granite both will have to be ripped to sell.

This thread inspired me! I just ordered 5 samples from two lines of Formica; wish they didn't have a limit. What Hal Braswell said is so true; I can get better-quality flooring, cabinets, appliances, and lighting and still have beautiful countertops at a big saving. I got my first quote (a kitchen design store) today for cabinets and counters, and quartz would cost me $6,850 installed for the kitchen, two baths, and powder room.

Installed wilsonart in our new construction home. It was my first choice bc I wasn't interested in spending an extra $8000 just on countertops. I can't tell you how many guests have commented on how beautiful my granite is. I just smile and get out my samples of LAMINATE to show them. Granite is not the only option. It would not be a selling point for me if I was looking to buy a home. Buy what you like. Resale is not a reason to buy something you don't like and/or cannot afford.

In our new kitchen, granite would cost at least $5-6,000. And one day we may switch from our Wilsonart.



But

I'd rather spend $5,000 for a 12' X 20' screened and roofed back porch than pay for granite.


I'd rather spend $5,000 for a media wall with fireplace in family room than pay for granite.


I'd rather spend $5,000to enclose carport, or replace Windows and doors, update all closets than pay for granite.

After doing all those things, expanding the front porch, some landscaping and privacy fence in the back yard, may pay for granite.

It's all a matter of priorities. We aren't concerned with resale because homes top out in our neighborhood less than what we are putting into our fixer upper. This is our age in place home. Granite is nice but does not expand our living space, improve efficiency, increase livability in our family room or increase curb appeal.

Interesting discussion. One more factor not mentioned yet is that the value of the house should be considered. It's always a danger to over improve a house. For example, our neighbourhood is a mid level suburb about fifty years old. Many of the houses are the same or a similar layout. Real estate prices creep up a little each year, but don't fluctuate much. This means the real estate prices for our area fall into a fairly narrow band. Because the houses are much alike and there's always something for sale, buyers are not going to be paying 10,000-12,000 more for a house with premium countertops. Recently, there were two houses for sale on our street. They were almost identical, but priced $6,000 apart. One sold in four days and the other sat for months until they lowered the price. So my conclusion is to do what you love if you're staying, but if you're considering resale look at the comparables in your neighbourhood.

I am building a small lake house. I am absolutely thrilled to install laminate countertops! There are so many patterns to choose from. I am going for a simple classic timeless look and will be using Formica Calcutta Marble. I am wondering if anyone can recommend the best finish to use? I do not care for the glossy ......

Formica sends out free samples so you can order the one you want in whatever finishes are available. Or whichever ones you think you'd like.

This is Steven from Xiamen Ikea Stone Co.,Ltd. the professional wholesaler and exporter of stone products, Our company products cover: granite slabs, countertop, quartz stone, vanity top,etc.Pls contact email: sales@ikea-stone.com

I upgraded the kitchen in my condo 4 years ago. I installed new Wilsonart countertops and a new sink and faucet. I also painted the cabinets and put up a ceramic tile backsplash. I went with laminate counters because that was what I could afford. I refused to shell out a fortune for granite, quartz or corian just to impress people. It's ridiculous. Laminate does the job just fine, is durable and maintenance-free. The color is Milano Amber and finish is quarry which is semi-glossy and simulates natural stone. The counters are still as beautiful as the day they were installed. It's almost impossible to damage them if you use common sense.

I was so impressed with the kitchen counters that I installed a Wilsonart HD countertop on my bathroom vanity 6 months ago along with a new sink and faucet. The color is Crystalline Iris and the finish is faceted matte.

I don't live in a rich, fancy neighborhood that demands expensive, high-end materials. I live in a modest but cozy condo (that is paid for) in a good neighborhood. Wilsonart laminate is good enough for me and it rivals any granite counters I've seen.

I think it looks great, especially the bathroom with that super-pretty faucet that matches the sink. It helps that you have good taste!

Thanks Judy Bee. When I decided to re-model the kitchen 4 years ago and starting picking out the materials and colors, I discovered that I have a flair for interior design. I had a lot of fun re-doing the kitchen and bath. 3 weeks ago I had new tile floors laid in the kitchen and bath and now I'm looking at wood flooring to replace the carpet. I redecorated my bedroom with new furniture, a new paint color and new nature scenes artwork on the walls a couple of years ago and putting all of that together was a fun project too.

You do have a flair! Are you able to calculate how much you saved compared to quartz, like Caesarstone?

At the time of the kitchen re-do, I calculated that the Wilsonart laminate was about 1/3 the cost of granite or quartz just for the materials. I didn't look into the price difference for installation because I really didn't want granite anyway. It has to be treated too delicately in my opinion. I might have considered quartz but I had too many projects vying for my limited dollars and thought it was ridiculous to over-spend on the countertops when laminate would serve the purpose and I really liked the colors/patterns Wilsonart offered.

We live in a 34 year old home in an modest, middle class neighbourhood. We are gutting our kitchen and we are going with laminate countertops. The originals lasted about 30 years and I am sure the quality and designs are even better now. We are taking the graduate and her older sister to Disneyland next summer with the money we won't spend on granite. But if we were to go high-end, I hear quartz is the bomb.

p.s. In other words I agree with Hal-Braswell-Consulting. In any house there are always upgrades that need to be done and they all cost money and time. It is a matter of priorities and there's always Hawaii.

@arubaaruba How did you get the beveled edge? I thought the " IdealEdge " only came in two profiles Ogee and Bullnose. I want the exact same edge as you so I am curious as to how you achieved it. http://www.formica.com/en/ca/products/idealedge-real

This is edge was in my samples. I'm a designer at an architectural office. And I had my cabinet maker make my tops from a sample edge I had from formica. I also ordered the same edge from a distributor for my bathroom tops in the silver travertine. Maybe it's not offered anymore......

There are several independent companies that make/supply the beveled edging from whichever brand and color of laminate you want. Your local countertop fabricator should have a source.

So glad that I found this old thread. I was just about to spend too much money on countertops. I think we get caught up in the process and make poor decisions. Even the woman at the stone supplier said, "It's just a countertop, why spend a fortune?" Thank you!

This is an old thread and I have a 3-4 year old photo of our kitchen makeover with Formica 180fx in "Petrified Wood". We loved it for its uniqueness. The glass backsplash really helped too.

So nice!!!!

Is that gloss finish? Looks like it is

@ Realtor - I have both glossy n flat finish laminate (one in shore place n one at home). Both r fine, it's just a matter of taste - lowes n home depot have plenty of samples to look at n take home.

I so much appreciate all who post on Houzz as there is much to be learned from the Pros and others who share their reno experiences so in that spirit, here is a photo of our 35 year old kitchen after it was gutted and reconfigured on a tight budget yet still cost a lot. This is 6 weeks later and at the finish line in December'16. We just need to accessorize and change out or spray paint the brass door handles. We researched and looked at many tops but in the end we chose Wilsonart Italian White di Pesco laminate top. It is a matte (antique) finish and hides everything!! We love it.

Pretty!!!!!

Yes, it is pretty. Nice to see how many people are happy with their Wilsonart/Formica.

I have to say that I looked at Wilsonart at Home Depot and there are a few samples, which look so much like granite that it blew me away how much shine the Wilsonart had.

Some of it did look like old school formica, but a lot of it was visually interesting.

Beautiful kitchen, dixielolla!

We are at the end of our new custom build. I felt very "pushed to put granite everywhere" but it is so expensive and honestly I don't like the "busy-ness" of it. And to get a solid color I would have had to go with quartz and it is more expensive. But... we ended up using granite in the kitchen -alot of it- and used remnants of granite (ask your fabricator to see the remnants available-costs less per square foot) in the 2 other bathrooms and in the master it was a Marble / limestone. But.. since the laundry and mud rooms weren't super visible from the main area of the house, I used the black matte formica ... I like it alot, there are tons of choices too. I figured that if I end up not liking it down the road it will be cheap to redo it too..

**Still a work in progress

ERA DOty real estate, the "Petrified wood" shown is glossy, but is also comes in a honed finished, which is may be more forgiving with a busy family.

@dixielolla that looks amazing! who was your manufacturer and what kind of edge is that?? we're thinking of the same thing for our kitchen but we're concerned about the seams and yours don't look seamy at all!

@Mimi We live in Surrey, BC, Canada so we went with a private manufacturer who also did the install who were cheaper than Home Depot. It’s a basic wrap around edge. So no seams show on the wrap except in the corners but hardly noticeable. Seams in the L of the tops are also hardly noticeable due to the subtle design in the tops. If wanting a white kitchen, such as ours you could also consider Formica Calcutta Marble. That was my 2nd choice. It is also lovely but we are still happy with our Wilsonart choice. Hope this helps! Post a pic when done!

@dixielolla thank you so much for your response!! I'm realizing that getting private manufacturers make a huge difference! I'm sorry to pester you with questions I am just OBSESSED with your kitchen and yours is exactly what I want ours to look like. How did you find your manufacturer?? I've ordered a crazy amount of samples from formica and wilsonart so I hope I find one I love!

No matter what surface you choose...quartz, granite, Corian, laminate...ALWAYS go through a fabricator that specializes in that medium. Lowes, Home Depot, etc. are great for shopping colors but for actual purchase, fabrication, and installation go with a fabricator in your area. You would not believe how many jobs we have had to go fix because of installers that are not properly trained or they cut the material wrong. It will save you money in the long run. Also, the kind of counter tops you choose are YOUR CHOICE...granite, quartz, or laminate. Don't go over budget to satisfy someone else's opinion or judgement.

@Mimi. I hear you! Choosing the tops was one of my hardest descisions. I also ordered tons of samples. I googled countertop manufacturers & checked their reviews but tbh I wouldn’t hesitate to go with Home Depot. They did our bathroom tops. We also could have ordered the tops thru our cabinet manufacturer so that might be an option for you. Good luck!

@Precision-Tops, LLC thank you for your response! I never would have known any of this stuff! Thank you!

@dixielolla, @mimi I am so glad that you had great luck with Home Depot...in their defense, we only hear the bad stuff when we have to go fix it!!

@Precision-Tops, LLC no that was excellent advice! both of your advice to look at manufacturers and fabricators was a game changer cuz it's taken the quality that I'm seeing to a different level. Thank you both!!

My kitchen table is 34 years old and still looks great. Homework, crafts, prepping, projects, big meals. The top is Formica the rest oak. I will never give up that table.

Many kitchen dealers can help with choice of tops as well.

@Precision-Tops, LLC. I posted my response to @Mimi before I saw yours. And I agree with you in principle, in that why not go with a company who specializes in that field rather than HD who doesn't specialize in anything. Not to scare Mimi but tbh the manufacturer of our tops did bunk it a bit in that they left a gap between the top and the wall on the peninsula because they supposedly thought we were doing a backsplash all the way through to the end of the peninsula that would hide that gap. Communication? Perhaps my fault, perhaps theirs. Or perhaps just a shoddy measurement, or faulty cut on their part and/or nothing level or squared anymore in this old house of mine? Regardless, it wasn't discovered until after the top was down and at that point there was nothing to be done other than rip it out and wait to have it redone or fill it with silicone. We chose the silicone because after 6 weeks of eating Alphagetti out of a microwave in our livingroom we were just "so done". Hardly noticeable but I must admit I was disappointed at the time. But other than that the tops look great. On the other hand HD did our bathrooms just a straight surface, with a lip instead of a backsplash, so a fairly, easy straight forward manufacture and install and no issues.

@dixielolla I can't speak for your fabricator, but just from what you are saying, it does happen. The reason is that no wall is straight. There are bows and movement in every wall always. We would install the top and, if no quartz or granite back splash, we would leave it for your painter or tiler. They usually color match their caulking to the paint or grout. They would then caulk between the counter top and wall. If you did have matching back splash, we would make sure it was caulked with clear or white caulking. You cannot bend quartz or granite to accommodate the walls, so this is the best that we can do to kind of camouflage the inconsistency. 9 times out of 10, once completed with back splash, you will never notice the walls, just the pretty tops and backsplash!!

@Precision-Tops, LLC well I've taken your advice and gotten in touch with some manufacturers and I'm a bit surprised by the cost! For our small 18 sq ft kitchen, with the calacutta marble laminate with the Aegean edge including installation we have been consistently quoted $1200. Maybe I was naive from all of the posts that mentioned hundreds of dollars for their kitchen that I never thought we would get into the over $1000 range. I'm not sure which direction to head in now!

I don't deal a lot with laminate anymore, we usually contract it out if a customer wants it. I do know that quartz or granite would probably be double or close to it. (At least in my area. I know that stone is less expensive in other parts of the country.) Go with who you are comfortable with. Definitely research the people you got quotes from and look for photos of their work. If you have Home Depot or another retailer in your area that does laminate, check reviews. Also, see if you can contact some of those people to see photos of the finished work. (posting an ad in a Facebook group will bring locals out to answer your questions and show you pics!) Sometimes the extra money up front will serve you better in the long run. But, if your local retailer seems to be good, go with them. It's up to you. Another thing I would check on is a warranty period. I am not sure if they will warranty laminate or what the period would be, but having one for one place and not in another would help make my decision easier if it were me.

@Precision-Tops, LLC yeah we're just thinking now of buying the laminate from home depot and then having someone install it because their premade counters are genuinely $180 versus the $800 quote we received for having them custom made for an additional 6 inches on the end. And I'm only surprised because quartz would definitely have been more expensive but honestly BARELY because we could get a deal from my husband's step mom who works with house flippers. However, we know the value of our house couldn't support quartz countertops and felt it would be a waste. But then after receiving the quotes on the laminate we're like MIGHT AS WELL GET THE EXPENSIVE COUNTERTOPS!

Wow! That is quite a cost difference!! Sounds like a great compromise! I am sure the HD laminate quality will be the same as your fabricator! That is cool that you get a great discount! If you do go quartz, stay low end pricing. As you said, your house value can't support it so don't over renovate. MSI has a lot of great colors in lower end pricing! If you need some color ideas, let me know and I will send you a few!