New Countertops, opinions.....

[LYSE]

Next house we are going back to a high end granite, we went dolomite this time and it looks great and has the heat resistance but it's soft and easily stained/pitted.

Maybe we'll cough up the money for quartzite (not man made quartz) next time.

 

[barkley]

just chose and ordered our bathroom and laundry room counters. sticker shock but not entirely b/c everything renovation wise has gone up in price significantly since we've done anything interior wise. i'm pleased with the what we chose so now it's wait until everything arrives so the work can get scheduled.

 

[kymom99]

I know that my opinion may not be popular, but I think the advice to stay away from brown granite is a bit personal. The trend for the last several years has been white or grey everything. While it does look bright, it also looks cold and a bit sterile. How many kitchens were done with white Shaker cabinets and white subway tile? Just as the trend that stayed away from anything gold for many years has suddenly become the in thing, brown will eventually return to favor. That's the thing with the trend in home design. There are only so many choices and for designers to stay in business, they have to constantly recycle colors and materials. They may look good for a while but will become outdated even if you still like them. One prime example is the open concept that became an absolute must have for years. We never liked it because we like having the kitchen partially obstructed from the living and dining area. The pandemic showed many people the beauty of having some walls. My advice is get what you really like and ignore what the home shows tell you that you have to have. Unless you are planning to sell in a couple of years, don't even worry about resale. By the time you are ready to sell, the trend will probably be something different anyway.

I totally agree. We are building a new house. I chose mocha cabinets and granite with shades of brown. A friend whose taste I like tells me wood tones are timeless. As of now there won’t be a tile backsplash. Maybe later. We saw some pretty neat kitchen color combinations but figured the novelty will wear off eventually and we plan to have this till we die!

Going off on a tangent about tastes, etc. the neighbor across the street was trying to sell. House might have been priced a tad high but it is a well built, high end home. My niece does hair and a client was talking about her neighbor looking in this neighborhood and looked at the house. but this house was “owned by older people” and “needed a lot of updating”. What a bunch of bologny. Ok it’s not someone’s taste but updating? It had granite counters, beautiful hardwood floors, all very well maintained. Some people think if there aren’t all the current trends everything is “outdated”. Some things are timeless. As it turns out, that couple bought the house a year later for a lesser price. I saw some paint cans going in but I don’t think they did that much updating.

 

[LYSE]

I totally agree. We are building a new house. I chose mocha cabinets and granite with shades of brown. A friend whose taste I like tells me wood tones are timeless. As of now there won’t be a tile backsplash. Maybe later. We saw some pretty neat kitchen color combinations but figured the novelty will wear off eventually and we plan to have this till we die!

Going off on a tangent about tastes, etc. the neighbor across the street was trying to sell. House might have been priced a tad high but it is a well built, high end home. My niece does hair and a client was talking about her neighbor looking in this neighborhood and looked at the house. but this house was “owned by older people” and “needed a lot of updating”. What a bunch of bologny. Ok it’s not someone’s taste but updating? It had granite counters, beautiful hardwood floors, all very well maintained. Some people think if there aren’t all the current trends everything is “outdated”. Some things are timeless. As it turns out, that couple bought the house a year later for a lesser price. I saw some paint cans going in but I don’t think they did that much updating.

Depends on the area, there are a lot of older people where I live now and you don't always get money back on fixing their taste....but where I lived previously it was completely possible for a brand new remodel done in bad taste to add nothing or next to nothing in value because the demographics of the buyers in the area were actually the youngest in the nation.

 

[_19disnA]

I think there is a difference in remodeling to get a home ready to sell versus a place you intend to live for a number of years. When we built our new house a couple of years ago we choose a shade of brown granite countertops and they match really well with our stained wood cabinets. There are so many different colors for countertops it is really a matter of what you like and how it matches with the rest of the kitchen. I don't get the people who are so opposed to brown granite, but to each their own. Painted cabinets can be made from a lower grade of wood, so it wouldn't surprise me to see builders/designers pushing painted cabinets as a way to save money.

Relators say things to maximize their commission so a little common sense goes a long way. Just because they are a realtor doesn't mean you have to agree with them. Fixing up something that is rundown is different from spending on expensive upgrades that add nothing to the value of the house. I know some others who refused to remodel before putting their home up for sale since they said it was also likely the new owners would rip that all out and redo it to match their style, which I agree with. If you put $40,000 into a remodel and it doesn't translate to a higher sales price, not sure you accomplished anything.

 

[tvguy]

I think there is a difference in remodeling to get a home ready to sell versus a place you intend to live for a number of years. When we built our new house a couple of years ago we choose a shade of brown granite countertops and they match really well with our stained wood cabinets. There are so many different colors for countertops it is really a matter of what you like and how it matches with the rest of the kitchen. I don't get the people who are so opposed to brown granite, but to each their own. Painted cabinets can be made from a lower grade of wood, so it wouldn't surprise me to see builders/designers pushing painted cabinets as a way to save money.

Relators say things to maximize their commission so a little common sense goes a long way. Just because they are a realtor doesn't mean you have to agree with them. Fixing up something that is rundown is different from spending on expensive upgrades that add nothing to the value of the house. I know some others who refused to remodel before putting their home up for sale since they said it was also likely the new owners would rip that all out and redo it to match their style, which I agree with. If you put $40,000 into a remodel and it doesn't translate to a higher sales price, not sure you accomplished anything.

When I sold my parents house in 2013.........it was almost exactly as built in 1960 right down to the pink tile in the bathrooms and the 1960 Westinghouse cooktop and oven. I interviewed 4 Realtors and all agreed, don't spent a penny on paint or remodeling. Mind you their pricing recommendations based on the SAME comps were $250,000 apart from the lowest to the highest, so they didn't agree on a lot. But it was in an area where the location and 1/2 acre lot were the major selling points. Odds were 50-50 it would be torn down by the new owner. I ended up selling to Flippers who remodeled and relisted it. Their offer was cash, no inspections. Only thing I had to do was spend $75 to put earthquake straps on the water heater. That was required by code. My daughter two years ago bought her first place, freshly remodeled and most of it she will be redoing to her taste as she gets money to do it. So remodeling a home for sale can at the least be a gamble on getting your money back.

 

[disykat]

Weighing in on the brown debate. The white kitchens crack me up because I've already been there, done that in the early 90's. Go with colors you love. For me that means brown and grey tones mixed for a beachy vibe, but also for the fact that then I can go either direction with decorating.

I will replace my kitchen counters when I find something that I greatly prefer over the laminate I have now. It hasn't happened yet, so the laminate remains. I've had my eye out for about 8 years now!

 

[LYSE]

When I sold my parents house in 2013.........it was almost exactly as built in 1960 right down to the pink tile in the bathrooms and the 1960 Westinghouse cooktop and oven. I interviewed 4 Realtors and all agreed, don't spent a penny on paint or remodeling. Mind you their pricing recommendations based on the SAME comps were $250,000 apart from the lowest to the highest, so they didn't agree on a lot. But it was in an area where the location and 1/2 acre lot were the major selling points. Odds were 50-50 it would be torn down by the new owner. I ended up selling to Flippers who remodeled and relisted it. Their offer was cash, no inspections. Only thing I had to do was spend $75 to put earthquake straps on the water heater. That was required by code. My daughter two years ago bought her first place, freshly remodeled and most of it she will be redoing to her taste as she gets money to do it. So remodeling a home for sale can at the least be a gamble on getting your money back.

If they successfully flipped the house then the realtors were wrong and you/parents could have made those improvements and fetched more money. The flippers proved it.

 

[tvguy]

If they successfully flipped the house then the realtors were wrong and you/parents could have made those improvements and fetched more money. The flippers proved it.

Nope. The Flippers lost their shirts. They did a top to bottom remodel and put it back on the market 3 months later. I sold it to them in July 2013, they relisted it in October. It took them 13 months to sell it. They finally sold it for $169,000 more than then paid me after putting $200,000 (according to the permits filed with the county) in remodeling in it. Plus they had to pay insurance for a year and property taxes. Neighbors figure they lost $100,000. It was one of three houses in the immediate area sold at that time, and the only one that was remodeled, not torn down. It was a 1,750 square foot house on a 1/2 acre lot. The norm there is people build 5,000 square foot McMansions on those lots.
So the Realtors knew what they talking about.

 

[LYSE]

Nope. The Flippers lost their shirts. They did a top to bottom remodel and put it back on the market 3 months later. I sold it to them in July 2013, they relisted it in October. It took them 13 months to sell it. They finally sold it for $169,000 more than then paid me after putting $200,000 (according to the permits filed with the county) in remodeling in it. Plus they had to pay insurance for a year and property taxes. Neighbors figure they lost $100,000. It was one of three houses in the immediate area sold at that time, and the only one that was remodeled, not torn down. It was a 1,750 square foot house on a 1/2 acre lot. The norm there is people build 5,000 square foot McMansions on those lots.
So the Realtors knew what they talking about.

Ah so it flopped that's definitely not a flip haha, it sounded like it actually flipped successfully ..in that case you obviously did well.

 

[BroganCompton]

Hi there! I hope you're doing great! I had a similar situation where I wanted to redo my kitchen. I ended up going with new countertops, which was my best decision ever. It made my kitchen look so much better and was a lot less expensive than getting new cabinets. I've had good luck with quartz countertops. Here's a great review about pros and cons of quartz countertop. They're durable and easy to care for. As for tile, I like the look of subway tile. It's classic and timeless. I hope this helps!

 

[kanerf]

I went with Quartzite. It is fantastic. Mine is black with gold and copper metallic flakes in it. Looks really good in my kitchen and have had it for several years now and no sign of scratching or dulling of the surface.

 

[limace]

Wow, guys! Actually, I'm really happy I've found this thread because my wife and I have recently started remodeling our kitchen, so your advice and recommendations are very helpful for us. In short, we'd like to have quartz countertops installed in our kitchen, so it would also be great if you told us more about the pros and cons of quartz countertop.

Unusual first post to a Disney focused board, but good luck with your remodel.

 

[Miffy]

I went with Quartzite. It is fantastic. Mine is black with gold and copper metallic flakes in it. Looks really good in my kitchen and have had it for several years now and no sign of scratching or dulling of the surface.

We also had quartzite in our previous kitchen, white with gray veining. It was beautiful and looked amazing with zero problems. You just have to make sure it's properly sealed, which ours was. I'm thinking of using it in our new kitchen as well.

 

[timdwight]

Happy you're making a change! Renovations can be pretty costly but they make the comfort of your home much better. I'm hoping to renovate our bathrooms with a new countertop, preferably one of the choices from this site. I'm looking for granite specifically. Would anyone have any recommendations for other white countertop options?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Happy you're making a change! Renovations can be pretty costly but they make the comfort of your home much better. I'm hoping to renovate our bathrooms with a new countertop, preferably one of the choices from this site. I'm looking for granite specifically. Would anyone have any recommendations for other white countertop options?

Best wishes with your bathroom remodels, Tim. And welcome to the 6.