But of course! Budget kitchen, remember?

But seriously, I am not into housework these days. I paid my dues 20 years ago and now I have other things to do. Formica works for me because I'm not careful. It cleans up easily, cheap enough to change if I want to, and I like it.

I've put the link to my kitchen down here.........and I'm still going to take the time to organize the last 40 pictures, yes, I am. Soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: The whole darn kitchen

When I spruced up my kitchen a few years ago I put in laminate. I liked it, and it has held up terrifically. One thing I especially love is it's affordability since I tend to be a 5 year changer for color, even though my style stays the same. If I wasn't downsizing my sink I think would have considered keeping it for a while, but now I am married to a wood counter. Hmmm, now that I think back I was considering wood then too!

The style I have is the traditional drip edge which help stops the flow of liquid. But they have different edges now that they did not have then. The other day I saw a nice laminate at HD with an upscale ogee edge. I also saw the new laminate 180? and that was amazing to look at too.

Here's a really nice blue!

Here is a link that might be useful: Canyon Blue

Lavender, I was thinking about this when you were questioning stones in a previous post. One of the kitchens I've loved and saved has laminate counters that look like marble. so pretty! I have laminate now, and it's got to be at least 15 years old, probably much more. It is in perfect condition and neutral enough that I still like it (I didn't choose it--we just moved here 4 years ago) It is cool to the touch, easy to clean, has no stains, and isn't so loud when glasses or plates are set on it, like granite it.

I do not like the wonky backsplash of formica, nor the front edge, with the tell-take black edging lines. But today you can get no backsplash and do a tile backsplash, and the front can be edged all sorts of ways.

Here's the kitchen I'm refering to--it's really beautiful! I'd love to hear from her how it has served her over the years, as I know this was from quite a few years ago...
MaryLynnNC's kitchen

close-up:

Ok, I actually think it's called Pionite? Not sure...but google her name and you'll find more, I'm sure...

Finally, here;s a link I saved on alternative "white" counters.

Decisions, decisions...

Here is a link that might be useful: Dream White Kitchen countertop decision HELP!

I like this creamy/white, too :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Crystal Fusion

Lots of us here have laminate counters. If you do a search at the bottom of the page, you will probably come up with many discussions.

I have always had laminate counters and never had complaints, so saw no reason to spend thousands on counters, when we could have laminate for a much more reasonable price. I also have wood and stainless counters in my kitchen, and like them, too, but the laminate counters are the ones I feel 'wear like iron' the most...I don't have to be careful with them about anything other than using hot pads under pans just off the stove or out of the oven. But since I do have the stretch of stainless, I don't have to do that very often.

We have laminate on the cleanup and baking runs of our kitchen, and on built-in desks, in the sewing room, laundry, and all of our bathrooms.

You are right about colors and patterns...Much more to choose from than with other options!

Here is a link that might be useful: More pics of my kitchen

Thank you all for the examples! There are some really pretty laminates...and I like that they wear so well :)

Here are the blue and creamy/white ones, I posted earlier.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

I would love to use these in a blue and white/cream kitchen. Here's a beautiful picture I found, last night.

{{gwi:1518834}}

I'm not planning to get the Aga, but the little Jotul woodstove I've been looking at has that same cobalt blue :)

I have Wilsonart Luna Crest on my perimeter counters. The island is porcelain.

Here is a link that might be useful: Luna Crest

Definitely if you are going with blue counters the laminate is a good choice. You can get really good colors at a reasonable price compared to a premium price on those colors in stone or solid surface counters.

In addition to the standard laminates usually available at retail, there is a company called Lamin-art that makes a great product. A good fabricator can access them for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lamin-art

I am in love with my laminate countertops in my simple little kitchen!

teresa

I like laminate and would have seriously considered it for my reno, but I really, really wanted that huge undermount Silgranit sink. ;-)

I have Formica perlato granite and love it. I'm getting ready to do a new kitchen in another house and I'm really interested in their new 180fx designs.

{{!gwi}}

Laminate here, too (sorry, no pics, but the pattern is very similar to {{!gwi}})

Also used Formica's "Basalt Slate" (apparently Formica's Web site does not permit a direct link) in a rental property I own, in a white kitchen with red accents. Really nice!

In addition to the Lamin-Art someone mentioned earlier, other companies with some really cool-looking laminates are Abet Laminati and Frigo Design.

I put in Formica 180FX in Corbeau Montana...so far, I like it. Not blue or anything like blue, but they have a Blue Storm pattern that is very striking. They also have a new one that's called "Calcutta Marble" that would be beautiful in a blue kitchen.

Cj

Here is a link that might be useful: Formica 180 FX

We had a textured laminate by Wilsonart in our last kitchen/house (until granite was put in a few years later). I did a wood edge on mine and it really made a difference. The edge matched my cabinets. I'll see if I have a picture, but I'm thinking not.

You can order trim pieces from your cabinet manufacturer to do this, but since my cabinets were light, my counter guy bought trim and sealed it himself (didn't require stain).

This is not my kitchen, but shows what I mean.

So many excellent suggestions! Thank you all for your input :)

I especially like the Calcutta marble formica. That's beautiful...and exactly what I've been looking for, to put on the vanity in the bathroom. Looks like marble, but much more durable...and none of the maintenance.

I have laminate counters as well. I had them in my previous home for 11 years and they looked as good when we moved out as they did when we moved in. In our new build, we went with laminate for budget reasons. I have wilsonart HD with beveled edges. I love it, it is so easy to take care of. We are planning to upgrade, however I keep moving the counters down on the priority list because I have been so pleased with them.

Elaine

I have Formica's "mineral jet" in one part of my kitchen that butts up to oak butcher block on another cabinet run. I love the laminate for both it's look and ease of clean up. I always use trivets/pads for hot dishes etc...

Dawn

I'm not sure if we'll have laminate counters in our new kitchen in the new house, but we have them in our current kitchen and it's lovely -- not just easy to clean, but VERY gentle and forgiving on dishes and glassware, especially with three kids (ages 13, 11, 10) who like to cook and who help in the kitchen a lot. We also have vinyl sheet flooring, which though it's ugly and needs replacing badly, has saved a lot of dishes : ).

I actually don't bother too much with potholders on the laminate, since I have enough "landing pads" for hot things -- the stove top and a piece of stone counter over our dishwasher, next to the stove. But if we do have marble for part of the new kitchen counters, as I'm thinking, perhaps for the island, I can see using placemats for setting down plates, etc. just to protect them rather than the stone!

Becky

I had an almond Formica in my previous kitchen, and it was really difficult. All kinds of things like spilled red wine, coffee, and tea left stains that it took forever to get out. After our DW disaster, it was the thing I was happiest to get rid of.

But I have a friend who recently put a dark stone-look laminate in her kitchen and it looks great. No pictures, sorry.

We used Olive Organix in our kitchen in our first house. It looked great with maple cabinets and floors. It actually has the tiniest speck of red in it. We used it again in my Mom's big laundry room reno with deep red walls and white shaker cabinets.

http://www.woodstocksupply.com/olive-organix-suede-av674n-pionite.html

SteveO, Thanks, Because of your post re Frigo Designs, I contacted them about a quote for Stainless steel countertops. They will email by monday.

They are one half the price of the quote I got from a fancy Chicago fabricator. One half-woo hoo. Thanks

We have almond formica in our kitchen. We've been here 10 years and I'm guessing the countertops are at least 15 years old, from the previous owner's remodel.

We have NEVER been careful about it - put hot pots on it, use any kind of cleaner, have dumped paints, wine, grape juice, you name it. Mr. Clean Magic eraser takes EVERYTHING off in seconds. Cleans the whole thing up like brand new. I don't think we could mess that laminate up if we tried.

We will be putting laminate tops w/ double drop-in sinks in both our new bathrooms.

I have Wilsonart HD laminate and I love the finish. It has a nice shine and there are no problems with stains etc. It hides crumbs really well......too well as a matter of fact. I paid extra for the edge. It's like an o'gee edge.

Hondagirl, those are lovely counters. The edge goes well with the cathedral arch of those warm wood cabinets. Nice stuff. A very pretty, comfortable, kitchen. You look like you know how to cook, too. Can I stop in for lunch, lol?

Westy.

I really really wanted to use formica. I thought it would make my lakeside farmhouse look like maybe a 40s redo (dont quite like 50s) and evoke that summer camp feel. I also really liked the reverse snobbism of using formica in a a high end renovation.

I fell in love with the aqua formica and white cabs in the link below (scroll to i think page 8 or 9). Spent quite some time trying to find it. You can't get it. You can get very 50s stuff, with boomerangs. ANd totally plain stuff. ANd faux all sorts of stuff. BUt the vintage linen-y aqua? Nope. I was really disappointed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Formica counters to die for on the Vineyard

Mine are laminate. Wilsonart HD

We have Formica Basalt Slate (honed finish):

We opted for a straight edge and, unfortunately, the white underlayer shows. Sigh. But the laminate is great and, while we fantasize about soapstone, we can't justify over-improving. Next house.

westsider, I'm glad Frigo could work out for you!

Look at all these gorgeous pictures! The cat's my favorite, though .... abbycat, have you tried taking a fine Sharpie and coloring in the white edge? I'll tell you those Sharpies are my best friends, hiding a bunch of, uh, "issues."

Our house is thirteen years-old and in most of the bathrooms and the laundry room is still the builder-installed almond-colored laminate atop builder grade oak cabs. I painted the cabs a cream color (BM's Calming Cream) in two of the bathrooms and WOW do those countertops sing now! I'm actually in the process of painting the laundry room cabs and even with just the primer the countertops already look better. They were never ugly, but it's funny how with the right color cab they look downright good. I cannot imagine changing them because they look good as is and they certainly function v. well!

With all the stuff in the sundry bathrooms nothing has stained them and I find them super easy to clean.

Okay I lie: if we ever find the money to "do" our master bed & bath the bath will be a gut job, so who knows what will be going on in there? Pas moi! But I find the laminate countertops we do have to be durable and pleasing.

Most laminate countertops are durable and pleasing however as the previous poster has shown, they do seem to take their fair share of beatings. Whenever you have chips or gouges in your laminate, it's always recommended to use SeamFil to restore your countertops back to their original condition. Just mix the proper colors, use the retarder if you need more working time and clean up with the solvent when finished. In a matter of minutes, your laminate countertop will look as if it were brand new again. It is unfortunate that most homeowners dont even know this product exists when it truly can save them lots of time and money. For more information. Follow the link below for more product information at CabinetmakerWarehouse.com and check out our most recent Blog post that provides all the details you will need to know about SeamFil and laminate repair.

Here is a link that might be useful: SeamFil

You can get seamed undermount sinks for plastic laminate counters now too. Google Karran.

Yes, I just ordered my new laminate countertop. I know its not popular, but I like the ease of care. My present laminate countertop is 28 yrs old, only 2 small chips and very minor scratching. And believe me, with 3 kids it got plenty of rough handling. So, after much thought I decided to do laminate again. They have so many really nice laminates today, Wilsonart HD and Formica FX for example have some really beautiful patterns, but they are more pricey than the standard laminates. Its not that much cheaper than solid surface, which we considered, but decided against due to it's tendency to scratch. They recommended a light color if you go with solid surface (doesn't show the scratches as much as dark) but I've had a light countertop for 28 yrs and wanted to go a bit darker. .

I've always lived with laminate in kitchens. The house I'm in now came with laminate that is now about 20 years old and still looks good; no stains, pits or scratches. We do use trivets and cutting boards for food preparation which has helped. Now however I'm looking at changing things up. I'd dearly love to get soapstone, really love the look and feel of it but a lot of people have been happy with WilsonArt's "oiled soapstone" laminate. Several people here have made a good point about the quietness and gentleness of laminate. I'd never thought about that before.

I am updating a 1950 galley style kitchen. Have already put in Armstrong's commercial VCT "Sterling" for the floor. Great with dogs and pets. Am keeping the white cabinets and want to keep the original white porcelain double sink which is a drop-in sink. Don't know if I could with soapstone. I'll be getting bids from a local installer on both the soapstone and the laminate. I know the soapstone will require more labor. It will also take more time.