@cathrugg - what is your laminate? It looks familiar to me.

@abbycat9990 - which finish do you have? Is it the honed finish?

All very nice examples of laminate. :)

When we started to do my Mom's kitchen she said she wanted laminate and I pushed her into granite shopping (even offered some $$ to help off set the cost). She finally put her foot down and told me it wasn't just the cost, she really preferred laminate. I let it go and started shopping for laminates and in the process learned there are some fantastic laminates out there that look great.

For my Mom's kitchen she chose "Iron Rust" in a Riverwash Finish from Formica. Formica's description of them:

"Iron Rust is a realistic iron red, highlighted with hints of warm brown and blue gray."

"Riverwash Finish features a registered low-luster dual gloss texturing, which mimics the aggregate stones found in concrete and rusted elements of metals."

It's hard to capture the texture in photos (pardon the grout haze the backsplash just went in this week):

We also used a relatively new postform edge called "Geneva". The manufacturer describes it as:

"an understated modern drop ogee with clean attractive edge contour lines"

It's pretty clear in these:

Still not completely finished the kitchen but we don't feel we made an aesthetic compromise going with laminate in fact it's an integral element on the overall look of my Mom's kitchen. Texture feels great and it is a dream to keep clean.

mommy2taylor, we chose laminate because -- like others -- could not justify the price for solid surface. We had a local shop custom make our counter top. I had them use a beveled edge on the front and square-cut the back (no backsplash) to make it look similar to solid surface. The shop added a nice feature: no seams at the corners (see pic below). We are very pleased with the results -- 25 linear feet of counter costing around $1000.

Please forgive the unfinished kitchen. I need to grout the backsplash, trim the window, and add crown molding to the cabs.

Cheers,

Wow, I'm happy to see some nice counters here. Thanks everyone! I set out not caring about granite, but when I got here, it seemed that is all I saw! Pretty soon our contractors should give us their prices, and then we can start to decide where we CHOOSE to spend money.

I just have to say we are totally happy with our laminate counters. We chose a laminate surface for two reasons, budget and time. Our Kitchen was part of a whole house renovation, so predictably we were quite a bit over budget. Initially I had planned for soapstone counters but then I couldn't decide between soapstone or marble and either one was $$$$, so we decided to go laminate for the time being... we are quite happy and so it will be staying for a long time.

A big factor in our decision was that my dad was able to DIY them, so the materials cost was only about $300. We decided to make the counters 3cm thick to simulate soapstone. I also wanted to share that I took a dark gray Sharpie and colored along the edge of the counters to eliminate the brown edge that was showing. The sharpie just blended with the gray and black of the counters.

Here is a close-up pic of our Wilsonart "Oiled Soapstone" laminate (we're still missing the backsplash and other finishing touches).

This is from a budget kitchen facelift...Formica Perlato Granite. The price is right and I think it's very good looking stuff. :)
{{!gwi}}From Kitchen Remodel Dec 2008
{{!gwi}}From Kitchen Remodel Dec 2008

We chose laminate because granite and/or soapstone were not in the budget. We have the Wilsonart Deepstar Fossil, and love it. Nothing wrong with laminate, it certainly is budget friendly. I'll just make one suggestion, if you do decide on laminate, get it fabricated without the attached 3 inch backsplash. Laminate looks a lot more high end if the tile backsplash comes all the way down to the countertop in my opinion. Good luck with your decision.

I have to add - make sure they scribe the edge to the wall if you do no backsplash! My builder (modular) left 1/4" all along my back (sink) wall b/c I have an "L" shape with refigerator end panels and he didn't want to install countertop before fridge cabinet/panels or leave a gap at the fridge edge. So now I have to do tile thick enough to cover the gap (or just throw up some oak baseboard as a b/s) b/c 1/4" is too much to caulk and paint. Or at least I think that's why my painter didn't do it when he painted the kitchen.

Dirk - *how* did they make a seamless corner??

I'd love to have the next countertop seamless (whether we do laminate or quartz). I had custom shop do my kitchen island since modular company wouldn't (in fact, I had a hard time getting HD or another custom place to even come and measure for my oddly angled island with radiused corners).

I've had a couple of seamless corner laminate counters. Not sure how it's done, but it didn't seem to be a big issue.

The first one was great -- was still in perfect condition when we sold the house a few years ago.

Our current one is terrible. We got a beveled edge (like diy_dirk's), and shortly after it was installed the laminate started peeling off. I think they used the lowest grade laminate in our color choice to make them.

If ours had come out like the ones shown in this thread, we wouldn't be tearing them out now. (We are replacing with granite, sorry:) -- we have a small kitchen, and granite wasn't that much more than laminate.)

The seam in my corner isn't bad, but I can see it if I look closely and I have a matte finish laminate. Dirk's are shiny and the light is right on the corner and I can't see a seam at all!

Of course someone who does only countertops (like the guy who did my island) may have no problem with seams. The modular company did a lousy job of all the finish work (and as we're finding out, the framing wasn't so great either, even though they have jigs to do entire walls at a time. Window and door headers seem to be a real problem).

When is your granite going in? I think you'll really like the GO in your house even though the BP was stunning.

Oh no, I'm just realizing that I'm expanding my already long countertop out to 14.5 linear feet. I guess the best place is at the sink? Oh, this could look bad. Hmmm, maybe an apron front sink would keep the seam from being where there would be lots of wear and tear.
Or, a sink that expands out on either side and in the front, basically replacing the counter. Then the only seam showing would be at the back.

ajsmama, we're supposed to be doing the granite early next week. I'm excited about it!

(Sorry for the thread hijack.)

jackson2009: mine is also Butter Rum, same as cdnmuminpa above.

ajsmama, FWIW, I think the corner is fabricated before the laminate is applied. The result is one BIG piece of counter. No problem for most fabricators, as long as, they can get the counter into your kitchen.

Cheers,

I, too, just had laminate counters installed. I went with the Wilsonart Crystalline Dune, and I absolutely love it. I also found a fabricator who did a Karran undermount sink right in the laminate. Awesome! It's only been a month, but I really do love them.

My dh does ours in place, and always does seamless corners. The sink is a good place for the seam, since a couple inches of seam is way better than 25".

Laminate comes in 12' x 5' sheets, I think, so if your intersecting counter run isn't longer than 5' you can go around the corner in one piece (can't be done with a postform edge). My Mom's was roughly 7' x 7' so we opted for postform because the enclosure for the plumbing is in the corner where the seam is so it's only 8-10 inches long so it isn't all that noticeable with the colour my Mom chose anyway. Granite and solid surface all have seams so they don't offer much of an advantage in that respect.

rhome410 - what does DH use for a substrate for the counters? In my Mom's old kitchen she had water penetration at the seam that created rippling. Substrate was particleboard which is like a sponge with water. I'm guessing your DH is using something else if he is putting seams at the sink.

Abbierose - WHAT an undermount sink with laminate, is this possible....please tell me more. do I have to have a special sink??

He has used particle board before, but I think we have MDF, which can be a problem if it gets wet, too, but a properly adhered and seamed laminate won't allow that.

Thamks rhome410 you mentioned this before and I meant to ask and forgot. It was my experience that fabricators are touchy about it (the HD fabricator had some sort of policy about not putting a seam within a foot of the sink or it voided any warranty - we didn't use them). I remember talking to the fabricator we did use and he told us he had never had a problem with a seam failing but they don't guarantee them after a year.

Not sure what happened with my Mom's old counter it was like this when she bought the unit:

I'm in the process of looking at laminate now. I have a run of 12'6" and laminate comes in 12' sheets (of course) so I need a seam. They'd like to put it at the sink. I'd like it to be 6" from the end which would make a funny-looking little triangle at the end (also a mitered corner). That corner will have an LCD tv sitting on it, in front of the triangle.

The HD fabricator requires 3' from the sink for a seam, unless it is a sink seam. Huh? It is 4 1/2' to my corner and so 4' to the seam.

I couldn't quite grasp what the KD was telling me that day (I was there for a different reason and not really focused on the countertop) but he said because I was choosing a postform countertop and no backsplash my countertop would NOT be scribed to the wall. Ugh. Going to have to look into this!

I love seeing the photos of the countertops in action. It's so hard to decide what will work in a yet-uninstalled kitchen!

I had an order for someone to come and rip off my old, and put new down. But, I canceled last wk when everyone in my husband's dept was laid off :( He was spared, but now I'm nervous. I can't even justify $850 in this economy. So, I'm wanting dh to do it himself. Which would only be $230 for the Wilsonart HD that we chose. He's afraid to do it, though :(

I think the HD laminate looks so much like granite it is ridiculous not to have it. Besides, in 20 years or so one is going to get tired of the same countertop and want to change. I sure wouldn't want to take out granite that would still be in good condition and that I spent so much money on just because I'm tired of it. I like to redecorate from time to time. I don't know why the home shows try to make us think "everyone" wants granite. I don't believe it anymore than I believe "everyone" wants stainless steel appliances.

sprengle1,

I am not an expert and I imagine it is different from manufacturer to manufacturer but in some edge styles the
postform counters come in only two forms with a backsplash or bar top - if you don't want a backsplash they order a bar top and cut off one side to normal counter depth. If your edge comes in a version without a backsplash the depth that our manufacturer provided is only 25.5" which doesn't leave a lot of room for scribing. Ordering a bar top would allow them more allowance to scribe the back if your walls are off significantly.

Huh on the seam? Rhome has a custom top so the seam at her sink is only in the laminate not the substrate with postform the seam would be all the way through - it would be the joining point for two different pieces of countertop. Often with custom tops because part of the length of the sheet is used for the depth of the intersecting counter with your front edge strip you have enough length that you don't need a vertical seam even if you have one on the horizontal surface.

Here is a link that might be useful: specs on postform tops from Belanger

diy_dirk- What is the name of your laminate countertop? It is absolutely beautiful! =)

Has anyone tried a laminate ogee edge? I'm curious if it would hold up. I saw a counter like this one at a recent Home and Garden Show, and I had to touch the counter to make sure it was laminate. Was very nice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Laminate ogee edge

We just finished our budget remodel on our current kitchen. We are getting our house ready to put on the market later this summer/fall, (hopefully). We used Formica Labrador Granite in the Etchings finish. I didn't want to put money into granite that was my taste at my expense and then a buyer might hate and rip out anyway. Seemed like a waste of money on our end, but an easy upgrade for someone else later. So far, I love it. It's simple and yet pleasing to the eye IMO. Haven't had any issues. Easy to clean, use, etc.

Here are some photos during remodel. Good luck on your decision!

Here is a link that might be useful: Countertop

Hello,

We used laminate in our kitchen (corian on the island), and our bathrooms. Some day we may replace them, but I've always had laminate and like it's easy care.

In our Master Bath:

In our son's bathroom:

In our kithcen:

Elaine

Abbierose - WHAT an undermount sink with laminate, is this possible....please tell me more. do I have to have a special sink??

mommy2taylor - yes, I do have an undermount sink with my new laminate counters. Yes, I had to buy a special sink. I'm not really sure if it's the sink or the fabricator that makes this possible, but there are more pictures at their site: www.karranproducts.com. I found a dealer near me using their website. The sink wasn't any more expensive than any other sink, either. Mine was $259. And even with the installation, my counters ended up costing a few hundred dollars less than the estimate I had gotten at Lowe's. My sink isn't exactly as much an undermount as it is molded into the counter. But there's no lip, it's smooth just like with solid surface counters.

When I was investigating, I also found a company that did stainless steel sinks undermounted with laminate, but I didn't like the look as much as the Karran ones. When I saw the sinks in the showroom, I was sold. The sink itself is really nice, and they had a ton of different choices as far as shape and bowl size. I went with a larger main bowl, and a smaller disposal bowl. It's working out great and I love it.

This Counter-Seal place does the stainless steel undermounts with laminate. Here's their website: http://www.counter-seal.com/Text/1174682212468-2508/FAQ

I just liked the look of the Karran ones better, plus I really didn't want a stainless steel sink. Check them out before you buy your counters. I am thrilled with my decision.

My countertop is 21 years old and when it was installed, there was only one seam ( U shaped kitchen) right at the sink. The seam is about 2" in length at the front and 3/4" at the back of the sink. There has never been any problem with water infiltration.
I will be replacing my counters soon and don't like the idea of 2 long seams in each corner.

Here is a pic of the seam. I'm so used to it, I don't even notice it any more.

{{!gwi}}

Somehow the previous pictures I posted seem to have vanished from my Flickr site. Here they are again. My Wilsonart Crystalline Dune HD counters, with a Karran undermount sink:

abbierose,
Could you post another picture of your counter? I'd like to see a little more of it.
I have one of those small samples hanging around. It would be great to see a larger section.

abbierose,
Could you post another picture of your counter? I'd like to see a little more of it.
I have one of those small samples hanging around. It would be great to see a larger section.

Here are a few more pictures :)

Hope they help!

Thanks very much....your counter is looking gooooood!

Caryscott, it sounds like you've answered your own question, unless I'm missing something. I'm not a fan of the premade counters that have to be mitered in the corner like that. It doesn't have much to do with laminate, or how it's put on, but how the seam where the substrates meet is handled that makes them fail. That won't happen in cases like the photos Hondagirl shows with the seam of the laminate over non-seamed substrate. I'm not the expert, but I'd think something like epoxy adhesive or something waterproof, applied properly, would have done the job better than that.

I have 6 ft from the corner to the end of the short leg of an L shaped run, so that is why we had to have a seam. diy_dirk - what is your short distance?

ajsmama-

Short leg of the c-top is 2 ft -- measured from the front edge.

rhome410

I'm not always the quickest, thanks.

Cary..I hope you don't think I was implying that. I just wanted to be sure I was on the right track in trying to answer your question! I think the point is that you were smarter than you were giving yourself credit for. :-)

No not at all, I appreciate you pointing it out because I wasn't making the link. My apologies those short responses can seem terse which wasn't the case - I actually thought it was pretty funny.

jackson2009: Yes, my laminate is honed. I wasn't sure, but that's what it says on the website. Apparently it comes in 2 different grades. I'm not sure which we have. The GC leaned toward cheap, and we have the white underlayer showing, so I'm guessing we have the lesser grade. Oh well, a sharpy helps to hide the white edge.

Here is a link that might be useful: Basalt Slate info link

Has anyone used laminate on a peninsula, with granite on the rest of the counters?

I understand the concept of doing the opposite: granite on the peninsula or island as a statement. However, I'm thinking that it's the peninsula where I'd probably have glasses sitting to tip over and smash. And the laminate would be better that way. :-)

I'm not one who would like a different material on a peninsula, whichever way you did it...A peninsula is part of the continuous, perimeter countertop and I don't know how you'd switch and have it look like a natural, reason-for-it change like a separate island offers.

I think putting laminate up to granite would be tough...it seems it'd be difficult to find just the right combination to work. Although I don't think laminate looks cheap, I think it certainly could up next to stone. It'd have to be completely different somehow and look kind of funky or cutting edge. Just my opinion, though, and I obviously haven't tried it, so I'll never say 'never.' ;-)

Granite is heavy and the peninsula overhang would need proper support. I can see why you'd want to do laminate but I think it would look strange. How about butcher block?

Hi rhome, thanks for that input. I agree that with a peninsula, it would be hard to have that switchover look natural. It's not the same scenario as the separate island.

Hi ajsmama, thanks for bringing up the butcher block option. That fits what rhome was saying about making the switchover look competely different. I'm going to keep that in mind as an option.

Janie-k .... I love the look of your oiled soapstone laminate. Do you have other pics of it so I can see how the lighter colors are scattered across the dark black? Are their 'veins' also? I'll have to have it made so would you suggest the edge like you have or the rolled over and all the way under edge?

Also, do crumbs show up very much or are there enough shades of black and grey that I won't have to worry about every crumb glaring at me? My family is always leaving crumbs, etc on the counter..... Thanks, JaneinColorado

Hi JaneinColorado,
I'll take some pics tomorrow when it's light out when I don't have to use the flash and can hopefully get a better picture for you. It doesn't really have much veining, it's more of splotches of gray, white and black.

We just did a normal edge and I colored it with Sharpie to take away the small bit of brown and white that was showing. I'm sure it would look good with a rounded edge too and it would be nice not to have any seams on the edge, but in our case it was much less expensive to go with the traditional edge profile. It worked out because I actually prefer the look square edge anyways :)

Another option that I considered was the Formica basalt in a honed finish. The dealer near us had the Wilsonart soapstone in stock, so I was able to go and see a big piece in person. It's so hard to tell from the tiny samples, so it was helpful to see it in person. We were in a hurry so we just went with the Wilsonart, but I'm sure the basalt would have been pretty too.

Hi again,
Here are a few close-up pictures of the counters... in real life they are bit darker. I also wanted to note that I didn't wipe up the crumbs for the photos so you can see how they look. This color doesn't seem to be too much of a maintenance problem (but we had black granite at our last house) so I haven't had light counters to compare to in ages. The splotches in these counters hide crumbs and dust better then our old polished granite. Hope that helps :)

Janie-k, Thanks so much for the pics. I love it! And best of all, I can't even see any crumbs. Now I'll try to talk my husband into it. Thanks again, Jane