Personally, I'd go with something completely opposite. That "almost but not quite right" look would get to me.

If I were to go with a budget option I'd look at Ikea butcher block. I've seen some GW'ers go this route and it looks really nice. But then I am biased toward more natural materials.

That being said, I know there are several people here who are fans of laminate.

Yep, Ikea butcher block is cheaper than anything except preform laminate. Even granite is sometimes cheaper than custom laminate right now (if you can live with a small collection of color choices).

Investigate your options thoroughly. You might be surprised.

I think pbrisjar has a good option for you...Go for a different look to appreciate it for a different reason. Maybe do something fun and a little daring, just because its temporary and you have an opportunity to go a little wild right now. Laminate offers SO many different looks. I happen to have no problem with laminate and love how easy it is to take care of...But I've never had anything else before. Now I have a combination of wood, stainless, and laminate. I still think the laminate is easiest, and that's what I like...Ease of cleaning and no babying, past keeping something under hot things, which I'm used to. I like the stainless, too, which we had made by a local sheetmetal shop for $17/sq ft. They do scratch, but we expected that, and I'm finally getting used to being able to set hot things right on it...and it looks pretty cool. ;-)

There are lots of exciting laminate choices out there, but my concern is for your psyche: I'd really hate for you to be resentful every time you were in your kitchen, wiping your countertop, working on the cooktop, unloading the dishwasher, etc. I know that with time you'll be less angry (and you have every right to feel that way! don't get me wrong), but I want your kitchen to be a place where you feel good. I don't want it to be a reminder of how you were burgled.

Please do look at other options first, because you never know what's around the next bend ....

I'll be thinking good thoughts for you!

Personally, I'd go with something completely opposite.

Great idea!! How about getting a really off the wall pattern, something daring that you might not normally pick. Especially since you intend to replace it in a few years, this could be your chance to do something fun or crazy or silly in order to put a different spin on the bad experience.

Boomerangs! :-)

(Actually, I think BB would be great.)

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

I actually saw some pics of a kitchen with that Formica installed. They did a whole 60's space age kitchen look and it turned out great. Definitely a lot of fun to look at.

I agree with pbrisjar, check out the IKEA butcher block as an option. Something solid and "real" but affordable. Also, look at your other choices and see if there are trade-offs that you can handle that will allow you to go with your granite. AND there are lots of granite yards out there with remnants. If you do a lot of hunting, you might just find your granite at a price that rivals laminate. Don't give up!

There are several threads around here that talk about laminate. I'm surprised everyone is stearing you away from it. I have several samples of Wilsonart's HD soapstone laminates, and they're wonderful. Soft and warm and smooth. It's not granite, but it's very easy maintenance, looks lovely, and can be made in an edge that won't show a seam. I think you should keep your mind open to the possibilities.

Sorry to hear about your deposit theft.

May I suggest prefab granite for your kitchen. I have seen several kitchens done it prefabs and they look fabulous without spending a lot. A standard kitchen even with an island can be done under $2000 including installation (at least in LA). If you can get a few strong men to carry the counters home, you could do the whole thing for $1000! There are many gorgeous colors available in prefab.

Laminate can look nice but that once you touch it, see it up close, that illusion is gone.

Lowspark's approach is great. This could be fun and liberating and a good chance to experiment. The Ikea option would probably cost well under $1000. But the best way to save money for whatever you really end up wanting in a few months might just be to put down plywood, slap some Waterlox on it, and drop in a $50 drop-in sink. How about a favorite old wallpaper under that Waterlox? Or? (Maybe your boys could help you choose.) Anyway, think of it as spreading out the fun. This is a pretty self-indulgent forum, but for all the excited chitchat, an intense spending binge and almost-immediate satisfaction are enjoyable but hardly necessary to anyone's happiness.

BTW, regarding shopping, last week I saw an ad for solid granite at $15/square foot in Atlanta, installed. Limited colors, but still some nice options.

When I was doing a kitchen face lift a year and a half ago, I originally planned on granite. Then changed my mind to quartz and then after seeing all the gorgeous soapstone on this forum, decided on soapstone. My hubby then came home with the news he was being transfered. I couldn't justify soapstone, knew I wouldn't get the money back out of it if we had to list the home. So we decided to put in one of the premium HD laminates from Wilsonart. Long story short, after we updated the old laminate with the new HD laminate, my hubby's transfer fell through when his company was purchased by another company.

But I actually do love the HD laminate. Now I know that when I actually can afford to rip out the cupboards and redo the whole kitchen, I won't be hesitant to rip out the laminate and replace with soapstone because the laminate really didn't cost that much. But in the meantime, the HD laminate looks very nice and I get compliments and comments on it all the time.

If you are going to replace it in a few years I would not go with the higher end laminate. To me that sounds like a waste of money. I have 2 temporary cabinets, one has laminate floor scraps as a counter and the other has tongue and groove flooring. Now I am not recommending either of those options, they are just making a bad ugly kitchen workable. however the plywood with waterlox makes a lot of sense.

I also have laminate as counters elsewhere and I do love it. It is not a pretty one but it cleans really well, i can knead bread on it, roll our pastry dough etc. Just as another poster said, no hot pans.

If you decide you can love it, then do the HD laminate.

-Robin

You really need to look around and ask for "discontinued" or "remnants." I never thought I'd be able to afford granite and I have. Even for the office desks. So keep looking and asking around. If worse comes to worse don't forget you can always do granite tile which also looks very pretty.

Have you thought about granite tile? I have a friend who just couldn't afford to do granite slabs so she and her husband bought granite tiles direct from the wholesaler online and did the install themselves. It looked beautiful.

We recently looked at some 24" x 24" black granite tiles that ran about $13/sq ft. We are thinking about this as the price even rivals laminate and we'd have few grout lines to worry with.

That said, we bought ikea countertops as a temporary measure. We are putting in a 60" section of real oak butcher block between two sections of the stone-effect black laminate on one side of the kitchen, and we are using the opposite combination - 96 inches of the black laminate trimmed on the ends with 10" sections of the butcher block. The 96 inch length is the largest available - we got one of them at $59, another 73" length for the other side of the kitchen at $49 plus 96 inches of the butcher block at $149. So for less than $300, we have temporary counters that look really nice.

My real desire is for soapstone, but the Ikea temps will fill in nicely until we decide what to do permanently.

We don't know what life holds for any of us, but I always take comfort in the sentiment that "the universe tends to unfold as it should." What was taken from you will return to you in some form.

Best wishes,

B

i have also seen granite tiles that look REALLY nice. I actually seem to like them because they look a little different the the everyday countertops you see. I would check that out.....you can end up spending alot on the granite trim piece but there are ways of installing the tile with a bullnose piece and then a cut piece as the face of the countertop.......i know my tile shop here will actually cut the trim pieces for you for $1 a tile.....i'll try to get some pics for you if i can.....

I like my Basalt Slate laminate as much as my Cambria engineered stone. It looks much better than the laminates from 10 or 20 years ago. If I did it again, I'd be willing to save several thousand dollars by using the Basalt Slate where I used the Cambria. EVEN on the edges facing the living room and front door.

Can we see some photo's of the new counter?

I like the 24/24 tile suggestion. That way, you only have vertical seams. I went with something called Staron by Samsung, and like it. It is sort of like Corian, but cheaper. You might get a price for Staron if you like the look. For me, laminate was not a good option because I got a farmhouse sink, and I did not want to dive that up. Then I used heart pine for my island top. When I was deciding, I recall
someone on here got that size in ceramic from a tile company called Crossville. You might search the archives.

just wanted to chime in on this... when we bought our house 7 years ago the kitchen was a disaster and needed a cosmetic makeover. the counters were horrible and needed to be replace but we knew we would eventually renovate the kitchen in a bigger way so I considered laminate. At the same time I shopped for a deal on granite. I found a tiny shop off the beaten path. I chose the cheapest granite they had (uba tuba) and got it for $1500 installed which at the time was about the same price, possibly a little less than laminate. the guys that put it in were brazilian and worked as installers for a much larger company. they would also do some side jobs on their own and with very little overhead I was able to get the granite for a very good price.

perhaps you can do a little sleuthing in your area and find some granite off the beaten path for cheap. if not, i'd be inclined to see you go with something other than laminate as it would seem too much a compromise for you and you can't set anything hot on it (which is my favorite feature of granite!!)

good luck

I bet you WILL learn to love laminate--once you live with it for a bit.

Laminate is really tough, really easy to clean, really easy to live with.

If you could put an undermount sink in it more easily, I'd get it instead of Corian, maybe, even.

Laminate has been around in kitchens for a long time, and that is because it is versatile, appropriate for kitchens, and not too expensive. They are warm to the touch, soft enough that dishes won't break on them, and they come in so many great patterns and colors. Instead of "settling" for it, why not embrace the fun choices you have?

I have Silestone in the kitchen and Corian in the bathrooms. I am here to tell you I love my Corian just as much as the stone.

I saw an installation of travertine tiles for a countertop. The travertine had a bit of a linear pattern in it and the tiles were laid out so that the pattern was placed at 90 degrees -- that is, the installation made use of the pattern as a design feature when laying out the tiles so that the installation looked crafted and artful. I think it looked much nicer than a monolithic slab, particularly for a kitchen that is going for more of a historical feel. I also saw some lovely installations using granite tile. I like the fact that if you use tiles there are some great thick edge pieces that give the counter a much more substantial appearance. I may well go for something like this in out kitchen -- I think I would prefer it to the slab even if it weren't less expensive. Something to investigate . . . .

There is a kitchen mag on the newsstand now (can't remember which one, I think Kitchen and Bath Ideas? maybe?) I am sure you could find it at the bookstore- it has a white kitchen on the cover with orange writing. Anyway, it has a gorgeous kitchen on the cover with *gasp* laminate countertops. So cute! It has that old fashioned metal edging on it and it looked great. I had nothing against our old laminate countertops! Now the laminate cabinets we had are another story, though...

No! Not the old-fashioned metal edging! I have that *now* - I can't *wait* to rip it out!!!!!!

Okay, shaking off the shudders... I don't know that I have anything new to offer here, but just read thru the thread and thought I'd weigh in with preferences. NOT laminate with metal edging. That said... I love the idea of trying to find cheap granite somehow. It would actually be kind of fun shopping for it! Granite tile would also be cool.

Finally, if you're going to do a temporary counter with the thought of ripping it out in a few years, I think I like butcher block more than laminate. (Okay, I've had horrible old stained cut-up ancient miserable laminate counters dating probably from 1948 when my building was constructed so I'm a little biased against laminate... LOL.)

Hmmm...maybe one of the very dark (black?) honed-looking laminates. Those aren't too bad.

I would opt for butcher block rather than laminate, particularly if you plan to change the counters in a few years. The butcher block is very chic and can be very beautiful if finished nicely with a product like waterlox. And, it will not look like you made a compromise; it is its own thing.

I don't think I'd vote for laminate that looks like stone--that would just *scream* out, "This isn't really stone"! I would use a laminate pattern that's unashamedly laminate, and doesn't try it imitate something it's not.

I had laminate for 25 years. Granite & quartz are nice, but you have to be much more gentle placing anything breakable down on the countertop ... grocery bags with glass items, china, pottery. I haven't broken anything yet, but I can see how easily it could happen. Enjoy the carefree nature of laminate a while longer!

Were having a new house built & guess what I'm having for my counter tops? Yeppers, I'm going w/the new HD WilsonArt Laminate that got me through many,many years of SERVICE!
I half to be able to "live with it." Luv it! Razenette

We are getting close to finishing our kitchen, and we put down....laminate! I got the Formica Basalt Slate in a honed finish, and I L-O-V-E it. It has the look of soapstone, but at a price I can live with! I always figure that i can always upgrade later, but for now, I LOOOOOVE my countertops! You can see the white edging on the beveled edge that I have since filled in with a sharpie. Can't even tell! (ignore the mess, barstools, construction debris, etc)

I was watching Candice Olson, Divine Design on HGTV the other night. She re-did a kitchenette and used Stainless Steel lamintate. I am telling you it looked just like stainless steel... she paired it with other elements that were on the modern side and it made the laminate look really believable.

If you do go with laminate, you can always get a granite insert next to your stove to put hot pots on.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. We had found a great laminate and I was ok with it but then we heard of another granite yard we hadn't been to yet and paid them a visit on Saturday. Today I stopped on my way home from work and gave them a $200 deposit (by credit card of course) to hold a beautiful slab of Crema Bordeaux. The price is very reasonable. I am sooooooooo excited. My dream kitchen will be a reality yet.

That is so awesome for you! Glad to hear you found something that you'll love.

I chose Basalt Slate laminate over granite for my kitchen renovation for ease of care and the look. The only option I seriously considered before ordering all 4 pieces was to make the island a butcherblock (a little cheaper). I ultimately opted to keep them all matching and am very happy with my decision.
{{!gwi}}
Here's the back wall with more laminate on the server.
{{!gwi}}

Dian and Kbmas, your beautiful kitchens and endorsements are going to be real inspirations for others reading this, no doubt. I loved that honed-stone look when I saw it in the store but couldn't make it work. I did try!

Kitchenredo, I'm very glad you found something you can be excited about and eager to have in your kitchen. Crema Bordeaux is gorgeous!