5.25.2010

please take my survey

Remember this, from way back in Feb?

Now we're looking more like this:

But even better, really, because all the dishes are back in the new cabinets, the trim is (mostly) done, floors are finished, etc. etc.
All we are waiting on is countertops. We've been waffling on countertops since before we even started this project, and now here we are--- everything else is done and we STILL cannot decide.
So, I am putting it to you. I'll spare you my ramblings about how I much I hate granite, but also seem to hate everything else too, and resale value, blah blah, industrial processing of composites v. mining something that's shipped halfway around the world.
Our choices right now are these:

1. Buy recycled product from BIGBOXSTORE
2. Buy non-renewable resource (granite) from LocalIndependentBusiness
OR,
3. Buy also non-renewable, but really the whole earth is covered in this stuff so it's not going anywhere (quartz) from LocalIndependentBusiness

Support the little guy or support the globe?

10 comments:

Kristy3m said...

I like option 3.Unless you have the time to find countertops that are being thrown out somewhere.
oh ya, and they make concrete ones now that look like granite/marble whatever. :)

Laura Bear said...

Both! Support the little guy, and the globe, which of course you are probably thinking already.

sorry, this is a survey. So you are probably wanting like a fill in the blank answer... so

3. (quartz) from LocalIndependentBusiness

but you could do engineered quartz!

You probably have seen this place, and it is probably way crazy expensive, but

http://www.allsurfacedesign.com

they are in stl and seem to have it all!

sorry. this probably didn't help one bit.

gigirose said...

yeah laura-- all of the quartz stuff is engineered-- with a hefty dose of sand I imagine. And it is super hard and heat/stain resistant. I am leaning that way as well.

kristy-- I like concrete, but man-- $$$$$!!!!

Anonymous said...

Another option - cork or poured concrete countertops. Done by a local guy/lady. Enjoy!

Hoff said...

I actually went with option 3, from home depot, when I redid my kitchen last summer. It's a 93/7 quartz/polymer blend and has "Microban," some sort of antimicrobial stuff in there as well. That may or may not be a selling point for you, it didn't bother me either way. I had already decided for the money that is what I wanted, so the harder part was picking the color and edge finish.

I know you're anti-granite already but another hit against it could be the reports that are coming out about radon in them.

I did price granite at a place on Manchester east of Skinker and they had some quartz and composite remnant pieces, some of which were actually quite large.

Some friends of mine that redid their kitchen last spring also went to home depot and got a steal of a deal on solid surface there. It was some kind of a major vendor markdown.

TRAPEZE said...

Are you sure 'recycled' product from a Home Depot is really more sustainable than quartz? The world will make more quartz... even if it takes 20 to 30 million years.

snoshoo said...

Something is destroyed in everything you create. Choose the one that you can live with.

Brian Marston said...

The only thing I hate more than granite is how much everyone else loves granite.

We went with Silestone with the honed "leather" finish.

Hallmark Stone in Fenton did the installation. (They also do the installation for Home Depot.) They have a large collection of remnant granite (and possibly solid surface) counters that you can choose from, if you want to go that direction. I think you have to go through a general contractor or designer to use Hallmark, though.

Karina said...

My first impulse was to say I have no idea and thank god that I don't have to make such a decision (because it would take me for freaking ever) but since that doesn't help you, I say #3. It sounds cool.

alan said...

For God sakes Ginger. Just get the damn granite!