Counter-top-culture: Bling, durability, cost lead the way in kitchen surface choices

CEDAR RAPIDS - When Michael Holmes and Karl Hoffman needed a way to counter the dreary darkness of their kitchen, new countertops brought in the light.

'It really changed the whole look of the kitchen,” Holmes said. 'I'm really happy with it.”

The original laminate countertops were 'kind of a dark, muddy green color, and with the black cabinets, everything seemed dark,” he said, noting they added inexpensive under-cabinet lighting to give 'a little bounce off the granite.”

They initially looked at quartz to add some pizazz to their southeast Cedar Rapids home, and fell in love with a quartz that looked like granite.

'There was a lot of movement in it - it's really beautiful,” Holmes said. 'But with that beauty comes a really high price.”

They shopped around local kitchen supply stores, but when they went to Lowe's to look for items for a rental property project, they decided to check out the countertop offerings. They wandered into a sale, and were sold.

The upgrade was never intended to be a DIY project for Holmes, 41, who works in information technology, and Hoffman, 40, a Realtor. Lowe's contracted the job to a Burlington company, which sent workers to the couple's home to do all the measuring and installation. And Holmes and Hoffman went to the Burlington facility to choose their granite slab, so they knew exactly what they were getting.

'Sometimes with granite, because it's natural, you can have this beautiful piece, and then have something that you just don't want, right in the middle of it,” Holmes said. 'I have a friend who has a similar countertop to this one, but there was a huge red vein that went in through it. They didn't preview it, and you sign the waivers that say you know granite is a natural substance, and it varies, and so they have that in their countertop.

'We just wanted to make sure it was what we wanted.”

They didn't want to repaint or do a major remodel, since they had already repainted when they bought the house about four years ago. So they selected a light slab with dark veining that would blend well with their existing ebony cupboards and taupe walls.

They already had plenty of bling with an original linear chandelier mounted over the two-tier island, which helps delineate the space in their open-concept living room, dining room and kitchen. The island offers plenty of room for meal prep on the lower level and a higher bar top with stools for casual dining or work space for their 5-year-old son as he gets older.

WEAR AND TEAR

The counters also have a sealant with a 15-year warranty - another attractive feature with multiple uses and an active child. The installer also said the counters will last 'until you want to get rid of them.”

He did give Holmes a couple of warnings: using the counters as a cutting board will quickly dull your knives, and setting hot pans on the granite will leave the surface just as hot as the pans. On the other hand, granite also absorbs cold, so when something needs thawing, placing it on the granite will speed up the process.

Price tag ran about $4,700 for the materials and installation. Quartz would have run about $1,000 more, Holmes said. He was surprised that installation took about six hours over two trips, but that's because the company owner didn't like the square cut around the curved farm sink, so he remeasured and re-cut to get the look and fit he wanted. Holmes was pleased to have that kind of service.

'I thought you just popped them on and you're done,” he said. 'There's a lot more to it, I guess.”

Some homeowners add a new backsplash with new counters, but that will have to wait until Holmes finds something he really likes - something classic, not trendy. For now, he'll stick with the 4-1/4-inch matching granite backsplash.

STARTING POINTS

Budget is the starting point for most clients, said Shelley Shea, owner of Cantebury Kitchens, 240 Classic Car Ct. SW, Cedar Rapids.

Laminate is the least expensive, she said, and a lot of it right now looks like granite.

'Granite and quartz kind of overlap in price,” she said. Steve Welch, part of her sales staff, added that with materials and installation, granite typically runs $80 to $85 per square foot, with quartz at $90 to $95 per square foot.

Other considerations include color - light or dark - and overall look, from plain and simple finishes to patterns with movement, variations and/or flecks that catch the eye and the light.

'Every piece of stone is going to be different,” Shea said. 'The light is going to hit it and you're going to see something different every day.”

POPULAR MATERIALS

Granite and quartz are trending in this area, in shades of gray, Shea noted, gesturing to a showroom full of samples and displays.

'When you get the younger people building houses, they're all about granite and quartz,” she said. 'They won't even look at laminate.”

But laminate could be a good choice for people on a budget or empty-nesters who just want to update the look and won't use the surface as much or as hard as younger families.

Glittery surfaces are popular, thanks in part to HGTV's remodeling shows like 'Fixer Upper,” 'Property Brothers” and 'Flip or Flop.” Concrete, however, which is occasionally used on Texas-based 'Fixer Upper,” hasn't caught on in this area, Shea said.

But concrete and granite are both good choices for outdoor kitchens. Man-made quartz, while non-porous, is not practical for outdoor use, since it will fade in the sunlight and pit when hit with precipitation.

Because granite is a natural stone, and thereby porous, liquid will penetrate the surface, she said. That's why sealant is put on when it's installed.

Marble is a soft material, and while some of the TV remodelers use it in the kitchen, Shea said it's better suited for bathroom counters. It can be inserted in a special baking area in the kitchen, but it will stain, she warned. Other materials, like granite, can have a marble look, with better durability.

Soapstone is gaining in popularity, but it's also a softer material, and lends a more country rustic look to a home's decor. It has more of a matte finish and is typically rubbed with mineral oil.

Salesman Welch leans toward granite over quartz.

He said a lot of misconceptions about quartz are swirling around the internet, and people believe what they read online.

'I can have 10 customers come in here and all 10 will say they want quartz, and nine of them will buy granite when it's all said and done. They say (quartz) doesn't crack, it doesn't stain, it doesn't chip, it doesn't fade.

'That's what they say, but you cannot make that claim unless you've been around forever. This is Mother Earth,” he said, knocking on a granite surface. 'It's been around forever.”

Quartz, while mined, is crushed-up and mixed with resin to come up with the design, he said, so it will chip, and it will get a burn ring if a hot pan is placed on it.

'Our job is to educate you as the consumer,” he said. 'There's no such thing as maintenance-free in this world.”

Shea also warns against tackling counters as a DIY project.

'We do get calls from people that got a good deal on a slab of granite or something, and can you cut it for us,” she said. 'Number one, you don't know the quality of it. It could have little fissures through it, making a little weak spot. Some of the lesser expensive ones are just not as good a quality. If our fabricators are handling it and it cracks, it's their responsibility, so generally, nobody will do anything with somebody else's product.”

Granite and quartz also are just plain heavy. Even the samples are heavy.

'They weigh hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pounds,” she said.

The professionals use special tools with suction cups and dollies for transporting the pieces. They don't just have a couple of guys picking them up and carrying them into the house.

'They're used to handling it all the time,” she said, 'so it wouldn't really be a do-it-yourself project. Maybe a small vanity or something like that, but if you don't handle it correctly, it's going to snap. It's like glass - you can't just flip it around and turn it or it will snap.”

Other trends include adding kitchen islands for prep and storage, and eye-catching backsplashes or the more simple subway tile.

'I can tell what's been on TV, when people start asking about it,” she said.

l Comments: (319) 368-8508; diana.nollen@thegazette.com