Why We Picked Solid Surface Counters

It took us a while to figure out what we were going to replace our countertops with. In the summer of 2012, we visited several places to get prices and compare materials. We never could agree. Finally, after a year and a half Douglas decided that I should just pick what I wanted. What a nice guy he is! I think that he just did not want to do the research. I spent hours reading about all of the options, getting people’s opinions and also talking to Douglas’ brother Sean who works in construction. I decided to get a solid surface counter.

There were many reasons that I chose solid surface counters. Here are my opinions on all of the options.

Granite – I am sick of hearing about granite all the time. Everyone and their mother have granite counters right now. I like nice granite, but those are really expensive. Most of the cheap granite is hideous to me. I also wanted a light colored, preferably white, counter, and granite does not come in white. It also bothers me how most granite is mined.

Marble – It comes in white and is beautiful, but staining was a concern for me. I do not think that Douglas and I would take good enough care of it. I would hate to spend so much money on something only to ruin it.

Eco-Friendly – I am lumping a bunch of different materials together with this one. I would have preferred to have a counter made of recycled materials. Unfortunately, the ones that I liked were way too expensive for me. I just could not afford to pay $85 a square foot. Even the cheaper options were more than we ended up paying.

Concrete – This was a strong contender for quite a while. I especially like the concrete that can be spread over existing counters. Alas, our counters did not match, and this would have looked funny. I could have built new ones, but I was afraid of spending the time and money only to hate them.

Quartz – This option almost won me over. On our last trip to Home Depot, there was a quartz that I liked for $59 a square foot. That was cheaper than the more expensive solid surface counters. I wavered in my decision and nearly changed my mind, but I am glad that I did not.

Update: A loyal reader pointed out that I forgot to mention butcher block counters, so here is the update. Thank you Carol-Isabelle!

Butcher Block- I really like butcher block counters. Although they are expensive, I seriously considered them. In the end, I was swayed by the fact that I wanted something light, and I did not want to paint the cabinets. That would have been a lot of wood in the room. I do love butcher block, however.

Solid Surface – These counters used to be cheaper than granite and quartz, but now they are often more expensive. However, there are nice options for cheaper than the high end granite and quartz, at least in our area. I like that they are seamless and that they can be sanded down. They can be scratched, but from what I read light colors and matte finishes show the scratches less. This was perfect since I wanted white. Many people swear by their solid surface counters, including many professional chefs. Kelsey and Heath over at the Doodle House really liked theirs. My decision was made.

We received a couple of gift cards to Home Depot for Christmas, so we decided to order our counters from them. The color that I liked best was a product of LG’s Hi-Macs. The counters cost $37 a square foot. The total price of the counter came to $1110.01, which includes installation and tax. However, Home Depot was having a sale for 10% off countertops, and we had $300 in gift cards. That means that we paid only $699 for our new counters. I am thrilled!

We are going to have to remove the existing counters and re-install the sink ourselves.  We agreed to do this because it would save us hundreds of dollars. I think that is worth a little effort by us.

I cannot wait to show you the new counters! Here is a close up look of the counter sample with the tile we are going to use for the back splash.

Happy Homemaking!