We’re inching right along in the kitchen (wish we could share kitchen updates every day but we’re doing this thing real-time). Which brings us to our latest decision: the new counters that we’ll be going with.
We’ve been debating possibilities for weeks (there are a junkload of options out there with pros and cons to each one). And ten people would probably make ten different decisions, so it can feel especially hard to hone in on the “right” thing since there are so many variables. So here’s how we landed on the choice that we like best for our kitchen/family/life. But first the thing we’re sad about: although we had high hopes of DIYing concrete counters (I pinned about a million tutorials) they’re not a good choice for our kitchen. After talking to a few concrete experts (who actually make ’em for a living) we learned that in order to accommodate the double 12″ overhang (on two of the four sides of the giant 3 x 5′ peninsula that we’ll be adding) we would need to pour the slab extra thick, which is an issue because:
- our cabinets can’t support that amount of weight (they’d need to be reinforced = $$$)
- our floors aren’t built to support that load anyway (more on that here)
Cue the sad trombone sound effect. We debated doing some sort of concrete “slipcover” (for lack of a better word- some folks just coat another countertop material with a thin layer of concrete) but it ended up having more cons than solid concrete, so we decided to explore a few other options in hopes of finding The One. But we’re diabolically determined (picture me stroking my chin like an evil genius) to mess around with concrete one way or another. Maybe we’ll make a long concrete dining table for an outdoor deck area that we have yet to tell you about/build (it’s on the to-do list, so we’ll hopefully get there eventually). But back to the kitchen…
Once concrete was off the table (or the counters, har-har) we decided that hitting up a bunch of local kitchen shops as well as the usual home improvement guys (like Lowe’s and Home Depot) would be a good way to see what other counter materials were out there… and what they were going to do to our budget. Back when we did our first home’s kitchen we really splurged when it came to the counters (to the tune of $3,700 after a $300-off promotion), but they kind of made our kitchen and we had saved up the money to pay them off right away, so we didn’t regret that choice.
But we definitely went into this kitchen makeover vowing to come in substantially under that number. Which is funny given that we have about twice as much square footage (since we’re adding a big peninsula and this kitchen is a lot larger than our last one). For example, to use the same “pashmina” granite from Home Depot that we used for our last kitchen would cost us over $7,000! Which is just not in the budget. At all.
At first we thought about butcher block (Ikea sells it so affordably and it can be stained to get a richer chocolate look). But with the dark wood counters in the adjoined office (just five steps from the stove and three from the fridge) we decided that would be too much wood. Plus we loved the slick and easy-to-wipe-down surface that granite offered us in our first kitchen. Call us spoiled. But this time we wanted to go with something different (and had heard good things about quartz, solid surface options like Corian, and even cool eco options like recycled glass). So after hitting up a bunch of places, here are all of the samples that we brought home to mull over:
- Top left: LG Viatera quartz in “Geneva” found at Lowe’s (note: any of these options are probably available at a number of places)
- Bottom left: Caesarstone quartz in “Pebble” found at a local spot called Kitchen & Bath Solutions
- Right: Silestone quartz in “River Blanco” found at Kitchen & Bath Solutions
- Top left: Cambria quartz in “Torquay” found at Kitchen & Bath Solutions
- Bottom left: Cambria quartz in “Sussex” found at Kitchen & Bath Solutions
- Top right: Allen & Roth quartz in “Alloy” found at Lowe’s
- Bottom right: Cambria quartz in “New Quay” found at Kitchen & Bath Solutions
Oh and here’s a pile of white solid surface options from Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Kitchen & Bath Solutions (the one on top is Glacier White by Corian, and there are other options by LG Hi-Macs and Allen & Roth under it).
We also admired a few awesome eco options like recycled glass but they sadly weren’t in the budget (at least we got cork floors and can reuse almost all of our cabinetry to keep things green).
The one we loved most? This Silestone guy (River Blanco):
But after we learned that it would be over 5K for those counters alone (!!!), we knew it wasn’t meant to be. But don’t cry for me Argentina. It all worked out in the end and we found something that’ll be a great choice for our kitchen/family. The winner? Glacier White Corian:
We’re in love and have all but forgotten the 5K option that we once called a favorite. That’s actually not a white Corian square pictured above, but that bigger white tile was the same color so it represents the new counter better than a tiny Chicklet-sized square sample. Oh and the stainless steel bottle represents our new stainless appliances and the paint swatch is the current wall color so you can see how those things layer in with other things like our backsplash tile and the mocha cork.
Why did it win? So many reasons:
- It’s thousands cheaper than most other options we priced out ($38 a square foot at Lowe’s – compared to many other options shown above that were in the $80-100 per square foot range). We also have a 10% off “project coupon” that arrived in the mail from Lowe’s and will get 5% off on top of that when we use our Lowe’s credit card (you know we love a deal)
- John’s sister has lived with Glacier White Corian in her kitchen for the past 5+ years and loves it and has had zero issues (seriously, she wants to marry it)
- We are keeping our existing deep stainless sink and are not going with an integrated Corian sink (we have heard they can be harder to care for, and John’s sister has a stainless sink with the Corian tops and has loved that combo).
- It’s easy care (Corian is nonporous, which means stains do not penetrate the surface). According to the company, it also resists the growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria (John’s sister has a teen, a tween, a toddler, and a big dog – and she has no scratches or stains to date)
- We already use trivets and wood cutting boards to set down hot things (we’re paranoid) so following those steps with Corian should be no sweat (John’s sister hasn’t had any issues with that in five years of use either)
- It’s lighter than granite, quartz, concrete, etc (so our cabinets and floor joists can handle it, no problem)
- When installed, there are no seams, if done correctly (which is definitely appealing since the seams in our current granite tops drive us bonkers)
- It reflects lots of light, so it’s great for dark windowless rooms (like our kitchen!)
I know it might sound really bland to do white cabinets with white counters, but many of the rooms that we love in our inspiration files have the white on white look. And given our recent backsplash choice it’ll all hopefully make sense (the gray-green penny tiles will stand out along with colorful items on our open shelves while the counters and cabinets are classic & clean).
We’re also toying with the idea of some sort of subtle color on the cabinets (maybe a soft taupe-gray like this kitchen that we crashed a while back). Not sure where we’ll end up, but we’ll definitely keep ya posted! What about you guys? Has anyone else decided to go with Corian? Or concrete? Or quartz? Or granite? Or butcher block? We’d love to hear which counter you picked for your kitchen! There are so many delicious options out there…
Psst- We announced this week’s giveaway winner. Click here to see if it’s you.
JennP says
Seriously love the idea of painting the cabinets a warmer tone. Love Love Love!
Jen says
We have corian counter tops and LOVE them! My inlaws fell in love with ours which prompted them to re-do their 20 year old kitchen. Super easy to maintain and you should receive whatever scraps from installation to keep incase there ever is a problem. If you do get any light scratches, Soft Scrub will buff it out- amazing! Only thing, I read you should not put super hot surfaces directly on the corian. I don’t know if this is true because I haven’t been brave enough to test that “no-no”. I’m so in love with your colorscheme. I really want to nab the circle back splash!
YoungHouseLove says
Yay! So glad to hear all the Corain love going on! And yes, we plan to use a wood cutting board and trivets so we don’t burn or crack anything (John’s sister Emily has done that so we plan to do exactly what she does, hahah).
xo,
s
Michelle M. says
Corian is a great product. It’s through body color, so if it stains or gets marked on you can literally grind it out. I’m so glad you didn’t choose granite, it’s beautiful, but has to be resealed over and over so not the most eco-friendly product. Good luck, I like what I’m seein’!
Kay says
I love the counters! All of your selections are great! Have y’all thought about a white kitchen w/ those dark floors? It would be dreamy . . . and I noticed that a lot of your inspiration pics are white kitchens. Love the grellow, of course, but was curious if you considered white walls . . .
YoungHouseLove says
You know, I just don’t think we’re white wall people. But ya never know! We’ll definitely repaint if we don’t like the artichoke color (you know we love to paint stuff- haha).
xo,
s
Becky says
You guys will love Corian! My mom has it in her kitchen and my sister put a boiling pot of water directly on the countertop and it cracked, BUT Corian (residential applications only) is guaranteed for life! She called the local DuPont rep and they sent someone out to fix it that same week and you can’t even find where the crack was because they did such a great job seaming it. I love the penny tile too, I’m so jealous!
YoungHouseLove says
No way!!!!! I love that. Didn’t even look into the warranty- but you can’t beat guaranteed for life! I’m so glad they sent someone out to fix it the same week and it looked like new. Wow. If we weren’t 100% sold before, we definitely are now!
xo,
s
Lindsay B. says
As an architect we use Corian in almost all of our projects (especially medical spaces) because it is solid surface/impermeable and is easy to keep super clean and germ free. Good choice!
YoungHouseLove says
WAHOOO! Gotta love the architect approval. Hahaha. Thanks Lindsay!
xo,
s
Shannon Clarke says
We went with butcher block in our kitchen….and LOVE it! Especially how cheap it was (we got it from Ikea) and how easy it was to install. I’ve pined (don’t mind the pun) over butcher block counters for years. We splurged on a farmhouse ceramic sink and I can’t tell you how much I love it.
I know you said you’re keeping your stainless sink. Have you ever thought of a concrete sink? A neighbour of mine DIY’ed one and it’s fantastic!
YoungHouseLove says
We wish we could DIY something like that! It would just be too heavy for our cabinets and flooring. Sounds awesome though!
xo,
s
HannahJo says
Corian- classic choice and totally underestimated! You will lurve it! Its extremely durable and behaves just like stone and the Corian people are the nicest and most helpful around!
Good call on concrete – the weight and headache that is concrete is just awful compared to the modern day miracles in finishes that look EXACTLY the same and perform much better.
Tana says
We have concrete countertops and while I like them a lot, I would not do them again. They etch and stain when anything acidic comes into contac with them, which is a lot more common than one might thing (think tomato, citrus, vinegar). They also need grinding, polishing, and sealing about once a year. They are beautiful when polished and clean, but I don’t like the maintenance or care that they take.
Ours are a deep rich brown and beautiful, but again, not worth the hassle.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Tana! That does make us feel better! I’m not sure we’d be so good about grinding/polishing/sealing concrete counters once a year!
xo,
s
Nikki says
I vote for a subtle color on the bottom cabinets and white on the few top cabinets you install (not sure how you would handle the pantry on that one)…I recall seeing this with open shelving and loving it. I love the choices…it’s going to look great!
Laura says
Its going to look so pretty!
We almost went with Blanco River for our kitchen counters but when I really studied it up close I noticed that the grey pattern almost looked a little pixelated in some areas. I figured if it was bothering me on the sample it would surely bother me in huge slabs. I’m sure normal people wouldnt even notice it but I’m a wierdo who notices tiny imperfections! :-)
I need to send over some pics of our kitchen reno we completed in August – so glad that project is complete!!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I’d love to see pics!
xo,
s
Lynnette says
We had a light tan colored Corian (I think Linen maybe?) in our last house and we LOVED it. Super easy to clean and we didn’t have any issues with scratches or heat. It looked just as good the day we sold the house as it did the day we had it installed. The only thing to be careful with is colored liquids, as others have mentioned, because they do leave a light stain you have to scrub off. But otherwise they were great! I still miss that kitchen…
Love how your kitchen is coming together. The white with the dark floors is going to be stunning!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tips Lynnette! So glad to hear yours looked as good when you sold as when you got it!
xo,
s
Christy says
I would echo what some others have said about scratches. We have a light tan (called rice paper) in the kitchen and the scratches can only be seen from certain angles. However, we have dark grey (called moss) in the powder room and the scratch revealed a very light color underneath, so it is more obvious. I think Corian sells scratch repair kits…
Can’t wait to see the finished kitchen!
Louisa T. says
You know what is so cool about you guys doing your kitchen reno right at this specific time? You’re doing all the work for me! Lol. We are in the planning stages and it has followed that each decision ya’ll make, we are having to make approximately a month later. So keep up the good work and thanks for making my life infinitely easier! Oh, and cannot wait to see how it turns out (your’s….and, well, mine too!).
Alison says
I grew up with Corian and it was problem free. My mom LOVED it. In fact, she was SO excited when she downsized that the new kitchen had Corian in it too. I think its definitely a great choice! Your kitchen is going to look fabulous!
YoungHouseLove says
Yay. So happy to hear that Alison!
xo,
s
Christie says
Pretty! The clean, crisp look is classic and you can change out the accessories anytime you want to change your look. Love it!
Emily says
I love what you went with!
however, for future kitchen DIYers to keep in mind, you were a bit mislead about the concrete. by using different (ECO FRIENDLY!) materials you can make concrete that is light enough for older floors and cabinetry. the overhang would have required some reinforcement but not at all difficult.
I’m not at all trying to sound snarky, I just don’t want any other readers to shy away from it because its such a great material!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Emily! Perhaps there are other methods that the concrete experts that we chatted with don’t use/aren’t aware of? They were both huuuuge concrete enthusiasts but agreed that it just wasn’t right for our kitchen! Here’s hoping we can build a concrete tabletop someday for our future deck though!
xo,
s
Anna says
My kitchen has corian countertops since I redid it 7 years ago. It’s a soft sand colour and looks flawless. Love it!
Apart from juice and newspapwers, I managed to stain it with a wet bag of frozen veggies (the colours bleed on the counter). Here in Spain we don’t have soft scrub, but I cleaned it with old mediterranean style olive oil soap.
The white corian you like is so pretty!
YoungHouseLove says
Glad to hear that good ol’ mediterranean style olive oil soap worked for ya! I wonder if Dr Bronners or Mrs Meyers will work too! Might have to experiment…
xo,
s
elvira says
We are in the midst of re-doing our kitchen and we got quotes for pashmina granite for around $40/sq foot… but that is working with specialized granite people versus home depot/lowe’s. I found that they are totally overpriced. Can you go on Angie’s list and get other quotes for granite fabricator’s?
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we definitely could if we wanted to stick with granite. We’re just excited to do something different this time!
xo,
s
Tina @ heatherandtina.com says
We remodeled our 100 year old kitchen a few years back. It still has the original farm sink. We went with soap stone counters to keep an aged look. The fabricator made me sign a release that said that it wasn’t a good kitchen counter choice. I love it. It scratches easily, but I think it blends with the character of the house. It also changes color. If I don’t oil it for awhile it becomes a chalky gray color. When I want it more glossy black, I just have to rub it down with mineral oil. I love your choices so far!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds so pretty! I can’t believe you had to sign a release about it!
xo,
s
Roberta says
We went with black/granite looking Corian with a white sink in our last home and I have to say that we really regretted the choice. For two reasons…it scratches really easy and the white sink was always dirty. Sure you can “buff” out the scratches but you really need to call the pros to keep your warranty in tack. It make me so darn nervous to set a plate or pot down…let alone a bag of groceries because it was always getting scratched and we had a HUGE center island. For the cost I would have preferred real granite or butcher block on the island at least. Here’s a photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlphilbr13/6068322750/in/set-72157627364969237
Hope this helps, Roberta
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Roberta! We hear that matte white (our corian choice) is a lot more forgiving about scratches since apparently the darker colors show lighter scratches but white scratches blend into matte white counters. It must be true because after five years of use Emily’s counter has zero scratches (at least visible ones- I got super close and stared!!!).
xo,
s
Callie says
I agree that the white sink gets dirty kind of easily :\ I take soft scrub to it once every week or two – takes only about a minute and I love how the sink looks gleaming shiny white otherwise. Also it motivates us to not let dishes or food sit in the sink, since it’s really when they sit there awhile that the sink gets ‘dirty’ looking. Anyway, sounds like you’re doing something different for the sink so then you don’t have to worry about it :)
Bree says
I am loving the white on white with the dark floors!! All the kitchens I pin tend to be in that vein.
I have used the Corain countertops before and I guess I’m lazy b/c I was cutting an apple with a regular ole dull stemware knife and it left a scratch. You have to use some kind of barrier for cutting at all times with it. If you aren’t lazy or just being dumb in a hurry (like me) then it shouldn’t be a problem, lol.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the warning Bree! We have a big thick wood cutting board that we use these days (granite can scratch too when ya cut) so we plan to keep that habit up!
xo,
s
Lucy says
My mom has white Corian at home and loves it, no issues for the last 24 years. Their summer house in Maine however is a combo of Corian Raincloud (looks exactly like marble) and white Corian. The two texture combination is really nice. The Raincloud is on the island and the white is around on top of the counters. That being said, big fan of white Corian and Corian in general!
YoungHouseLove says
Woah- 24 years! That’s amazing! We keep hearing the white color is the most durable and it seems like it’s true!
xo,
s
Amanda K says
We have had Corian Glacier White from Lowe’s in our bathroom for about four years, and we LOVE it. No stains, no scratches, easy to clean, and still looks brand new. Your kitchen is going to be gorgeous!
YoungHouseLove says
YES!!! SO GLAD.
xo,
s
Leslie says
I declare, my hubby and I have been having the same conversation for months. We just cannot bring ourselves to spend the equivalent of a car on kitchen counters. We’ve checked out concrete, looked at granite (yikes!), and considered Silestone. Our fave…soapstone. For the money, there is a formica called soapstone that we may even go with and squeeze in a trip to Europe or maybe buy a boat with the savings!
Courtney says
LOVE the way your kitchen redo is shaping up! I’m sure it will be a bright, cheery space for the whole family to hang out in.
We have Caesarstone quartz for our counters and they are the best thing ever. Heat and stain resistant and doesn’t require sealing like granite. We also like that is a more abundant natural stone than granite. We get a lot of compliments on how bright our kitchen is compared to the standard dark cabinets, floor, counters combo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trec_lit/5456384638/in/photostream
YoungHouseLove says
Pretty!
xo,
s
Liz says
We just redid our kitchen back in May so it will be very interesting to see how you guys go about yours. We picked LG solid surface counters from Lowe’s (they had an awesome sale) and l.o.v.e them. We also went with the stainless steel, deep kitchen sink and there are way less marks and scuffs on ours than my mom’s (who has solid surface counters with the integrated sink). You guys made a great choice!
Also, when they installed the counters, we got a “free” cutting board and four coasters out of the area they had to cut out for the sink. So glad that part didn’t just go to waste!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that! I hope they do the same thing for us!
xo,
s
Jill says
I am really excited to see your kitchen transform.
I have had glacial white corian counters for 11 years now. The counters have held up very well and look almost new. We’ve brought two babies home to this house, the eldest is now 9 so you know it’s a hardworkin’ kitchen! I always put hot pans on trivets and cut on cutting boards. Two tips: go with a plain edge, I have a bull nose edge with a top and bottom lip that chips easily, which is a downer. It isn’t worth the extra expense and I wish I went with a plain eased edge. Also the adhesive at the joints has yellowed and stained,it doesn’t bleach or sand clean. I imagine that the adhesive has evolved since we had ours installed so long ago. But thought you should have a heads up so maybe you can question your sales person/installer about the adhesive and how to avoid it changing colors.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Jill! We definitely plan to go with the plain edge (oddly enough we like it better than the expensive ones) – and as for adhesive, we’ll definitely ask some questions thanks to your suggestion!
xo,
s
Jolene says
So excited for you and love the choices you have made. It’s going to be a similar colour scheme to our own (http://duckeggblue.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/coming-ready-or-not/). I was a bit worried about marking/staining on a white benchtop but so far so good – it actually feels easy to keep clean because you can see everything and wipe it up straight away! We have yet to add wood tones with the open shelving above the stove… All the best!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- your makeover is amazing! So pretty!!
xo,
s
Kimberlee says
Your kitchen/dining area has come such a long way since you first moved in! I love all the updates, and in real time is good for all of us anxious readers, who sometimes need reminding that major house projects take time. I just put white quartz in my kitchen (Swanstone by Hanstone) and I love it. Thank you for writing such a fun blog. I look forward to reading it every day :)
Elise says
We did our kitchen a few months ago and went with Silestone similar to the one you liked (with specks instead of waves, though). We have just one wall of counter so it wasn’t a budget-buster for us (and HD was having a sale)!
Loves Moose says
Corian sounds like a great choice. The white with white cabinets seems too bland and cold, though, so I’m wondering if you intend to paint the cabinets a warmer shade of white. What I’ve noticed is that things can look really sterile if there isn’t any difference between the two whites. The brighter white on the counters with a warmer or ever so slightly grayed white on the cabinets would look beautiful. The floor color is something I’m definitely not feeling. That dark color reminds me of gym floor tiles or old tiles from an all-vinyl diner in the 1970s. And I think the rich color you chose is going to feel extremely heavy and overpowering and really throw things off. But your last house was gorgeous, so I’m really excited to see how this manages to come together. I’m just kind of wondering if you should have waited on the flooring purchase until everything else is completed.
YoungHouseLove says
As for the cabinet color, we’re debating a soft taupe-gray paint color (check out the last paragraph) but keep flip flopping back to white (not too stark of a white of course, we’ll just hold up paint chips to see what looks good). Not sure where we’ll end up but we’ll keep you posted! As for the floor, it’ll be rich and mocha-y like a lot of the inspiration rooms that we shared in that cork post (here). It’s kind of hard to picture, and might not be the same choice everyone else would make – but we can’t wait to see how it turns out!
xo,
s
Maureen @This (Kinda) Old House says
I love the white! I was wondering if you would choose that again since you had a similar color in your last kitchen. I will be going el-cheapo and buying the butcher block countertops from Ikea. I love how they look, and found a great product to seal them called Waterlox. That project is way off, but I am already planning! I love that Ikea also has the materials to prevent dishwasher steam from ruining the countertop. They think of everything. And yes, I am a walking, talking advertisement for them. LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- they are super smart over there, huh? Love the prices too!
xo,
s
Caitie says
We just decided we are going with Quartz for the cabinet countertops and then butcherblock for the island countertop! Still deciding on my color thou…it’s tough, there are sooo many pretty colors to choose from!! :)
Kim says
This might sound bland, boring, etc. but we actually went with a very cool laminate. It’s called green soapstone, but to us it actually looks alot like concrete, which is what we would have chosen if we had the budget and the floors could support it. If it’s possible for a laminate to be cool, this one is. It looks great with our birch cabinets, and the colors we have. We have gotten lots of compliments. We decided that if we absolutely thought we had to have granite, we could always do that later. But for now, this is pretty and maintenance free, and we didn’t have to tear up a mountain to get something that took millions of years to create.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome! Would love to see pics!
xo,
s
eva says
I helped my parents select Corian for their bathrooms a few years ago they absolutely love it. It looks fabulous. It does scratch though. The white can hide it very easy but since it’s a bit softer than regular stone it does scratch.
Have you thought of going to any Stone Suppliers? Sometimes they have slabs that they haven’t sold, or in the case of Caesarstone discontinued colors that you could pick up cheaper if you know the quantity you need? Maybe not for this time for your kitchen but I’m sure you’ll eventually change your bathrooms.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, we tried the whole remnant thing, but since we will have a giiiiant penisula, no one has anything of that size! Great tip for a bathroom though!
xo,
s
elaine K says
I have Wilson Art that looks like concrete. It’s starting to wear after 10 years, but the way I figure it can be replaced 4 times for what I would have paid for silestone or granite.
jb says
Honestly you made a great choice. We have gorgeous concrete counter tops, but as much as i love them i wouldn’t do again. the maintenance alone is time consuming/expensive + we have cracks now & some are a deal killers for any potential buyers as they could get worse and part of our counter top will need to be replaced $$$, as we plan to sell next summer. Soooo love the look, but i’ll keep the concrete for my side walks :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks for that jb! We sometimes forget that concrete has its cons too!
xo,
s
Trisha says
Ahhhhh, the first pick is what we have for our counters and the penny tile is our back splash (which is in the garage still!). I was so hoping you would do that so I can see how it will EVENTUALLY look in our house. grrr, I guess we should get busy ourselves. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh send us pics! We’d love to see how it looks!
xo,
s
Gwenalyn says
First of all: I love the look of it, I think white one white is very pretty. I also hope that after some time using it you guys will review it for those of us who plan on updating our kitchens down the road and can’t afford the pricey stuff! Right now our kitchen counters are pink laminate of some sort. So pretty… *cough* I’m lying *cough!* So, I can’t wait to get something nice in there.
Second of all (something completely off topic): I was reading some Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey and saw one that made me think of Burger; “I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chose a king, they don’t just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas.” Haha! Have a great day you guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha- love it!
xo,
s
Brettany says
have you guys ever had trouble using a 10% coupon and then using your 5% credit card discount?? the last time I went to Lowes they told me they couldn’t do both discounts…I was super disappointed!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so odd! We have heard that from other commenters but it’s never a problem at our Lowe’s! The way they do it at our store is they will allow you to apply just one coupon (the 5% off for using the card isn’t a coupon though) so they scan your coupon and then hit total and then to pay you use your card and the total automatically drops down again after the card is scanned! It works for our big purchases too (like our appliances). So sorry it seems inconsistent at other stores!
xo,
s
Noelle says
Hey it will look great like all of your projects, but living with white cabs and counter can be tough- it shows everything. I am justmsaying we don’t have kids but my hubby and I leave prints on every door so it becomes a chore to wipe all the readily used cabinets all the time….
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Noelle! John’s sister Emily has had the same exact white Corian counters for the past five years and she has three kids (a teenager, a tween, and a toddler!!!) along with a not-always-neat hubby and her counters look like new! She loves that she can just wipe them down with Soft Scrub to keep them shining like the day she got them! So we’re excited to see how it all works out!
xo,
s
Heather says
Our kitchen came with a 1990’s corian counter top! We’ve remodeled everything but the counter, and it holds up so nicely! Ours is off white and soooo easly to clean. Enjoy!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad!
xo,
s
sheri says
We’ve had the same countertop for the past year, and love it – so economical compared to the other options. We have the same color flooring, white on white cabinets/countertop. I feel like it still needs to be a little warmer though?
Wondering about this time though:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=glass+tile&hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1274&bih=639&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=16914297050443707281&sa=X&ei=xLJATrP4JoXcgQfBuNTSCQ&ved=0CJsBEPICMAQ4eA
but maybe it’s too expensive, since we have a lot of space to cover. We’ll see!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh pretty!
xo,
s
Design 4 Less says
Hi YHL,
We recently wrote a great blog dedicated to best eco countertop choices:
http://design-4-lessblog.com/2011/10/06/eco-friendly-countertops/
Hope this helps!
Design 4 Less =)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! Off to check it out…
xo,
s
Vanessa says
I really love how all of the colors look together in your picture with all of the “samples” – I cannot wait to see the end result. I love white kitchens, they are just so classy looking. Love it!
Donna says
In my dream kitchen, I fantasize I will someday have marble countertops. I just love them, especially the white/soft gray. But they are not ideal in a home with children, so we bought Corian and have had no problems. They may not have the shine of my beloved marble, but they don’t stain like marble, either! Beautiful choice, guys.
Lindsay says
I’m so glad you guys are doing white countertops with white cabinets. We chose the same thing but found that we really had to be firm in our design choices because the countertop salespeople really…REALLY….did not want us to pick something so “washed out” and “boring”. We got a lot of “no you want contrast, you can’t do white on white.” We can and we will! haha :) Can’t wait to see it all come together!
meredith says
i also love the white on white look– so fresh and modern and clean. we moved into our house about a year ago and the kitchen has tan Corian counters with a white integrated sink. i’m so glad to hear you are keeping your stainless sink because my kitchen sink has been the bane of my existence since we moved in! i can NEVER get it looking perfect (i miss my stainless steel sink from our old house in charlotte like crazy) and would love to replace it but that would open up a HUGE can of worms because there are a lot of projects i’d like to do in the kitchen and i wouldn’t know where to stop… and unfortunately a whole kitchen remodel is not in the budget!
our countertops do seem quite scratched, and i think they are around 7 or so years old. i’m not sure how the previous owners cared for them, though. glad to hear that it IS possible to keep them looking nice. as for me, when i’m ready for a remodel, we’ll be going with some type of quartz countertop. i really miss being able to set hot things on my counters (we previously had granite) cuz i’m just CRAZY like that!
love your site and living vicariously through all your projects! i am the only handy one in my house, so i have to admit i get a little jealous whenever i read about couples who do projects TOGETHER! :( so fun!
Cathy says
I never heard of Corian before I moved in our house 4 years ago but I LOVE them. A quick wipe and they look brand new again, I set down hot things (yep go ahead don’t be shy) and don’t have to worry about it – especially handy at the holiday’s and my two-year-old has put the counter tops through it’s paces by beating it with wooden and metal spoons. Not a dent. You’ll love Corian – I’m a new convert and I used to be a granite snob. Everyone who has Corian that I talked to loves them.