Flooring and Countertops Question

[forHISglory]

The house didn't sell this summer/autumn, so we have taken it off the market. Don't know if we will try again in the spring or not.

Meanwhile, we are thinking about replacing some flooring and our kitchen countertops. It will probably add to the value, but it is also something we have been wanting to do, just to make it nicer.

The countertops we have now are formica. We are thinking of something hard surfaced: granite, silestone, corian, etc. If you have these types of tops, can you fill me in on what's good and what's not so good about them? I'd like to know things like:
1. easy to clean
2. cost
3. what kind of maintainance
4. cautions
5. etc.

Our floor for the combo kitchen/dining/living room/solarium are vinyl. We are thinking of putting in tile. I'm thinking ceramic and Hubby is thinking vinyl. Again, if you have any experience with either of these, could you give us your view?

Thanks for all the help you can give!

[AmyBoz]

We have granite countertops. LOVE them!

1. easy to clean - SO easy to clean
2. cost - unfortunately, they were quite expensive, but worth the cost
3. what kind of maintainance - zero...I use regular cleaners, they don't chip or crack, I can put a hot pot directly on the stone and it doesn't hurt the counter at all
4. cautions - when they were new, they warned us to be careful with things like pasta sauce, etc., but nothing has ever stained them...Also, apparently, it hurts A LOT when you are little and your head is island height and you walk into one...so we've been told by our little people

[nancycg56]

We have Caesarstone countertops (it's the same as silastone) and we just love them!

They are super easy to clean ~ I just wipe with a sponge. Once in awhile I spray some countertop cleaner on them for good measure. They shine up beautifully.

They were expensive ~ a bit more than granite if I remember correctly.

I can put a hot pot on it, they never stain, naturally anti-bacterial.

No cautions. I have spilled everything on them and not a stain. However, if you drop a glass, dish, bowl, etc., on them, the glass, dish, bowl WILL break. They also do not scratch.

We put in wood floors in the kitchen ~ love it. They are easy to clean and there is no real upkeep.

Good luck choosing!

[monkeywrangler71]

I know people who have regretted the ceramic or stone tile in the kitchen. Dropped items automatically break and the hard floor makes their legs/back/feet sore if they spend a long time standing.

I don't know personally as I have vinyl, just what others told me when we were discussing what to do with our floor.

Also, I just got a cabinet with a wood countertop and absolutely love it. It looks awesome and if you scratch/nick/stain it you just have to sand it down and oil it up again. The wood gives the kitchen a really warm homey feeling.

[TheRootedNomad]

That's a lot of area to have grout in. If you go ceramic you will need to consider the color of the grout and the cleaning/upkeep of it. That said we are swaying back and forth between laminate (pergo) and ceramic for our kitchen/hall/laundry room area. Both hold up well, the ceramic even more so. The laminate cleans much easier though and does well except with lots of moisture. I really dislike vinyal but it does hold up well, is less expesive, and is easy to clean. It is the ultimate in frugal flooring. However, it may not be the best selling tool, especially for that large of an area. I don't think it would be a positive in that area but a negative. I've never known a realator to point out the new viynal floors like they will ceramic. If your sure your going to stay then that becomes a non-issue,

[LynnLC]

100 % agree! Have new tile floors and have proceeded to break 2 dishes in about a million pieces. They look lovely though. lol I would go with hardwood or laminate.