I have customers who are redoing their kitchen. We’ve come up with a cabinet, floors, lighting and paints. What I haven’t been able to establish is a counter concept that works for them.
Granite as an option puts the project over the budget, plastic laminates do not fit their more natural aesthetic and desire to have a more green interior environment. We have talked about wood but I’m not sure about what type would stand up to the stress of kitchen living and what kind of finishes might best stand up to the wear and tear of the kitchen.
I’m wondering what other people are using for counter tops that are both economical, environmental and give a more “farm style” look to a kitchen.
Replies
We've put in a honed slate tile counter. It turned out very well, and is much more reasonably priced than a solid piece. With thin grout lines, clean up is fine.
Maple butcher block is suitable for kitchens.
Check out http://www.johnboos.com
Both a classic countertop material and green.
LINOLEUM.
Bill
I've seen linoleum used on floors with a wax applied for protection. Would you use a paste wax for protection on a counter top?
Anton
The house I grew up in had linoleum countertops in the kitchen. My dad put them in about 1950 and finally replaced them with laminate in the middle 70s. They held up pretty well for the most part over the years. As I recall my mother would put a coat of paste wax on them periodically, but otherwise just wiped them down with a dishrag after doing the dishes each night.
Paste wax will fog when exposed to moisture or heat. It requires regular upkeep. Applying anything every night, well, almost anything, is a PITA.F
Experiment with the placing of the ingredients on the plate. Try the mozzarella on the left, the tomato in the middle, the avocado on the right. Have fun. Then decide it goes tomato, mozzarella, avocado. Anything else looks stupid.
Richard E. Grant as Simon Marchmont - Posh Nosh
A lot of old frm houses did have linoleum and I have heard of some coming back. There was a metal front edge used to trim it out.
For protection they used a real wood cutting board and trivets for hot pots. So it does take aa carefull owner to keep it. BTW, we are talking about REAL lino, which is also making a comeback for flooring. Another similar product is Marmoleum.Both do take stains I've been tollde, so I would hesitte using themm. I use the Boos or other BB maple tops for this sort of situation.The concrete is another decent choice if you can find the right installer.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Wood countertops are great! The do wear - a good thing - as the wearing shows charcter and a life in the kitchen. You are building a farmhouse kitchen, NOT a demonstration kitchen in Bloomingdale's!
For the farmhouse effect, consider :
a. basic maple butcherblock @ 1 1/2".
b. 3" thick butcherblock. It looks so nice like it's been there forever and ain't going anywhere.
c. Mohogany butcherblock - 1 1/2"
Think utility. Any type of tile will look foolish. too many grout lines - no matter how thin - will make clean-up a hassle. Not something you want while or after cooking.
Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Life is too short.
Frankie
Experiment with the placing of the ingredients on the plate. Try the mozzarella on the left, the tomato in the middle, the avocado on the right. Have fun. Then decide it goes tomato, mozzarella, avocado. Anything else looks stupid.
Richard E. Grant as Simon Marchmont - Posh Nosh
What kind of finishes have you used on your maple counters?
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention soapstone. There are a few threads on it here. Check the archives.
Note: Soapstones ages. It dings, scratches and develops soft chips. When it does it looks the best.
Someone else mentioned slate (honed) so I won't go into that other than to say it is a very stark look which can be quite elegant. It can also be very static.
Frankie
Experiment with the placing of the ingredients on the plate. Try the mozzarella on the left, the tomato in the middle, the avocado on the right. Have fun. Then decide it goes tomato, mozzarella, avocado. Anything else looks stupid.
Richard E. Grant as Simon Marchmont - Posh Nosh
Our soapstone countertop is great, but the cost is similar to granite.
Edited 9/28/2006 2:25 pm ET by smslaw
Depends on type of each. The nice thing about SS is that a contractor can fabricate it on their own.F
Experiment with the placing of the ingredients on the plate. Try the mozzarella on the left, the tomato in the middle, the avocado on the right. Have fun. Then decide it goes tomato, mozzarella, avocado. Anything else looks stupid.
Richard E. Grant as Simon Marchmont - Posh Nosh
Try Soapstone 12" x 12" tiles. The expoxy grout lines can be very thin. If done correctly they hardly show up at all. Probably could get thick full thickness pieces for the front edge.
We probably have a farmhouse look in our kitchen - its very casual.
Most of the counters are concrete, and the "peninsula" is butcher block from the local planing mill. Cheap, durable, easy to do.
Doing a mixed countertop for my kitchen, about half will be soapstone (near stove and sink) and half will be maple butcherblock. We have tile in our current kitchen and I would not wish tile countertops on anyone - they are a nightmare to keep clean.
Here's a Green alternative for you, never used it.
http://www.environmentalhomecenter.com/shop.mv?CatCode=PRODUCT&ProdCode=COMPCOUNTER
Thank you deskguy I haven't used it, but I will now.
i made a countertop for an apron front sink (farm style) out of used cubicle type computer desk tops and recycled clear all heart vertical grain fir inlays. it cost next to nothing for materials and came out beautiful, with a neutral grey complimenting the fir. i just ripped and routered old fir framing lumberand used a piece of fir 1-1/2 wide to join the sections of cubicle desk and then put a nosing of fir on the whole thing.
i arrived at this choice because i had wood floors, and wood countertops i felt would be to much wood in the kitchen. it was supposed to be a temporary countertop until we could afford corian or granite, but ended up being permanent because it came out so well!
thanks for the idea.
Concrete -- it can look very sophisticated yet "earthy" at the same time. It can be colored, shaped into almost anything... we just put in soapstone due to the S.O.'s desires, but I'd have preferred concrete.
I agree with whoever said it, never never do tile. Such a pain to keep clean, and also noisy and unyielding (easy to chip plates and glasses).
Thanks to all who replied to farm style counter tops. I had spoken with my clients about concrete and may follow that up with them because it can be stained light. I like the linoleum idea because it harkens back to and earlier design period.
The second part to my question is what do we seal the wood, linoleum,concrete or soapstone with to keep them from staining terribly. I do expect some staining, chips and dings in any of these.
thanks
Look up Brazilian Slate. It comes in green, black and blue. It can come polished or cleft. It can come in slabs or tiles. 2' x2' tiles are not uncommon. They can be installed tight with epoxy filler that makes the seams disappear. More common are 16" tiles. It is very dense and non porous and does not stain and get funky like granite. Unlike many types of slate it is very hard too. The cleft is still very flat and has a nice feel. Countertops made from it look rustic but are very resistant to wear.
Thank you mike for the Brazilian up date.
If you were to seal it what would you use?
I'll throw this out there because I don't think it has been mentioned yet:
Copper.
_______________________________________________________________
objects in mirror may appear behind you
Meeting your challenge is like running a race with legs hobbled. New materials are the direct result of the imperfections of the older ones!
Still, for that old-time look....
Wood has a lot in it's favor. Vendors, like C&H Distributors, still sell wood workbench tops, in a variety of sizes. That would be a good start for the raw material.
Sealing wood against moisture is the challenge. Remember, there will be food on the counter! Again, though it needs to be 'renewed' regularly, it's hard to beat mineral oil. Just rub / wipe in in whenever the counter begins to look weathered.
The areas around the sink are a particular challenge. Here, I suggest an old-fashioned sink, even a laundry sink, be used. That is, the type with a drainboard, backsplash, and apron all formed in the same piece of metal as the sink. Failing that, a copper / brass / bronze sheet be laid atop the counter, with the sink set onto it. I would use a urethane caulk, like Lexel, to glue it all down.
In the area right next to the stove - where a hot pot might be set- perhaps you can recess one of those 16" ceramic tiles into the counter, so it sits flush. Again, glue in place.
This marble top doesn't draw attention away from the sink, cabinets, or overall look of the rest of the room - I think it's real important to think of the countertop as an ingredient, in context. You have any photos of the room, or cabinetry you'll be using?
came back to say I intended this for the original poster, hit "all" by mistake and now can't change it.
Who's the cat that won't cop out, when there's danger all about?
http://www.asmallwoodworkingcompany.com
Edited 9/29/2006 12:37 am ET by jimblodgett
Several people have mentioned honed slate tile.
Here's a picture of a honed slate tile countertop I put in. 1 foot tiles were all that I could find, but it worked out fine. It's brazilian black honed slate, installed over a steel square tube for the edge- not farmhouse style, but you could install it over wood too, leaving a little reveal at the front edge.
View Image
1/16" grout lines, with epoxy grout, and it's quite easy to clean up. I sealed it with a tile/stone sealer, and then paste wax, to redo a couple times a year.
I also put in a maple butcher block counter, close to the stove where most of the chopping happens. I think that's a great counter, and it doesn't really need much maintanence, as long as you accept the character that a used wood countertop aquires. It's nice to have both counters, slate is good for heat and water resistance, wood is great for a work surface for dough and food.
zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
Edited 9/29/2006 1:46 am by zak
Looks good...
As mentioned before, you can use soapstone tile too. I saw just such a project somewhere online before, and it looked great...lemme see if I can find the link...
Ah, here it is:
http://www.ikeafans.com/DIYSoapstoneTileInstallation.htm
Jason
http://www.fireslate.com/pages/home.cfm
Don't let the shine fool you. I JUST oiled them for that picture that went into my web site.
Soapstone is a really mellow natural stone. To me...it has an incredably organic feel to it. I've had all kinds of counters and I like the soapstone the best...hands down. And the fact that
I was able to fabricate it all myself made it seriously cost effective.
You can see in the picture the farm sink I used as well.
If this wasn't a house I was going to sell in the near future I'd have built/designed it much more rustic....with taste of course.
Be well
andy...
Creation arises, is sustained for awhile, and then things change. That’s the dance.
Andy, where did you buy your soapstone slabs?Tom
Douglasville, GA
http://WWW.SOAPSTONES.COMThey were awesome folks to deal with!! Tell em' I sent ya.Creation arises, is sustained for awhile, and then things change. That’s the dance.
that link is going to tautons home page as well as your website linkwhat gives?
"Let's go to Memphis in the meantime, baby" - John Hiatt.
http://grantlogan.net/
that link is going to tautons home page as well as your website linkwhat gives?>>>>>>>>>.I donno...I'm so confused...lol.. Did the same thing in the Photo Gallery.
I guess if anyone's interesting they could copy and paste in their browser.Creation arises, is sustained for awhile, and then things change. That’s the dance.
I don't see his link to his web site, but the link to the soapstone place is a relative link rather than a full URL. It needs to start with http:// and then the browser will treat it as a page on some other site. Otherwise, the browser prefaces the URL with the host and context-path of the frame in which it appears, which in this case is http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/. Since http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/WWW.SOAPSTONES.COM doesn't exist on the Taunton web site, you get Taunton's home page instead.Rebeccah
I also used http://www.soapstones.com. I had a very good experience with them. They fabricated my countertops from templates. I would recommend them. They also have low-talc soapstone, which does not scratch as easily as the normal stuff.
The scratches and dings seem to be really minimal to me and when it does scratch all you need to do is take a piece of sandpaper and sand it out if it bothers you/whoever.
Anyone that uses granite necause they're afraid of scratches better not scratch the granite because thats a REAL pain. And dings? I don't even know what anyone's talking about concerning that. If someone smashes the counters that hard then they better take a chill pill.
And knowing what I know now...how easy it is to fabricate I think next time around I'll go a little crazy adding cutting boards etc etc into it.
The only thing that was an issue to me was all the dust...whewwwwwwwww!!
I'd sand most of it outside next time...thing is though...the island counter took a half a dozen of us to get it just a cpl a dozen feet and even then....whewwwwwwww. You just really have to get serious about sealing up the room and putting fans in the doors and windows.
If I oil it once every three months..thats a lot and that takes all of five minutes to do my whole kitchen.Creation arises, is sustained for awhile, and then things change. That’s the dance.
thank you for the continued interest in the farm style discussion the photo's have been helpful.
Anton
no problem...anything I can do would be my pleasure.
Good luck and have fun.
andy...Creation arises, is sustained for awhile, and then things change. That’s the dance.
Warning -- thread hijack...Hey Andy, nice kitchen. That's a real nice layout and finish. Love the soapstone. I think the refrigerator must be to the right of the sink and window. Is that right? Is there a microwave oven somewhere? Thanks,Eric
Warning -- thread hijack...<<<<<<<Hey Andy, nice kitchen. That's a real nice layout and finish. Love the soapstone.I think the refrigerator must be to the right of the sink and window. Is that right? Is there a microwave oven somewhere?
Thanks,
Eric>>>>>>>>>>>>Thanks eric
Yep, fridge is to the right of the sink and the micro is in a nook under the island facing the fridge/sink.
My "new"website is in the photo gallery and I think there's more pic in there if ya wanna take a peek. Just not looking to hijack this thread so you might wanna go over there.
Be well
andy...
Creation arises, is sustained for awhile, and then things change. That’s the dance.
Soapstone comes in many different types. It can be more expensive than granite. You can work it with a decent circular saw and a suitable blade, and finish with a sander. It is visually warm and nice. However, you have to keep oiling it, which can be a pain after a while. Figure once a month for two years (perhaps a bit more often early on) and then perhaps every six to eight weeks depending on your use. Some areas will dry up sooner, especially wet areas. As others have said, it does get dings.
Hi Anton
I just did my own kitchen at the Jersey Shore in a Carpenter Gothic 125 year old beach house. I also wanted that look. I was able to get it with an apron front sink and wood counters. Both I purchased at IKEA for far less than most places, especially the sink. It was 199.00 and the counters, in my case worked out to under 200.00. The're online, I think it's ikea.com. If you can't find them let me know and I'll get you the site.
Good Luck
Kevin
Concrete can give you any look you like.
If you DIY it can be economical. If you hire it out, the sky is the limit price-wise.
As stated, soapstone would look perfect. Again, affordable if you fabricate it yourself, which you can do with standard carbide woodworking tools.
I have 8/4 teak in my kitchen. Looks fabulous. Dense enough to where there are only 2 or three small dings in the several years since it's been installed. All visitors seem to gaga over it.
Easy to maintain with nothing more than mineral oil once every several months.
An undermount sink and the end grain on the sink cutout looks as good as it did the day it was installed.
I also put in a teak end-grain butcherblock on the island endcap, about 5" thick and 3' by 4' in size. Gets used all the time and it also looks unused. Very good self healing properties.
I also have a concrete slab in my kitchen. thing is bulletproof. Been used and abused and it keeps on ticking.
If you;re going to do concrete, it has to be done right or it can be a disaster.
Mongo
thanks for the input
Anton
A friend of mine made a wood counter top and used Moisture Cure (a floor finish) as the finish. It has been about six years since he did that.
Dang I'm a bit late to this thread----- but I'm a big fan of soapstone.
Here is a thread from last year on soapstone with some pics of my counters.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=63978.4
You asked about treating it------- well you really don't have to treat it at all.
Soapstone will darken with time , if you want it to darken evenly coat it with mineral oil now & then.
Soapstone will NOT stain & it will NOT burn.
Yes it does scratch & pit----- But I think that gives it character.
"Guns don't kill people----- Husbands that come home early do." Larry the cable guy