my wife and i have debated getting solid surface or granite, but when it comes down to it, a new laminate counter will be just fine (we'll save the nice counters for the next house)

anyway, based on the prices at lowe's, we can redo our counters for $250 (though whether or not that's JUST the laminate and not the boarding underneath, i don't know)...all we need now is someone to install them

suggestions? any idea what it may cost?

2/26/2011 10:26:24 AM

You might want to go with the granite or at least korean anyway to help the resale value and marketability of the home.

2/26/2011 10:41:54 AM

we just did this in ours. justin did it himself, and it looked easy. it took a bit of time (he did the smaller pieces at night after work, the larger over a saturday w/ his dad), but it turned out well. i don't know if he priced it w/ home depot (we liked their selection more) for them to install it. it's the laminate that has a granite-like print.

these are the ones we got, and it was about that price that you are looking at and it included laminate and the boarding underneath. http://www.vtindustries.com/countertops/homecenters.aspx (at lowe's or HD)

he had to buy the end pieces to cont any wall frame along the sides, and an end piece that ironed on the side for an exposed end.

we did the whole thing ourselves for ~$300.

2/26/2011 11:14:18 AM

^^ it's unnecessary...anything is an improvement...i'm not worried about the resale

^ i've thought about doing it myself...and may still, depending on what a quote comes in at...glad to know there's someone i can pester with PMs if i run into trouble

2/26/2011 12:56:11 PM

In a market like this everyone should be. Laminate is considered a substandard countertop.

2/26/2011 1:24:02 PM

while i certainly respect your right to have an opinion, i quite likely have a better idea than you do of what i can and cannot get by with

additionally, i'm not planning on selling it anytime soon

if you want to make a thread discussing the merits of different countertop types, i encourage you to do so...i assume that you have nothing of any value to add to this thread...right?

2/26/2011 1:51:28 PM

what do you gain by being a dick to people?

2/26/2011 1:54:28 PM

i have to assume that you're talking to The E Man, since i made a lounge thread with a valid question and he has contributed absolutely nothing of any value whatsoever

it costs me nothing to tell someone whose opinion means nothing to go away since he wasn't contributing, anyway

2/26/2011 1:57:50 PM

you think a guy suggesting "korean" countertops isn't knowledgeable?

2/26/2011 2:02:55 PM

^ i suppose i could be wrong...he brings up a good point, that the chinese solid surface is just crap by comparison


[Edited on February 26, 2011 at 2:05 PM. Reason : those koreans really know how to make a countertop!]

2/26/2011 2:03:35 PM

Do you go through life being a dick to people who mean nothing to you? What gives you the right? Your approach to dealing with people suggests you might have Autism, especially Asperger's Syndrome.

As per the topic, you should just go with granite. You brag a lot about how much money you make and how awesome you are... it's really surprising you're asking the proles here for advice.

2/26/2011 2:09:31 PM

Quote :

"Do you go through life being a dick to people who mean nothing to you? What gives you the right?"

do i need permission to call people out for contributing nothing of value to a thread in one of the "serious" sections?

i'm not surprised you popped in just to ride my dick, but it's pretty much your default response to any post i make...also, you quite obviously don't know jack about the topic at hand and you desperately need to feel like you can contribute SOMETHING, even if it's irrelevant

Quote :

"Your approach to dealing with people suggests you might have Autism, especially Asperger's Syndrome."

zing!

Quote :

"As per the topic, you should just go with granite."

please, i beg, you give me an ACTUAL reason and what qualifies you to make such a general recommendation when you know nothing (literally, nothing) about this particular situation

Quote :

"You brag a lot about how much money you make"

oh, this is great...links, please? maybe i make more money than i thought i did?

Quote :

"how awesome you are"

well, yeah...i am...thanks for the compliment

Quote :

"it's really surprising you're asking the proles here for advice."

yes, well, i know what i know and i'm more than happy to speak on those topics i'm very knowledgeable of...everything else, i make myself smarter by asking those who actually KNOW more (based on your contributions, you and e man above don't qualify)

i'd recommend that you run along and go troll somewhere else, but i don't think you've gotten enough of my totally average wang, yet, so i expect you to come back in here and cry some more about how mean i am to the noobs with no valid contributions

[Edited on February 26, 2011 at 2:19 PM. Reason : .]

2/26/2011 2:16:44 PM

Based on the way you break things up to respond to EACH, INDIVIDUAL, ISSUE with a punctuated point....

Do you really not know if you're autistic or not?

2/26/2011 2:21:38 PM

see, i knew you'd come back

2/26/2011 2:22:06 PM

Quote :

"(we'll save the nice counters for the next house)"

Quote :

"additionally, i'm not planning on selling it anytime soon"

You either
A. Plan on keeping the old house and buying a second house.
B. Want nice counters (indicated by first post) but are willing to settle for living with crap counters for a long period of time. (not even mentioning the health risks)
C. Will eventually put the house on the market with counters that are a turn off to most buyers.

Quote :

"please, i beg, you give me an ACTUAL reason and what qualifies you to make such a general recommendation when you know nothing (literally, nothing) about this particular situation"

We know what you've told us, which is a lot.

Quote :

"everything else, i make myself smarter by asking those who actually KNOW more (based on your contributions, you and e man above don't qualify)"

We're aware you've already made the decision to put the crap counters in and are simply looking for someone to install it but turning down advice from a real estate agent for mispelling a word is a bit overboard, isn't it?

If someone posted a thread asking what type of bag to transport his drugs in, you wouldn't see it appropriate for someone to discuss the possible consequences associated with transporting illegal substances?

2/26/2011 3:53:38 PM

You call yourself a real estate agent and can't even correctly describe a very popular countertop option? oh wait, everyone is a real estate agent these days, that's how the housing market bubble burst right

For all we know, the OP had bare wood countertops. New laminate countertops are for sure an improvement and, if done nicely with good material, would increase the current value of the house by replacing shit countertops. Increase it by measure of granite/southern asian countertop? No. Decrease the value of the house? No. Maybe he does not live in an area that needs granite countertops to sell (ie, beginner homes). Not saying OP lives in one, but for an example, I wouldn't expect a house in the projects for sale to have granite counterops.

--

As far as relevant content, all I can suggest is likely what you already now, that not every contractor is the same. My parents hired a shit contractor (by recommendation from someone else) to redo a bathroom shower and, while it was okay, you could tell the craftsmanship was not there in things like tile alignment and grooves. Be sure to research any prospective contractor.

I wouldn't think this would be too hard of a project if it came down to it, but if you don't have much experience in construction then the aggravation and time saved by hiring someone could be worth the extra cost.

2/26/2011 5:16:16 PM

Quote :

"You either A. Plan on keeping the old house and buying a second house. B. Want nice counters (indicated by first post) but are willing to settle for living with crap counters for a long period of time. (not even mentioning the health risks) C. Will eventually put the house on the market with counters that are a turn off to most buyers."

A. no

B. i WANT a lot of things...not everything i "want" is worth the cost when all facets of the situation are taken into account (of which you obviously know none)...and i'm going to go ahead and call you a complete and utter dumbass for the health risks comment because unlike you (as a real estate agent?), i have an actual education in toxicology and i'm going to give you a solid for pretending like the VOCs in modern laminate glues are a significant health risk because, well, i'm a lot smarter than you in this regard

C. the former is true, the latter is your opinion and, given that you know exactly jack about this particular house, its neighborhood, its cost, or its other features, i'm going to smugly point out that your "knowledge" is based almost entirely on assumptions

Quote :

"We're aware you've already made the decision to put the crap counters in and are simply looking for someone to install it but turning down advice from a real estate agent for mispelling a word is a bit overboard, isn't it?"

i'm not just "turning down" your advice, i'm actively treating it as completely irrelevant to the conversation at hand (as i did not ask your opinion about whether i should buy laminate or not)...you're young (really? a 22-year old graduate student who's ALSO a real estate agent?) and considering that being a real estate requires no formal education, you don't even have a great deal of experience on your side...the fact that you don't even know how to spell such an important part of these houses that you make your living selling speaks volumes to your inexperience and lack of common sense

so no, i don't think treating the opinion of a nonentity as a bit overboard

Quote :

"If someone posted a thread asking what type of bag to transport his drugs in, you wouldn't see it appropriate for someone to discuss the possible consequences associated with transporting illegal substances?"

well, i don't have a great deal of experience transporting illegal drugs (none, actually), so if it were a lounge thread, i would likely ignore the thread altogether...were it chit chat, i'd mock them or post boobies

this thread is has become more fun than my original intent, though...i'd like to encourage you to try your best to convince me that your opinion as an inexperienced nobody should be treated as anything but

[Edited on February 26, 2011 at 5:20 PM. Reason : damn, i do come off as arrogant, don't i? definitely should have used my other sn ]

2/26/2011 5:17:38 PM

Quote :

"For all we know, the OP had bare wood countertops. New laminate countertops are for sure an improvement and, if done nicely with good material, would increase the current value of the house by replacing shit countertops."

http://ourlivingspace.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-resistant-is-your-countertop-to.html

Better stick with the wood then...

Quote :

"Maybe he does not live in an area that needs granite countertops to sell (ie, beginner homes). Not saying OP lives in one, but for an example, I wouldn't expect a house in the projects for sale to have granite counterops."

I don't know what granite quarry you've been living under but there is a huge supply of homes on the market and in this type of buyers market, no matter what type of home you are talking about, I'm sure a comp could be found with a countertop upgrade. In this type of market, you want to do everything possible to increase the marketability of your home or you will certainly be selling undervalue. Its not getting better in the next 5 years either. You can count on that. If you have no problem selling undervalue to compete with foreclosures then fine, by all means, downgrade everything.

Quote :

"not everything i "want" is worth the cost when all facets of the situation are taken into account (of which you obviously know none"

You listed the facets of the situation so either you lied about them or you are lying now.

Quote :

"and i'm going to go ahead and call you a complete and utter dumbass for the health risks comment because unlike you (as a real estate agent?), i have an actual education in toxicology and i'm going to give you a solid for pretending like the VOCs in modern laminate glues are a significant health risk because, well, i'm a lot smarter than you in this regard"

I didn't say anything about VOCs. Its bacteria I'm talking about.

Quote :

"C. the former is true, the latter is your opinion and, given that you know exactly jack about this particular house, its neighborhood, its cost, or its other features, "

It doesn't matter what the rest of the house has, this category would be low. Let me put it this way. A comp or "house with all else equal" is going to beat you when it comes to countertops thus beat you overall.

Quote :

"i'm going to smugly point out that your "knowledge" is based almost entirely on assumptions"

No its not. Its 100% fact that granite is the hot trend and laminate at the bottom of the spectrum. Its less durable, harder to clean, easy to damage with hot things (and this is the kitchen) and flat out unpleasing aesthetically.

Quote :

"the fact that you don't even know how to spell such an important part of these houses that you make your living selling speaks volumes to your inexperience and lack of common sense"

I know this is a desperate troll attempt but writing the wrong word=/=mispelling.

2/26/2011 6:12:12 PM

2/26/2011 6:15:19 PM

Quote :

"^ i've thought about doing it myself...and may still, depending on what a quote comes in at...glad to know there's someone i can pester with PMs if i run into trouble"

yep! I'll relay any questions you may have to him to answer. I know you can get a special saw, but he just used a circular and was really careful to cut a straight line. You can buy them precut for corner pieces of course. I wish I had a before and after shot, but here's a mid project shot



We ARE getting ready to sell, and our little townhouse/little kitchen just needed a pick me up. Our agent thought it was a good decision. And if we don't sell quickly, well we really like them so we'll get some enjoyment out of em

[Edited on February 26, 2011 at 6:22 PM. Reason : ]

2/26/2011 6:18:42 PM

i didn't even notice that ThePeter posted...and he's one of those that would be happy to call me out on being a douche (as he usually does, and rightly so, in chit chat)...the fact that he doesn't SEEM to take issue with my response validates me (what can i say? i'll take it)

Quote :

"For all we know, the OP had bare wood countertops. New laminate countertops are for sure an improvement and, if done nicely with good material, would increase the current value of the house by replacing shit countertops. Increase it by measure of granite/southern asian countertop? No. Decrease the value of the house? No. Maybe he does not live in an area that needs granite countertops to sell (ie, beginner homes). Not saying OP lives in one, but for an example, I wouldn't expect a house in the projects for sale to have granite counterops."

not bare wood, but very old laminate that needs to be replaced (which i was fully aware of when i bought the place)...they're serviceable, but they're dated...additionally, the house came with an older and smaller stove/oven and so i had to take a jigsaw to the counters to get a newer, nicer one in the same space...just about anything would be an improvement

it's definitely not the projects, but it is undeniably a beginner home in a beginner neighborhood (though, as i posted in the real estate thread, a 7500sqft home was recently finished right across the street, for good or bad)...i really like my house AND my neighborhood, and paying a mortgage that's LESS than the apartment complex i used to live (a gated community, i'll admit) is nice

in regards to doing it myself, my biggest concern is the front...the ones that are in there now have some crappy fronts that were put in badly and the ones i was looking at were either the "nicer" angled fronts, or rounded

i've also considered concrete tops, but they seem like a lot of work and not necessarily THAT much cheaper than i could get granite for if i found a deal

my dad is a contractor (not in raleigh, though, and not close enough to recommend anyone)...i imagine he's capable, though, so perhaps i'll get him to help me one weekend

The E Man, you might as well stop now and go back to complaining about how bad your credit score is in chit chat...no matter how badly you want me to respect your opinion, i won't...you can't spell, you have relatively little experience as a realtor, and pointing out the obvious (all things being equal, granite will be worth more than laminate!) doesn't make you smarter than anyone, it just makes you silly because you feel the need to point out the obvious...i encourage you to join up with Madman, though, as y'all would have a good time talking about how mean i am

i didn't make this thread so we could all have an argument about which countertop material is best, i made it so i could find out if there was a tried-and-true person around raleighwood that would do a great job...failing that, hearing other people say that they think i SHOULD be able to do it myself makes me feel like i might just go ahead and give it shot

^ yes, that's the style i'm looking to install! almost the same color, too, as the kitchen is really bright...i really might shoot you a PM to relay

i'm gonna take before and after pictures

[Edited on February 26, 2011 at 6:33 PM. Reason : thanks for the picture, elkaybie]

2/26/2011 6:28:36 PM

One thing I know he'll say and you may run in to the same problem as well if you decide to do it yourself...the back splash of the old laminate is taller than the new. that maybe be standard, I dunno. So he had to spackle, sand, and paint about ~2.5'' where there was a height difference. It wasn't a huge deal, but it did make the process go a little longer as we were literally waiting around for paint to dry

[Edited on February 26, 2011 at 6:51 PM. Reason : ]

2/26/2011 6:50:30 PM

aha, thanks for the heads up...i noticed that our backsplash IS pretty tall...but it's been pulling away from the wall, so i'd probably have to scraped off the glue, anyway

now i'm kind of excited to do this

2/26/2011 7:28:28 PM

bump

7/13/2012 3:21:26 PM

alright, let's try this again...it would be much appreciated if those with only dumb opinions to offer would go play in chit chat, but if they must comment, please come up with something original

to that end, let's go ahead and agree that laminate is the worst counter material on the planet, it will likely kill all who come near to and/or touch it, and it will so negatively affect the value of the house that i will need to pay flea-infested orphans to tear down the house bit by bit, burn the refuse, salt the earth, and rent the space as a landfill in order to make any sort of money back on my horrible horrible investment

now that that's out of the way...anyone have company recommendations? i'm still pretty set on laminate as it SEEMS to be 1/4 the cost of solid surface and granite, but i was thinking that i should get some quotes from companies/folks who specialize in countertops as they may be cheaper than my initial assessment

if no one has any recommendations based on experience or trusted word-of-mouth, i'll obviously just google and start calling around...but i thought it'd be a good idea to start by asking for recommendations

also, while i think it's cool that y'all did your own tops elkaybie, a massive bathroom remodel that i just now finished has left me thoroughly uninterested in taking on another project for a while

[Edited on July 13, 2012 at 3:29 PM. Reason : elkaybie]

7/13/2012 3:29:12 PM

oh god don't say that! we're hoping to redo our bathrooms ourselves this fall/winter

actually...i know that kitchen counter project & painting (so much paint) is the reason why he didn't jump on redoing our bathrooms as soon as we moved in to our new house last year. he was so burnt out on home repair that anything here just took a backseat. but now that i know you just your bathrooms, i may be shooting you some PMs in the future about bathroom remodel tips!

and for the thread...our buyers of our townhouse loved our laminate counter tops

[Edited on July 13, 2012 at 3:39 PM. Reason : ]

7/13/2012 3:35:53 PM

^ haha, the bathroom wasn't the worst project i've ever taken on...it was just one surprise after another

everything except the counters were original to 1962 and so when i started busting up the penny tile, i found metal lath under concrete, on top of 1.25" of subflooring (which had long since begun to separate)...ended up ripping up EVERYTHING and starting from scratch, which would have been fine except that i didn't think i was going that route until i had already wasted so much time being careful...then there were the walls and ceiling and a bunch of other little things that just made it all more involved than i originally thought (which is usually the case )

it was also my first tiling job, but that was kind of fun...feel free to shoot me a PM if you want to hear more!

ANYWAY...glad to hear that your buyers liked the laminate...i still think we'll end up going that way, but i'm looking at just about everything

EDIT: also, seriously considering doing beech (only $59/8' at IKEA!), staining it pretty dark, and adding a farmhouse sink (which i've always wanted)

kinda like this, but the pic isn't a very good representation of what i'm envisioning:





[Edited on July 13, 2012 at 4:25 PM. Reason : another pic]

7/13/2012 4:05:09 PM