Why We Chose Laminate Countertops

Hi there friend!

Yep you read that right! We FINALLY got our countertops done! Whoop whoop! It’s been 2 years since we removed the structural wall, expanded the doorway, raised the ceilings, painted and adjusted the cabinets, added molding, new lighting, apliances etc etc. You get the idea! 😉 But so it goes when your DIYing it on a budget, right Anyway this is a progress article NOT the finished shiny and styled, complete with before and afters final product, but I was too excited to wait! 😉 While things are still in progress I thought it was the perfect time to explain why we chose laminate countertops.

What Countertops We Had Before

As you can see in the pictures below the before countertops were a very dark and cheap looking laminate. I pretty much hated them lol! Y’all know how I like things to be bright and light! They also had my least favorite edging and that backsplash! I mean whyyyy? Especially when there’s already perfectly wonderful brick backsplash there!

What To Get Now?

This was the other reason it took a long time to get new countertops. I couldn’t make up my mind! I knew what I wanted them to “look” like but after doing tons of research on options I was even more confused. Here’s why: when you start looking at and pricing countertops you’ll notice there’s a HUGE gap in prices. There’s not a lot of middle of the road contenders.

What’s Out There and How They Size Up

You have Granite and Quartz on the high end and laminate on the low end. Then in the middle you have Solid Surface, but depending on what brand and style you choose the price varies highly with this as well. I’m not a huge fan of Granite so that at least eliminated one! Lol!

Solid Surface?

For a long time I was just about sold on Solid Surface countertops but it just never felt 100% right. This is because the ones I liked were on the lower price range but the sample I had ordered proved how easily scratched they were. They also aren’t very heat or stain resistant. It made me nervous to spend what I still consider a lot of money on something we’re going to have to be careful with. I mean we USE our kitchen, ya know? There were higher end, better quality options of Solid Surface countertops but at those prices I might as well be buying quartz.

Quartz?

Then I really started considering quartz. If I could choose any type of countertops, money aside, it would be quartz. Up until the day before I went to Lowe’s to place our countertop order I was going to get quartz. It made sense. It’s durable, heat and stain resistant, and beautiful. I kept telling myself it would be like an investment. But let’s be honest it felt like a huge uncomfortable investment that I was already kicking myself for and I just couldn’t do it! So the day before I ordered our countertops I changed my mind and it was the best decision ever! See what I picked below! 😉

Laminate! 

Why I chose laminate countertops is the title after all! So I have this friend on Instagram and she has these BEAUTIFUL countertops. Way in the beginning of my hunt I came across her kitchen and asked what she had and her answer and the image of those gorgeous countertops stuck with me! But for some reason I didn’t think I would be happy with them. I thought they would be “just laminate countertops again”. Luckily I got over that the night before I ordered ours and I placed our order for the exact same ones she has 🙂

Which Ones We Chose

They’re made by Formica and called Calacatta Marble. You can find them HERE! The reason I think these countertops stand out is because the “pattern” on them doesn’t repeat for a really long time which lends to the realistic look!

Loving Our Laminate Countertops

These countertops are amazing! When I went to pick them up I was so relived and happy I could have cried! They’re everything I wanted! They brighten our space so much and they look really high end. They definitely aren’t what comes to mind when I think of laminate countertops, which is a great thing! Not your grandma’s countertops! Lol!

Style and Edging

I knew I didn’t want the backsplash which I think really gets rid of that cheapened look and it gave us an extra inch and a half of countertop depth! I also chose to get the 90′ angled edge that wraps back up underneath so the edges look really finished. Whereas our previous ones you could see the composite wood underneath.

A Work in Progress 

As I said they aren’t quite finished. Ed got these installed in less than a day but we still have to order 2 more endcaps to flank the sink. So I’ll be heading to Lowe’s this week! Almost there and too good not to share! We also have to fix that little corner strip of molding and install the faucet that’s should be arriving any day!

Countertops and a Sink

Speaking of sinks! I’m sure you noticed this vintage beauty! I’ll be sharing all her wonderful details with ya soon!

Why We Chose Laminate Countertops

So now you know why we chose laminate countertops 🙂 The mortal of my countertop dilemma is trust your gut and do what’s right for your family! I couldn’t be happier with our laminate countertops they’re beautiful and even better in person! Plus I can rest easy knowing they only cost a couple hundred dollars vs $2500 plus it would have cost for quartz! We can cook and use our kitchen without worry of messing anything up because laminate is scratch, heat, and stain resistant too!

This isn’t our forever home but it is a home that I love very dearly! I’m excited that we’ve been able to make it pretty without breaking the bank because that’s what it’s all about! A progress update will be coming at ya soon!