Redoing my kitchen - What countertops should I get?

I like Corian but my friend @PennSilverTaco thinks I should go with a quartz or granite. Also wondering about flooring....I don’t love the laminates and the rest of my house is hardwood......is there a reasonable hardwood you would suggest ?

 

My kitchen as it presently sits, with @PennSilverTaco’s dog Porter photobombing...

 

We have quartz for our counter tops. Our old one was compressed board then we remodeled. We stayed on the cheap side and got a good deal, but quartz is just overall “cheaper” however its extremely durable and looks great if you like a little bedazlment fabricated within.

 

Quartz is the best bang for the buck IMHO.

Wood floor in the kitchen can be a PITA. We have oak, does ok but looks tired quickly. Cleans up OK.

 

Also, with the exception of the over-the-range microwave (which is from 2000 and doesn’t work very well), all of the appliances are practically new and staying; The cabinets and countertops will be replaced.

 

Interesting.....I thought corian was the cheapest ♀️

 

I thought about tile too and was concerned that it would also be a pain in the ass♀️

 

Not a bad run for this microwave!

 

New larger tiles with modern grout is fantastic, self seals, cleanable, etc - but drop a glass and it will break............wood sometimes no break.

 

I’m not sure why people are saying quartz is cheaper. Its substantially more expensive than granite when I get it priced out.

I am going to say granite because its cheaper but go with what you want and what you can afford of want to spend.

I don’t see why the floor needs to change.

consider having the cabinets painted or refaced vs new.

 

Still debating whether or not I should put an island in kitchen...

 

Quartz is manmade, correct?

 

Yes it is.

 

What do you have in your house?

 

Laminate lol

I dream of granite but havent pulled the trigger on the cost.

 

That’s what I’ve got; My house was built in 1958 and I bought it in 2003. The kitchen was redone sometime in the 1990s or possibly the early 2000s, and I have replaced every appliance but the microwave, which as you can see in Charlie’s picture earlier in the thread is 21 years old...

 

Roughly 90-92% crushed rock/quartz 8-10% epoxy. Stands up to every except super high heat. Not porous at all. The high end stuff yes can be more than granite, but there is a decent range. We just - like exactly a year ago gutted and redid our kitchen. We picked out a very nice looking quartz and the cost was quite reasonable. I think the cost may be regional. Depends on the seller, manufacturer as well.

I don't have a good picture, some idea:

 

Quartz

 

We like the quartz and these vinyl tiles. They are not so cold and not everything breaks when it drops to the floor. But the tiles are too dark.