Does anyone wish to weigh in on this? I have such commitment issues.
We have chosen a granite for our kitchen that looks like carrara marble and plain white subway tile for the backsplash. Our cabinets and floors are dark brown.
I currently have included in the estimate a walnut colored, distressed wood for the island b/c I like the mismatched island look and our house is so cookie cutter that I find myself wanting to mix things up when I have the chance. I was also thinking that it would warm up the cooler dark/white combo going on elsewhere in the kitchen.
But, it's $350 more for the wood and it's not as durable as the granite. It was a heat and water resistant treatment, but it will have to be recoated every 3 years and you still have to use hot pads on it.
But, we already use hot pads, so that's not an adjustment for us. And the rest of the surfaces will still be granite, so we would still have a lot of room to throw a pan directly onto the counter if we were really driven to do so.
And that about summarizes the argument that's replaying on a loop in my mind. Make it stop!
Re: Again with the countertops
For visualization purposes, here's a kitchen with similar tones with the uniform island:
And here's with wood on the island:
I like the wood/granite combo. But I chose wood for our counters in our renovation.
Just an FYI, my mom has granite and the seller/installers told her always to use hot plates. While technically you can put a hot pot on the counter it is better not to on a regular basis.
Yeah, I don't see me putting anything directly on the surface anyway! I worry too much!
Where'd you get your wood counters?
Ikea
That's right. And they installed them for you? Were you responsible for staining or treating them with anything?
We are installing but they are treated and they recommend every few months use a wood conditioner on them. Basically you treat them like wooden cutting boards. But they have a 25 year warranty that extends to anyone who has the receipt. If you don't have a sink in the countertop, there isn't a whole lot to worry about. Since we are mountin a sink in it, we will probably seal it with Waterlox.
They do offer installation services but we didn't do it.
We did a marble look quartz on our island (dark cabs) and wood on the perimeter (white cabs). I love it.
Joseph Henry was born at home on March 9, 2009
Nora Mae was born at home on October 30, 2011