Deciding on Granite vs High Def Laminate

[Futurevillager2013]

Hello, we are coming to the Villages next week to pick our home. We are so excited about making this change in our lives and finding the home of our dreams. We've done alot of research on the homes we like but we're stuck regarding the choice between granite, solid surface or high def. Hope someone out there can tell me if the high definition laminate is better than the solid surface and what you have and are you happy with your decision. In our home in New York that we are leaving we have granite and love it. If we buy a spec house however we may have to take what comes with what was chosen.
I appreciate any help you can give.

Future Villager's

Anne And Phil

[JP]

Sounds like you want granite. I personally like high def laminate because it shows less dust and stuff and is easier to take care of.

[Jim 9922]

Apparently my wife was afraid our dishes , etc. would fall thru the formica counter tops and had to replace them with granite. Never saw that happen but now its easier to break a glass if dropped on the granite! Oh well, at least she is very happy with the new tops.

[Uptown Girl]

We bought a CYV - it came with high def laminate. I didn't mind it at all. We moved in and I enjoyed the ease of it. We kept it almost two years and it still looked brand new. (and I use my kitchen!)
Once we decided to decorate in earnest, we began to look at changing the counter tops. We found a great company to do the work and they guided us in choosing an appropriate granite for the application we wanted. I visited their workshop. I spoke to their stone cutter.

There was no mess at installation- the guys were impeccable- and we got custom details in granite that is of the grade we wanted. I actually liked watching them install it..... I know exactly what we paid for.
I didn't even have to touch up any wall paint.

Include it with the house plans if they have a selection that pleases you and you are happy with the pricing- but don't fear doing it later, it was actually a fun adventure for us!
I would not hesitate to do after market installs of any kind here. We have a lot of very good companies around.
:)

P.S. My experience with solid surface was a number of years ago- I didn't enjoy having it. Considering the expense of it, I felt that granite was a better value at that time. Always chose granite after that.

[Mamaderby]

Sounds like you want granite. I personally like high def laminate because it shows less dust and stuff and is easier to take care of.

I have always wanted granite....until I saw and had the high-def laminate.......I really love it!!! The laminate that I got. (Second home, second time) really looks like a granite. Low/no maintenance ... I really LOVE IT! nd a lot less expensive. f I wanted to upgrade or change later...it's a lot easier!

[fb32162]

The High def laminate they use today looks much nicer than the stuff they used to make a few years ago but its still laminate. which means it still can scratch and hot pans will burn it. It is, however less costly than granite or solid surface. Our first house in TV was a "spec" house with the high def laminate and I hated them because I'm used to being able to put hot pans on the granite counters. For me, granite is well worth the money. Our second TV home was a preowned and we replaced the laminate counters right away. Its really boils down to personal choice

[NotGolfer]

I guess I'm out of the loop...what exactly is "hi-def laminate"??

[dotti105]

High Def Laminate is today's "formica".

it looks very nice in the specs we have seen. Much nicer than the formica of old. But as the OP siad, it is still formica. It will burn, water can make it lift from the plywood backing and it it not a permanent surface. Much like carpet vs tile. Carpet will need to be replaced one of these days, and a laminate product will too.

The hi def laminate is very attractive and nicely installed in the homes we visited. It is much less expensive than solid surface or granite.

It is simply a matter of personal taste and financial priorities.


We have owned homes with each. i liked the solid surface better than the laminate, but we actually had cracks develop that the installer needed to repair again and again.
Our current home has granite and like the OP said, it is indestructible!! It is great to take a hot pan out of the oven or off the stove and place it directly on the counter!!

I have noticed that posters have mentioned that their granite in TV will "water stain". I really don't understand that. It is solid rock and should not be stained by anything. I do not know if the granite in our current home was "sealed"in some way, but we findit very easy maintance! Ours is dark, "uba tuba" a dark green with black and gold veining. grease shows on it, but a spray of glass cleaner and a paper towel solves that. We love our granite.

Now, can we afford it in our dream home down there?.... it's on our list of wants. We shall see. Maybe after closing. But I do want granite. That said, the hi def laminate is a great looking product that we will be very happy with until we can get granite again!!

[Happydaz]

We have granite in our New Hampshire house and my wife found that the granite absorbs stains and grease. She was always sealing it so wouldn't get these discolorations. There was a thread awhile back on here that discussed some discontent with the granite in some of the Villages new homes. My wife wanted Corian, a nice solid surface countertop, and that was what we got in our new Gardenia in Pinellas. We have high definition countertops in the bathrooms and that looks great too. Granite is not a low maintenance surface.

[maddie101]

We have had granite in two homes in Texas and found it very easy to take care of. We did the design center thing this week in TV for our new home and chose granite again. It looks great and is not high maintenance, in my opinion. I do use a special spray to clean them, but any surface has to be wiped after cooking. It takes no more time or effort.

[Bosoxfan]

We chose granite for our new home, I've never had it and so far I love it. Two things our builder told us, never put a hot pan on the granite or use window cleaner, unless we plan to reseal it that day. Use the special spray (he left us a bottle) or mild soap and water to clean it. It's the best way to keep it sealed so stains can not penetrate the surface. He recommended resealing (another product he left for us) about once a year.

[Cedwards38]

We have and love Corian.

[2newyorkers]

We have had quartz for years and love it. Zero maintenance.

[MikeV]

We had granite installed in our old home and had it in our new Villages home. We love it.

[SALYBOW]

I love my granite! The only maintenance I do is wipe it off if dirty. You can cut right on it without a cutting board, and can set a hot pot down on it without hurting it. I was lucky enough to get mine half off at the time I bought. :BigApplause:

[Futurevillager2013]

Thank you all for your replies. I have granite now and love it too. If we find a spec house we love that doesn't have the granite we'll do it in a few years after. Looking forward to our new lifestyle.

Anne & Phil
From Commack, LI, NY

[Halibut]

We've had Corian, which was nice but needed polishing and special cleaners to keep it looking its best. We've had granite and that was fine (and made it easier to sell the house because buyers are fixated on the stuff), but overall we prefer laminate because of the wide variety of color/pattern/texture choices. Changing it out isn't expensive and gives the kitchen a nice pick-me-up.

We had a "modern" 50s era Eichler house in California and put in the retro boomerang pattern laminate when we redid the kitchen. If I was a writer for a design magazine, I'd call it kicky. :laugh:

[dotti105]

I'm really curious about the maintenance issue. I do not know anyone who thinks that granite is high maintenance. I wonder if it depends on the grade of the granite or the color. Mine is very dark, and maybe that makes stains invisible. But I have friends with the lighter shades of granite and they also find it to be maintenance free.
Does any one out there know what would cause granite to stain?? I would like to have input so that i don't make the wrong decision when we go to the design meeting.
Thanks!!

[Happydaz]

Some granites may be more porous than others. We had a natural New Hampshire granite in our home up north and that really absorbed a lot of water, stains from grease, wine, etc., and my wife was always sealing it to keep it looking good. She is also quite fastidious and notices things many other people wouldn't. I would think if you choose a high quality stone you should be OK, but if you Google granite maintenance you may find more information. Quartz is the new in thing with the young, I hear it needs zero maintenance.

[Happydaz]

Just did a little research on granite. Darker colors are less porous and would need less sealing maintenance. Lighter colors are more porous. Setting a hot pot down on top of a granite countertop is not recommended at all as it can cause the granite to crack. Granite is a natural stone and for that reason it is porous and can absorb stains, water, grease, etc. Regular sealing will keep the granite from absorbing these stains. You need to seal granite either once a year or more often depending on how porous your stone is. You can test your granite with a wet glass of water and let it sit there for a while. If the stone shows a wet ring after you remove the glass, you need to reseal your granite. There is a lot of information on granite maintenance on the Internet, just Google it. Granite is beautiful. It just needs periodic sealing to keep it that way.

[Uptown Girl]

As I understand it, granite can have occasional 'veins' or small fissures that occur naturally as it is forming. Granite comes in 5 or 6 grades. The 'higher' or more expensive the grade, the more 'movement' or flowing pattern.

Usually the 'higher grades' have more sweeps of color as well- but also may have more slight fissures, because of that. Each slice taken is different in that regard, even if it is from the same granite bed.

Most of these natural imperfections are filled and sealed in the process of polishing the slab. Today we have granite available from many sources around the world. Of course, they are polished before they arrive here. Some types have/need more 'fill' than others- it's good to recognize that visually, and easy to spot when choosing a slab.

As far as stain goes, things acid based- like vinegar, lemon, tomato, wine, etc. or harsh chemicals such as ammonia, bleach, etc. all have the potential to etch the surface of the stone over time, especially if residue remains or is allowed to sit. Etched stone is dull and porous and will accept stains if not protected.
I would not cut lemons, for example in a favorite spot habitually. Actually, I'd never cut anything sitting directly on the stone- just my habit.

In my opinion, a good installation includes finishing with a good once a year sealer, to get you started. (note: all sealers are not equal. Good guys know the good stuff) After that, it's a breeze to keep up.

I have to say, I don't put hot pans directly on the stone either. I might be weird, but always slap down a cutting board first, from my old days (pre-granite).

[dotti105]

Wow! This has really been an informative thread!
I guess we have a very good grade of granite, It is Uba-Tuba (that is probably spelled wrong!) It was put in when we built the house in 2006 and we have never had it sealed or serviced in any way since the build. Water still beads up on it and it has a super high gloss. I cut anything and everything directly on it and place hot pots on it all the time. It looks like new!
Now I am really worried about choosing an inferior grade of granite the next time around. I guess we are really lucky with the choice we have. I may have to just get the same granite again. I had no idea that there was so much difference in granite!

[Buckeyephan]

When we remodeled our Ohio home, we chose granite. Not only did the granite look wonderful, but it allowed me to have under mount sinks. Once I experienced the ease of just "sweeping" water or crumbs into the sinks, there was no doubt what to choose for all the sinks in our Iris. No more cleaning the mess that collects where the counter meets the sink and no staining of the grout around the sinks. You can only have under mount sinks with a stone or solid surface counter. Enjoy planning for your beautiful new home and welcome to The Villages.

[Halibut]

Undermount sinks can be used with modern laminate countertops.

[tommy steam]

We bought a CYV - it came with high def laminate. I didn't mind it at all. We moved in and I enjoyed the ease of it. We kept it almost two years and it still looked brand new. (and I use my kitchen!)
Once we decided to decorate in earnest, we began to look at changing the counter tops. We found a great company to do the work and they guided us in choosing an appropriate granite for the application we wanted. I visited their workshop. I spoke to their stone cutter.

There was no mess at installation- the guys were impeccable- and we got custom details in granite that is of the grade we wanted. I actually liked watching them install it..... I know exactly what we paid for.
I didn't even have to touch up any wall paint.

Include it with the house plans if they have a selection that pleases you and you are happy with the pricing- but don't fear doing it later, it was actually a fun adventure for us!
I would not hesitate to do after market installs of any kind here. We have a lot of very good companies around.
:)

P.S. My experience with solid surface was a number of years ago- I didn't enjoy having it. Considering the expense of it, I felt that granite was a better value at that time. Always chose granite after that.
May I ask who installed your granite counter tops?

[Uptown Girl]

May I ask who installed your granite counter tops?

Yes, of course!
Exquisite Designs Kitchen & Bath, Inc.
Tony (786) 298-1320

Referred to me by Roberto's Flooring- another excellent company.