. . . stainless steel appliances and granite countertops one more time, I swear I am going to SCREAM!!! You would think that is all the world has to offer homeowners. For example, on every HH episode, you can count on the people searching for homes walking in the kitchen and say those magic words, "oooh, I like the granite countertops and stainless steel appliances" or "awww, no stainless steel appliances or granite countertops, awwww". Gee. Whiz. Not everyone like those surfaces.

Sorry, I just had to vent.

I like the Wilsonart HD countertops. Some of those countertops that they use are high maintenance - they stain or break. Since laminate is really a better surface for a kitchen, the Wilsonart HD is laminate, but looks really good.

Don't forget that we are all supposed to have glass tiles, to go with our granite and stainless.

Also, I know what you mean by stainless steel, I feel almost like something is wrong with my kitchen because I have black appliances.

It's like all the fashion magazines have super skinny models and we are expected to keep up with that. I do like to eat a little more than one piece of toast per day as my entire dietary intake.

I thought I was the only one who was sick of hearing about "granite countertops" and "stainless appliances"! Thanks for your posts. We couldn't afford granite countertops with our custom built oak cupboards, so we went with better quality formica. And, I think it's JUST FINE.

I have granite countertops and stainless appliances...it's not that bigga deal....LOL...they will go out of style just like avacado/harvest gold and formica did....tee hee

I would love to go house hunting and tell the Realtor I won't buy the house because it has granite countertops.

It's just the current style. It will all pass. I have granite, I have glass and I have stainless and like everything else in life it will have it's day and then bow out to something else.

I want to scream.... "you knuckleheads"... when people go into homes and object to the paint and the furniture. How dumb is that. They should not be allowed to make a decision that involves that much money.
p.s. speaking of granite and stainless, I made a dumb decision and got a hunking big stainless refridge and it is a lot of work to keep spotless. Every drip shows. The newest trend is aged bronze. Go guys.

quote:

Originally posted by MsTab:
I want to scream.... "you knuckleheads"... when people go into homes and object to the paint and the furniture. How dumb is that. They should not be allowed to make a decision that involves that much money.
p.s. speaking of granite and stainless, I made a dumb decision and got a hunking big stainless refridge and it is a lot of work to keep spotless. Every drip shows. The newest trend is aged bronze. Go guys.

Aged Bronze, now that sounds nice. I sort of like earth tones and natural stuff, sounds like aged bronze would fit right in.

Haha! I totally agree with you. I have to laugh every time I see a young couple on House Hunters saying that they absolutely must have stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. They're too young to realize that before they blink an eye, the newest trend will make those stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops outdated. Oh God forbid! Haha.

I don't envy anyone that has granite countertops, I personally don't like it. I put slate tiles for my countertops and I am extremely happy with my choice, It was not a matter or price it was a matter of what I liked.
Fortunately I am not selling my home, therefore if and when I sell, I guess that I will have to update to the latest fad.

I'm a stone and wood person.
Wood on the floors and stone for walls.
I also like that material used for laboratory counters.

Debbie Travis did a master bath shower tub area with beautiful gray round smooth stones that also come in netted sections. Gorgeous and very green outdoors looking.

Every time I see granite or tile floors all I can think about is falling on those hard surfaces.

I think granite and stainless steel feeds into the germ free environment paranoia like sealing up a house did in the 1980s did to save on fuel (and ended up causing bad indoor circulation that encourages mold growth).

We are remodeling our kitchen right now. I looked at the granite countertops and decided that I very much prefer quartz. It is more resistent to staining and scratching among other things. I also found a greater variety of colors from which to choose.

I did not even consider stainless steel appliances because I had heard how hard they are to keep clean. We went into Home Depot to look for something else and we both noticed how smudged and dirty their display stainless appliances were. They are also more expensive, at least $200 per appliance. When you are replacing all of them, it can amount to $400-500.

Another thing that stands out to me is that so many people want to replace their cabinets because they are "outdated." If they are in good shape, why get rid of them? I like the cabinets I have and intend to keep them. They are solid oak wood and in very good condition. Sometimes people waste money and resources in order to keep up with what is hot now. They don't realize that next year, something else will be in vogue, maybe even the very thing they replaced.

I love my oak cabinets, I waited a long time to get them. I also have white appliances. The lady at the stores said that manufacturers change colors so that people can't match them up and end up buying all new appliances. If I live long enough I will be in style again some day.

Well, i'll take granite counter tops over any other surface even when they fade out of style.. always love the stones.
But it's true, i don't like finger-print-y stainless steel, and i Loathe with a passion that dang microfibre. I don't want to see where your b utt was on my sofa.

If I ever build my "last house" and know I'll stay in it forever and ever I would have colored concrete countertops with bits of glass and other interesting things embedded in them. They can do any color so they don't wind up looking industrial all the time. However, just for an ordinary home I'd probably either have granite or quartz. On the stainless steel appliances, isn't there a type that is made so it does not show fingerprints?

quote:

Originally posted by SuzInAustin:
If I ever build my "last house" and know I'll stay in it forever and ever I would have colored concrete countertops with bits of glass and other interesting things embedded in them. They can do any color so they don't wind up looking industrial all the time. However, just for an ordinary home I'd probably either have granite or quartz. On the stainless steel appliances, isn't there a type that is made so it does not show fingerprints?

I think that you are right about that.

My;last refrigerater was covered in paneling to match my cabinets and it was easy to keep clean. I sure wish I had it today. I had beautiful ceramic tile counters but had to be vigilent keep the grout super clean so granite appeals to me. I don't like the black granite but I saw some beautiful soft gold with movement that I loved. And beautiful quartz and some beautiful glass on the actor's show where he is an overthetop environmentalist. I would love to know more about his glass counters. They looked gorgeous.

when I went in to replace my countertops - my decorator said that granite was not as easy to take of as quartz and she suggested silestone

quote:

Originally posted by pasleypetunia123:
I like the Wilsonart HD countertops. Some of those countertops that they use are high maintenance - they stain or break. Since laminate is really a better surface for a kitchen, the Wilsonart HD is laminate, but looks really good.

Have you ever put a hot pan on it? Have you noticed the burn marks?
Granite can take it, doesn't stain, break or burn.
No maintenance either.
And it is real, not fake like the laminate.
BTW, I like laminate, but wouldn't compare it favorably to granite for a kitchen counter top.
One can tire of the granite look, but it is durable.

quote:

Have you ever put a hot pan on it? Have you noticed the burn marks?
Granite can take it, doesn't stain, break or burn.

Tile will also take it and it won't burn or break. But I do like quartz.
So I guess that we all have what we want to have.

quote:

The newest trend is aged bronze. Go guys.

For those old enough to remember, I have seen aged bronze in the stores and it is a new name for the old "coppertone" finishes. Been there, done that, fughheadaboudit!

quote:

Originally posted by MsTab:
I want to scream.... "you knuckleheads"... when people go into homes and object to the paint and the furniture. How dumb is that. They should not be allowed to make a decision that involves that much money.
p.s. speaking of granite and stainless, I made a dumb decision and got a hunking big stainless refridge and it is a lot of work to keep spotless. Every drip shows. The newest trend is aged bronze. Go guys.

Thanks for the info about the aged bronze. I haven't seen or heard of that until you just mentioned it. I guess since every single show on HGTV seems to be like a broken record of granite/stainless, it's nice that at least people who don't work for the network can share NEW information with us via their message boards.

I think (most of) the stone counters are gorgeous, but they're starting to seem played out due to HGTV's mindless over-reliance on them.

Please show us something new once in a while, HGTV. Pretty please.

quote:

Originally posted by chrissyfrog:
when I went in to replace my countertops - my decorator said that granite was not as easy to take of as quartz and she suggested silestone

You're right, Chrissy....or rather she was right. Also I cringe when I hear of people using marble....don't they have any idea how difficult that stuff is to take care of?

quote:

Originally posted by Meischa:

Have you ever put a hot pan on it? Have you noticed the burn marks?
Granite can take it, doesn't stain, break or burn.

That's why I use trivets or hot pads to put down hot pans. I have butcher block counters and love them. While I think that stainless steel/granite are attractive, I don't think I'd want them in my house, but to each his own.

So many of these shows are one-trick ponies.

And I cringe whenever the couples walk into a house and complain about the furniture! Are they going to buy it? Probably not. Honestly!
Just once, I'd like one of them to ask about where the light comes in at what times of the day, what's the water pressure like, has the house had a radon level check and what is the water table like in the area. I mean, you can paint over a wall color you don't like, but some other things you can't change "no way, no how!"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Imon,

quote:

Originally posted by ZenMama:
. . . stainless steel appliances and granite countertops one more time, I swear I am going to SCREAM!!! You would think that is all the world has to offer homeowners. For example, on every HH episode, you can count on the people searching for homes walking in the kitchen and say those magic words, "oooh, I like the granite countertops and stainless steel appliances" or "awww, no stainless steel appliances or granite countertops, awwww". Gee. Whiz. Not everyone like those surfaces.

Sorry, I just had to vent.

I am SO glad I'm not the only one that feels that way.. I find myself talking back to the tv saying 'not everyone likes stainless steel and granite' like it could hear me, lol.

quote:

Originally posted by chrissyfrog:
when I went in to replace my countertops - my decorator said that granite was not as easy to take of as quartz and she suggested silestone

I've had sealed granite counters since 1994 and they are no problem at all to take care of. I suspect she has not had granite herself or is getting a bigger kickback from the quartz manufacturers. Both are perfectly fine for countertops as are other materials; I think it's just a matter of what your taste is. I personally want no texture at all, including tiles, on my counters, because I like the feel of smooth surfaces, and textured anything are difficult to thoroughly clean - I learn