advice on worktops please

chiefwiggum

hi there,we're after buying a gloss black kitchen(very modern) and have black tiles with a slight white fleck in them.now the problem is what colour counter top do we go with? the room is brilliant white and its a huge room,people keep telling us if we go with black granite that it could look very black,,we are also maybe thinkin about going for a wooden work surface,, any advice or ideas? anyone have a black gloss kitchen?thanks in advance

Dizzyblonde

In my opinion you should either go uber-modern and have stainless steel, or wood. Personally I'd go for wood.

chiefwiggum

ok cool thanks for the opinion...stainless steel is one i never thought about but i dont think her indoors would go for it...im coming round to wood though i have to say

Dizzyblonde

I have an oak kitchen with black granite worktop and the mix of wood with black is really nice.

chiefwiggum

yeah i was lookin at pictures of the black and oak mix.looks good,our doors and skirtings are oak too so could be a good option

hardly work'n

I'd go concrete. We've had concrete counterop the last few years & love it. You could go a grey or natural concrete for that ultra modern look

chiefwiggum

are you serious????????? concrete?????????

yop

I have seen concrete ya, not a fan myself but that means nothing!!!

http://www.concreations.co.uk/images/examples/Battersea/index.htm

hardly work'n

Ya Concrete!!! We love it. Our's is blue concrete polished up. People always ask what kind of stone it is. It looks like a very exotic stone. We just finished an extension and put in a white concrete hearth with stone & fossil inlays. If I can figure out how to up load it. I will upload pictures of the new hearth.

chiefwiggum

sounds interesting alright....... just nobody ever suggests concrete ha ha im gonna have a look though .thanks for the tip

chiefwiggum

is concrete expensive?

yop

Get a few bags of cement, about 8 euro a bag, 1/2 ton of sand and a mixer.

Put up a bit of casing over the kitchen units and pour it in. Get a tin of Mr Sheen to shine it when it sets. A recession friendly worktop

I would say it is probably cheaper than granite??? Is the worktop supported from the ground up by pillar in your case Hardly Work N??

oxygen_old

You serious Yop? Have you heard of any success stories with this. I have thought about it, but tought it might be too difficult, or come out looking a bit crap

lily marlene

black gloss kitchen would lose its wow factor by topping it with wooden work top. what about the contrast of a light colour composite such as corian. Dupont manufacture it here in ireland. new colour such as glacier ice!!!!! corian website will show colours available.

hardly work'n

yop wrote: »

Get a few bags of cement, about 8 euro a bag, 1/2 ton of sand and a mixer.

Put up a bit of casing over the kitchen units and pour it in. Get a tin of Mr Sheen to shine it when it sets. A recession friendly worktop

I'd say there is a bit more to it than that?? We tried doing a table for the patio which turned out looking like a slab of swiss cheese concrete! I thought it would be as easy as that too!!

yop wrote: »

I would say it is probably cheaper than granite??? Is the worktop supported from the ground up by pillar in your case Hardly Work N??

No, countertops is just set up on our B&Q kitchen like an ordinary worktop. I would say the countertop was about the same as granite. But I know the surround was a lot cheaper becouse of the size.

yop

oxygen wrote: »

You serious Yop? Have you heard of any success stories with this. I have thought about it, but tought it might be too difficult, or come out looking a bit crap

Jesus no I am kidding! I am sure there is some reinforcement steel in that and its presurrised some how.

oxygen_old

yop wrote: »

Jesus no I am kidding! I am sure there is some reinforcement steel in that and its presurrised some how.

Yop, my bad. You should use sarcasm tags [SARCASM] [/SARCASM]. I tend to miss the tones of post,

chiefwiggum

i'll just start up the cement mixer:P

chiefwiggum

is corian up there as regrds price compared to quartz and granite?

chiefwiggum

should have said as well that our splash back tiles are red and floor tiles black also

chiefwiggum

reading about corian...dont think the budget can stretch that far as its meant to be dearer than granite....granite already costing 4600.......

lily marlene

chiefwiggum wrote: »

is corian up there as regrds price compared to quartz and granite?

Dont think its quite as expensive but well up there. it has its advantages
its easier maintained and can be made as a seamless counter top. Also offers wider range of colours. Like granite you can under set your sink etc.
Doing this with granite creates a stress or weak point from corner of sink to front of work top resulting in fractures over time. I am starting to sound like an agent for this product but we have used it on several projects with great success.

chiefwiggum

it sounds like that new stuff in-house are doing called ionite ...can be made seamless too and was around the same price as granite but then you had to pay for fitting it aswell which could be a hefty price..blew it out of the water

lily marlene

chiefwiggum wrote: »

reading about corian...dont think the budget can stretch that far as its meant to be dearer than granite....granite already costing 4600.......

lg Hi-Macs is a similar product think they are at solid surface .ie

big variation on quotes for both. bear in mind counter thickness plays a big part in price. availabe in 6,9 and 12mm
seventy colours available in this one.

If you are still considering wood. Look at some of the alternatives to solid which is a nightmare for staining even when well sealed. Fitzsimons kitchens have a site showing pressurised laminates which look the part but are lower maintainance

chiefwiggum

are they in trim? if they are very handy for me as im in athboy

lily marlene

chiefwiggum wrote: »

are they in trim? if they are very handy for me as im in athboy

Yes they are based in Trim. They will be able to quote you for granite , velstone [similar to corian] and noltec which is a laminated counter top.
Intereasted to know how you get on.

chiefwiggum

yeah im gonna give them a shout at the weekend and i'll keep you posted:)

hardly work'n

chiefwiggum wrote: »

reading about corian...dont think the budget can stretch that far as its meant to be dearer than granite....granite already costing 4600.......

Wow! That's dear. When we were getting our kitchen done. We just emailed a load of places for price. Email your basic dimesions around & they will give you an estimate. Make sure that you tell them if you want delivery & installation! That can be an extra with some. You would be surprised with the difference in price between different suppliers!

Skilark

hardly work'n wrote: »

Ya Concrete!!! We love it. Our's is blue concrete polished up. People always ask what kind of stone it is. It looks like a very exotic stone. We just finished an extension and put in a white concrete hearth with stone & fossil inlays. If I can figure out how to up load it. I will upload pictures of the new hearth.

Hi hardly work'n. Would you mind telling me where you sourced the concrete top and fire suround?
It's something I've been thinking about for my own fireplace...

hardly work'n

Celtic Crete Designs did our concrete countertop a few years ago & when it came time to build the extension, we were putting in a new fireplace. So I rang Willie & they helped us design our hearth & surround. Came out templated so we could see what it would look like & then 4 weeks later came back & installed it. We went with white concrete inlayed with fossils & some stones that we had collected on different holidays. My mother in law still doesn't think our countertop is concrete and thinks that the hearth & surround are some kind of exotic marble. And is so happy we went with the exotic marble

Skilark

Thanks for that, hardly work'n!

chiefwiggum

hardly work'n wrote: »

Wow! That's dear. When we were getting our kitchen done. We just emailed a load of places for price. Email your basic dimesions around & they will give you an estimate. Make sure that you tell them if you want delivery & installation! That can be an extra with some. You would be surprised with the difference in price between different suppliers!

in fairness its a very big kitchen with a lot of work top...dearest so far for granite was 4600 cheapest 3300 and quartz for 3100 if memory serves me correct

djmaslo

chiefwiggum wrote: »

in fairness its a very big kitchen with a lot of work top...dearest so far for granite was 4600 cheapest 3300 and quartz for 3100 if memory serves me correct

You can go for stuff called Silestone. Its a man made stone from Italy, perfect for modern lookin kitchens. I fixed lots of counters like that over last few years. Its available in various colors from blue to red. For you i would recommend cream. Have a look yourself http://www.silestone.com/ but price is the same as granite.

chiefwiggum

lily marlene wrote: »

Yes they are based in Trim. They will be able to quote you for granite , velstone [similar to corian] and noltec which is a laminated counter top.
Intereasted to know how you get on.

:mad::mad::mad::mad: went to fitzsimons earlier and dealt with the most unhelpful and uninterested sales man ever:mad::mad::mad::mad: after waiting an age for him to finish his coffee in the office he came out to me,i explained the situation and asked him his opinions on it..he shrugged and said your choice not mine..i asked him about the laminate counter tops which he waved an arm loosely in some direction and said i could have one in a week but others have to be ordered i then proceeded to ask him about granite and he told me i'd have to ring their granite supplier directly myself as he doesnt know anything about it:mad::mad:..i mean this guy wasnt some spotty weekend student earning college money ,he was middle aged in a suit..the show room was empty so im guessing their not snowed under with work....how the fook is this guy gonna help anyone...very very frustrated now at the lack of professionalism and manners more so

Ruu_Old

There is a material that some are using in the US and they call it granite crete. Look of granite with a fraction of the cost, not sure if anyone in Ireland does it. Friends of mine are in real estate, it looks pretty good.

hardly work'n

chiefwiggum wrote: »

:mad::mad::mad::mad: went to fitzsimons earlier and dealt with the most unhelpful and uninterested sales man ever:mad::mad::mad::mad: after waiting an age for him to finish his coffee in the office he came out to me,i explained the situation and asked him his opinions on it..he shrugged and said your choice not mine..i asked him about the laminate counter tops which he waved an arm loosely in some direction and said i could have one in a week but others have to be ordered i then proceeded to ask him about granite and he told me i'd have to ring their granite supplier directly myself as he doesnt know anything about it:mad::mad:..i mean this guy wasnt some spotty weekend student earning college money ,he was middle aged in a suit..the show room was empty so im guessing their not snowed under with work....how the fook is this guy gonna help anyone...very very frustrated now at the lack of professionalism and manners more so

Chiefwiggum I pm'd you on two numbers to try that might help ease the frustration. They will acutally try & help you!

We were in a resturant (that will remain nameless) recently the wait staff treated us like we were impossing on them. :mad:Our food was thrown at us with a grunt. No excuse for that even if the resturant was full! But it was us and one other table!!:mad: Needless to say we won't be back! If you want customers in this economy you have to be a little nice to them!

gtijohnny

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