Countertops?

[jmblake]

Cliff, I need to move out there near you and open up shop if them change that quick LOL, Around here people keep them till they are falling off the wall. Jason

[Oonrahnjay]

Granite with full backsplash and undermount sink.A little more but well worth the price.  

    I sorta made up my mind that I wouldn't regret the Corian.  It's OK, but to tell you the truth, I'm sorry that I didn't go with the granite or quartz.  I'm trying to watch pennies but I'm only going to do this once and I want to do it really well.

[luvrbus]

Cliff, I need to move out there near you and open up shop if them change that quick LOL, Around here people keep them till they are falling off the wall. Jason

It is fact Jason you can drive down the streets in the 85253 or 85255 Zip code and there will be complete kitchens or bathroom fixtures setting at curbside to be picked up.That bunch when they remodel a house they leave a 4x8 ft wall and build around that lol

[jmblake]

Cliff, Around here I often get more people looking for old one's we take out than people wanting new ones , But if I was doing another bus I would go granite or quartz, The nice thing about the solid surface I can do it in house and save $$ Jason

[TomC]

Silestone from Home Depot. We have it in our kitchen and swear by it. No sealing ever needed, spilled some blueberry on the counter top and left it overnight. Came off easily with some non scratching Comet in the morning.
Silestone has a Peterbilt straight truck display that goes around the country. No problems with cracking. Good Luck, TomC
PS-Corian looks shabby in a just a few years-unless you polish it often-all of which is not necessary with Silestone.

[luvrbus]

Lot of manufactures of the Quartz counter tops,I don't see any difference between the Silestone than the other brands we have the CaesarStone in our kitchen 

[jmblake]

Yea, Everybody is in the Quartz business now, lots of choice's and $ ranges, I do think the quartz would be a better choice over granite for in the bus that flexes since the quartz is man made and can flex a little without cracking unlike granite there's no flex just breakage we have bent a quartz back splash about a 1/4" in 12' and it didn't break. Jason

[sledhead]

most quartz is 93 % stone with 7 % epoxy type glue to hold it together and as a sealer . only down side is most look like crappy Formica
other then the weight of granite I like the way every piece is different with awesome grain running through it 
we have granite floors in the rv now and it has lasted 17 years with no problems ( other then the cost to drive the heavy pig )
I would use granite if I were to redo it but the org . corian colour and the fact that it is all over the coach looks good and there is no wear on any of it and if there was it is a 10 min . fix to rebuff it . the other side with any stone counter tops is that yes if it breaks you have a broken rock ( very hard to repair it ) but in the kitchen business quarts is king right now
but you can install formica 180 fx with a vintage edge ( looks almost like granite ) and now they take a pic . of real granite to make it so it looks real close to the real thing for Pennies  on the $     
http://www.homedepot.com/p/48-in-x-96-in-180fx-Laminate-Sheet-in-Calacatta-Marble-Etchings-034601246408000/202910963?gclid=CMOGq8n60dECFdgGgQodPSAKWA&gclsrc=aw.ds

with this edge but get rip of the old crappy back splash

http://www.formatop.com/countertop-models/vintage-model/ 

dave

[Geoff]

Following the last post, I used Wilsonart 4551-01 laminate with oak ends that I easily made my counter tops with.  Most people walking into the bus think it is real granite.  Still looks great after 14 years.  50 bucks for a big sheet.

http://www.cabinetparts.com/p/wilsonart-countertop-laminate-products-laminate-sheets-W45511075X12

--Geoff

[jmblake]

I agree with Dave about the quartz looking like a patterned laminate but they are coming out with veining in the quartz
https://www.cambriausa.com/Designs/inspiration-gallery/
When it comes to laminate my go to choice is Wilsonart brand and with the new edging options you don't have the old black line of the backer showing on the edge's and you can make custom tops that look like a solid piece of stone. I have displays in my showroom with Wilsonart laminate that almost everyone thinks is granite until they touch it.
http://www.wilsonart.com/laminate/wilsonart-hd
http://www.wilsonart.com/laminate-edge-options
Jason

[Seangie]

We used Formica Solid Surface.  Same as Corian just Formicas brand.  We just really liked one of the colors Formica had that Corian did not carry.

We also got a solid surface sink. Its nice because its one smooth surface from the countertops right into the sink with zero seems.

I strongly reccomend not using a solid surface sink though.  I did not realize how pourus the surface is.  And now 4 years later there are quite a few stains that are tough to get out without sanding it down.

Here are some pics -




-Sean

[Mike in GA]

As an experienced woodworker I would like to convert my Formica countertops to Corian or Solid Surface. However I have been frustrated in trying to buy it since I am not a trained/registered installer. Has anyone bought direct from the overstock site "solid surface.com"? Moreover, has anyone gone to their AZ or south FL locations to look at/purchase? Has anyone bought on-line and had their goods freighted in?
Are there other sources for the hobbyist?
Thanks in advance for the feedback!
Mike in GA

[luvrbus]

A couple of years ago I bought 4 sheets 3x10 of Corian from Northwest RV Surplus he had stacks of it I paid him $75.00 a sheet,I bought mine to build a shower stall 

[belfert]

The only real downside of quartz or granite is the weight for a bus.  If you live near a Menards they often sell their quartz countertops for $30 a square foot if you like one of the basic three colors.  I will put the Menards quart countertops in my house some day.  Total cost will be under $1,500.  A bit more if I hire a contractor to help install.

[sledhead]

unless you have a kitchen showroom or a fabricating shop they all are no good to talk to or deal with , but if you know anyone in the kitchen business it was very easy to be a dealer and for the fabrication it was a joke as 1 day course and then they will sell you as much as you want . if you can find any you can use 2 part epoxy  to glue it together . use lots of clamps
there must be lots of old stock out there as we only did  1 corian job in the last 2 years ? as compared to 100's of granite or quarts jobs and I do kitchens , baths first . I only do counter tops as a convenience for other kitchens . got to love home depot , lowes and ikea for not knowing how to do a counter top .
you can look at other brands as they are very close to the same but different . here are some of them , I would call some of them in your area to see if they will sell you some OLD STOCK .
the cost of corian is more $ then granite in my area and if the stubborn dump a$s 's would lower the price they might get back some of the market share they had years ago

http://www.countertopguides.com/guides/comparing-the-top-solid-surface-countertop-manufacturers.html

or bite the bullet and have 1 fabricated for you a a large cost but at that point I would do granite or quarts

my thoughts on counter tops

dave