[spaceship]

Hi all,

We're putting in a adel MB kitchen into our historic (1911) house. We're trying to stick with the craftsmen theme to the design wherever possible.

Everything in the design and reno is coming along well, but I'm really stuck on the countertops. Budget says laminate countertop is what we're going with. Floor colour is red oak with a natural finish.

I've looked at a million little design chips, and I'm struggling with the best choice. I thought we were going to go with one of the Granite lookalikes (Formica Butterrum) until I saw a kitchen where it was in. It was nice... but it seemed like it was laminate that was trying to look like granite, and failing.

So I'm thinking maybe a regular pattern might be better. The other big issue that I have is the edging... I'm not a big fan of the standard wood edge or the cove-top look.

So any tips for a laminate (and edge) that would look good in a craftsman style kitchen along with adel MB cabinets?

Darren.

[Narf]

Why not just solid wood? The Pronomen countertops barely costs more than a basic laminate (and is cheaper than medium/high-end laminates), but will suite the style a lot better.

Protect it with Waterlox, and you won't need to worry much about it either.

If you have a router (and the proper bit), you can do whatever edging you want too.

[jenplocher]

We have Adel MB and installed Formica counters in Sand Crystal. The pattern looks a lot like some Avonite solid surface that we had no hope of affording. It really hides crumbs well!

We used a beveled edge, which is a pre-fab edge piece that makes it so there is no "brown line" showing. I'm happy with how it turned out.

Edit: maybe I'm the only one who thinks wood counters might be a little much, since you have wood floors and a wood doorstyle as well.

[nigel-bigel]

Like Narf, my first thought was BB counters to keep with your "look" as well.

If you aren't comfortable with that, I would look in a charcoal/black direction with the laminates. I understand your feelings about the "fake stone" look as I feel the same way - let laminate be laminate! However, I would suggestion some texture to soften the look (solid colors would read too modern) and also help hide crumbs! Here's a few suggetions of laminate for your consideration.

Wilsonart - Graphite Nebula, Iron Legacy (this could be nice as it picks out the red tones in your cabs), Mission Smoke

Pionite - Graphite Talc, Storm Cirrus

Nevamar - Aged Elements, Charcoal Essence, Black Lodestone

Of course Formica has lots of offerings as well, but I didn't look there because their website always acts wonky for me.

Nicole

[gwen]

Have you ever seen the Finished Kitchens Blog on the web that has hundreds of pictures of owner submitted kitchen pictures?
You can find it here:
Finished Kitchens Blog

There is an option on the blog (right hand menu) called "FKB Categories" where you can narrow down the kitchen attributes. One option is to look at kitchens with only laminate countertops. A big plus is that if you find a picture of a kitchen countertop you like the name of the countertop is often listed.

It was always a big help for me because I need to *see* it done to help set my mind at ease. When we looked through the kitchen blog and realized that all our favorite kitchens had certain attributes, it really helped us put those elements confidently into our kitchen. There are even some great IKEA kitchens in the mix!

I also second Narf's suggestion on the wood. The IKEA (or Lumber Liquidator) countertops are really beautiful finished out with a tung oil or Waterlox seal. It would look very rich and Craftsmen-ish.

Gwen