Let’s talk about budget for a second. Every single post on here seems to be about spending $5k to $10k on stone, quartz, or marble. I honestly don’t get the obsession.
I just went to a local supply shop and looked at the newest high-end laminate sheets. The technology has changed completely. They don’t have those ugly brown seams on the edges anymore because of the new beveled edge profiles, and the stone patterns actually have texture so they don’t look like cheap shiny plastic like they did in the 1980s.
I can do my entire kitchen counters for about $600 total. If it gets scratched or stained in ten years? Who cares, I’ll just spend another $600 and change the color to match whatever new design trend is happening then.
With quartz, you’re locked into that choice forever because of how much it costs. Plus, if you drop a heavy coffee mug on quartz, the mug shatters and the stone can chip. If you drop it on laminate, it bounces. Why are people so afraid of using laminate now? Is it just a status thing for resale value, or is there an actual functional reason why stone is superior enough to justify costing ten times more money? Change my mind because I’m about to place my order.