Affordable Kitchen Countertop options, including our Formica Calacatta Marble counters are getting some much deserved play time on
I thought I would update a recent post on the FINAL CHAPTER of our
Whats that you say? Didn’t you finish your Kitchen makeover a year ago? Yes…we did.
but this summer….our Formica 180x counter tops were replaced with the SAME counter tops…. but in a different edge profile ……the edge profile I had originally wanted.
Last year, after I introduced our FAUX-MARBLE COUNTEROPS…..The folks at FORMICA, in what can only be called…INCREDIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE…got wind, via my blog that I was told that I could not get my first choice – the AEGEAN EDGE. I like the AE because I felt it resembled the edge I would prefer if I were choosing REAL marble.
Instead I got the AMORE edge…which I fell l in love with…
Let me remind you…THEY came to me… I actually was fine with the AMORE…but when I had to opportunity to get..on their dime, my 1st choice..I said “Sure!….OKAY!”
One year later…..AEGEAN EDGE or AMORE…I still LOVE these counter tops….they are attractive, durable and practical counter tops…that don’t break the bank…
The NUMBER ONE question I have gotten about these counter tops has been
“Do they stain?”
Answer- NO.
I have not had a problem with staining. I prepare food, like fruit and meats directly on a cutting board NOT directly upon them, but we have spilled juice and red wine and the clean up has been a snap! NO stains.
In my HUMBLE opinion, the biggest issue with the FORMICA CALACATTA MARBLE COUNTER TOPS has nothing to do with the counter tops themselves but instead altering PUBLIC perceptions.
Once upon a time, FORMICA was the bomb…it transformed kitchens!!!…But over time…with the influx and popularity of Granite and various stones and stone like products and solid surfacing…somehow Formica was moved to the back of the class…and became “old-fashioned” and “the thing you get when you cannot afford the “REAL thing”.
God forbid!
When did it become a negative thing to try to save money?
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE REAL MARBLE. But it was just not in our budget.
I BELIEVE that the Formica 180x it is a VIABLE and beautiful counter top OPTION. I have still had many reports from readers who have been told at Lowes and Home Depot that certain edge profiles including the AEGEAN EDGE are unavailable and even by High End Kitchen Designers that they should NOT get Formica at all …highlighting its’ shortcomings and telling them that it is cheap.
FORMICA 180X may be cost effective but it is anything but cheap! It is an attractive and durable and affordable counter top option!
If you run into difficulty purchasing or even just getting adequate information about these counter tops, please do not hesitate to let me know and I will forward your issue to my friends at Formica!
and on that note…..
C’est fini!
Well said Leslie! I get a little tired of reading blogs that make me feel lame for not having marble or granite. Your laminate looks great!
Your counters are beautiful! Love that Formica seems to last forever and if you use cutting boards, stays good looking sometimes even longer than stone or solid surfaces. Cost effective, durable, and the new designs- like yours – make it a wise choice. Well done!
I wish you had posted a close up picture of the corner. Is it all one piece cut in an L or is it mitered on a 45 degree angle or does it run straight into the corner on one side of the L and another rectangular piece piece butted against it on the other side of the L?
Leslie, where do I go to get these countertops? I live in Massachusetts. : )