old country house blog

FORMICA180FX CALACATTA MARBLE COUNTERTOPS – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

THE KITCHEN MAKEOVER 

took a little over 2 years and was completed in 2013.

MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE
MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE

I FIELD questions via this blog or email every week…

REGARDING OUR KITCHEN FORMICA 180 FX MARBLE COUNTERTOPS

……….so I thought it might be helpful to list the TOP 10 Q&A’s…

1.Q – Do you still like your countertops?

1.A – YES. Love them still.

 KITCHEN MAKEOVER
KITCHEN MAKEOVER
KITCHEN - 2016
KITCHEN – 2016

2. Q. have your Formica countertops stained.

2. A. NO…The countertops have not stained

CUTTING BOARD!
CUTTING BOARD!

3. Q. Do you have to use a cutting board?

3. YES, you should use a cutting board with sharp knives on the Formica counter tops. I have skipped a cutting board when making the lunches…just cutting a sandwich is fine, but the kids have made some fine scratches when NOT using a cutting board and cutting with sharp knives.

kitchenisland1

4. Q. How noticeable are the corner seams? 

4. A. We have only one seam in our Formica 180fx countertops. It is on the L – shaped corner by the mixer. It lays flush and has never stood out to me. Proper installation is crucial here.

FORMICA 180FX CALACATTA MARBLE CORNER SEAM
FORMICA 180FX CALACATTA MARBLE CORNER SEAM
FORMICA AMORE EDGE
FORMICA AMORE EDGE

5. Q. Calacatta Marble– is yours the “etched” finish or the “gloss”? I don’t think I want the etching but that is the only selection I can find….THANK YOU !

5. A. Our countertop is “ETCHED” . I will confess, when I very first saw a sample size – I did not like the way the etching appeared. It looked strange to me…with all the little “divits” but all worries were in vain because  in the finished version…they are NOT visible and the matte finish keeps scratches from appearing. I will go on record and say “YES I like the etching”.

FORMICA180XAEGEAN7
it is nearly impossible to see the etching when the finished product is installed.

6. Q. I am putting Formica Calcutta formica in my new home. Having trouble finding a good white color for subway tile and white paint for cabinets. Any suggestions?

6. A. There are a millions options. For subway tile – the stock “Ice White” subway tile by Olean works great. Our cabinets are painted Benjamin Moore “Mountain Peak White” which works well with both the subway tile And the counter-tops.

THE KITCHEN ISLAND OFF TO THE SIDE AND TUCKED INOT ITS OWN LITTLE CUBBY!
THE KITCHEN ISLAND OFF TO THE SIDE AND TUCKED INTO ITS OWN LITTLE CUBBY!

7. Q. WHAT KIND OF SINK DO YOU HAVE with your Formica Countertops ? 

7. A. We have a Kohler drop in, VAULT Large single kitchen sink with Single-Hole faucet drilling. I was encouraged to choose a “top mount” sink which in a way made the decision making easier because there were fewer options I liked. I have since been told that under mount sinks can be used if installed properly . There are more options available including sinks which are post formef and flush with the counter tops but as I have not researched those I will just speak to what we have and I STILL ADORE this sink!!!

sink2
KOHLER Vault Large Single Kitchen Sink with Single-Hole Faucet Drilling – STILL LOVE THIS SINK!!!!

8. Q. Have you had any problems with these countertops?

8. A. We have had no real problems but there is one ISSUE which bears mentioning…and I confess I was counseled about before I chose my edge profile and chose to ignore. (naughty me) It was suggested that I choose an edge profile which wrapped around the post-form wood base and extended underside. This keeps water, (especially near the sink) from dripping around and then being absorbed into the underside wood, causing it to swell. I went with an edge profile which just stops abruptly at the edge and painted the underside with many coats of water resisted paint. And we have had some swelling just in front of the sink.

KITCHEN with amore edge
KITCHEN with amore edge which we changed to AEGEAN – long story.
AEGENA EDGE PROFILE...LOOKS THE MOST "REAL" BUT DOES NOT EXTEND UNDER THE COUNTER TOP THIS...ALLOING FOR WATER TO BE ABSORBED INTO THE WOOD BASE, WHEN IT DRIP AROUND THE CORDER. THE CAN BE LESSENED BY PAINTING THE UNDERSIDE WITH A HIGHLY WATER RESISTENT COATING OF PAINT WHEN YOU INSTALL.
AEGEAN EDGE PROFILE…LOOKS THE MOST “REAL” BUT DOES NOT EXTEND UNDER THE COUNTER TOP THIS…ALLOING FOR WATER TO BE ABSORBED INTO THE WOOD BASE, WHEN IT DRIPs AROUND THE EDGE. THE CAN BE LESSENED BY PAINTING THE UNDERSIDE WITH A HIGHLY WATER RESISTANT COATING OF PAINT WHEN YOU INSTALL. THE “AMORE” EDGE GOES ALL THE WAY AROUND AND LOOKS GREAT.

9. Q. Does the marble pattern look “fake” in person? 

9. NO. In fact, we had our dishwasher replaced and when the serviceman arrived he frowned and sighed and said “OH! I was not told you had marble countertops…I will need to go get a different drill. ” He was standing one foot from them!!!

This being said…I have never tried to fool anyone, I really just like the way they look..they are a digitalized photo of marble…they look clean and were the perfect choice for our kitchen makeover.

FORMICA180XAEGEAN6

10. Q. I love these countertops !!! Where can I get Formica 180x countertops in Calacatta Marble?

10. A – We got our countertops at Home Depot. We bought them “uninstalled” for $14 sq/ft (installed was $30 sq ft) and then paid our Mr Fix it  ($200) to install them. They can be purchased via Lowes as well. There are also many COUNTERTOP  manufacturers like Hartson Kennedy  What I discovered is that much of your success in getting these countertops DEPENDS upon the fabricators local to YOU . IF your store tells you they are unavailable, or cheap and a bad choice , or unavailable..please tell me the name of the store and I will contact my Formica Rep and he will follow-up. ALL of these stores have been trained in selling and fabricating these counter tops and the should be available in the US stores.

KITCHEN MAKEOVER
KITCHEN MAKEOVER

Thank you for all of your thoughtful comments and questions. I have loved sharing this experience with you guys. I never dreamed it would connect me to some many of you who are all trying to create a beautiful kitchen space on a budget…and I value all of feedback!!!

10 thoughts on “FORMICA180FX CALACATTA MARBLE COUNTERTOPS – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  1. Hi Lesli! Glad to hear you’re still loving these countertops. They look gorgeous without the cost or the upkeep of real marble (or the likelihood of staining). I am seriously considering putting 180FX Calacatta Marble counters in my kitchen. I would really appreciate if you would post a close up picture of your corner where the seam is. Is it on the diagonal running from the inner to the outer corner, or is it a straight cut at the corner running to the back or side of the counter? I live in Canada and our local Home Depot told me they would do the cut on the diagonal, which I think could really stand out. I’d love to see exactly what your installer did with the seam in the corner. Thanks very much.

    1. Hi Sharon, Thanks for your feedback. I took your suggestion and just went and took a photo of the corner and inserted it into the post! Let me know if you have any more questions.

  2. Love this kitchen! Mine is so close to this. I loved your sink and countertops, so I put the exact same thing in. With the exception of the ideal edge. It wouldn’t work. I’m working on a blog post about my kitchen update, do you mind if I link to this article? http://www.moderntechfamily.com.

  3. Love the Calcutta Marble – Your kitchen is soo pretty!. Am re-doing my kitchen slowly. Just painted my cabinets gray. Would love to do the Calcutta Marble Formica. I have a “U” shaped kitchen. I was told that the Calcutta is directional. Would go up the side of the “U” shape then across and then back down the other side and it might not be what I would like, but I love the Calcutta Marble and looking at your kitchen makes me want it more. What is your take on the directional of the Calcutta marble? Is is real obvious?
    Did you have any issues with that?

  4. What an immensely helpful blog post. I’m about to purchase this Formica product for my own kitchen – you answered every question I had. Thank you for sharing!

  5. Which edge do you suggest going with? Your kitchen just sealed the deal for us going with Calcatta!

  6. Nice review of the Formica countertops. Lesli, you have done a good job with the product detail and shared amazing pictures. I’m a huge fan of Calacatta Marble and I am considering it to put this marble counters in my kitchen.

  7. I have been trying to get laminate countertops but everyone is giving me limitations. They r saying that the only way to not have a backslash that is mounted to the counter is by purchasing a straight edge or beveled edge. Otherwise the backsplash is standard from the factory. Even if u r ordering “custom”. One place said they will not even send out a person to measure. We have to measure ourselves even if they r installing. It has been very discouraging.

Comments are closed.