Looking for non-traditional counter-top ideas

[hawkeyestoob]

Please give me any ideas or interesting things you have seen for modern / non traditional counter-top ideas.

I am remodeling my kitchen and will be replacing the counter-tops. I did pour in place concrete at my last house and that is still on my short list of options here. I have considered doing something like baltic birch substrate with exposed edges and then covering it with something like .125" aluminum sheeting or maybe black HDPE. Ideally I would like to stick with materials that I can use traditional woodworking tools to create it with.

Thanks, Craig

 

[Sparktrician]

Baltic birch is a bit spendy to be used as a substrate,  I would tend to use CDX plywood for its waterproof glue if you're talking about countertops that might get wet. 

 

[blaszcsj]

Solid surface is cut with a router or track saw. Or do you mean non power tools?

 

[antss]

Richlite
Kirei
Sanded plexiglass/lexan with backlit LED
Zinc

 

[hawkeyestoob]

Baltic birch is a bit spendy to be used as a substrate,  I would tend to use CDX plywood for its waterproof glue if you're talking about countertops that might get wet.

I would only be using baltic birch if I end up leaving the edges exposed.

Solid surface is cut with a router or track saw. Or do you mean non power tools?

Solid surface is an option but I am looking for something that is a bit more 'not what you would expect' to see in a kitchen. Power tools will be used in some manner. [big grin]

Richlite
Kirei
Sanded plexiglass/lexan with backlit LED
Zinc

Thanks [member=727]antss[/member] this is exactly what I was hoping to get. I am very intrigued by they "Sanded plexiglass/lexan with backlit LED" idea. Lots of opportunity for creativity there.

 

[pixelated]

Anodized aluminum?
Glued up wood slabs, lots of choices to contrast colors with various species, or perhaps inlays of other woods, or metal.

 

[Goz]

What material/finish are you planning for the cabinets? Or will you pick countertop first and let that inform your cabinet decision?

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[hawkeyestoob]

What material/finish are you planning for the cabinets? Or will you pick countertop first and let that inform your cabinet decision?

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I plan on just spraying the builder grade oak cabinets white or a light grey. It is a smallish kitchen so I don't think I would want to go lighter on the uppers and darker on the lowers. It is very exposed and open to the living area so that is why I am looking for something that might be a bit out there for my counter-top.

 

[Goz]

Along the lines of antss suggestion, Panelite makes some great products that could be used as a countertop. Not particularly cheap, though. 

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[Peter_C]

Solid surface is an option but I am looking for something that is a bit more 'not what you would expect' to see in a kitchen.

You are not being creative if you think you can't do stuff with solid surface. Inlays, cutting and combining colors/patterns, bending it, wrapping it over the sides, etc. Spend a little time on google...before ruling it out.
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&sa=1&q=solid+surface+inlay&oq=solid+surface+inlay&gs_l=img.3..0i24k1l2.145284.151246.0.151703.15.13.0.2.2.0.92.706.11.11.0....0...1c.1.64.img..2.10.526...0j0i67k1j0i30k1j0i8i30k1.rcQh8SvbYbc

 

[tjbnwi]

Back lit quartz.

Tom

 

[Maximus]

On a similar note to Tom, I always think illuminated glass looks fantastic.  Especially if you etch the underside with an interesting pattern first.  Glass can be side lit with LED's and the light is trapped and spread across the entire sheet.

Examples:

 

[Maximus]

I've seen interesting things done with back lit Corian as well, if you want practicality and low maintenance. 

 

[peter halle]

I guess that I will ask a functional type question based on so many things that I see people do with kitchens that don't make sense to me:

Do you cook and use your kitchen or do you want it to be a fashion statement?

I offer this question constructively.

Peter

 

[antss]

Asking for an interesting, non traditional material on the FOG kinda rules out inexpensive.  [scared]

Glass and Quartz aren't exactly workable with trad. woodworking tools.  You wouldn't want to use your hobbyist Festools on those products even if you did find the right blades.

Most Quartz countertops are not translucent tjb, they are opaque. Some Quartzites while translucent are quite hard even for stone tooling and stoopid expensive compared to the already expensive stuff kicked around here. We just did an island top in a bathroom where the slab itself was $14,000 wholesale. Definitely not DIY or for the inexperienced.

All you guys touting solid surface - aren't corian and the others still tightly controlled to certified installers ?  Or has someone started selling sheets to anyone with credit card ?

 

[tjbnwi]

Asking for an interesting, non traditional material on the FOG kinda rules out inexpensive.  [scared]

Glass and Quartz aren't exactly workable with trad. woodworking tools.  You wouldn't want to use your hobbyist Festools on those products even if you did find the right blades.

Most Quartz countertops are not translucent tjb, they are opaque. Some Quartzites while translucent are quite hard even for stone tooling and stoopid expensive compared to the already expensive stuff kicked around here. We just did an island top in a bathroom where the slab itself was $14,000 wholesale. Definitely not DIY or for the inexperienced.

All you guys touting solid surface - aren't corian and the others still tightly controlled to certified installers ?  Or has someone started selling sheets to anyone with credit card ?

You are correct. When I came back just now and read my post I mentally head slapped myself--

back lit onyx.

Tom

 

[Peter_C]

All you guys touting solid surface - aren't corian and the others still tightly controlled to certified installers ?  Or has someone started selling sheets to anyone with credit card ?

Dupont still kinda has regulation for Corian...except money talks.
http://solidsurface.com/?gclid=CjwK...yzKY8_w4l7t5lLju2aU83aBd0mGouxcWSdhoChNHw_wcB

 

[junk731]

Homeowners and DIY's have to use site like the above link. If you have a business related to the industry you can typically buy product wholesale, but you don't the Corian 10 year backed guarantee unless your a certified installer. There's some really interesting product out there that goes beyond what you typically see, it does get pricey but really no more then the Onyx that Tom mentioned.

John

 

[hawkeyestoob]

Anodized aluminum?

I have looked at some of the anodized aluminum and it is certainly on the list of potential choices.

[member=61366]Goz[/member] Those Panelite are certainly interesting.

On a similar note to Tom, I always think illuminated glass looks fantastic.  Especially if you etch the underside with an interesting pattern first.  Glass can be side lit with LED's and the light is trapped and spread across the entire sheet.

I think the real boss of this job is leaning towards using back painted glass for the backsplash.

I guess that I will ask a functional type question based on so many things that I see people do with kitchens that don't make sense to me:

Do you cook and use your kitchen or do you want it to be a fashion statement?

Excellent point Peter. We certainly do use our kitchen a great deal. I fully understand that with some of the options I am looking at I will need to take some extra precautions when working there and likely have some additional maintenance. I am however not afraid of a product that shows wear / patina. Coming from poured in place concrete counters at my last house I am used to the maintenance and quirks associated with unusual choices.

Asking for an interesting, non traditional material on the FOG kinda rules out inexpensive.  [scared]

Very true..... But even the most expensive options can become much more reasonable when you do the prep work.

Thanks to everyone for all the thoughtful ideas here.

 

[Nat X]

I think the question of "do you actually use your kitchen?" has more to do with the fact that backlighting anything at all is going to make it very difficult to see what you're doing clearly and potentially introduce a horrible color cast to any food being prepared in such an area. While it looks really cool in photos, I'd go absolutely insane if I had to actually prep food on any of that nonsense.