Let's talk counter tops!

There's a lot that has been going on in my kitchen lately, and I have been so busy painting trim and cleaning and dusting (oh the dust) that I haven't had time to post.   So let's talk counter tops.

I believe I showed you this old school shop top that Dave bought at a school auction years ago.
 I think he paid $2.00 for it.  When he bought it, which was way before we were building this house, I said I wanted it for an island top.  I had faith he could turn it into something nice.  So here are some transformation pictures for you to see.

 it is VERY heavy

and I wanted to see what the other side looked like!  It even had gum on it from the kids in school.  I requested that all be sanded off. 

We couldn't use this side because of the big "stain" in the middle of it.  The "stain" is really where it sat on the base and is perfectly clean.

He had to cut it down a few inches and to do so he had to remove the channel iron on the end of the pieces,

 

and cut through some steel rods that were inserted in the wood.

He also had holes to fill, probably where the put woodworking tools in shop class.

 

 He added angle iron on the edge but I asked him to put it all the way around it, kind of like a frame.

 

Of course, the whole thing needed a good sanding.

and he had to stain it a few times,

and polyurethane it and

TA DAH!!!! 

 And for the counter top for the rest of the kitchen we are still trying to decide.

 

 I had made up my mind to go with laminate (I know, old fashioned....but food safe and no maintenance) but then we went to this granite place in Tipton.  They sell granite, marble and quartz.  The thing about the granite at this place is you can see the entire slab.

  

 It always amazes me when a place gives you a 1 inch by 2 inch square to figure out what you want to put in your entire kitchen!

I was totally amazed at this place.

 

I liked this granite (below) until someone told me you have to polish it every few months and it isn't really food safe.
 I asked my sister, "why is everyone getting granite when you can't roll out a pie dough on it?"
 Her reply was was, "Because none of us are rolling out pie dough sister!"

This is soap stone and I thought it was interesting, but apparently soft.

 as is marble, the lighter color below is marble.  You have to sign a waiver if you buy marble there, because it cracks so easily!

 The squares are quartz, which seem to be a good choice.

 I try to show what the pieces would look like with our floor and with the island top.  The brown is the floor.  At the granite place they call the swirls in the stone "movement."  I think we have enough movement in the floor and the island top, that we don't need it in our other counter top.

 

 I'm thinking of going back to laminate.  It's winning so far!  Any thoughts?

Cindy