Kev and I had to make a trip to Home Depot for some epoxy yesterday, and (as usual) we wound up looking at flooring, and tile, and counter tops while we were there, too. We’re both kind of in permanent “look-out mode” when it comes to interesting new design solutions, and we love discovering useful/affordable/neat-looking home stuff!
We managed to make it out of the store with only the epoxy yesterday, but we were totally blown away by one of the counter top materials we saw while we were there, so I wanted to blog a little bit about it here today. It’s called “Calacatta Marble“, and I’m not even kidding, as I walked up to it in the store I was saying to Kevin, “Ooh! I love marble counters!“. It wasn’t until I reached out to touch it, that I discovered it was actually Formica!
Here are some pics I found of it online…
Pretty lovely look-a-like, huh? It was $16 sq/ft. (installed) at Home Depot, which is obviously waaaay more cost effective than real marble, which usually costs between $60-$100 sq/ft.
This next photos shows an island topped in of one of Formica’s faux granite patterns, but can you imagine how pretty that Calacatta Marble would look with this kind of edge…
Me likey the thought-y.
And did you know that you can even use undermount sinks with Formica now, too? Check it out…
Way to increase the realism factor, Formica!
Anywho, I know laminate’s not for everyone, but for a lot of folks it’s the right choice, so I thought I’d pass this info along today in case anyone was looking for a “marb”elous-looking, low-dough faux-mica!
And speaking of spectacular faux counters…check out this amazing concrete creation I found on a Gardenweb thread yesterday. Here’s the before pic…
And here’s the (concrete) after…
(note: the homeowner mentioned that they hadn’t quite finished remodeling when that pic was taken.)
Can you believe that’s a concrete countertop!? Unfortunately I couldn’t track down the lady who posted the pics, but she did say in the comments on that thread that they started by cleaning and scuffing the original laminate surface really well. Next, they applied two layers of a “special mix of concrete” with drying time in between each layer. (Her husband owns a concrete business, and has extensive experience with the stuff.) After that, they created the veining by applying concrete stain using a variety of feathers, sponges and brushes. They finished the surface by grinding, sealing, and polishing it.
Pretty incredible, huh?
PS- Here’s a video Formica put together about how they’re able to create their new line of realistic-looking stone counters- which, by the way, is called 180fx. Pretty interesting stuff!
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Hey Layla and Kevin,
I just recently painted my counter tops with Giani Granite Paint. It’s a pretty realistic alternative. and at only $60~
Sort of wish I had seen those faux marble ones first though!
http://btweenblueandyellow.blogspot.com/2012/01/giani-granite-paint-review-and-give.html
I just went and checked out your painted countertops and that looks really great, Kathleen! We painted our pink countertops with the $20 rustoleum countertop paint ( http://chrislovesjulia.blogspot.com/2012/01/things-you-should-know-if-you-decide-to.html ) while we save up for a full on kitchen reno this year. Thank goodness for quick fixes.
And Layla, I totally agree if the formica was cut like the faux granite–it would be dynamite!
Very cool! I’m dying to do our kitchen over but we’re on a shoestring budget. I love the look of these counters. We currently have slate and they are so porous. Constantly having to oil them with mineral oil.
WOW – We replaced our counters with a Corian-type, solid surface. It looks great – I didn’t want granite at the time because EVERYONE was using it. It looks like granite anyway, doesn’t need a lot of maintenance, and was a heck of a lot cheaper. But this stuff looks FAB! I couldn’t wait to pull out the cr*appy yellow (harvest gold, barf) Formica that was original to my 70’s ranch. This stuff is such an improvement. I guess Formica was wanting to jump back into the market, as they were getting a ‘bad name.’ WOW!
What a budget savvy alternative. I love it!
holymoly, great to know! thanks.
BE still my beating heart! ok now thats a price point I can jump on!…our counters are 18 years old and I think a little Home Depo trip or a big sanding job is in order!
Thanks for sharing this Kevin & Layla! Amazing information!
Wow! What a great find. This product should fly off the shelves in kitchens everywhere. I’m already thinking of different applications. Thanks!
Oh Layla, don’t do this to me, I have butcher block sitting in my garage ready to be installed right now. I love the look and price of this!
SHUT. THE. FRONT. DOOR! I don’t love the feel of formica and am leaning towards an engineered stone….but OH. MY. GOSH that looks incredible! Is it that pretty in person?
YES! Like I said, I was literally saying “Ooh! I LOVE marble” as I was walking up to it in the store. Definitely fooled me!
Wow, what an incredible alternative! I have a comment and a question. On the image with the stove/range of my dreams, I think the countertops don’t look like real marble because of their thickness. Marble generally would not be that thick, would it? My question: Could you make the Formica countertops thinner to mimic real marble, or does that make them “unsturdy”?
Hey Suzy! Check out the first and fourth Formica inspiration photos in this post. I like those edges better, too! 😀
We had countertops very similar to the ones in the 4th picture. We have the beveled edge. It costs a bit more, but it looks great. We replaced our white Formica countertops for this style. It’s a great product for the price.
WOW! We need to re-do our counters..I LOVE the look of marble-hate the cost! I’m definitely going to be looking into this..btw random but Where are the curtains in your dining room from? I LOVE them!
Wow Layla! You got my wheels turning! Thanks!
I’d be really interested to hear more about the concrete counter top. We just bought our own little cottage and they hadn’t done much in the last 46 years to it before we bought it. We have the original wonderful yellow speckled Formica still. At least it goes well with my red Kitchenaid 😉
Wow the faux marble countertop is gorgeous, just a really convincing fake, and great colors. The cement one was pretty fantastic too, but since they were experts I wonder how easy a diyer would do with it? Thanks for sharing, pretty inspiring stuff!
Your post is so timely as I’ve been saying to my husband that I would like to put marble on our island…we did a major remodel about 6 yrs. ago and at the time the budget allowed for laminate. Not being a huge fan to start with, we did find a granite looking laminate. It’s fooled everyone that comes to our house…it even has a bit of a texture to it. Recently, relator friends visited and they we’re even fooled. So thanks, for sharing info.about the marble laminate…we still don’t have real marble in the budget…this may do the trick!
I’m loving that!!!!
This is a timely post. We have a rent house that needs serious kitchen updates but the cost of granite (and the care of it) is too much. We saw the newest Formica products and were sold. I’d rather spend the money to repair this than for new granite for a rental! Thanks so much for sharing!
OMG! LOVE that. I have always loved marble but thought it was 1) out of my price range 2) much to fussy to maintain. But seeing this has really changed my mind. I love the look, it is in my budget and easy to maintain. SWEET! Thanks for being a lookey-loo. Haha! Lookey-Loo Layla is kinda catchy! 😉
I have loved white marble forever and since we are about to do some upgrades (budget concious) in our kitchen I was thrilled to see the Formica option. We knew we would have to use Formica or one of the less expensive countertops and this one is definitely worth looking into, thank you!
Really appreciate this post. We’ll be updating our builder grade kitchen and I’ve been in love with marble forever but my husband it not in love with the price. Might be a nice compromise in order.
When it came to our last home kitchen reno we used the formica granite look and feel. It was very inexpensive and I loved it! I used real slate tile as the backsplash to bring in natural stone. Right now we have renters in so I’m thankful we didn’t spend a ton on granite.
I’m so glad to hear you mention this. Not all homes need granite, but most of all not everyone can afford to put that much $$ into counters.
The second picture looks exactly like the Imperial Gold granite I just paid a fortune for!!!
LOVE, love, LOVE concrete countertops, but I’ve never seen one that looks like marble – and THAT countertop turned out GORGEOUS!!!
It looks gorgeous! I would wonder though, how long it would stay looking so nice? Of course, everything wears, but I imagine marble would wear differently than formica. How long before it would really start looking fake? It’s a gorgeous option though, especially for people who don’t like marble or granite because of how cold it is. My SIL was uninterested in either when they built their house because of how loud it sounds when you set a glass on it. A really convincing fake? Problem solved!
Hi Nette! 😀
I guess it would wear like any other Formica? The Formica that’s on the kitchen counter here at our house was installed by the previous homeowner in 2003, and it still looks brand new! The pattern/color wouldn’t have been my first choice, but we sure have enjoyed how durable it is. We’re pretty rough on it! 😀
Those look AMAZING and I think if you’re going for a look like that and don’t have the money at the time for the real thing it’s a great way to give it a trial run while saving up for it! Gorgeous!
That is a really impressive material. I had no idea they were doing that with counters now. I’m a butcher block kinda-guy myself (it just has a warmth and glow to it that you don’t find in marble, IMO). I know it’s inferior in a lot of ways (cleaning, longevity, etc) and that marble, etc has the greater re-sale value by far, but if I’m buying I’d rather go butcher block and then spend the leftover money to upgrade elsewhere. The faux-marble might be a nice compromise, though. Looks great.
I recently installed the new faux-ceramic tile (Traffic Master Ceramica Resilient Vinyl) for my bathroom floor after seeing it in two other houses. I absolutely love it. They go down like real tile – you grout them and everything – and I swear they look exactly like ceramic. Like you, I had to literally feel them to realize they weren’t actual ceramic tile. At $1.10/sqft (and with a Lifetime warranty you’d never get with real tile), I think they are a steal.
I’d also highly recommend these for people that live in colder climates – as they don’t get cold under-foot like real tile does.
I don’t know about other people, but I’m really loving this faux-material resurgence. Super cost-effect, highly comparable substitutes.
[wow – long-winded comment. Sorry!]
Yay! I noticed that this month’s BHG had some faux marble countertops in it, but I could definitely tell that they were not the real deal. I like the edges on some of the ones you listed. I love the idea of marble, but not necessarily the durability and difficulty of caring for them. Must investigate further. , ,
well few yrs back we redid our kit. i had laminate counters that were lifting oh that was FUN yeah right. so couldn’t get on the granite band wagon[ didn’t want the popular expensive choice] soooo went with butcher block. it was less expensive than anything and my cabinet guy+hubby installed. still looks good . i do like the look of this but make sure you figure in the cost of install.
Hi Colleen!
It’s actually $16/sq foot installed! Pretty awesome, huh?
I have a feeling that formica 180fx is really going to take off!!
I’m getting the real deal…etching and all…
This is so pretty and would work perfectly in my boys bathroom.
Thank you!
I want to do something DIY to our countertops bc we have a lot of them and a huge bar area so the cost of replacement would be ridiculous as well as I like the design of ours. We are pretty funny in the hardware too but I haven’t seen these new countertops. I started a site at http://www.dreamsonadollar.com and put you on my blogroll…is that ok? I also have a foodie site at http://www.bestfoodies.com. Please stop by sometime!
Why, of course! Thank you so much for adding us and for stopping by today! 😀
Wow! That’s actually a pretty cool solution for budget pinchers such as myself. We’re in a rental for the next year or so and I am ALWAYS in “look out mode”. I buy things for a house we dont even own yet. How bad is that? lol The Hubs and I are big DIY’ers & know the next house we purchase will be a fixer upper per choice.
Anyway, I too like the more curved and molded edges. It adds a bit more dimension and interest. Not to mention more realism. Have you seen the paint treatment you can put on your countertops that make it look like granite? Very interesting.
Man! This is great news!!!
We have two small kids, both in private out-of-pocket therapies for various things. Any money we’d like to spend on marble countertops goes to them! But this.. this is good stuff. Right now we have an 8 year old, neglected laminate countertop that’s peeling off the particleboard (or whatever’s under there). I was entertaining those oak countertops from IKEA.. but this might be a good solution too! Thanks for blogging about it! I’m always looking for ways to make our newly-acquired first house more like a home!
Ha! The picture of the island with the granite-looking formica is the style my hubby and I landed on for our new countertops! ;D Love the marble, too! I used to work at a concete and masonry supply house and we stocked all the products that contractors use to make countertops. We even put on a few demos of them making counters and bowls. It was so exciting to watch and see what each guy came up with. It’s truly an art form and the final product can be absolutely gorgeous! I used to make all the brochures for the company and the tagline I came up with was, “Concrete doesn’t have to be gray and boring anymore!” So true!
That’s insane! When I saw that before picture I thought “hey…wait a minute…I’ve been in that kitchen!”. And yes, it’s true, her husband is awfully good at the whole concrete thing…they’re friends of ours…how cool that she made it to your blog! 🙂
Yup! Already knew about this great Formica. Amy over at Maison Decor used it in her kitchen. http://maisondecor8.blogspot.com/ That’s where I saw it first. You can check out her blog to see it there too. Great stuff!
Oh- WOW! Thanks for alerting me to Amy’s kitchen, Connie!
Here’s the post about it if anyone else is interested in checking it out:
http://maisondecor8.blogspot.com/2011/11/kitchen-makeover-summary.html
Hi Layla, I have to say we LOVE this countertop but made one big mistake~we ordered the edge that showed the telltale line. At the home center the brochure showed this edge but you could not see any line~and I wanted the thick square slab look..anyway it arrived and my heart sunk. So the solution was white paint along the edge and it was a huge improvement. However when I order it again for the master bath, I will get a preformed edge, not the “custom square edge” .
Thanks Connie!~you are a pal for mentioning my kitchen!
Oh my goodness! I love!! We’ve been renovating our laundry room and found an inspiration pic that had marble countertops but there was no way I was spending that kind of money when my kitchen counters are still formica! haha 🙂 I couldn’t find it on Home Depot’s website though. What did it feel like in person? And do you have to have Home Depot install it? Only problem I’d run into is that we have a mudroom sink on the other side of the room that literally only has maybe two inches of counter surrounding it – not sure what I would do with that? Thanks so much for the idea Layla – I might just have to make a trip to Home Depot today! 🙂
Well, I was going to tell you about Amy’s formica over at Maison Decor, but looks like someone beat me to it. 🙂 One piece of advice from Amy was to not choose the standard straight edge- it showed a black seam on the edge which she had to go back over with white paint to blend in. http://maisondecor8.blogspot.com/2011/10/kitchen-is-done.html
The other edges apparently don’t do that?
I’ve always dreamed of marble counter tops but they just aren’t in my budget. I love the idea but think I have to see it in person to see if I love it in real life. I will be heading to Home Depot soon to check it out. Thanks for the heads up.
Layla,
I did the same thing at HD!!! It was so beautiful, and looked like the real thing. I may put it in my laundry room. If I do, I’ll send a pic.
Cindy
Wow! These look fabulous!
Oh my goodness, these counter tops look fabulous. I have heard of them before, but never seen photos of the finished product. Love it. The hubs will love it too when we get to start tearing into the remodel of our new home. I keep rambling on about marble counter tops and he says no way not in budget. I told him don’t worry I will find some alternative;) Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for passing on the info, I had no idea about those options!
I LOVE this! I’m one of those weird people that actually prefer formica for the most part. I seem to have champange taste with a beer maintenance/cleaning personality! I love the real stuff, but also know I won’t maintain and clean properly for the long term. I’ve always like formica cause it’s easy to clean, and I’ve never had problems with burning, cutting, staining, etc. I’ll have to look for this.
I love it! And the blue glass tile backsplash in the photos is what we have in our kitchen. BUT, are you certain in was only $16/sf installed? I called our Home Depot and was told it is $29/sf!
Hey, Lay! They are always coming out with new & improved products! I have not seen this marble faux look, but I would totally be open to something like that. Granite & marble is so darn expensive. When I get my little fixer upper, this might be just the thing I need to look at. Love it!
I like the look of that first pic! And the price!! 🙂
I thought of you guys last night as we were putting up a curtain rod by candlelight after our power went out! I caught myself wondering if you guys had ever DIY’d in the dark… it’s pretty hard core, I have to say. LOL
Oh how I wish we’d seen this a few weeks ago lol. Very cool!
My jaw is currently dropped.
I LOVED this faux marble when I saw it at the kitchen show last year. The best thing about it is that it goes on for 5′ before the pattern repeats which is unusual and helps it looks real. It gives those on a budget an absolutely fabulous alternative to the real (expensive) thing. Love it too!!!