Kitchen Counter Tops

Jon-
Can't quibble with your decision. I know quite a few folks who went with quartz and they are quite pleased with the decision they made, as I'm sure you will be with yours.
Post some pics after installation.

[Jenise]

Congrats! Btw, something to consider? If your kitchen has one area that is the logical and most-commonly used for cutting/slicing/mixing/finishing, you might consider leaving a section unstoned for the insertion of a thick wood cutting board/work surface. It's what I did and I wouldn't go back to juggling small cutting boards the way most people do. There are manufacturers like John Boos that make the big wood butcher block blanks that can be cut to size. I've had this in two houses now and I'd never willingly go back to the more conventional situation.

That is another great idea, Jenise. thanks. I hadn't thought of that.

Another counter top "must have" that we came up with involves the ancient stand-alone dishwasher in our kitchen. This is one of those old units that you wheel over to the sink, connect to the faucet, and run. We took it out of commission a couple of summers ago when I noticed (while wearing shorts) that I got a mild electric shock from it when I touched it with my leg while it was running. We took this as a bad sign. Anyway, it has a wooden top that's set up as a cutting board with one of those little troughs around the perimeter that catches the juices as you cut meat on it. We've found that little trough to be perfect for holding eggs that need to come to room temperature (something the my wife, the baker, often needs). Doesn't sound like much - you could always put them in a bowl or something like that - but we've gotten used to using it and it's pretty handy. We're going to try to make sure that we have something like that on at least one counter top in the new kitchen.

.....that I got a mild electric shock from it when I touched it with my leg while it was running. We took this as a bad sign.

I guess so!