It’s time to call the laminate installer to get an estimate for new countertops in the Magnolia house. As much as I love/hate laminate, its really the only choice that makes economic sense for a house at this price point. But while laminate may be inexpensive, it scratches and burns, serious drawbacks for a rent house. Looking at dozens of laminate counters while apartment hunting with mom didn’t make me feel any better– chips, stains, scratches, melted spots… bleh.

A really rotten photo of the Magnolia kitchen taken when my camera was suffering a slow and torturous demise. The old laminate counters extend up the backsplash in a faux marble pattern.

I’m told the new laminates are thicker and stronger with a better wear layer. (For a little outside reading, try here and here.) So far, we’ve been fortunate– the laminate counters have held up beautifully, but I’ve always had this fear that some tenant will decide to french fry weasels on the poor counter and the entire thing will have to be replaced. It’s these visions of pooled weasel-grease that keep bringing me back to ceramic tile.

Back in the olden days, pre-microwave, pre-dishwasher, I had a lovely pink kitchen with lovely pink appliances and lovely pink ceramic tile wrapped around the entire lovely perimeter.  As much as I grew to loathe and despise the pepto-pinkness, I loved those counters. Hot pots went straight from stove to tile with nary a hiccup.  I could’ve fried an entire weasel colony had I been so inclined (I never was). The only real issue was keeping the grout clean, which pre-baby days wasn’t exactly my top priority.

Tile’s come a long way baby–the choices available today are fantastic. The old fashioned, shiny square tiles that chipped and broke so freely back in the ’50’s and ’60’s have been replaced with all sorts of beautiful through-color tiles. The larger sizes mean fewer grout lines and combined with a good grout sealer, even the Mistresses of Grout Cleanliness have been silenced.

In my opinion, ceramic tile just might be the perfect choice for a rent house countertop. So there.

These Crossville counter tiles are 14″x28″ (and way too expensive for any of our rentals… still, very beautiful.)

That’s more like it–Sandy Ridge, 6″x6″ field tile from American Olean.

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Tags: ceramic tile counters, countertops, laminate counters, laminate countertops