Our existing laminate countertops were not much different than those we had in our other homes. The edges on the countertops showed off the brown underlayment. It definitely shouted laminate. I did not hate laminate countertops. My parents had laminate countertops. All my homes had laminate countertops.
Before we considered replacing our kitchen countertops, we were shopping for a new sink. We found this discounted, cast iron, double offset white kitchen sink. We did not initially buy the sink. Efiwym, my wife and I talked about it that night and the very next day we went back to the store to purchase it.
We started the process of shopping for countertops. We decided to stay with a laminate countertop. Keep in mind, the availability of granite or man made countertops were not that readily available or economical at that time. The new laminate countertops had a granite-like look. The countertops no longer had those ugly edges. The manufacturers rounded off the edges so there was continuous laminate from edge to edge. There were many different colors and textured finishes to pick from. At a big-box home improvement store, we found the color and textured finish we liked.
My cheapness came back to haunt me years later. Our old countertop from the stove to the peninsula was one continuous piece. There was a seam of the laminate at the sink, that was barely noticeable. I wanted our new countertop to be the same and have no seams. The cost difference was almost double. The less expensive options would be made of 3 parts with seams running from the inner corners to the outer edges. I was assured if installed correctly, the seams would be hardly visible. Wrong!
We placed the order for the less expensive options. We now needed to wait for that phone call that the countertops were ready to be delivered.