OT: Cerata countertops

[Ralph]

We've recently been introduced to Cerata counters, a kind-of solid surface - it doesn't go full thickness like Corian or Silestone. Have any of you had any experience with this, good or bad?

We're planning on re-doing our counters in the next month or two. We don't want to spend the fortune for Corian, and we're leaning toward Nevamar, a top-quality laminate, with beveled edges & backsplash. But as I said, we just found out about Cerata, & it isn't that much more expensive than laminate. Unfortunately, the prior posts on countertops won't load due to "errors on the page"!

TIA!

[carolyn.1]

I'm sorry Ralph, I have not heard of this counter covering. Its funny we had our house built just a few years ago, New things all the time--its mind boggling.
I hope someone can help you..
Carolyn--

[suziking]

Ralph - I have not heard of it either. I would LOVE to put anything but formica in our new home - but formica it is. I just saw the new patterns they have for the brand formica and I was quite impressed!!! I might even be a little excited about formica!

[Kelli Kerrigan]

Ralph,
Although 've never heard of that, you may try shopping at The Great Indoors in Schaumburg or Lombard. They have a HUGE selection of counter tops.

[Beth]

I've not heard of it before either, but I'd be interested to see what you learn. We will probably be redoing our island faarily soon, perhaps all the counters. I'm not that impressed with the way Corian wears (stains, scratches), so I know I won't go for that. If Cerata is not as thick, I would make sure they are not selling it as something you can buff down.

[JulieAnn]

Ralph, I'm making countertop decisions this week, along with carpet kitchen flooring, and cabinets. I'm a little stressed out lately! I've never heard of Cerata, but I'm very interested to learn more. I can't afford Corian, but I REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY want the integrated sink. Where can I learn more about this product?

[Ralph]

One of our neighbors has it & loves it (though we haven't looked at it yet!).

Kelli, thanks for the recommendation! We've been to Expo (seems a little to uppity for us), but I had forgotten that Great Indoors just opened.

Beth, they are selling it as exactly that, a less expensive alternative to Corian that can be sanded out just the same. Now we'd never use the counter as a "cutting board" per se, but it's nice to know that it can be "repaired." We just don't want to fork over 6-10K for Corian!

JulieAnn, here's the link to their website: http://www.hartsonkennedy.com/solid.shtml ; I just found it by searching "Cerata."
Unfortunately, they don't give links to sellers; you have to e-mail them & I assume they'll e-mail back.

[This message has been edited by Ralph (edited 06-26-2001).]

[funnybone]

In our last house, we had what I used to call "fake corian", and I hated it! It was seamless, so it looked like Corian, but was not the thickness of Corian. And, it did not wear like Corian. I do not know the name of the countertop, and have not seen it since. I don't know if I hated it because it was white or because it would scratch very easily.

In our house now, we have Corian counters and sink, and a Granite island. Although I really like the corian, I prefer the Granite. Next time, when we move (my DH job transfers us), I would replace any counter top that came in the house with Granite - no second thoughts. It is so easy to clean, looks great, and you can put a hot pot on it without worry.

[Beth]

If it is a similar material, just thinner, I'd probably shy away from it. If you are VERY careful not to cut or do other things that could sratch it, Cerata may be okay, but Corian does knick and scratch, badly IMO. The biggets problem for me (my mom had white Corian in her last house) was stains, so I would definitely not get white. She has Stonite now and loves it.

BTW, I have heard through realtors and a home improvement radio show that you can find granite for the cost of Corian or even less if you are willing to shop around and look for excess pieces, remnants, ends of lots, that sort of thing. If you don't have a huge kitchen, it might be worth looking into. Would your house and neighborhood support it in resale value? Does that matter to you? Just a few things to consider. Glad to muddy up the water for you! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif Seriously, that's about half the reason we haven't relaced our countertops yet (the other is figuring out what we're going to do to change the island).

[Ralph]

Originally posted by Kelli Kerrigan
try shopping at The Great Indoors in Schaumburg or Lombard. They have a HUGE selection of counter tops.

Hi again Kelli!

We did happen upon the Great Indoors in Lombard, so of course we didn't have any of our diagrams/samples/prior estimates, etc. You're right! They do have a large selection. They also have something called SSV (solid surface veneer) which is similar to the Cerata. Surprisingly, the price is not a whole lot different from standard solid surface (Corian, Avonite)!

So, now we're back at square one! I talked to our salesman at the company who we originally wanted to do our counters (pre-Cerata, pre-Great Indoors), and he explained that Cerata's composition is NOT as strong or durable as Corian, plus it's more porous. Though we've run into a few other neighbors who rave about their Cerata. May also poke our heads back in to Expo.

I'm afraid our limiting step will be color. Obviously, not every manufacturer has the same colors or shades, & that's probably the most important thing to us!