Why not laminate countertops?
I had to admit there are some really nice looking laminate countertops out there. In retrospect I wish we had gone that route and saved some money. But at the time I was thinking, no matter how realistic (to a stone-look) the pattern, you will still see the seams and they will still look like thick chunky laminate countertops. You could pay extra for nice bevels or other cool finishes on the edges, but by the time you spend money on that you might as well take it to the next level and go granite.
