Submitted by Tina_Bean_ t3_11lxkuc in vermont
We’re planning a kitchen renovation and looking to cut some costs on counters and use some locally sourced materials. Any suggestions on where to find stone remnants, reused butcher blocker, etc. locally?
I've seen some creative uses for that and old bball courts. A little kitchy though don't you think?
Nah, not if you sand it and shape it properly. Then it just looks like high-quality wood laminate of some kind. Not quite butcher block, but it looks nice. (And it's pretty inexpensive if you can get it.)
With all the old quarries around, I figured everyone would have some stone counters
Most of the quarries are no longer active. And granite is expensive no matter where is comes from.
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Check the habitat for humanity restore. If you're not picky about materials you might find something.
Also ReSource, which has locations in Burlington, Williston and Barre. They're basically the same as ReStore.
Have you looked into concrete counter tops? There are a ton of 'how to' videos on YouTube, and there are also kits available. Personally, I think they look great, a lot of room for adding your own flair also.
I think diy concrete looks great but sooooo much effort. I did a combination of soapstone (contracted) and maple (myself).
VT salvage in white river jct has sections of old bowling alley that could make a very cool countertop. I looked into it but it just wasnt practical for my situation. They also have a bunch of other things you could probably use.
Not really a cost cutting option anyway but I had issues with Granite Design which is who Home Depot contracts through. I wouldn’t ever use them again
The dumpster behind Burlington marble (in Shelburne) is full of scraps/off cuts and they don’t mind if you take them. Just go in and ask first
Salvage isn't cheaper than home depot, honey. At least not in VT.
I’m at ReSource in Williston right now, and they have enough 3cm granite for a full kitchen in stock, as long as you don’t mind that it’s two different colors and you’ll have to piece it together.
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I just did epoxy counters in my house and I'm really happy with them. They look just like a slab of really amazing high-end granite, only they cost about $800 for 60 square feet instead of $6,000. I'm definitely going to keep doing them in all the low to medium end houses that I rebuild. You can make them in any color you want, and they really do look stunning. They do take a lot of prep work to make sure everything is ready for the epoxy, but pouring the epoxy is a ton of fun. Look at Stone Coat Countertops' series of Youtube videos for instructions.
Another cheaper option that I've used with great success is MSI's big granite tiles, available at Home Depot. The tiles plus the plywood underlayment also cost roughly $800 for 60 feet. If you're willing to overlook the grout lines between tiles, you get all the durability and good looks of granite for a fraction of the price. You will need to know how to set tiles yourself though. If you have to hire someone it will probably cost about the same as real granite.
If I was doing a kitchen for myself and wanted an even cheaper option, I'd go with polished porcelain tiles at about $3/foot, plus the plywood underlayment. They look plenty good enough, they're going to be reasonably durable, and if I break one I can replace it. Again, this is only a cheap option because I can do it myself.
If you're going to insist on something locally sourced, you can sometimes find people selling used granite countertops on FB Marketplace or Craigslist. You'll need to cut and rearrange the granite yourself to make it fit your kitchen. You can also find used laminate counters for free if you're really desperate to save money.
I actually had great luck on Facebook marketplace, lots of local postings. We got a beautiful old butchers block table that way!
Wonderful! Thanks for the ideas!
DasWheever t1_jbeqt91 wrote
I don't know where you are, but apparently they're tearing down the bowling alley in Bennington. That lane wood is usually super high-quality rock maple, and you might able to get some as salvage. (There are probably other sources, too, of course, so look around!)
I only know about this because a friend of mine used salvaged wood from a bowling alley when he built his house, and it's held up over the years far better than my expensive custom butcher block!