Formica laminate countertops

When we first priced out our house, we went with the laminate counters without thinking twice...we knew that the granite was an expense that we didn't really need, since we've always had laminate and were used to it anyways, and something that we could change down the road without too much drama.  Well, after reading some more blogs it occurred to me that perhaps a second thought might have been a good idea!  For some reason it never even crossed my mind that there were options within the options.  The first is that you can get "upgraded" laminate, which as far as I can tell just means a wider selection of faux granite patterns instead of the basic solid color or speckled looks.  We went ahead and did that, choosing the Blue Storm:

Now in all honesty, I have no idea what kind of laminate this is.  My paperwork just says "Laminate Countertop Kitchen Upgrade #1" and doesn't even specify the color (I'm sure the code indicates it somehow).  But after further blog researching I came across all sorts of countertop lingo: contoured edge, ogee edge, waterfall backsplash, sidesplash, etc etc.  So at my next meeting I asked about what kind of edge we'd be getting, could we upgrade to the contoured edge.  Our SR said it is an option, but she doesn't recommend it because people don't always get what they expect, that not all the edges are contoured.  I immediately thought of our bathroom's sidesplash:

As you can see, it's just a completely squared-off chunk of counter, butted up against a "waterfall" backsplash.  It looks a little awkward in the corner, and pretty bad at the front.

With that in mind, I dropped the issue and we will not be getting a contoured edge.  My parents had the flat edge growing up, I think I'll manage just fine!

But in earlier blog posts I have gotten comments about the edge, and why our SR doesn't recommend it.  So I did a little more research, and with a little help from Rachel found out a little bit more about what the edges of the counter itself look like, as opposed to just the sidesplash.  She actually knows what she has (Formica 180FX, Antique Mascarello) and calls hers an "ogee edge" (I'd never heard of that before this!):

This shows the cross-section of the edge pretty well.

Rounded sections are not contoured.

Where a rounded section meets a straight, there's a little bump-out to make the transition.

This is where both my boys would get black eyes and I'd get bruises all over my midsection.  Yes, we're clumsy!

I don't know if this is the standard upgrade everywhere, or if a simple waterfall or bullnose is more common, but the moral of this story is:  know what you're getting!

(Thanks, Rachel, for taking those pictures for me!  You rock!)