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Author Topic: Countertops and Homebrewing  (Read 3745 times)

Offline svejk

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Countertops and Homebrewing
« on: June 23, 2014, 11:56:11 am »
When I brewed this Saturday it occurred to me how lucky I am that our kitchen is old so it didn't matter that I dripped some undiluted Starsan on the counter or banged it with a kettle that I was cleaning.  The old laminate looks just like it did before I brewed.  That said, I'm sure at some point my wife would like to make a change so I'd better start thinking about it. 

What type of countertops do you have and how are they holding up?  Heard of any disaster stories?

Thanks!

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2014, 11:58:05 am »
I have granite but I don't brew in the kitchen so the worst thing I do to it is put a fermenter up there to run off into a keg.
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Offline AmandaK

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2014, 12:50:16 pm »
It's not the countertops, but the poor stove that I always ruined in my old apartments!
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Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2014, 02:24:21 pm »
It's not the countertops, but the poor stove that I always ruined in my old apartments!

oh yes! many an hour spent scrubbing burnt on malt extract from stove tops.
"Creativity is the residue of wasted time"
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"errors are [...] the portals of discovery"
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Offline brick pig

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2014, 06:33:03 am »
Whoever owned our house before us scrubbed the Formica counters to the point that there is no longer any resistance to stains whatsoever. Anything wet almost instantly produces a stain. We can keep it to a minimum if we're really quick with cleanup, but pretty much every time I brew or bottle there's a record of my latest activity left on the counter somewhere.

We have a woman who cleans for us each week who somehow manages to get them (mostly) white again, but my guess is whatever she's using is actually making the problem worse over time. I fully expect when/if we ever sell, one of the buyer's stipulations is going to be new counter tops.
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Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2014, 08:07:07 am »
I have the same problem with formica countertops in my house and undiluted starsan. It has left a few spots where the light brown formica is completely white.
Heck yeah I blog about homebrewing: Brain Sparging on Brewing

Offline redbeerman

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2014, 08:13:54 am »
I have Corian and it seems to be no problem.  And you can sand any scratches out of it as well.
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Offline Wheat_Brewer

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2014, 09:37:36 am »
When I brewed this Saturday it occurred to me how lucky I am that our kitchen is old so it didn't matter that I dripped some undiluted Starsan on the counter or banged it with a kettle that I was cleaning.  The old laminate looks just like it did before I brewed.  That said, I'm sure at some point my wife would like to make a change so I'd better start thinking about it. 

What type of countertops do you have and how are they holding up?  Heard of any disaster stories?

Thanks!

Personally I would avoid any hard countertops like granite/stone if you have any glass carboys and if you have the exposed stone (not the highly polished/sealed granite but the rough cut) it will instantly absorb any liquids.

I'm about to start work on the "brewery" in the basement and personally I'm sticking with stainless steel sinks and for countertops I'm sticking to lament  or sealed wood from pine bettle kill. At any rate anything I use will be easy to clean, stain resitant, and if at all possible "soft".
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Offline Multifaceted

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2014, 11:03:51 am »
It's not the countertops, but the poor stove that I always ruined in my old apartments!

I hear you, my raised coils are warped pretty bad. Aside from heavy scrubbing even after lining with aluminum foil, I often have to bend back the coils and frames. Will need to replace the larger 8" coils and all drip pans before we move, but luckily those parts are relatively inexpensive.

Good thing is that my laminate countertops hold up well, as they should. Granite and engineered stone should as well, Corian or other acrylic surfaces are probably the best due to their flexibility and repair capabilities. Granite though, shouldn't bear the weight of a full carboy unsupported over a span of more than 10-12" as it can become susceptible to fracturing.

Source: countertop fabricator and designer for 12+ years.

Offline AmandaK

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2014, 11:45:27 am »
We have quartz countertops. The only thing brewing related I would worry about is accidentally smashing a flask on the surface. Flask would be destroyed, counter would be fine. Hell, I've found Campari "stains" in the morning from a cocktail night on the cream colored counters, just wipes right off.
Amanda Burkemper
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Offline Kinetic

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2014, 01:41:23 pm »
I brew outside and ferment in an unfinished basement.  The material of my counter tops is classified.       

Offline erockrph

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2014, 08:33:19 am »
Granite countertops here and I brew on a glass cooktop stove. Everything cleans up fine for me, including boilovers. I just have a painted wall behind the stove, and the wort splatter cleans up just fine with a magic eraser.

Big spills on my hardwoods get wiped up right away, and I spot clean with Orange Glo afterwords if needed. But everything is generally well contained by laying down a cheap $3 bath towel on the floor while I'm brewing. I bottle on the towel, too. This way if I break a bottle I can just dispose of the whole thing.
Eric B.

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Offline Delo

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #12 on: June 25, 2014, 08:39:50 am »
We have black countertops and white cabinets from the previous owner. Worst color choices unless you dont use your kitchen.  The white shows everything and will stain so brew day cleanup takes extra effort and the white spots from where i have dripped undiluted starsan really pop out on the countertops...and permanent marker doesnt last as long it should. 
Mark

Offline brick pig

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #13 on: June 25, 2014, 01:19:36 pm »
...But everything is generally well contained by laying down a cheap $3 bath towel on the floor while I'm brewing. I bottle on the towel, too. This way if I break a bottle I can just dispose of the whole thing.
About once a year we buy about 20 of the cheapest towels we can find at Costco. They belong to the dog, mostly, but I always use them to cover the floor on brew day and bottling day. Just like you say, if things get way messy, the whole business gets wiped up with / wrapped up in the towel(s) and goes right into the trash.
« Last Edit: July 02, 2014, 01:42:11 pm by brick pig »
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Offline HobsonDrake

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Re: Countertops and Homebrewing
« Reply #14 on: July 01, 2014, 11:15:13 pm »
One thing you could do before making a purchase is when you have a few types chosen ask for sample or remnants that don't need to be returned then do your worst to them. Iodine, starsans, boiling wort. Leave over night or a day then see how they clean up.
Check out my brew history and recipes at http://www.hobsondrake.com/BrewList.html

John D.