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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
I have Corian and it seems to be no problem. And you can sand any scratches out of it as well.
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”.
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.
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.
I brew outside and ferment in an unfinished basement. The material of my counter tops is classified.
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.
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.
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.
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.