Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Looking For Kitchen Countertop Advice

Hey there,

I am remodeling my entire kitchen but trying to save money in the process. I am going to clean and paint my kitchen cabinets and would like a new countertop. I've never done this before.

I stripped the laminate off with a heat gun and it is in really bad shape around the sink.

My question is: From the perspective of price and labor.. How should I go about replacing it?

Is there a resource online that would help me price my options? or should I shop all around town locally?


edit-- thanks for helping with pics. i wish i could embed them.
http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/1935/9strippedcountertop6ea2.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/4148/9strippedcountertop7kf0.jpg

Post the picture on a photo sharing site such as Photobucket and give us the address in another post.

bumping this b/c I added photos to original post.

How should I go about replacing these countertops? Keeping price in mind. Although I do kind of like the granite countertops but im sure its more expensive.. how much more expensive?.. any and all comments and suggestions are helpful.

Thanks!

Do the carpenter repair work around the sink and hire someone locally to install the laminate. Leave the sink removed until the laminate is installed. Make sure the sink lip sets on top of the laminate. Caulk the sink lip when the sink is re-installed.