I plan to redo my kitchen this summer and would love to hear your experiences, pro and con, with

Granite vs, other

Good Morning,

Rustic here and after a year in my new job "kitchen designer" I may have a few answers for you. For shine and durability granite is a great choice. Realize however that it is stone and has imperfections and can break and chip. Marble is not a choice for kitchens to soft. Great for bathrooms. Same as soapstone, beatiful but soft. Granite can absorb stain but there is a product that you spray on every other week or so and helps to seal the surface. Don't cut on granite it is will dull your knives.

Other hard surfaces, such as corion, in my case "acryflek" are great because they can be fabricated to unlimited shapes almost and have imperceptable seems, when done properly. I was in a kitchen one day and seen the countertop in four pieces and went back the next day and could not find the seems. Amazing.

Post form laminate is the cheapest and if you plan on changing your kitchen colours in the next few years is a viable alternative. If money is not an object then granite would be my choice. I don't know what prices are like in the states but here installed the price starts at 65.00 sq ft and goes up from there.

Happy planning

 
Hi Randi: it dawned on me sometime last night that the size of the tiles would eliminate the

grout issues! My space is not large so I do hear the call of granite. I would so appreciate the information about the web site of the granite place. I would much prefer taking my time at home to choose. I cannot thank you enough for the information.


p.s: hat's off to you that you even still let your husband do house projects. I know there are some who can, but mine certainly isn't one of them. It usually costs me money to fix anything he tries to repair!

 
Rustic: this info, along with others in the thread, is exactly what I was looking for. I am now

several steps ahead of where I would have started. My patience is limited in some situations, and looking for countertops would have been one of them. I have now narrowed my choices and know what questions to ask. Thank you to all.

 
To all responders: yet again, I have learned things or found sources in a fraction of the time it

would otherwise have taken.This is a wonderful forum.

 
granite & tile web info...

hi Diane, I copied all the stuff Don had bookmarked. when we got the granite sample we tested the ones we were interested in with lemon juice to see if they stained. I'll check with Don to see if he remembers the website he went to with all the info on how the various types holdup.

as for letting him do the tiles, he tends to be a bit obsessive/compulsive and a perfectionist. I've learned how to use that to my
advantage... '-)) I should have mentioned that the tiles I choose are floor tiles. also, we used nickles for spacers. I did get the plastic ones but the nickles are easier to remove.

http://www.doityourselfgranite.com/

http://www.europamericantile.com/tileinformation/countertop.html

http://www.askthebuilder.com/465_Ceramic_Tile_on_Laminate.shtml

http://www.contractorsdirect.com/

http://www.miraclesealants.com/

this is the maple top we're getting for an island.

http://www.industrialhouse.com/Furniture/Boos/Maple1.54272.html

I'll try to check in more often in case you have more questions.

have fun with the counters!

 
Posting too late probably but we did Caesar Stone...

It is a composite stone, 97% quartz, 3 % resin. Many companies make a version of this great product. My heavy choice over tile (hate grout lines) and granite ( don't want to keep sealing) I just love the color choices and the not ever having to reseal. Probably as costly as granite, but it is stone and is cold to the touch. I know granite has more "character" but I traded that for color and durablility.

 
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