Granite counter tops vs. solid surface

[Barb A.]

What are your opinions on either of these? If you have one or the other how do you like them? What about maintenance?

We are getting ready to make a choice for our new house and can't decide what to do. Really appreciate any opinions or ideas.

 

[720L]

There was a thread on this a couple weeks ago. I have granite and love them. You can put hot stuff on them and not worry about it. They don't scratch. And most of all, they are beautiful. You have to seal them once a year, which I haven't done yet, but I hear it is easy to do. I think granite really dresses up the room.

 

[floridafam]

I am subscribing to this thread as I would like to know this, also.

We recently looked at granite and the sales person had only bad things to say about them. She said they hold bacteria and she had a bunch of other complaints.

 

[JESW]

We recently replaced the laminate tops in our kitchen with Corian and we LOVE it! We went with Meditteranian (sp? I butchered it..) Blue and the color really brings out our cabinets now. This week we get the kitchen painted and I can't wait to see how it all goes together.

Jill

 

[dejavu]

I have granite and I love them. Like a previous poster said you can put hot pans on them, cut on them. They are easy to cLean and not porous if They are sealed which is no more difficult than waxing your car. If you decided on granite I doubt you would regret it, they are beautiful. I looked at solid surface too, but I knew I wanted a ultra high gloss look and all the solid surface material was a matte finish.This may not be the case now I don't know but JMHO I love the granite...

 

[ZachnElli]

I am subscribing to this thread as I would like to know this, also.

We recently looked at granite and the sales person had only bad things to say about them. She said they hold bacteria and she had a bunch of other complaints.

Your salesperson was completely misinformed. Just google "granite counters and bacteria". You'll see it is one of the best materials for preventing bacteria, second only to stainless steel. I love my granite countertops. My last house had granite tile, this house (just moved) has slab granite countertops.

 

[Mishetta]

I have granite too & absolutely adore it. ALTHOUGH....I would never, ever, ever live through having it installed in my home again. If we ever move, the new house would have to already have granite because I will never live through the aggrevation & stress of having that done again!

Maintenance for us is pretty easy. We just either use a tiny drop of palmolive on a "handi wipe" & wash with water, or we use The Works Glass Cleaner.

I have a friend who has Corian & she loves her counter too....so I think it's just what you prefer. There wasn't much of a price difference between the two either.

Good luck in your decision. We talked about it & looked at samples for a year before we finally decided. It's a big investment so we wanted to be sure we were really happy with what we chose.

 

[DLBDS]

We have solid surface because we couldn't afford granite. Otherwise, I would have chosen granite. I love the glossy look of it. Solid surface gets scratches and becomes dull (and the glossy finish is discouraged in kitchens). These can be removed with sandpaper, I'm told, but I haven't done it yet. Granite doesn't burn (from hot pots) and is great for rolling out pastry dough. My mother has a HUGE granite bar/countertop in her kitchen that looks shiny all the time. I love it. Go with the granite. It definitely gets my vote.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have granite and love the look.

Also if I had to choose I would go granite because that is considered the "right upgrade" for your kitchen. It will be worth the trouble if you have to sell your house.

 

[luvdzne]

We just had granite counter tops installed and love them. Definatly worth the money.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I have granite too & absolutely adore it. ALTHOUGH....I would never, ever, ever live through having it installed in my home again. If we ever move, the new house would have to already have granite because I will never live through the aggrevation & stress of having that done again!

What kind of mess are we talking about here? I have granite countertops on the way...

 

[JayCT]

We are doing soapstone. It is a wonderful dark gray stone surface that is used in laboratories. It has a honed finish that we love (dislike the shiny coountertops). Google soapstone and check it out. They are truly stunning. JMHO Jay

 

[EthansMom]

I love my granite countertops!!!!!!

 

[luvdzne]

What kind of mess are we talking about here? I have granite countertops on the way...

We didn't have any problems with ours being installed. It is very messy though so make sure you clean out your cabinets.

 

[Sleepy]

We have granite counters and 2 granite kitchen tables. Wouldn't have anything else. WHen we leave here, we are bringing slabs for our future home's kitchen. As everyone else said.....super easy to clean. No need for the "special" granite cleaners. Soap and water, lysol wipes....really anything you would use on other counters is ok to use on granite. We even have granite staircases and use Swiffer on them. Not a problem.

 

[PlutoPony]

Have had granite for just a month now and LOVE it - even more than I thought I would! Much easier to keep clean and and nice looking than my old formica (UGH). I'd be skeptical of buying ANYTHING from the salesperson who says it's prone to bacteria - they need to do a better job of presenting facts..... Our installation also wasn't bad. Around here granite is the preferred upgrade right now - who knows about the future tho.

 

[Sleepy]

Granite doesn't burn (from hot pots) and is great for rolling out pastry dough.

It also thaws frozen meat super fast!

 

[MAKmom]

DuPont is introducing a new product real Granite tops that NEVER need to be resealed. Dupont also has Corian & Zodiac tops.

Corian is certified for commerical work for food prep granite is not.

You must reseal your Granite every year. Alot of Homeowner do it themselves & if they do not do an excellant job they have stains.

I make & sell Granite & Corian tops. I have Corian in my house. Next time I will most likely go withthe new Granite from DuPont.

 

[JudicialTyranny]

Go with granite - it's timeless from a style point of view and will only add to the resale value of the house. We have granite countertops and island.

 

[floridafam]

Makmom,

So it's not true about granite and bacteria?