Granite counter tops vs. solid surface

[Barb A.]

Thanks everyone. I love hearing all the opinions. Get 'em coming.

Makmom, is this new granite from Dupont priced the same as granite? Is the sealing issue the only difference from today's granite? Is this stuff real granite? When will it be available? Thanks for your help.

 

[jrmasm]

You must reseal your Granite every year

Not true. SOME granites must be sealed every year not all. From what I understand, the lighter the stone, the more "delicate" it is. Most dark and some medium granite DO NOT require sealing.

 

[Ranatra]

We put in a brand new kitchen last year and we went with Granite counter tops. I love it! I don't think there's anything more beautiful.
I keep a spray bottle of Marbamist from Stone Care International under my kitchen sink and that's what I use to clean it. They also have a polish that is wonderful and a sealer.

 

[PlutoPony]

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

I'm curious about this new granite from DuPont..... I'm guessing that this new product will be standard granite sealed with a DuPont material before fabrication rather than whatever's being used as the sealant pre-fabrication now? That's the only thing I can think of that could be "new" since granite's a naturally occuring element and not man made. If this is the case, what's the features of this new sealer and thus the advantage? TIA

 

[PlutoPony]

I don't understand what the big deal is about re-sealing granite each year... Isn't it kinda like polishing furniture - spray it on, wipe it off? Takes all of what 15 minutes? I need to reseal the grout in my backsplash each year, and should be doing the same thing in the shower stalls, etc. which is just part of minor routine home maintenance - same thing. What am I missing?

 

[MAKmom]

I don't understand what the big deal is about re-sealing granite each year... Isn't it kinda like polishing furniture - spray it on, wipe it off? Takes all of what 15 minutes? I need to reseal the grout in my backsplash each year, and should be doing the same thing in the shower stalls, etc. which is just part of minor routine home maintenance - same thing. What am I missing?

If its done the way you describe it probley is not being done correctly. Think of it more like putting a sealer on instead of furntiure polish. Eveything must be sealed. If you do it correctly no big deal. The problem is some people do a bad job or do not do it at all.

The Dupont Certified Granite is real granite with DuPont sealer. It comes with a life time warranity. This is BRAND NEW. We will not get it until next month in the PA area. It is out in some parts of the country.

 

[MAKmom]

Makmom,

So it's not true about granite and bacteria?

I'll ask DH in the morning. It's fine for home use. I know only Corian can be used in commercial applications.

I have a feeling if its sealed its fine.

 

[Barb A.]

Thanks everybody for your great ideas and suggestions!

 

[pyrxtc]

It also thaws frozen meat super fast!

you are not supposed to thaw meat o the counter. It is so bad for you!!

I am thinking about doing a honed granite, not shiny but never needs sealing and it still takes the beating.

 

[Mishetta]

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

Sorry ~ never got back to this post....

The "mess" we had was the tear out of our former laminate counter tops & then when the new granite was installed, the holes for faucets were drilled in my home! There was a coating of fine powder just about everywhere. It was foggy in my home for about an hour after the drilling stopped! My tile floors were very slippery too! Being that I suffer from asthma, I quickly put my hospital mask on & started cleaning. It was no fun. But we had lots of other issues with this particular company too.

We are very happy with the finished product & only wish we did all our bathroom counters too (we did 2 out of 3 bathrooms & our kitchen). After the "nightmare" experience we had, we will not be replacing the remaining laminate countertop. No sireee.

 

[CJBaby]

I'm guilty of doing this as well, but putting a hot pan directly on granite is not recommended, as it could crack.

My first granite was porous, but rings left by sweating glasses or the bottom of an olive oil can were only temporary. Some granites will remain permanently stained. Just something to consider.

Also, you can put your granite samples through all kinds of rigorous tests before choosing one. I don't have that kind of patience or care, but I did go this time to select my slabs and placement of my templates, which I highly recommend. No two slabs of stone are exactly alike, and many look nothing alike.

Enjoy!

Edited to add: I never sealed/resealed my old granite, and I do not plan on having the new one sealed/resealed either, unless my manufacturer seals all of their granite routinely prior to installation (or recommends it.)

 

[MAKmom]

Sorry ~ never got back to this post....

The "mess" we had was the tear out of our former laminate counter tops & then when the new granite was installed, the holes for faucets were drilled in my home! There was a coating of fine powder just about everywhere. It was foggy in my home for about an hour after the drilling stopped! My tile floors were very slippery too! Being that I suffer from asthma, I quickly put my hospital mask on & started cleaning. It was no fun. But we had lots of other issues with this particular company too.

We are very happy with the finished product & only wish we did all our bathroom counters too (we did 2 out of 3 bathrooms & our kitchen). After the "nightmare" experience we had, we will not be replacing the remaining laminate countertop. No sireee.

I'm curious what kind of mess could taking old formica tops out be? They should have popped right out. How old were your cabnets & old top?

 

[dg39]

We have granite outside in our pool house. That takes a beating and still looks brand new. We now are in the ending process of having our kitchen redone. A few weeks ago they gutted the whole thing. No walls, floors or ceiling. Down to the studs. While every GC works differently, one of the easy parts of this whole dang project was the removal of the cabinets and old countertops. The corian just popped out with no mess or anything. We then had 2 granite counters installed. One very large(alittle over 11 ft) and the other approx. 5 ft. Like the one installed outside, they went in with no problems or mess. We also had the faucets drilled in the house and we didn't have dust. We only had alittle dust around the holes. I love the look of granite and like the other poster mentioned we also picked our slabs and told them which part to tape from the template. All of our granite pieces were sealed and I was told to seal them again once a year.

 

[Mercy]

We have granite counters and love them! Very easy care. We priced granite and solid surface (Corian, Silestone, Zodiac) and found that after shopping around for a good fabricator, the granite was less expensive. I would not recommend getting your granite or solid surface from Home Depot or a big box store, you will probably pay more.

Look in your yellowpages and search for a granite fabricator. The guys that did ours were from Turkey, they had been in the business for 12 years and they did an awesome job. Everything was cut off site. The installation was clean and flawless.

 

[Mishetta]

I'm curious what kind of mess could taking old formica tops out be? They should have popped right out. How old were your cabnets & old top?

The "mess" that we had when taking out the old laminate counters off was that the contractor also pulled pieces off my cabinets! Grant it, it was the decorative pieces but it clearly stood out since you could see wood instead of white! Also, the cabinet under my kitchen sink caved in after they ripped that part of the counter off & they had to have a carpenter come out to repair it before the granite counter could be placed on top.

My house is 10 y/o. The granite people were very rough in tearing out the counters. I was so sure they would break my tiled backsplash but I guess I was fortunate with this crew that they didn't.

We also went to the warehouse & picked out our slabs & also had them tape from the template. The granite company sealed the counter before installing & they recommend we re-seal it annually. We have Giallo Ornamental & since it's a lighter granite, it is more porous, thus needing more sealing than a darker granite which can go 2 years without sealing.

If I can hi-jack this thread for a bit, how do you clean your counters? I use The Works glass cleaner ~ no ammonia. That was the only thing recommended besides just plain old soap & water.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

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!

Really? Mine was a breeze to have installed!

ETA: Never mind - I just read your answer. We removed our own old countertops, so never had to deal with that.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I have Uba Tuba (one of the most carefree granite choices) in my kitchen and Absolute Black in one of my secondary bathrooms.

We do have to wipe down the bathroom walls after anyone takes a shower, since we have granite inserts, and Absolute Black does show water stains and will also show dust.

Here is my kitchen:

Here is my bathroom:

 

[Kimmumum]

We just had the Corian guy come out today to measure for our new countertops. I can't wait. These will make a HUGE difference over our ugly laminate countertops. I can't wait (but have to wait about 2 weeks for them to be made)

 

[Mishetta]

Am I there yet ~ Love your kitchen & bathroom! I especially like the decorative piece over your kitchen window. I can't have that due to the soffet being right over my kitchen window & tops of cabinets. Love your counter...we almost went with uba tuba too. My DH talked me into doing something a little more neutral for the kitchen but for the master suite bathroom, I forgot the name now (hate when I suffer brain hi-cups) but it looks very close to uba tuba. I love the look over the white cabinets. It's a nice contrast.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

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

We have soapstone too! Love love love it! We did a "restoration" of an old kitchen and the shiny granite wasn't going to look right. Soapstone was perfect! It's so organic and beautiful.

JayCT, are you having Vermont Soapstone do it?