Granite counter tops vs. solid surface

[mickeysgal]

We're currently remodeling our bathroom and considering taking our kitchen down to the studs and remodeling. (I know...we're nuts). If we do this, I want to do granite and I'm so happy I found this thread!

For those that have used granite in the bathroom, did you use a drop in ceramic sink?

By the way, I love all the pictures. For those of us that are currently remodeling/considering remodeling, these pictures are very helpful.

 

[Mishetta]

We're currently remodeling our bathroom and considering taking our kitchen down to the studs and remodeling. (I know...we're nuts). If we do this, I want to do granite and I'm so happy I found this thread!

For those that have used granite in the bathroom, did you use a drop in ceramic sink?

We had drop-in porceline sinks installed in the bathrooms. A 60/40 extra deep stainless steel in the kitchen. The porceline looks great. The stainless steel I have trouble keeping water spots off of it!

 

[Mishetta]

Everyone that thinks sealing is such a pain, realizes how wrong they were once they get granite. If you can spray on windex, let it sit a certain amount of time, and then wipe it back off, you're capable of sealing.

I use Stonetech and it's as simple as that. It did leave a haze, which Uba Tuba is known for, but all I had to do was wipe on some goo-gone and boom, the haze was gone.

I have to seal mine again in June and I dread it about as much as I dread cleaning my counters tonight after I cook. It's really no big deal. It's just another granite myth, IMO.

Not sure if you mentioned this before, but what do you clean your counters with? I used to use the warm water & drop of palmolive but seemed like I had to keep rinsing & rinsing & rinsing to get all the soap off. Plus it seemed to leave a film. Now I use The Works glass cleaner (no ammonia) & that seems to work great. I read about using that on a granite website. Something about The Works glass cleaner having the lowest Ph balance or something like that?

Oh & I'll ask my DH if I can hire you to redecorate our entire house!! Love your diningroom too ~ furniture as well as the red walls ~ WOW! I'm just not that brave but I'd love to be!

 

[Mickeyfaniam]

Ok, I've mentioned this before but I don't get the big aversion to sealing. It isn't hard to do and doesn't take much time. It's part of maintaining a house like cleaning your windows, spray washing siding or sidewalk, sealing the grout in tile bathrooms and floors, etc.

I can tell you that for me ... its been all that I'm being told..... including counter installers themselves. We have been visiting many of them and I have gone in stating that I haven't decided yet what I want. I have had some of them tell me they would not touch granite and then go on and on with all the negatives. Of course, I have also gone into others that say they wouldn't do the quartz either, so I am sort of on information overload. We just want to make a well informed choice

I am leaning toward the granite....its beauty will make it worth any sealing I may have to do. BUT we want to separate the truths form the non truths.

Thats why I like reading here... you guys have the granite and you tell like it is and have nothing to gain or lose by what I choose.... so I know its the truth.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

We put Caesarstone in our kitchen. Looks and feels like granite (everyone thinks it is!) but it's not pourous like granite is, so you don't have to seal it. It also doesn't stain or get watermarks from cold drinks like granite does. It also cost less than granite. We love it! I'll have to find a picture....

 

[m&m's mom]

We have granite and we love it!
The sealing is only a pain as far as the timing.
The product we were recommended says the countertops have to have had no water or moisture on them for 24 hours before and not have any for 24 hours after. I put it off until we went to WDW last May and we ate out the day before and right before we left for the airport I just wiped this liquid on and left. It was very easy.
My parents had Corian in a motorhome they had and they did not like it because it would stain (also it was white) and they could not put hit pans on it.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We put Caesarstone in our kitchen. Looks and feels like granite (everyone thinks it is!) but it's not pourous like granite is, so you don't have to seal it. It also doesn't stain or get watermarks from cold drinks like granite does. It also cost less than granite. We love it! I'll have to find a picture....

Not all granites stain either. There are so many stones, from so many places and the quality and durability of them vary.

Granite has taken such a bad rap since other solid-surface counters became available. It's like everyone (Not you; I only quoted you to address the staining issue - the installers/sales people are who I'm referring to) has to one-up everyone else by bad-mouthing the competition. With granite, it's been by spreading downright lies.

My granite does not stain, nor does it have the sealing requirements that others do (I choose to do it anyway, since I have a tumbled marble backsplash that absolutely has to be sealed.).

For anyone trying to decide what solid surface to go with, do what you're doing on here. Ask those who actually have it (Granite, Corian, Caesarstone, etc.), not someone who has a financial stake in making a sale. Chances are, those people are on commission, or are misinformed by their suppliers who are also probably on commission.

I don't think any of them are perfect. They all have their ups and downs, including granite.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Not sure if you mentioned this before, but what do you clean your counters with? I used to use the warm water & drop of palmolive but seemed like I had to keep rinsing & rinsing & rinsing to get all the soap off. Plus it seemed to leave a film. Now I use The Works glass cleaner (no ammonia) & that seems to work great. I read about using that on a granite website. Something about The Works glass cleaner having the lowest Ph balance or something like that?

I use green Windex and it's pretty tough to find. You can't use anything with ammonia in it and that particular color doesn't have it. Lowe's and Home Depot both just started carrying it, thank goodness.

Oh & I'll ask my DH if I can hire you to redecorate our entire house!! Love your diningroom too ~ furniture as well as the red walls ~ WOW! I'm just not that brave but I'd love to be!

It's so funny, because I used to have plain vanilla walls. It just never occured to me to have color on them. Then I became good friends with an art teacher. Her whole house was splashed with color. From then on, my walls have been painted.

I kept the kitchen and the bathroom pretty neutral, because of the dining room. I like to keep the walls neutral in the other rooms and use accessories as the "kick" of color.

You wouldn't believe how many of my neighbors, some of whom I've never met, stop me in the yard and tell me they love to see my dining room at night, through the blinds.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We're currently remodeling our bathroom and considering taking our kitchen down to the studs and remodeling. (I know...we're nuts). If we do this, I want to do granite and I'm so happy I found this thread!

For those that have used granite in the bathroom, did you use a drop in ceramic sink?

By the way, I love all the pictures. For those of us that are currently remodeling/considering remodeling, these pictures are very helpful.

I have an undermount porcelain sink in the bathroom I posted the photo on. It wasn't by choice; the vanity came with the sink.

My plans for my master include granite counters for the vanity area and the tub will be dropped on to granite, with beadboard sides (the sides will be cream beadboard and the vanity will have cream cabinets). Since the tub I've chosen has a pretty full "lip" on it, I plan on doing drop-in sinks to keep the look consistent.

Similar to this:

Since you're remodeling, go to this website: www.ths.gardenweb.com/forums/

You'll get lots and lots of ideas and see tons of pictures of other people's remodels. It helped me tremendously!

 

[Mickeyfaniam]

thank you so much AM I There YET for all your help. I'm about to spend thousands on a new countertop but nobody will be able to accuse me of not doing my homework first
Now is that link not working for everyone or is it just me

ETA never mind... I typed it into the address window and I got there.. thanks

 

[ACvmk]

Since you're remodeling, go to this website: www.ths.gardenweb.com/forums/

You'll get lots and lots of ideas and see tons of pictures of other people's remodels. It helped me tremendously!

This link isn't working. Can you check it and repost? Thanks!

 

[chris1gill]

Am I there yet, I just ordered an Uba Tuba bar top yesterday... if it goes well, I'll order the rest of the countertops up.... the bar top itself was 29 square feet & the rest of the kitchen is 41 square feet... it's a huge area, but anyhow.... here's my question! What type of tile do you have in your kitchen above your countertops? I really like it... who installed it for you? I wish I knew how to do these types of things!

TIA!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Am I there yet, I just ordered an Uba Tuba bar top yesterday... if it goes well, I'll order the rest of the countertops up.... the bar top itself was 29 square feet & the rest of the kitchen is 41 square feet... it's a huge area, but anyhow.... here's my question! What type of tile do you have in your kitchen above your countertops? I really like it... who installed it for you? I wish I knew how to do these types of things!

TIA!

You do have a lot of square footage in counters! Ouch!

My tile is tumbled marble and I purchased it at Lowe's. We had prepared ourselves to install it, when my granite installer offered to do it for $350! She didn't have to ask twice. We had no clue what we were doing.

We used a mixture of the square tiles and the subway tiles. They also carried gorgeous liners that go with it. Here's a link to the square tile: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=95137-78074-07350&lpage=none

I think our grout was called "bone".

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

This link isn't working. Can you check it and repost? Thanks!

Try this: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/

Click on kitchens or bathrooms and then you'll see a link to "gallery view". This is where the pictures are.

Get ready! You're going to see lots of great ideas!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

thank you so much AM I There YET for all your help. I'm about to spend thousands on a new countertop but nobody will be able to accuse me of not doing my homework first
Now is that link not working for everyone or is it just me

ETA never mind... I typed it into the address window and I got there.. thanks

You're welcome!

It's no small investment! You sure don't want to regret your decision. I seriously don't think you can wrong with any solid surface counters.

 

[PlutoPony]

It's no small investment! You sure don't want to regret your decision. I seriously don't think you can wrong with any solid surface counters.

Yep!
Our kitchen remodeler mentioned that they'd had several cases of people redoing counter tops (going to solid surface) and re-using their old, beat up sinks - and how much the sink detracted from the final look. Sinks really aren't that expensive in the big picture and once you get a solid surface down you're NOT going to want to pull it up later to put in a new sink. Plus undercounter mounted sinks just look so much nicer IMHO.

 

[mickeysgal]

Try this: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/

Click on kitchens or bathrooms and then you'll see a link to "gallery view". This is where the pictures are.

Get ready! You're going to see lots of great ideas!

I see the link for gallery, but when I click on it, I just see the message board threads...no pictures. What am I doing wrong? Do you think my browser settings or pop up settings are restricting it?

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I see the link for gallery, but when I click on it, I just see the message board threads...no pictures. What am I doing wrong? Do you think my browser settings or pop up settings are restricting it?

It'll say On-topic Discussions at the top of the message board, and then to the right there will be links for "gallery" and "conversations". The gallery is where the pictures are and to get back to the message board, you click on conversations.

Here is a direct link to the gallery: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/kitchbath/nph-ind.cgi?type=gal&random=1087

 

[Mercy]

Love the GardenWeb Kitchens Forum!!! I practically lived there when I was remodeling my kitchen. So many great ideas!