granite counter tops

[Denine]

I need to hear your experiences with granite counters. Do you love them or hate them? We may install them in our new home. What kind of maintenence is involved?

 

[Kallison]

You have to wax them occasionally and use special cleaner. The waxing I usually do about every 4th month, it's no big deal. I think they are hard to keep shiny and spot free but most people love them. I liked my plain old cheap counters just as well, the ones I could just spray with Fantastik.

 

[JerseyJanice]

My mother-in-law redid her kitchen recently and had them installed. I think they're gorgeous.

She uses Pledge on them every so often to keep them shiny. The installer told her there's silicon in it, and it helps to seal their finish.

 

[jmatias]

We had our kitchen done about 8 years ago and used granite....it is the best!!!

Very easy to maintain...you can put hot things on top of it with no problems.

Not to mention that it looks beautiful.

 

[aprilgail2]

I had granite countertops put in last year when we redid the kitchen adn I LOVE them...they are SO easy to take care of and you don't have to worry about them getting stained or burnt like formica. They just look so much nicer than formica, I don't think I could ever go back to anything else!

 

[MJTinNH]

Love my granite countertops too. I was told to clean with Murphy's Oil Soap and buff with a soft towel to shine them up when needed. Most of the time I just use plain soapy dish cloth and they look great!

 

[Junebugwv]

Had ours installed three years ago and they were sealed at that time. Love the look, the durability and have never used anything other than soapy cloth to clean. I like the look of tile, but I wanted a material that would not need replacement.

By the way, my DH went to visit his brother in TX last year when they moved into a new house. We had never spoken about our remodeling and they had chosen the exact same granite countertops... Ubbah Tubbah...can hardly say it, much less spell it. How's that for unusual.

 

[danacara]

LOVE mine. The only downside is that any glass or porcelain that falls on them is as good as gone!

 

[Denine]

Junebug: That is the exact color I am looking at! I love the name.

So, everyone pretty much thinks I should spend the almost $5,ooo to get the granite?

It is very classy looking.

 

[JESW]

Glad to see all these positive responses as we are thinking of replacing our counters with granite. We've been torn between the granite and coriane (sp?) but it seems like granite is "the" countertop now.

Jill

 

[lindajo]

We are going for granite, also. I ordered the SS appliances, bought the sink and faucet, so now all we have to do is go look at the granite slabs. I have two friends who recently installed granite, and they both said to actually go and look at the slab that you are going to buy. Makes sense, it is a natual substance with different patterns, etc. My problem is that DH claims he wants "Black Galaxy"-very dark, black with slight gold flecks. It is beautiful. But we have a rather large, open kitchen with lots of windows, an island, and very light wood cabinets. I do not envision things well,(DH does) so I cannot picture these black slabs against all this light. Anyone out there with the same color combinations? The SS appliances have black trim.....

 

[amid chaos]

I'm glad to hear all the good reviews about granite. We are putting it in the new kitchen and I was kind of concerned, but no more , thanks to all of you.

Concerning taking a look at the labs...we were told that when you order it , all the slabs will be slices taken right next to each other...so they will be similar, yet have the differences nature deserves...LOL.

our island will be 5 by 10 feet so i told them I want to choose the piece for the island since it will be a large. basically uncut piece.

 

[Tinks]

Oh , I have to say the black granite with the light cabinets would be beautiful. ,and it would blend in the black/SS appliances nicely. Good choice by your DH.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We are doing granite in the log home too. I am planing on "Baltic Brown" right now, because it has a lot of mottling in it, and has a lot of the same colors in the slate flooring.

As for dropping a glass on it etc....We have had quarry tile in our kitchen the past 25 years, so wont be any different with the slate and granite. The floors will need the same sealer, so I figure once a year for both will be about right.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I forgot to say, we are using hickory cabinets with the refridgerator and dishwasher having cabinet fronts. The stove is one that looks like an old wood cook stove to go with the log home decor. We are using antique bronze faucets etc, and haven't chosen the cabinet hardware yet.

 

[Denine]

I am so confused. The granite sounds wonderful, but it will be $5700 to do the whole kitchen. Now DH asks which I would rather have, hardwood floors in the kitchen and morning room or granite counter tops? Of course, I really want them both, but both could also be done at a later time. We are putting hardwood in the foyer.

 

[RUDisney]

We have Zodiaq (quartz) countertops in the kitchen with the matching backsplash. I love it. It looks like granite, but doesn't have to be sealed, ever, as it is non-porous. We have astral pearl. We have a 14' black granite countertop on our bar in the next room. I must say that it is harder to keep clean than the mottled, creamy countertops. Every fingerprint shows on it and it is a constant chore to keep clean because we use the bar a lot.

It looks beautiful, it is just higher maintenance, so know that going into it. We had black bathroom fixtures in our last home (rental) and that was even more maintenance than the granite. Plus, dust shows on black more than on some other colors.

 

[aprilgail2]

The place that did my granite recommends that you don't seal them.

 

[CindyBeth]

We have Silestone(quartz) like the Zodiak mentioned above. We really love it! Has all the same properties as Granite except you don't need to seal it.