We are doing a big reno here in the house .Our cabinet maker was out last night to finalize everything and is looking at an end of March install.We have not yet decided on what type of counter tops to go with.We will be going with granite on the island,but not sure about the main cabinets.I would like any help on this.I have looked at Saron(1 piece arylic) and do not really want arborite finished counter top. ANY HELP would be appreciated. Thanks
We went with Silestone everywhere in our kitchen. It was pricey, but it’s bullet proof and cleans up very easy. It was well worth it considering it will probably be in this house for 30+ years.
Granite is OK on an island but needs a lot of upkeep if you use it as a cooktop and fry/sautee a lot… Corian, Zodiac, Silestone…there are good many mineral tops that are not porous like granite.
I am currently a general contractor, and have installed one or two counter tops. 
I also just ordered all the counter tops for my personal place so I did a little more research.
Most of the Solid Surfaces (Corian, Avonite, etc) are very similar products with very similar warranty and colors. Very good product. They did have some problems a few years ago with people putting hot water in the molded sinks and melting the sinks, but these are resolved now. Costs will be very in line with a mid grade granite or stone. Negatives are some people do not like the colors and patterns, it looks manmade.
The silestone Kooty mentioned is a newer product made with recycled and new quartz. Very well made counters, very low upkeep, and very high quality. You will pay for it however.
Granite and other stone has come a long way in the past few years. Lower cost then silestone, and in the same price range as a standard solid surface. They are now able to impregnate the granite with a sealer so you do not have the upkeep required in the past. I like the “natural” look of a true product.
We went with granite. I am a lover of natural things and the variations and colors are something we cannot match with manmade. I will post some pictures when the kitchen is complete.
Good luck. You can drop a couple buck on a kitchen and you had better be happy, or more important your wife should be happy. 
Quote:
You can drop a couple buck on a kitchen and you had better be happy, or more important your wife should be happy.
I’d be happy if I could get my wife into the kitchen! 
Interesting, I’m a GC as well. My understanding as of last year was Quartz was the best way to go. Granite still needed some maintance. and the boiling hot water in the sink was still of some issue.
They may have jumped a new hurdle in the last year but, still words to the wise. 
Sorry, I may have misspoke. Denny is right, Granite does need some maintenance, but they are now able to seal it for about 10 years if my memory is correct.
Good luck. You can drop a couple buck on a kitchen and you had better be happy, or more important your wife should be happy.
New kitchen and hardwood through out main floor.I will be doing some of the work myself(gas/electrical)still going to be around the 50 range.ITS FUNNY THOUGH this is out of my pocket,wifey got most of the say,and she still is not that happy
My cousin just had new granite installed yesterday in WI and they told him 3 yrs on reseal. Was about $60/sqft
I am a GC too. The whole story of how “high” maintenance granite isn’t very accurate. Really it takes about as much time to seal granite as it takes to wipe your tops off with a wash cloth. Let it dry for 20 minutes. To do this once every 5 years is hardly high maintance. I can get quite a bit of granite for less than quartz or silestone and have a totally unique and durable top that looks awesome. And I can schedule it out to be installed 3-4 days after measurements. Personally, I dont like the look of man made tops because it looks man made. YMMV If you need to save few dollars, try to find an in stock color at a fabricator. If you are selecting a slab from a wholesaler you will pay more because you purchase whole slabs not just what you need. I just did a kitchen that need 6 sq ft off a second slab. I wanted to get some credit for the 54 sq ft of left over granite, one fabricator said no the other said we will charge you for what you use. I wont be going back to the first fabricator. Saved my clients 1500 bucks and I’ll bet that same amount that I’ll get another referral out of it.
we had corian throughout in our last house. we bought a new to us house 9 years ago and remodeled the kitchen right away. we went with corian again. we are very happy with it, you can fix scratches if something was to happen. last winter i remodeled the main bathroom and went with granit and really like it. the reason we did not go with granit in the kitchen was, back then, the joints were not as good as they are today. i would most likely go with granit today. just remember, the countertops finish off the look of the kitchen, don’t cheep out with the countertops.
Quote:
the reason we did not go with granit in the kitchen was, back then, the joints were not as good as they are today.
Good point Pounder. We have a joint near the sink and yes we know it is there, but don’t “notice” it anymore. I was impressed with the laser measurements and the FIT from the folks who did ours. Went with a 4: backsplash too…wife was very happy (and she dang well should be for the $ we dropped )
Saw a tip on one of the remodel show on granite to test it.
Not sure how true it is but that’s what they said.
http://www.mygranitecare.com/granite-kitchen-counter-tops.html
In the middle of a remod right now, we chose granite.
Liked the way it looked and even if we had to seal it once a year, we’d still go granite.
wipe the sealer on at night, wipe it off in the morning, 20 mins work max
Al
Does the sealer hold up to hot grease splatters etc for 5 years? If so that is a good imptovement… 
Granite is a very good deal nowadays, because everybody and their nephew is a fabricator. Plus, the market acceptance of the quartz products, has made granite even more affordable. One thing is for certain, if it wasnt for the quartz products, namely Cambria, you would still be seeing the same old butt and run seams that granite used to be noted for. The quartz products have raised the bar as far as whats an acceptable seam. Dont get me wrong, I like granite, and dont buy into all the marketing hype about sealing. 80% of all granites do not need to be sealed at all.(but it dont hurt to do it) Its the other 20% that are extremely succeptible to staining that gives the quartz products their amnunition. All granite slabs are resin impregnated now, so they really only should need to be surface sealed every 5 years. 60% of my hard surface countertop sales are Cambria. The balance is granite. Of the granite jobs, half are because its natural, and the other half is price point. There are more expensive granites out there than the quartz products also. I havent sold a solid surface (Corian type products) job in 10 years.
There are 5 or 6 quartz maunfacturers out there.Cambria, Zodiaq, Silestone, Hanstone and a few smaller companies, All are producing stone with the same production equipment.(Breton) All have different color palletes. Zodiaq, hanstone and Silestone all have color/price groups. With Cambria, all 83 colors and 7 or 8 different edges are standard. When pricing a job, one needs to look at the edge profile also, as an ogee edge isnt an upcharge with Cambria, but can add $600-1000 dollars to a granite job.
To the OP. I would NOT go with a granite island and a solid surface perimeter(Staron, Corian etc). It will not save you any money. If you have a budget, then go with a granite island, and a waterfall edge (cheap) laminate top until you save enough for a granite perimeter to match the island, or a complimentary color. Or, go with the granite perimeter so you can finish up the sink(no service calls for the plumber) and backsplash, and a cheap laminate island and replace it later.
If I can afford to do it in my kitchen, it’ll be Cambria. Its beautiful stuff and NSF rated as well.
I really like the look of soapstone as well but that choice would depend on my cabinets and the look I’m going for.
Reddog, what are the chances of getting a very good match on the piece of granite say, 10 or more years later? I’m giving this that timeline for the owners to get enough capital (and want to spend the extra money now) as opposed to going the full route in the beginning of the remodel.
Do you think there is enough of a change in the “Natural materials” like there would be in carpet / vinyl or plastic laminate pieces? I’m speaking of an exact match.
Quote:
Reddog, what are the chances of getting a very good match on the piece of granite say, 10 or more years later? I’m giving this that timeline for the owners to get enough capital (and want to spend the extra money now) as opposed to going the full route in the beginning of the remodel.
Do you think there is enough of a change in the “Natural materials” like there would be in carpet / vinyl or plastic laminate pieces? I’m speaking of an exact match.
“Exact match”? Isnt going to happen with any product, Laminate, tile, stainless steel, granite or quartz.
Then only product that I would guaratee an exact match, would be laminate, as long as they are still producing the color. Obviously, 10 years down the road, your old laminate wont look like new either, so there just isnt any way to guarantee.
As far as natural granite is concerned, the fabricators cannot guarantee an exact match, when you are looking at slabs in person, on the same day.
Availability of materials can be a limiting factor. Who knows it there is enough Persian Brown granite left on the planet to last ten years? Or any other color.
Quartz? Probably your best shot at an exact match, because the “recipe” is going to remain static, providing they are still in business and producing that color. In my 10 years of dealing with Cambria, they have discontinued approx 10 colors. When I say discontinued, what I really mean is that they are pulled for the marketing information, and a select number of slabs are held in reserve to take care of warranty issues, or any other thing that comes along. After a designated amount of time being off the market, then the leftovers disposed of. I think they will hold these types of slabs for 8-10 years after they have been “discontinued”
If you are thinking about stratifying the installation, obviously you have a job that facilitates this well. Perimeter installation, and an island, or an odd location for a buffet or desk or something like that. If that is what you are saying, then first off decide whether you want granite or quartz. If you want granite, ask and chose a color that is very, very consistent in color (sheet to sheet) to begin with. This will give you the best opportunity for a match later on. The more “movement” a stone has, the less likely it is going to be to match at a later date. Thats part of the beauty of natural stone, is that no two sheets are exactly alike, isnt it.
Then, with that accomplished, gear your customer that there may not be a perfect match down the road. I dont know what trends are going to be 10 years down the road, but right now, it is seldom that I do the same color on the perimeter as the island. The island is usually more of a wow factor piece, and the perimeter is a color that compliments the island. Usually lighter perimeter, and a darker island, so the stone doesnt soak up all the available light in the kitchen.
Im even doing this a little with laminate, lighter perimeters, and darker islands, or even a same color island, with a complimenting color on the raised bar.
I think choosing a granite countertop can be a better choice than other. And granite is one of the favorite choice for every person for their home. Last year when I done a complete kitchen cabinets remodeling, I installed a green granite countertop from The RTA Store. Personally I think it is most durable and affordable as well. There are different types of granites hence you just need to choose an appropriate one for your kitchen.
We got our kitchen remodeling done at Castle Kitchens, Ontario. We did not have to worry about anything – just had to outsource the task, sit back and relax! kitchen remodeling
This really helped with a project I am working on.
If anyone says Granite is high maintenance they dont have a clue and are most likely pushing an agenda based on profit, relationship or experience with a bad granite company. Cleanup is a breeze, re sealing every couple years yourself is a cake walk of wiping on sealant and letting it dry. Do your homework on the company and ask for references on their jobs to inspect their work and joints.
IMHO, why would you not keep all the counter tops in the same room the same? Its going to look way off and out of place. Spend the money once and do them all the same no matter what you choose or can afford. I guarantee granite will add more value to your home than any man made counter top.
Nothing like bringing up an almost 8-year old topic. 
If anyone says Granite is high maintenance they dont have a clue and are most likely pushing an agenda based on profit
, relationship or experience with a bad granite company. Cleanup is a breeze, re sealing every couple years yourself is a cake walk of wiping on sealant and letting it dry. Do your homework on the company and ask for references on their jobs to inspect their work and joints.
IMHO, why would you not keep all the counter tops in the same room the same? Its going to look way off and out of place. Spend the money once and do them all the same no matter what you choose or can afford. I guarantee granite will add more value to your home than any man made counter top.
That’s an understatement,
When a quarts company AKA- Cambria sells there product on the statement that granite is going to kill you from Salmonella therefore their product is good is BS.
Granite is just as safe as quarts.
Granite is less expensive,
Granite is much more beautiful (doesn’t have a repeating pattern).
Nothing like bringing up an almost 8-year old topic.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the user edits that post to include spam at some point
Nothing like bringing up an almost 8-year old topic.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the user edits that post to include spam at some point
There have been a few first-time posters trolling here lately, most of whom never return.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
