Granite Countertops
#1
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Granite Countertops
We are looking to get Granite Countertops for our kitchen and wanted to get some input from anyone that has or had Granite countertops or someone with maybe works with Granite.
Our original choice was Bianco Antico:
Bianco Antico Granite Slab
but the fabricator that we went to told us this Granite chips / cracks very easy and now we are confused because I was always under the impression that Granite is strong.
Our next choice is Alaskan White:
Alaska White Granite Slab
my choice would probably be Black Galaxy:
Black Galaxy Granite Tile, Slabs & Prefabricated Countertops
but the wife wants a lighter color to keep the kitchen bright. We have white kitchen cabinets.
any inputs?
Our original choice was Bianco Antico:
Bianco Antico Granite Slab
but the fabricator that we went to told us this Granite chips / cracks very easy and now we are confused because I was always under the impression that Granite is strong.
Our next choice is Alaskan White:
Alaska White Granite Slab
my choice would probably be Black Galaxy:
Black Galaxy Granite Tile, Slabs & Prefabricated Countertops
but the wife wants a lighter color to keep the kitchen bright. We have white kitchen cabinets.
any inputs?
Last edited by Jakes_tl; 08-17-2015 at 12:09 PM.
#2
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We're going with Quartz countertops for our house. My Dad deals with guys in the industry and they all say Quartz is the new granite. Onyx is literally 0 maintenance where granite does have maintenance.
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Jakes_tl (08-18-2015)
#5
Sweet!
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$40 a sq. ft. installed???
#7
Sweet!
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Make sure you sample the slabs they order for you before they do anything to them. Our installer had us come in and inspect the Quartz slabs for our kitchen, which I appreciated. There were no issues, but it's better safe than sorry. You don't want to catch any issues with your tops post install!!
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#8
Race Director
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Our granite gets an hour of my time once a year. So "maintenance" doesn't add up to much.
The onyx stuff is very cool though.
The onyx stuff is very cool though.
#9
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Actually i get to choose the actually slab. They have the slabs at their warehouse / yard. Just wanted to see if anyone had any issues with the lighter colors chipping / cracking or staining.
#11
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That's great!
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Jakes_tl (08-18-2015)
#12
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I bought a three step system from Dupont. It has a cleaner, a polish, and a sealer.
I do it before bed and let the sealer do it's thing overnight.
As for staining, we have uba tuba, so I wouldn't be able to see it anyway. Lol
I do it before bed and let the sealer do it's thing overnight.
As for staining, we have uba tuba, so I wouldn't be able to see it anyway. Lol
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Jakes_tl (08-18-2015)
#13
Team Owner
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I would have went with quartz, (was going to in my last house) but when we bought this house it already had granite in it...
$40 a sq ft is cheap, at our old house we had 59 sq ft that needed to be done.
One place was going to charge me $5500 (no sink) another place was $3500 (free sink) (no back splash included)
$40 a sq ft is cheap, at our old house we had 59 sq ft that needed to be done.
One place was going to charge me $5500 (no sink) another place was $3500 (free sink) (no back splash included)
Last edited by Flipster23; 08-17-2015 at 02:13 PM.
#15
Ex-OEM King
As far as sealing goes, just clean it off and reapply a sealer. The sealer fills in the pores of the stone and prevent spills from soaking in. If you have a good sealant then it should be just fine. FWIW, no sealer is lifetime. I would have walked after hearing that.
Also, if you want my opinion on what to get...get the Bianco. The Galaxy looks like poop when it's all over your countertop, makes the whole place look dark. It looks stellar (pun intended) for a bar top though.
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Jakes_tl (08-18-2015)
#16
Safety Car
Make sure you seal it. I work in a tool & die shop and the guy who resurfaces our surface plates 2X a year says he would not have the stuff in a kitchen.
#17
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
It will be sealed from the installer and I will plan on resealing it at least once a year because I do not want stained Granite. Just curious why he said he would not have this stuff in his kitchen?
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#20
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Had them installed at the last house before we put it on the market, got UbaTuba granite, and a tiered sink (wish my new house came with this style sink). i think total we did for around $1,800, sink was Craigslist brand new in the box still, faucet was a close out at HD, and the granite was like $35/sf installed.
If we had stayed there the only thing i would have different is a different style faucet, still wish i had the sink thing was huge on the deep side.
If we had stayed there the only thing i would have different is a different style faucet, still wish i had the sink thing was huge on the deep side.
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Jakes_tl (08-18-2015)
#21
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
I'm sure we will be fine. I love the look of granite. My goal is to do everything on my part to keep it from staining and chipping. I know I could go with the Black Galaxy and not have to worry about staining but the lighter colors look so much better and show the beauty of granite.
#22
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Had them installed at the last house before we put it on the market, got UbaTuba granite, and a tiered sink (wish my new house came with this style sink). i think total we did for around $1,800, sink was Craigslist brand new in the box still, faucet was a close out at HD, and the granite was like $35/sf installed.
If we had stayed there the only thing i would have different is a different style faucet, still wish i had the sink thing was huge on the deep side.
If we had stayed there the only thing i would have different is a different style faucet, still wish i had the sink thing was huge on the deep side.
#23
Sweet!
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We were told similar when looking at stainless sinks to be careful about quality. A friend of ours has a "cheap" stainless sink and the first time they left any dishes in it to soak it stained. They claim that they can't get the stain out...not sure what they've tried when it comes to cleaners though.
We ended up purchasing this one via Amazon:
I'm hoping the reviews don't let us down!! Though we plan to avoid letting any dirty water stand if at all possible. If it stains, it stains...
We ended up purchasing this one via Amazon:
I'm hoping the reviews don't let us down!! Though we plan to avoid letting any dirty water stand if at all possible. If it stains, it stains...
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Jakes_tl (08-18-2015)
#25
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BLANCOWAVE PLUS? 1-1/2 Reverse Bowl (Bowl Depth 10'') | Blanco
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Jakes_tl (08-18-2015)
#29
Safety Car
Last edited by Dan; 08-19-2015 at 12:13 AM.
#30
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
I have heard that in the past that granite has / had Radon but I am not sure how much of that is true. Doesn't seem to be much of a problem because granite is a very good seller.
#34
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^Makes sense. And the radon is such a low trace amount it's not even worth mentioning really.
#36
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
I have read online that with the lighter color granite it is a good idea to go with a 3/8" radiused edge or half bullnose to avoid chipping. We will probably go with 3/8" and thinking about doing the same thing around the sink.
#37
Ex-OEM King
Why is lighter colored granite any different in chip resistance than darker granite?
#39
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
From what I was told that darker granite is stronger because it's more solid - in other words lighter granite has more veins / design and that makes it more prone to chipping / cracking.
When we were at the granite shop the other week the fabricator showed me how easy Bianco Anitco chipped (whiter colored) and i was shocked. I was always under the impression that all granite was solid but boy was I wrong.
When we were at the granite shop the other week the fabricator showed me how easy Bianco Anitco chipped (whiter colored) and i was shocked. I was always under the impression that all granite was solid but boy was I wrong.
#40
Ex-OEM King
From what I was told that darker granite is stronger because it's more solid - in other words lighter granite has more veins / design and that makes it more prone to chipping / cracking.
When we were at the granite shop the other week the fabricator showed me how easy Bianco Anitco chipped (whiter colored) and i was shocked. I was always under the impression that all granite was solid but boy was I wrong.
When we were at the granite shop the other week the fabricator showed me how easy Bianco Anitco chipped (whiter colored) and i was shocked. I was always under the impression that all granite was solid but boy was I wrong.
Good read:
What Are Some Common Granite Myths? and other FAQs - Pacific Granite MN