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Old 01-18-2011, 04:32 AM  
Pappap

Connellsville, PA
Join Date: Jan 2011
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Kitchen Remodel

Hey, anyone out there have an opinion on the best countertop to get? I've heard alot about how great grranite is but it is so expensive. Is it worth the price?
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Old 01-26-2011, 07:01 PM  
cwg
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I've had Corian, and Granite. I would do granite again in a heartbeat, but it depends on how long your planning on staying in your house.

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Hey, anyone out there have an opinion on the best countertop to get? I've heard alot about how great grranite is but it is so expensive. Is it worth the price?
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Old 01-26-2011, 08:12 PM  
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Sammamish, WA
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Granite is way overrated, everyone has to have it, and now everyone's kitchen looks the same. OK, so it comes in many colors but they are still the same. If you want a cheaper version they make granite tiles 24"x24" with bullnose front
made to fit on a standard counter, with epoxy grout they are durable and cost only $60/foot at Tiletown. I personally plan on using Silestone, an engineered stone surface made with 93% quartz, more resistant to stains than granite and a little cheaper.
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Old 01-27-2011, 04:09 AM  
Pappap

Connellsville, PA
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OK,
So I found a place in Pittsburgh that can do granite for 19/foot. They sent me to the granite warehouse to pick out my slab. Kitchen is measured and the countertop is due to be installed on Monday.
Wife can't wait..................
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Old 01-27-2011, 06:02 AM  
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Originally Posted by shooter207 View Post
OK,
So I found a place in Pittsburgh that can do granite for 19/foot. They sent me to the granite warehouse to pick out my slab. Kitchen is measured and the countertop is due to be installed on Monday.
Wife can't wait..................
Great, don't forget the pictures...
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Old 02-09-2011, 05:07 PM  
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Gloucester, MA
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Cement, polished and sealed.
You can color it if you wanted.
Kills knife edges but looks good and stands up to almost anything.

I have not done cement yet but plan to with the next renovation.

Oh ya, soap stone sink too.
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Old 07-14-2011, 04:46 PM  
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center valley, pa
Join Date: Jul 2011
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Ok I know I am late here but I need to throw my 2 cents in. I have been in this business for well over 11 years now. I started with Corian and moved on to Granite. There are pro's and con's with each of the products mentioned on this post.

Corian:

Pro's:
I think Dupont still offers the 10 year warranty, the seams are invisible and the corian sinks look great.

Con's:
Corian is just to soft to be a good long lasting countertop choice not to mention it melts at just 350 degrees. It's only a 4 on the hardness scale and easily scratches. Lighter colors like Glacier White stain over time and the only way to remove these stains is with sand paper. Don't even try to get a high polish you will hate it within a year. Oh yeah, Corian is very comparable in price with Granite and some man made quartz products.

24" X 24" tiles

no pro's here...

$60 a foot? you mean linear or square foot? Who installs it for this price? I think it's a do it yourself product that gets shipped to your door. What if you have a 10 foot run? Do you really want to have 5 seams in this one countertop? I am also positive that a standard cabinet measures exactly 24" from the back to it's face (not including the doors). I also know for a fact that most walls aren't straight and these 24" cabinets sometimes need to be shimmed off the wall to keep the cab faces even. What do you do with this almost definite gap? back-splash? Or just do what the cookie cutter installation crews do, fill it with caulk?
I have seen this stuff before I am not impressed. You are better off paying the $60 per. foot for granite which will come complete with professional template and installation.

Cement:

I have no experience with this but from what I am told it tends to crack over time.

engineered stone

Pro's:
This stuff is tough. I have tossed a pc. about 15 feet in the air to see just how tough. When it fell it just bounced. Had a few small chips but did not break.
You don't have to seal it.
Colors are getting better and better.

Con's: This stuff is stain resistant NOT stain proof. It does stain and when it does the only way I know of removing the stain is to replace the piece. The patterns are to consistent and look man made. It is not cheaper than Granite in fact it's the most expensive out of anything listed here. Last it doesn't like heat either. The binder they use will scorch under high temps.

Granite

Pro's:

Very strong durable material. Can handle extreme temps ( right off the stove/ out the oven onto the granite). It tends to absorb heat and cold resulting in faster thaw times. It doesn't scratch easily. There are a ton of colors to choose from. The price point is comparable with Corian.

Con's:

Needs to be sealed each year (easy task). Watch out for Oil (wipe up ASAP). Some stone with a lot of movement can break under little stress.


Soapstone is beautiful but keep it out of your kitchen. It's to soft. I liken it to compressed talcum powder. It can be scratched with a finger nail and chips easily.... Keep it in the bathroom...


I won't tell you what to pick but I will tell you what I am putting in my kitchen.

Absolute Black polished granite. This stuff is so hard it sounds like metal when you clap 2 pieces together. It has the best polish and is as durable as anything....

I hope this helped a little..
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Old 07-14-2011, 04:57 PM  
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^^ Thank you for this. It was very informative!
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Old 07-14-2011, 06:19 PM  
mohel
 
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Keizer, OR
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^^ Thank you for this. It was very informative!
Let me add my thanks too, I won't be putting in any kitchens but I know more about stone real and artificial and that could be useful sometime.
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Old 07-15-2011, 03:35 AM  
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Yes granite counter tops are bit expensive. You can also go with marble counter top they are quite cheap.
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