Author Topic: Granite countertops.. (Read 681 times)

Skuzzy · « **Reply #15 on:** January 20, 2006, 07:04:35 AM »

Make sure to properly seal the granite after installation. Granite is pourous and a good home for bacteria to develope. You will need to re-seal the granite once a year (once every two years at most). Pay attention to areas which get used a lot. This is extermely important.

And like pthers have said, you must use an good foundation under the granite. If you go with plywood, make sure it is an exterior or marine grade plywood. Do not use furniture grade or interior grade plywood.

Myself, I would not use granite for a kitchen countertop. It looks beautiful, but it really is not practical. And the maintenance is just too high.

storch · « **Reply #16 on:** January 20, 2006, 07:32:31 AM »

yup forgot to mention about the sealant and the high maintenance but it sure looks nice. we considered stainless for all of the above mentioned reasons but ended up rejecting the industrial look of it. tile is good but the grout joints turn nasty, we didn't like mica or corian. inspite of the work, cleaning thoroughly with a disinfectant (we use an amway product called pursue) after working with meats etcetera we are happy with the choice. we have a large kitchen there are 176 sq ft of granite counter top and backsplash to clean sometimes twice daily. it's a lot of work.

Curval · « **Reply #17 on:** January 20, 2006, 08:07:45 AM »

I put in granite countertops in the condo I had.

I don't recall any plywood but it makes sense...particularly at the weak spots.

Although granite IS pourous the top can be treated with a coating that makes it watertight. It was easy to apply and only needed doing every six months or so. We never had issues with stains. We also used a chopping block made from a piece of the granite we bought for chopping on...never on the counter tops...EVER!!!

We spent an absolute fortune on the graite counter tops. BUT...it sold our condo for us. Mrs. Bird LOVED them.

Mustaine · « **Reply #18 on:** January 20, 2006, 03:00:52 PM »

professional friend says it should be 1 3/4" thick for uba tuba, no plywood underneath. just a dot of PL400 construction adhesive on the corner brackets is all you should nee to hold it in place properly.

his company has never put anything underneath kitchen counter tops. only time anything is used is tub surrounds, then it is masonite.

he has never heard of plywood used, and wonders how it would be concealed.

storch · « **Reply #19 on:** January 20, 2006, 05:24:12 PM »

hmm funny. all the granite installed in this market is 20mm thick with the edge bullnosed and roughly 40mm the bullnose protrudes outward and down thus concealing all the plywood. at 1-1/2" thick with a typical countertop being 24" wide I suppose you wouldn't need the plywood. what is the per sqft. cost for the product where you are at?

rabbidrabbit · « **Reply #20 on:** January 20, 2006, 05:43:12 PM »

I'm getting my slabs from www.valuestone.com

They come with 3 edges bullnosed. They are also thinner at 1 inch so maybe the plywood idea isn't a bad one.

storch · « **Reply #21 on:** January 20, 2006, 05:46:57 PM »

it's probably 20mm which seems to be industry standard.

SOB · « **Reply #22 on:** January 20, 2006, 07:02:19 PM »

I had no idea about the upkeep required for granite. I always wondered why anyone would buy Corian when it's damn near as expensive as granite. (or at least it was where I saw it and wondered why anyone would buy it)

rpm · « **Reply #23 on:** January 20, 2006, 07:44:44 PM »

My sister has black marble countertops. Just make sure you keep orange juice away. It makes a nasty stain.

rabbidrabbit · « **Reply #24 on:** January 20, 2006, 07:55:08 PM »

Quartz is a bit less expensive and less permeable but Granite is more of the gold standard. I'm also doing my fireplace and computer desk in the same granite.

john9001 · « **Reply #25 on:** January 20, 2006, 08:50:35 PM »

counter tops should be stainless steel, anything else is just pretty pretty.

USHilDvl · « **Reply #26 on:** January 23, 2006, 11:05:34 AM »

Granite is about the hardest common stone you'll get, while marble is very soft by comparison. Marble is a metamorphed limestone, I believe, and highly porous. Stone makes a poor countertop, from a hygenic point-of-view, but is still popular as a prep surface for all it's other good properties.

Personally, I think granite is the best available choice in natural materials. Clean it as frequently and vigorously as you do a wooden cutting board, and keep meat prep to a single, specific location (for extra cleaning attention), and you'll love it for a lifetime.

Either one must be sealed, as Skuzzy pointed out, to prevent staining. And resealed regularly. Spend the money on the stuff with the longest durability, and reapply at twice the recommended frequency. Once stained, I don't know that there are a lot of options except stone bleaching agents...not a terrific result in all cases.

Didn't realize how thin the material was from the original post. If it's under 1" thick, definitely use an underlayment.

Hope it comes out nice!

Enigma · « **Reply #27 on:** January 23, 2006, 08:44:07 PM »

I'll go against popular opinion and conventional wisdom and recommend that you do some specific research on your granite type before deciding to use a sealant. Not all granites are created equal and many surfaces sold as granite are not actual granites. Uba Tuba is common so you should be able to find that information easily(find expert sources who aren't trying to sell you sealant). Even after reading up on it you should conduct an experiment on a spare piece of the slab that you're having installed. Take the spare piece and put different spots of various substances on it like oil, lemon juice, wine, and tea. Leave overnight and wipe it off the next day. This will show you how susceptible your granite is to etching and staining. Some granites will be horribly marred while others will look no different from the day before.

I had assumed the conventional wisdom of sealing granite when I got new countertops but as I researched it and did my own testing I found that my granite didn't need to be sealed. I'm pretty hard on my countertops with lots of spills, splatters, and slow cleanups but I have no staining or etching and they've never been sealed. But if you want to just err on the safe side without further research, sealer will only cost you money, time and effort and maybe a little haze on your finish.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #28 on:** January 23, 2006, 09:01:49 PM »

man what ever happened to good old fasion formica?

storch · « **Reply #29 on:** January 23, 2006, 10:20:30 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Enigma
I'll go against popular opinion and conventional wisdom and recommend that you do some specific research on your granite type before deciding to use a sealant. Not all granites are created equal and many surfaces sold as granite are not actual granites. Uba Tuba is common so you should be able to find that information easily(find expert sources who aren't trying to sell you sealant). Even after reading up on it you should conduct an experiment on a spare piece of the slab that you're having installed. Take the spare piece and put different spots of various substances on it like oil, lemon juice, wine, and tea. Leave overnight and wipe it off the next day. This will show you how susceptible your granite is to etching and staining. Some granites will be horribly marred while others will look no different from the day before.

I had assumed the conventional wisdom of sealing granite when I got new countertops but as I researched it and did my own testing I found that my granite didn't need to be sealed. I'm pretty hard on my countertops with lots of spills, splatters, and slow cleanups but I have no staining or etching and they've never been sealed. But if you want to just err on the safe side without further research, sealer will only cost you money, time and effort and maybe a little haze on your finish.

in time the stone will shade for a variety of reasons U.V. exposure being the biggest culprit. it's inevitable that it will change but that adds depth and character to the product. we have a working kitchen we entertain quite a bit and we usually eat most of our meals at home. that would be breakfast, dinner/luncheon and supper every blessed day. both frau storch and I cook and often we are in there cooking/preparing together. I don't think we have any food related stains anywhere on that counter. but with as much care as we took in having the stone be almost uniformly patterened it doesn't look that way today, six years later. IMHO it looks better.