Tom,

I’m planning to use natural maple Merrillat cabinets with stainless appliances in a rather large kitchen with a lot of counters and not a lot of natural light, and I’m looking for a good choice of granite, but having trouble making a choice. The floors are wood.

I like the look of more homogeneous granites, and I don’t like ones with lots of differentiation in texture. I’ve seen a black I liked a lot (not Absolute, a little softer, but I can’t recall the exact one), and today I looked at a slab of Shivakashi today, which I liked a lot (and was surprised, since I thought my taste would run to the darker colors). The person helping me also suggested Bordeaux for the counters. And I am looking for a granite that doesn’t stain easily!

I’m also trying to determine the best backsplash and like the look of a full-height backsplash. Do you think doing granite all the way up is too much (assuming the cost isn’t too much, which it might be)? I also like glass tiles a lot, but think that might be too busy with most of the granites I’ve seen.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks!
Meredith

Hello Meredith,

Considering all you mentioned, I would like to suggest looking at Violetta Granite and Golden Leaf. If you like green, take a look at Silver Sea Green Granite. These are all granites from the Middle East and are very low maintenance because of their high density and Quartz composition.

As far as going up the backsplash with granite, that is a truly personal choice. Granite goes all the way up the back in my kitchen, but there are some beautiful tile splash options as well. Be a little careful with glass tile because it is very trendy right now. Personally, I think it will go out of style like the avocado refrigerator someday. Also, consider your fixtures when making a decision. If stainless, I would suggest going with a darker granite color. By the way, Bordeaux is one of my favorite granites, but the veining needs to be carefully aligned during installation. This granite is also somewhat higher maintenance because the higher percentage of Orthoclase that makes it softer than the granites I mentioned above.
Remember to always seal your granite. Take a look at www.GraniteStock.com to see hundreds of colors.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 14th, 2006 at 3:22 pm and is filed under Answers to Granite Questions..., Granite Choice Advice, Granite Color Help. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.