Granite Color Choice: Medium/Warm Granite on a Budget
I came upon your site while researching granite countertops. We also support World Vision so I thought that was great that you donate the $ to their organization.
My husband and I are considering granite countertops for our remodeling project. Unlike most of your askers, we are on a tight budget. We refaced our cabinets in a light “spice” maple which gives them just a hint of color.
We have white appliances and sink with a small island about 2 1/2′ by 4′ that will be painted white which has a stainless top. We are using brushed nickel pulls and a brushed nickel faucet. We have 5 kids and we are not fastidious about cleaning. There would be times I am sure, that something would be spilled without our being aware of it and left overnight. We were planning on doing 12 x 12 tiles, (not necessarily granite) due to cost but realtors, friends, and kitchen consultants are all saying not to and that we should do granite slabs. I do a lot of cooking and like it that granite has no grout and that I could put hot stuff on it unlike some of the other solid surface materials as well as it is beautiful. We have received bids of around $1800 for fabrication and installation which does not include a backsplash or the granite but does include a cutout for an undermount sink and drop in stovetop. We are looking for light to medium granite that is on the low end of the price spectrum… I found slabs at a yard for $10 a foot. We have an L shaped kitchen 8′ by 8 1/2′ and a 28″ counter area across from the longer side of the L.
My thinking of accent colors are sunflower yellows, warm orange, muted greens, and possibly muted reds….woodsy autumn colors and galvanized steel. We thought that if we did granite, we would do a tile backsplash up to the cabinets which is 18″. Otherwise we would do a 6″ slab granite backsplash unless it was better to do a granite tile backsplash all the way up. We plan to put in sheet vinyl for the flooring in a tile pattern although we have medium oak flooring throughout the rest of the house. Could you please advise us on granite that would fit our needs and ideas for how to do it most cost effectively. Also flooring colors to go along with the granite.
I have no problem with sealing granite but it should be one of the less maintenance types vs high maintenance.
We are not designer people so if our color scheme is not good, we have no problem with you telling us so.
Thank you for your help - Debbie
Hello Debbie
First, I would like to commend you on your support of World Vision. When people have a tight budget with there remodels and still give to help children, it tells a lot about character and heart.
Ok, so I feel that I can give you a good color recommendation based, on the décor you described, your color pallet preferences and low maintenance granite. Let me approach this in reverse order.
Granite is a natural rock as you know, but the characteristics of each color are made up of difference types and volume of minerals. Granite is defined has having at least 65% quartz and the remainder can be minerals that are a little softer like orthoclase of mica. I define low maintenance granite as having more quartz (harder) and a tighter molecular structure (less absorbent). Sometimes people think that Absolute Black granite is low maintenance because it has a tight molecular structure, but what they forget is that is has no quartz. Absolute Black is actually not granite at all.
Most of the granite colors from Saudi Arabia are what I consider low maintenance granite on the planet. They are high in quartz and have tight grain structures that almost require no sealing at all. Still, I would always seal granite with a low viscosity penetrating granite sealer like Miracle 511 Impregnator or equal.
The really good news is that there are several colors from Saudi Arabia that meet your pallet desire. These are Silver Sea Green, Violetta, Golden Leaf, and Tropical Brown.
You really should try to see all of these at your local supplier because they are so different. Still, I recommend the Golden Leaf most of all because of the soft organic color tones you mentioned. The Violetta is very strong and you will either love it or hate it right away. If you did not have white cabinets, I would say it is too dark. The Silver Sea Green is very pretty and might be a perfect match too. Tropical Brown is very popular and handsome but does not mix with the organic soft tones like the other colors.
One of these will be perfect and you will truly appreciate the low maintenance. Regarding costs, I need to know where you are located and I will hunt through our network of hundreds of providers to see who can help you best. Also, send me the size of each countertop and I will calculate how many slabs you need. Perhaps it is best to go with only a 6″ splash if a full splash requires purchasing another slab.
Once you decide the color you want and know how many slabs you need, it will be must easier to call around to see of anyone has remnants or orphan slabs at a discount.
Also, I would like to add one comment about safety. I am about to post an article about sharp edges in home that have children. Remember to round those outside corners a little. They can really hurt the 3 year-olds!
Best wishes!
