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It is February 2010. I created The Rock Blog over three years ago. I have been asked several times if I still reply to questions because I stopped posting my replies for over a year ago. Yes, I do but I stopped posting my replies for privacy purposes.
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Best wishes,
Tom Cordova
May 2nd, 2006 at 8:18 am
Hello Tom, We have had some granite countertops partly installed and they gave us no info on “care of” and we have two grease spots that don’t fade away but if we have a water spot it fades away. Are we supposed to put a sealer on and what is best? Thank you
May 2nd, 2006 at 10:21 am
Hello,
I just moved into a brand new home and the granite that was put in for us has tiny scratches all over the surface – just about. The fellow who put it in claims that is normal for some stones. I am hoping to get the opinion of another expert to see if this guy is cheating me or telling me the truth. Also, is there any way to fix this. Is this something that you could help me with? Thanks so much, Sara
May 8th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
I am working on a scope of work covering the installation of granite and marble countertors in the kithcens and baths of our homes. I want to insure that the insallation is done correectly and a basis for having the supplier and installer back thier work. Can you steer me towards any such document or national product guidelines addressing this. Thank-you.
May 14th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
I purchased a bathroom vanity from HomeGranite.com a while ago and just love it. Hope you can help with a problem I am having with marble that I have in another bathroom on the shower floor with a honed finish & counters that are polished. There are some dulled spots on the polished counters where cleaning solution has left marks. On the honed shower, the finish has either come off or it is completely stained with white. Can you give me an idea of how to deal with this. May we call you an if so, a phone number please.
Thanks for any help you can give – Bonnie
May 22nd, 2006 at 3:33 am
I am installing a bathroom vanity top and I just realized it is 1.5″ to long for the space. What is the best way for me to cut it down by 1.5 inches. What tools should I use and are there any tips or special techniques you would recommend?
May 26th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
We are having our kitchen cabinets refaced and chose a honey oak to coordinate with our Pergo flooring. I had picked out Zeus for the granite but after seeing several websites with a light cabinet and a light top I’m not sure that would be the best route to go. We only have one window in the kitchen with adjacent french doors in the eating area and a little bit of light from the entry way. Any suggestion for a deeper granite without it being too dark. I really like what Heartland has to offer but its so confusing when you look at all the slabs. I’m getting a new stainless steel stove and hood and the dishwasher is black. Want punch and wow without it being too dark. Thank you for your help.
Kathleen Zack
June 1st, 2006 at 11:57 am
I am building a new home and am considering installing granite kitchen couter tops. I have been told that granite stains easily and attracts mold growth. Do you know anything about such problems? I do not want to invest heavily in these counters and have to remove them because of staining or mold growth. I live in Oklahoma which is very humid. What would you advise?
Betty D.
June 6th, 2006 at 11:27 am
I work for a remodeler in Tucson Arizona and one of our Clients wants to use Black Absolute in their new kitchen. Our concern is that they want it honed. What is the porosity of honed versus polished? And how long does sealent last on honed? Does honed granite have a better chance of staining or scratching? Thanks for your help. – Michelle
June 7th, 2006 at 7:11 am
We just had new granite countertops installed in our kitchen, and two seams were necessary because of the size and curves in the countertops. The seams are quite visible, and feel rough to the touch – how can we tell if it was poor installation or if all seams are visible like these? Do you have any suggestions?
June 11th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
I bought a piece of granite approx 40 inches by 40 inches and 3/4 inch thick and was just going to use it as a garden table. It is unfinished (polished on top but raw edges). I can place it on a three brick columns. However, should I worry about providing better support, i.e. a sheet of plywood cut to fit within one or two inches of the edge?
Another piece is 1-3/8 inch and I may use it as an island countertop in my kitchen. It is approx. 30 inches by 40 inches. Will a “normal” cabinet base unit be able to support this weight or should I install 3 or 4 2×4 legs?
Thanks,
Don
Seattle, WA
June 11th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
We just had a piece of granite installed in our new kitchen in our home. Seeing other granite counter tops I expected the finish to be like a piece of glass. The granite top I have has little rough spots on it all over that look like the granite maybe was not polished correctly or it is possible a lot of soft stone. What ever it is the top is not completely glossy it has imperfections all over on it. Is this normal and if not is there anything we can do to help solve the problem? We had the top sealed twice but still have same look. Thanks for your help we are very discouraged. Mike
June 12th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Thanks for the answers to my support/weight questions. I do have two small follow-up questions. I am guessing that you are specifying stainless steel angles for rust/corrosion resistance but would wrought iron be acceptable? I’m thinking of just finding a table about the right size and placing this granite on top.
The second minor question has to do with anchoring the kitchen island granite piece. Would you use, say, construction adhesive on battens to keep the piece from shifting. or?
Thanks again,
Don
June 13th, 2006 at 9:33 am
Hi Tom,
I just installed Emeral pearl granite on my kitchen countertop and my vanity. I am very concern because I hired an installer using pre-fabricated granite to do the job. (Only the island used a big slab).
Not only was I dissatisfied with how the installer joint/connect each pieces, I saw lots of scratches and layers of grouts material (I am not sure what it’s called, it is the material than joint one piece of granite to the other).
Can you please help my with my questions:
1. Do you know of a brand product that could prevent scratches or make scratches go away?
2. How do I prevent future scratches or damage to the granite?
3. Is Emeral pearl granite toxic/dangerous for babies?
4. Will sealant help with scratch/damage to granite? What brand of sealang and cleaning product should I use?
5. How do I get the layers of grout material away from my granite?
6. Do you have any recommendations how I could enjoy the beauty of my granite?
I am sorry if I overwhelm you with my questions. I am very sad of this matter because I had spend a lot of money to install them in my kitchen and all my bathrooms countertop.
Also, at the time of installation, I saw the installer use a small piece of blade to clean the glue like grout. Is this normal?
Thank you for your time to read my email and respond to all my questions.
Sincerely,
Caroline
June 30th, 2006 at 7:51 pm
We just had granite put in the kitchen (countertops & backsplash) unfortunately we were putting another microwave in other than what our builder offered. Because of miscommunication they put the backsplash behind the stove and up where the microwave would be. Since we had the microwave hood already installed it just comes to the bottom of the hood. Is there a way to install the microwave now? Can holes be drilled into the granite to mount the microwave? The name of the granite is tobacco and we got it I believe from Arizona Tile. We have the new house in Queen Creek, AZ. Thanks !
July 6th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
Hi Tom,
I was cleaning my Ubituba granite countertop with water and a microfiber cloth, (my usual method of cleaning) and noticed some dull marks on the shiny surface. Earlier I was using Crazy Glue, and used a paper towel to protect the granite. I’m thinking that the glue was absorbed not only into the paper towel, but also into the granite. The granite is 5 years old, and was sealed last year. The dull marks are smooth to the touch, yet dull and cloudy. How can I safely remove them from the granite without harming the stone? Thank you in advance for your response.
July 11th, 2006 at 9:42 am
Hello Tom,
I just had my Granite Counters installed, (picked 3 slabs at AZ TILE, no polishing or deep scratches ). My fabricator apparently gave 1 of the slabs polishing scratches (circular and very light, very numerous on Black Maroon Cohiba granite) while making the edge. Even though the scratches are light and very fine, they are very obvious and run 3″ x 90″ on the edge of one of my kitchen counters. From reading your great web site, so informative, are these the type of scratches that can not be fixed. Once that fine ‘gray line’ is in there, is it for good?
July 15th, 2006 at 10:55 am
Home granite installed my countertop on year ago. I used the granite sealer you provided to reseal the countertop. When you put on the original, it stayed moist for half the day.
When I re-apply the sealer, it sinks in within a few minutes. I tried a second coat, but it dried quickly too. Is it still resealed properly?
July 25th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
Hello Tom,
Looking at installing Fiorito Granite for my kitchen, where the longest dimension is 119 inches. Does Fiorito come in limited slab lengths, and if so what is the maximum length I can go before needing to have a seam?
Thanks!
July 28th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
Tom,
I’m looking to complete a fireplace surround project. The original brickwork face has been finished with ceramic tile.
I’m thinking of:
- a granite mantle, 7″ wide by 5′ 6″ long, bullnosed to hide the 1/2″ exposed original brickwork behind the tile
- 2 matching granite vertical trim pieces, each 5″ wide by 4′ long, bullnose facing frontwards
- the granite pieces woul be attached with construction adhesive to the original masonry and the ceramic tile
(1) Is this plan feasible?
(2) Any issue with construction adhesive bonding granite to ceramic tile? Would etching or some other type of roughing the tile surface be required?
(3) The mantel piece will overhang the masonry by about 2-1/2″. Will the construction adhesive be sufficient to hold the mantle securely, or would some other or additional fastening be required?
Thanks in advance.
Kirk Spence
West Linn, OR
July 29th, 2006 at 9:19 am
Hello Tom; I enjoy reading your articles and your advise and coments . I would like to know if you know about a Granite tile system from Benissimo Granite? I plan on having it installed by a tile installer with a very good history in tile. I will be using the “Fiama Rialto” color. Your advise and oppinion; please on this product and the need to seal this granite. Would the granite tile need to be sealed prior to the “epoxy grout” between tile; or after the tiles are grouted? What type of prep work should be used for the underlayment? The installer has said that he can remove the Laminate counter tops presently in place.. cut off the back splashes.. rough up the laminate surface in to use a “certain” motar mix to install the Benissimo Granite Tile . Thank you for your time and keep up the fantastic work.. ps. I found your Radio show on last weekend (7-22-06) and marked my calender for the next time you are on . !
July 31st, 2006 at 3:07 pm
What is the ususal warranty for granite countertops? Aside from the thickness, is there a structural difference between 3/4″ granite and 1 1/2″ granite? Also, I noticed somewhere that there are different finishes for granite like polished, honed and something else. What are these differences?
Thanks.
August 1st, 2006 at 7:22 pm
We are purchasing a home and having the kitchen re-done. We have chosen Sahara Gold from http://www.damarstone.com. It appears to be a great color for what we are looking for. It comes from India and I was wondering what the durability of it was. A friend of ours said that he wouldn’t get granite again as it chips easily and if you set a glass down to hard, the glass shatters. I don’t know what kind of granite he has. He was thinking of a synthetic stone that looks like granite but is more durable. He thought the name was Cordova or Cordoba (he couldn’t remember exactly). Are you familiar with this and what are your thoughts?
Thanks!
August 8th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen & have looked @ granite countertops @ Home Depot. We are looking @ tropical brown. What should are main concerns be about making this purchase from Home Depot?
Thank you.
Sherry Scofield
Topeka, KS
August 25th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Hi there,
We purchased some granite and wanted it to have a “polished” finish, instead, it came out with a “honed” finish; but they assured us that they could seal it to give it that wet look we were looking for. So they did that and it did look better. Now, 3 weeks later, it looks dull again…but they say they can reapply and that it usually takes a few coats; but will then provided lasting results for the “wet look”.
What do you think?
thank you,
Rob
August 28th, 2006 at 6:14 am
I have an all glass Sunroom. My problem is: a few of the ceiling seams leak when it rains. Is there a sealent I can apply myself to the seams to stop this?
Thanks,
Geri
August 28th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Hi Tom,
We are in process of getting bids to install about 63sq ft of Nova Venezia granite in our kitchen. We are also doing ceramic tile backsplashes. One fabicator suggests not templating over our exisiting formica countertops. Although this means we will be with out countertops for 3 weeks, he says the chance for error be be lessened. However, the other supplier we are considering says we can template over without a problem. What is your advice? Many thanks!
Pam
August 28th, 2006 at 9:51 am
Hi,
We had granite countertops installed in our new home. They said the color is indian copper.
Our problem is that the entire surface has rough dull spots in it. When outside light is shining in it looks like water spots all over the surface but they are not water spots it is those rough spots that are dull that reflect the light that way. There are also a couple of spots that are so rough if you run your fingernails across it you can feel the rough spots. Is this acceptable or did we get really poor quality granite. Do you have any suggestions?
August 29th, 2006 at 7:24 pm
I want to install new granite countertops for my kitchen. I have a top mount granite silica double sink.
Because the length of my countertop is 12 ft, I need to introduce a seam on the countertop. Could I have the two pieces join beneath the double sink? This way, the exposed seam would only be a few inches instead of the full 26″.
Do you recommend the pieces be joined underneath the sink? Will the epoxy be strong enough to hold the two pieces together? What installation precautions should I apply?
Thank you for this informative site.
September 1st, 2006 at 7:06 am
Tom,
We have about 110 sf. of laminate countertop that we are considering replacing with 1 1/4″ granite. Most of the counter configurations seem pretty straight forward, but we are having trouble getting clear answers about how to support the overhang/bar area at one end.
The area is an island that has back to back cabinets with a full height support fall between them, that are also offset from each other. The overhang area is 14 inches for a full cabinet depth of 24 inches, and then it steps back to a full 29 inches accross the wall thickness of 6 inches plus another cabinet depth of 24 inches . This overhang area accomodates 3 bar stools (2 on the 54 inch side and 1 in the 29 inch side).
We also are having difficulty finding anyone who can give us proven options on how to deal with the overhang support issue without losing our 3-seat capacity.
Also, can we purchase an additional piece of matching granite to use as a table in the kitchen too? This would only be about 36″ by 48″. How would we apply the legs and what type of legs would be best? Where can we get this type of hardware?
Help!
Thanks,
Brian & Sharon – Western PA.
September 1st, 2006 at 2:22 pm
We moved to a new built house with granite countertops in the kitchen. . The granite is a lightish slab “beige light brown” with gray and orange running through it and is sealed. If water spills on it, it leaves a dark spot but eventually evaporating. However, we noticed lately the area around the faucet is discolored even after it dried out for more than 24 hours. We believe the discoloration is caused by water splashing onto the granite countertop surfaces while the faucet is turning on. It seems to me the water is already penetrate the stone. Is there any solution to withdraw that “wet look” from the stone before we seal it.
Thanks for your help in advance.
September 1st, 2006 at 3:26 pm
Hi tom: I just had a new asphalt driveway intalled with a granite belgian block apron at the front. Apparently the wheel barrows leaked the dark brown oil or tar ( whatever liquid is used in asphalt) onto the new granite stones. How do i remove these stains from the rough granite surfaces of the blocks? (The driveway contractor knocked $ 150 off the $ 10,000 cost of the project as compensation — but I have do the cleaning. jack
September 1st, 2006 at 4:00 pm
Hi Tom
We are having a granite counter installed next week. My question is should we have them put the seam(1) at the sink (undermount) or should we have them put (2) seams one each close to but not on the corners?
September 4th, 2006 at 9:28 am
Tom,
OK…I really need your help now. My builder has agreed to replace all of the granite in my kitchen. I have to go pick the granite slabs this time. Please tell me some granites that you would recommed. I would like a beige to brown with a little bit of black in it as my sink is black. I know that different places call granite different names but if you can tell me some names of stones that do not have a lot of pitting in them in this color range I would really appreciate it. Also is granite graded by the availability of the color or by the quality of the stone? Is it just different more rare colors that cost more or is the stone just a better quality?
September 4th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
Dear Tom,
We have been told by our general contractor that our granite countertop edge will have to be 2 1/4 inch thick. Because we are installing a gas cooktop directly over a built in electric oven and the two appliances need some clearance our contractor installed double plywood. We are not happy with the bulk of the edge however, since we have no choice can you recommend an edge treatment that would look less bulky.
Thank you,
Joyce Polter
September 4th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Dear Tom,
I just had colonial cream granite installed. The next morning we woke to find 50 – 60 large brown spots. It has been 5 days now and the spots have not gone away. The installers would like to send a granite restoration company out. The stains are from the adhesive used during installation. They said the restoration company has some type of chemical they can put on the spots and then use a torch on them to remove the spots. Will this damage the granite or hurt the integrity of the granite in any way. I paid for new granite not restored granite, I’m not sure what I should do?
September 5th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Hi, Tom. I will be tiling a tub surround with granite tiles. Can you please tell me what, if any, differences there are between ceramic tile installation and granite tile installation? Is moisture-resistant sheetrock sufficient, or do I have to use Hardyboard? Will thinset hold granite? Any special instructions because it is a high-moisture area? Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Vera Starr
September 6th, 2006 at 9:25 am
We did not seal our granite countertops in the bathrooms when we had them installed. Now two years later there is a white water mark from the calicum from the water near the faucet handle.
Our granite is a dark color (don’t remember the name). What do I clean it with to get the white haze off? I will definately seal it, once it can be cleaned.
Thank you, Janet LaCorte
September 7th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
I have just remodeled my kitchen and some parts of my granite countertop feel grainy. Should it feel grainy?
September 8th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Hey Tom -
We are having travertine installed for the first time, and are not 100% sure that
the job is a good one. What are industry accepted tolerances for travertine
installation? In other words, nothing can be perfect, but how much variance in the hight of one tile to the next is considered acceptable? These are 18″ tiles, honed and filled.
Thanks in advance
September 9th, 2006 at 9:58 am
Hi Tom! We just moved into a house with a fireplace in the family room. It has travertine surrounding the fireplace on all sides and a wooden mantle (60″ long) over the top travertine. We would like to add wooden legs (40″) to match the wooden mantle but we’re not sure how to install it. The travertine length also covers 60″ X 40″.
Do we drill holes on the travertine to install the legs or do we have to buy a longer mantle (possibly 72″) and install the legs outside of the travertine area? Thanks for your help.
September 9th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
Tom,
Should there be a seam in a countertop with undermount kitchen sink for a 128 inch long and 25 inch deep and 3cm thick countertop working from a full slab? For a master bath vanity sinks how far should the bowls be apart on 78 inch countertop? Should there be any gap between the bartop and the backsplash on a island counter? How do you end the back splash where it meets the ogee counter edge with the bartop 5 inchs above? Are there any tricks to look for? Thank You Bill Van Horn
September 9th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
How do I remove a grout nightmare from my very pourous Indian, multi-coloured, un-sealed, slate tile? The genius who installed it, left the gour over-night and now my floor is wrecked!!!!! Help… Please!
September 10th, 2006 at 10:44 am
Hi Tom,
I have a 15 year old home and the kitchen counter tops are a multicolored red-black granite.
I’ve noticed surface of the most-used counter top has a cloudy appearance to it. I am thinking this is due to vinegar, as this has been used repeated to clean the surface recently.
I’ve recently learned not to use vinegar as a cleaning agent for granite, so I will stop immediately.
Do you have any suggestions on how to remove the cloudy spots from my counter?
Thank you for your kind consideration.
Sincerely,
Suzanne
September 10th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
I noticed that you mentioned that “all granite should be sealed”. I have heard from experts in the granite industry that say that black “granite’ is the exception to this. Since black granite is not a “true granite” and is one the densest, darkest, and least pourest — you should not seal it. They say all other granite should be sealed. Do you agree?
I am having major issues with the constant daily maintenance of my Absolute Black Granite counters. I am just tired of cleaning them several times a day to rid the finger prints, marks, etc. I am thinking about just spending the money to have them replaced with another granite or other surface. I have Merrilat White Cabinets, and I am afraid there will be damage to my white cabinets if I replace these. Can I have them replaced by a professional without damage to the surface of the base cabinets? Someone once told me that “you are stuck with your granite countertops” once you install them. I hope not – because I’m tired of the Absolute Black.
What do you suggest using on daily cleaning of my Absolute Black counters?
September 11th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
Hi – We are considering installing honed Verde Maritaca granite for a kitchen countertop and have received conflicting advice re the possibility of staining. What is your adivce? Thanks, Katie
September 12th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Hello,
I recently started to look at tile for floors and countertops for renovations at my home. While at the store the salesperson pointed out a remanent of ‘fired granite’ that I love.
I have tried to find information on ‘fired’ granite and have been unsuccessful. Any info you have would be great.
Thanks,
Cheryl
September 12th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
Today I had someone come in to clean and seal my vermont soapstone counters in the house I recently bought. Afterwards I found that they used a floor sealant called ZEP to seal and despite the various marks did not sand down at all before sealing. The questions that I have are:
Couldn’t they have sanded down the entire counter-tops (as opposed to particular areas which may leave indentations) and wouldn’t this likely get more of the marks out than the scrubbing that he did; and
I am quite concerned that the sealant he used is for floors and therefore is potentially toxic for areas where I do food preparation. I can already tell that the waxy finish will peel off when a knife touches it and am worried that those flakes will enter the food and may be toxic to us or our kids.
Am I being overly paranoid?
Thanks
Mike
September 12th, 2006 at 11:59 pm
What kind (chemically) of sealant or filler material should be used in granite joints on outdoor facades of buildings?
September 14th, 2006 at 7:27 am
I have Honed Black Pearl granite and for the most part I am delighted with it. It was sealed when it was installed a year ago. I have strong lights in my kitchen and at night, when I look into the kitchen from my family room, you can see the reflection of the light in the granite surface and that surface is gray and hazy. (There is alot of “pearl” in this granite and that might be the source of the grayness.) Anyway, is there any way to treat the granite to eliminate the hazy grayness (short of cooking in the dark at night!)
September 16th, 2006 at 9:40 am
I had violetta granite countertops installed about three years ago. We sort of put the cart before the horse because we didn’t replace the kitchen cabinets at the time. Now, we are replacing the cabinets a) because they are older and can’t be refinished easily and b) because the new appliances we would like won’t fit.
My question: How difficult is it to remove existing granite countertops and reinstall them on the new cabinetry? The overall footprint will remain the same with a few minor adjustments.
I am having the original installer over to look at the job but I would like to be prepared for what he might tell me.
Thank you very much for your time.
Deb
September 16th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Tom,
We are in the process of replacing our solid surface counter tops with granite. On the breakfast bar the granite will have a 12″ overhang. The granite fabricator recommended that we install corbels for support. What is the best way to install the corbels to ensure that they will support the granite overhang? Is there more than one way to install the corbels?
Thank you,
Carl Wallace
September 17th, 2006 at 5:20 am
Hi!
We had Madurai Gold granite countertops installed in our kitchen about 10 months ago. We noticed recently that the joint/crack between two pieces of the stone (where two pieces were used to cover a long counter area) was not properly sealed….a small space or crack had developed. Before we were able to correct, I spilled some cooking grease in that area about 1 week ago. At first I did not notice a problem. The grease wiped up quickly and did not leave a stain. However, since then a dark spot is radiating from one side of the crack. I assume that the grease seeped into the crack and is being absorbed through the granite from the side. Any suggestions on fixing the problem or removing the stain?
Thanks!
Amy
September 17th, 2006 at 8:43 pm
I just came back from a home show and was impressed by Granite Transformations ( countertop that fits on top of existing counters). Do you have any experience with this product? I can’t find out much because it seems to be a relatively new product. Thanks for your response.
September 17th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Two years ago I installed Granite Tiles, “Amarillo Gold”, on my kitchen
counters. They surface has held up well, but after 2 years should I
reseal them? In preparation for resealing them I cleaned them with
“concentrated all purpose “Awesome” cleaner which contains no ammonia,
acid, or bleach. Will Awesome hurt the granite surface? What non-toxic
product should I use to reseal with. The granite is has a shiny finish.
September 18th, 2006 at 10:39 am
We recently purchased a home with a shower stall that has 12 x12 granite tile – Emser Bianco Catalina from Lowes. At the bottom of the tile it looks as if it is absorbing the water. There was a baseboard around the bottom of the tile, I have removed it and we have not used the shower for 3 weeks. Some of the tiles have and some have not. The tile had been sealed 2 years ago. What do I need to do to get the tile to dry out before sealing. Thank you
September 18th, 2006 at 11:11 am
Dear Tom,
I love the look of carrera marble and soapstone. You know, that old fashioned farmhouse look. I am planning creamy white mission style cabinets with walnut stained hardwood floors and slate tile in the entry. The faucets and cabinet hardware will be bronze. Can you suggest a granite with better durability than marble or soapstone with a similar look? Would the stone be honed or polished? Thanks for you help.
Diane
September 18th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
Hi Tom,
We are having our laminate kitchen counters replaced with granite. The problem we have is that there is a strong pink tint to the ceramic tile floor. It has been suggested that Giallo Veneziano would be a good choice. After going on the internet to read about it, every site says that it is yellow or gold and this would not work with the pink. However, after looking at many pictures of slabs of this granite, a lot of them appear to have pink in them. I would appreciate your comments on this and also any other suggestions you might have with regard to other granites that would blend with the pink.
Thanks for your help,
Sonja
September 18th, 2006 at 7:40 pm
I just had Absolut Black Granite tiles installed for my countertop. I noticed a small circular stain and a drop – I think maybe oil got onto the tile. I tried using the Method brand cleaner + polisher wipes from Target and nothing changed. Please help!
September 19th, 2006 at 11:42 am
Are there particular products you recommend for sealing granite countertops? I am looking at a product from DryTech that claims to last 15 years, have you heard anything about sealers like this and what recommendations do you have in selecting a sealer?
Thank you.
September 20th, 2006 at 7:29 am
I have a rough surface black granite fountain in the back yard. Its been running for about 2 months and now it has white (calcium?) all over the face. How should I clean the granite? I have since purchased water additives (fountec and protec) and plan to use them going forward, but want to get the rock back to its original condition.
Thank you.
Tom’s Reply: See the answer to your question under “Granite Stain Problems“.
September 21st, 2006 at 7:26 am
I have a new kitchen countertop installation of absolut black granite. The layout has 2 seams (one on eithe side of the sink, about 12″ away from the edge). The installation was completed, the seams were perfect and I discovered the undermount sink opening was out of square. The installer decided to remove the sink section of the tops, repair off site and reinstall.
I notice a 1/4″ chip in the left hand seam–obviously occured during the repair or reinstall. It’s been filled but is located where it is very visible. Is there a way to backfill the seam with granite material to diminish the jagged appearance or am I stuck with this? Is there an industry standard for acceptable installation flaws?
September 21st, 2006 at 9:18 am
I’m looking for kitchen counter tops. I’m between Granite and Dupont Zodiac. Can you tell me if Zodiac is a good products and if there are any problems associated with it. Also, is it popular nowadays?
Thanks so much.
Irene
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:52 am
I am having granite installed they cut a hole in the house for the faucet.How do I prevent dust? I am worried about when they cut for the faucet dust wil fly everywhere?
Thank you
October 5th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
I have read many of your questions/answers about granite being water stained because we just had granite put into our condo in Hawaii. I brought home a sample of this granite before choosing it and put EVERYTHING we use on it–lemon juice, soy sauce, wine, vinegar and oil. Nothing touched it. The slab that was installed in our kitchen discolors with water. The contractor says that the sample must have been “factory resin sealed” but he reordered the granit used in our kitchen. As this is also a rental unit, along with the humidity in Hawaii, I am absolutely sick with worry. The contractor claimes the granite was sealed before installation, but he sealed it again afterwards. It was still water spotting so my husband and I sealed it again. Its still water spotting. Perhaps we did not let the sealer sink in all the way or something? Anyway, in your replies to others you mentioned 511 plus and SafeStone–do you think either of these will do any good or are we stuck with granite that will never seal? HELP!!
October 6th, 2006 at 5:58 am
Hi Tom,
I am a homeowner who would love to have granite countertops, but cannot afford the expense. I am going to tile my laundry room and master bathroom to gain experience in laying tile. Then, I would like to install granite tile on my kitchen countertop and perhaps backsplash. Is granite tile much more difficult to install than ceramic tile? Also, how would I achieve a polished edge on the countertop?
Thank you for any assistance.
Chris
October 8th, 2006 at 7:27 pm
Hi,
I am going to install travertine floor in my kitchen. I have installed ceramic tile before but not any natural flooring. Could you give me any helpful advice on the sealant process, etc?
Thanks!
Doug
October 9th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
We have purchased marble for our shower – it has unfinished edges – can you stain them or what is the best way to finish them?
October 11th, 2006 at 8:34 am
Hi Tom,
I have an island that shaped like a grand piano top. I have cabinet runs of 102″ and 72″ on the straight sides that form the L-shape. On the Curve side is where I want to have some seating. What would be the acceptable overhang without any corbels or bracket support for the eating/seating area?
The granite I am using would be 2mm Pearl Brown or Volga Blue Extra. There will be a plywood subtop. If the granite sits on the plywood, would I be able to have an overhang area of 14″-16″ deep, with a span of about 80″ without any corbels? Would the plywood be strong enough to support this span? I am not interested in the corbels/brackets underneath because of “knee room” and preference for a cleaner look.
Thank you.
October 14th, 2006 at 6:38 pm
My wife and I are designing a pool which will have a planting area as a wall of the pool. The planting area will be covered with marble but we are not sure how the chemicals of the pool can affect the marble. If not marble what other durable choices we should consider?
October 24th, 2006 at 11:41 am
Can travertine tile be butted up tight with each other and grout applied thus not having any or very little grout showing? Thank you.
October 25th, 2006 at 7:57 am
Thanks for responding to question about travertine tile being butted up. ** Can travertine tiles be laid in a staggering pattern or is it best to lay in the traditional pattern so the grout can have more bonding authority?
October 25th, 2006 at 10:41 am
Dear Tom,
We have some of our customers complaining about a gritty feel to their granite, they have continuously wiped the countertops but the grit is still there, what causes this and what can we or our customers do to prevent this from occurring?
Thank You! Diane
October 25th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
WE are purchasing a new home. We did our walk through today and I was unhappy with the granite countertops. There are two very large imperfections which look faded out. Our builder has assured us that this is mother nature and is actually a more enduring quality of the stone. My husband is not sure what to think. Is it normal procedure for the installers to intall the granite with not just one but two imperfections like these. One is 8-10″ long and apprx. 4-6″ wide and the other is smaller. I am very upset since it is so noticable. Can you give me some advice as I plan to address this with builder but need some back up.
Thank you for your feedback,
Laurie Spartano
October 25th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
I just had costa esmeralda honed granite installed in my kitchen. I have noticed that there is small rust like spots appearing throughout the granite. What could be the cause and what could correct it?
October 26th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
I just had 3cm New vanitian gold granite put in my kitchen, the installers used acitone to remove glue and then sealed it. I am still trying to remove glue and see greasy looking smuges on it in certain lights! Help what do I do to clean and protect it!
November 1st, 2006 at 5:46 pm
Our condo kitchen has no windows and with cathedral ceilings the room is dark. It opens on to a great room where there is lots of east sunlight and from there to a sunroom open to the east, south, and west and the sunroom is filled with light. However, the kitchen is somewhat cavelike. We probably need a light colored granite because of the lighting situation. Given the problems associated with light colored granite (porosity and staining) can you advise me about your recommendations of particular light granites that are more resistant than others to these problems. Also, you write on your site that you recomend tile for backsplashes. We are interested, because the kitchen is small, to keep the product the same on the counter and backsplash. Should we use 3 cm in the countertop and 2 cm on the backsplash. I want to carry the backsplash from the counter to the base of the upper cabinets. The cabinets are merilat oak (cinnamon stain). The floor is light color and is white/beige. The wall color can be changed, but at this point is a medium rose/berry color. Paint color can always be changed of course. Thanks for your advice. We have found your site very informative.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Tom,
I have honed black granite countertops and they are terrible about spotting. If a drop of water sits on them for 5-10 seconds, I have a spot. It’s impossible to cook with these restrictions. I have read your thoughts on honed granite and fully agree with them–it’s not the best for customer satisfaction. [My architect specified and has been no help in solving the many problems that have arisen.]
My question is–is it possible to change the finish from honed to polished in situ?
November 7th, 2006 at 10:09 am
I recently had New Venetian Gold installed. The very first thing I noticed was what appeared to be “dust” on the countertop. Upon cleaning with soap and water repeatedly it is still there. It is very noticeable when standing at an angle in the daytime. I called the company that installed and they came out. They said it was from a “new” kind of glue they used to seal the seams and done “something” that supposedly fixed it. Although it did seem to help some, the “dust” look is still there. My idea of granite is a high gloss stone look, and this is not it. It looks dirty. It either looks like water spots or “dust”. What can I do to make it look right?? Or am I being too picky??
November 11th, 2006 at 11:17 pm
Tom,
I recently had a stone “granite” installed known as shanxi Black, which is actually a type of basalt. This stone is very dense and doesn’t seem to accept any type of sealer I put on it.
The other day I had set a plastic cup with water in it on the countertop near the sink. I left the cup overnight, and in the morning, I noticed that the condensation ring had left a white ring in the stone and it looks like it actually etched the surface of the stone.
I have tried acetone, sealer, color enhancer, etc to remove the white ring. I had the installer come back out and try to remove the ring and he was unable to.
Do you have any ideas how water can damage the color and surface of such a ‘bullet proof’ material?
-Froggy
November 13th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Tom,
We have installed a light to medium granite counter top in our kitchen with Ogee edging. The Ogee edging is much lighter in contrast than the flat surface and outlines the countertop. Is this a sealing/finishing error or are Ogee edges always lighter than the flat surfaces. If it is a sealing error, Can it be corrected?
November 14th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
Tom,
We had kitchen counter tops installed today. After the installers left my wife was looking over the granite and noticed what i would call a fissure approximately 16 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. you can feel a ridge along the edge of the fissure, it also looks like it was filled with epoxy? Could this be a gouge in the slab that was repaired or just a natural problem. I left a message with the company to come out and take a look at it. Can i send you a picture of the area in question?
Tim
November 19th, 2006 at 10:09 am
Hi Tom,
I am getting ready to put travertine on my bathroom floor and shower wall. I have 16″ square tiles. I am thinking of cutting some of them to 16 x 8 and 8 x 8 inch pieces for a more interesting look. I would rather put them tight together. Do I need to have a grout line between them, or will this create a sealing proplem?
Thank’s,
Mike
November 20th, 2006 at 6:59 am
We had an absolute black countertop installed a little over a year ago.The high bar was improperly installed, and we came home one afternoon and found it lying in the floor in pieces.
The original installer refused to stand behind it so we tried our luck with another contractor.
We are however very dissappointed it looks more like a gun metal gray, it does not really look black at all. I am tring not to over pick it , but it just does not match. It is obvious even in low light.Is there a cure ? What is the probable cause, is there this much variation between the two runs of granite?
Thanks for your help
November 29th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Hi Tom,
I really like the New Giallo Veneziano granite for kitchen countertops. It comes in prefab. The only problem is I can’t find a prefab slab big enough to cover an island that is 4′X6′ . This is a problem with most prefab granite places I’ve gone to. I’ve heard that you don’t normally try to seam two 26″ wide pieces together. Can you offer any solutions or places that carry larger prefab slabs? I went to one warehouse that had only 3 types of granite slabs that measured 52″X96″ but not in the colors I liked. Thanks, Gina
December 6th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Tom,
We just had 3cm granite tops installed in our home. I see from the other questions that its acceptable to place these directly on countertops with no plywood underneath so that answers one question. The thing i’m worried about is my raised bar with 18″ overhang. The corbels i had purchased to support the weight were only 6 1/2 inches deep and my installers said they didn’t think it would be enough support. Is there a formula to determine how long your Corbels should be or could you recommend what you would use. I’ve found some affordable 3 x 9 x 12 ones online and might try those if you give me the ok. Another thing that concerns me is that the only thing used to hold the granite to the raised kneewall was a silicone type epoxy. Is this normal? I would think it would need some kind of support bracket or screws on the inside of the raised bar as well as the outside support of the Corbels. Let me know please so i know which direction to go.
Thank you.
December 13th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
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!
December 21st, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Hi Tom
We are having our bathroom tiled with Carrera marble. We have requested our builder to fit the marble as tight as possible so that it has a ’seamless’ finish rather than with visible grout lines between tiles. The marble supplier told us that this is possible and recommends cutting playing cards to act as spacers between tiles. However, our builder does not believe that you can fit marble without a wider grout line. Please could advise on how to achieve the ’seamless’ finish and what grout should be used? Thanks and regards, Mariam.
December 22nd, 2006 at 11:50 am
Hi, we are having trouble deciding a color for the granite in our new kitchen that’s in the middle of the house, no windows but 3 overhead skylights, cabernet stained cabinets with a dark walnut+cabernet stained island, honey wood floors, and stainless appliances.
We’ve been to many different slab yards, and have Green Peacock on hold, but now I’m thinking it’s too “black”, and I’ve heard people complain about always having to wipe down fingerprints and you can see smears…? does this color look green or black or turquoise indoors? (we’ve only seen it outside, and nobody seems to have a sample of it!)
I’ve also taken a liking to Dakota Blue, Tan Brown, Kashmir White… and yesterday (after deciding that we need to go lighter-whiter, with a more non-busy pattern) I found a Colonial Cream I liked. And then somewhere else they had a Colonial “Dream”! Is that a typo? Does everyone just make up their own names for these stones? (and then there was also NEW Colonial Cream…) Please help! My head is spinning…
What would look best? Thanks for any advice you can give,
Marnie
December 22nd, 2006 at 3:08 pm
what causes rust stains on a SUPPOSEDLY sealed granite shower base and sides or did the installer not impregnate seal it properly im guessing the later and you ? thanks rick
December 28th, 2006 at 10:52 am
Hi Tom.. thanks for your web page, don’t know how I found you but I did. I have a 3 kitchen project in a single famil home where I plan to do the most of the contractor work with no past experience, and at a shoe string budget. I’d like to design countertops for kitchens and bath sink tops and send the blue-print to China for fabrication. What would you recomend if anything comes close to do it yourselfers at a minium expense as far as designing the countertiops? I look hard and long but not much out there. Thank you in advance. Chuck
December 29th, 2006 at 9:13 pm
what specific chaulk/adhesive/sealer is best to glue a stainless steel undermount sink to granite? after 2 years, the builder installed sink is leaking due to the beakdown of whatever sealer they used. and totaly mildewy. i plan to drop sink, clean up and re seal. it looks like there are several screws with brackets tapped into the underside of the granite counter to futher support the sink. thanks, dave
December 31st, 2006 at 7:12 am
We chose Madura gold granite counter tops for our new house. The color counters that were installed are a medium brown color instead of the pale gold that we chose. I am so upset! I am not sure if they installed a completely different type or if this could be madura gold too.
Is it possible that there is so much variation in color?
Do I have any recourse with the company if this color is also called maura gold?
January 2nd, 2007 at 10:34 am
Tom, Is there such a possibility of a 6×6 6×12 12×12 18×18 floor pattern?
January 3rd, 2007 at 8:59 am
I found the perfect granite at one place and they had it categorized by numbers, not names. My husband and I narrowed it down to Juperana Verandis (I think). Now that I am looking at that color, it looks completely different than the first one I saw. My cabinets are off white with a glaze, can you recommend a color that will enhance the cabinets. I am not sure if I should go light or dark?? The appliances are stainless so I need a little grey/silver in the granite and a little gold to bring out the cabinet.
Thanks, Holly
January 7th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Tom, I watch the remodeling and house flipping shows all the time. If we put a very nice new granite slab on our countertops won’t future home buyers expect the rest of the house to be upgraded to that standard as well? I was thinking of granite tile to go along with our outdated oak cabinets in order to not have to remodel the entire kitchen. But I see you are not a fan of the tile. We just don’t want to have to spend thousands of dollars on the rest of the house to keep in line with a new granite slab. Currently we have 4 inch White tile with gray grout that is impossible to keep clean, so I would love to be groutless. What is your take on this quandary? HELP
January 8th, 2007 at 11:13 am
I’m in the early stages of planning granite counters for a new kitchen in a weekend house. My goal is both beauty and low maintenance. Are there any types of granite that are lower maintenance than others? Are there particular granites that I should not consider or that would be particularly good?
Also, The Countertop Company told me that their K2 Sealing System “provides permanent stain protection by using a special silicone-based formula and application process designed to penetrate below the surface of the stone to protect your countertop from stains.” The said that the homeowner never has to seal their granite. See http://www.countertopcompany.com/k2sealant.htm.
What do you think?
Thanks!
January 8th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Tom:
I am replacing formica type countertops with Granite. I have a snack counter overhang issue. The granite will be positioned on top of a 4″ wide knee wall which is about 83″ long with the granite overhanging by 12″. The only support is basically on top of the 4″ wide knee wall. Could I have fabricated a 1/4 inch steel plate which would hang over the edge by about 8″ and attach it to the top of the knee wall. I could have the screw holes countersunk to be flush with the steel plate. My plan is to allow for 4″ free space (No steel plate) around the outside of the granite overhang. Would this work and is there an adhesive which sticks both to steel and to granite? My fabricator is leaving the support issue up to me, although I will also be conversing with him about this same issue tomorrow. I can’t find any metal corbels on the internet made for granite and the wood ones just seem a bit pricey and I am not sure they would hold the 150 pounds or so which would be overhanging on the counter. One thing I failed to mention is the fabricator will be carrying a portion (about 1/3rd] of the slab length away from the countertop oposite the overhang to form a small area above our sink which would essentially form a bit of a counter weight for maybe 3 feet of the overhang.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Greg Weisheipl
De Pere, WI
January 11th, 2007 at 7:03 am
We recently installed honed green
deoli in our bath and floors. 511 impergnator was then applied to seal the stone. The colors have changed dramatically. The honed finish is now dulled and the silvery shine is gone and many brown hues have appeared. Some of the “ostrich” markings that dotted the tiles are even gone. Can you tell us whats happened and is there anything we can do other than removal. Thanks Joe Buchel
January 11th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
My husband is building our new kitchen and has done all the work himself. We had been planning on him installing the Granite himself as well. The first fabricator/contractor told us it would not be a problem and the 2nd told us no way. We have picked Bordeaux Bronze from the warehouse distributor and have it on hold, right now. We were told that this color might be harder to install because of a chance of it cracking on us in transport or install. We can save over $700 if we do it ourself. What is your advise? Is there a similar color that we would have better luck doing ourself? It is a small kitchen. Maybe we should go without granite, if it can not be done ourself.
Thanks,
January 11th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Hi Tom,
We are using polished white marble (I suppose it’s like carrera– white with light grey vening) on our bathroom walls but facing some problems. Once we started mounting the tiles on the walls we have watched them change color. They were sparkley white to begin with but after they are up they start turning darker– more greyish all over. All of the grey and yellowish/brown hues that were faint to begin with are really coming through on each tile. I could send you pictures if that’s helpful. I’ve waited 36+ hours and they are not changing back to their original color. I thought the water from the wet saw and adhesive moisture was doing it but they seem permanently changed. I tried getting one wet and it dried back to normal color so all I can think of is the concrete backer board (which is dark grey) and/or the thinset. Our contractor is using premixed thinset from Home Depot. It comes in plastic buckets. The color is called “white” and looks white to me, not grey. So I’m confused and unsure if we should tear everything down and start over, or if even the ‘bright white’ thinset sold by some of the tile stores will do the same thing.
We have not sealed the tiles yet because I’m wondering if there’s anything that can be done to restore their original sparkley white color before we seal. Any recommendations on what to do (if anything can be done) and the best sealer to use before we grout then seal again would be appreciated!!
Jill (Denver, CO)
January 14th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
We recently had Tropical Brown granite tops installed in our kitchen. We have a horseshoe shaped countertop area that required two seams. When the contractor was finished I noticed the third piece (which goes to the bar area) of granite was about an 1/8 of an inch thicker. The seams match fine on top but they used shims between the cabinets and counter tops. You can notice the thickness difference at the edge. The contractor stated that this was because the “difference in the rock”. Is this a common occurance?
January 15th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
I am currently having approx 750 sqft of my home tiled with walnut, honed, chipped and unfilled travertine. It is being installed in a versailles pattern. After the first day, I have noticed several hollow spots by tapping on each of the tiles. I would say that about half of what has been installed is like this. they are using They are using Mapei Keraflor and I believe they were using something different in the kitchen. Also, the tiles are being butted together in several places. The manufacturer reccomends a 1/4 inch grout line. They have also installed the tiles over the existing vinyl sheeting in the kitchen. I was most concerned about the hollow sound as I’ve heard that natural stone must have 100% adhesion or it will fail. This was my origal concern until reading several posts on the web including this one. The tile installation company is reputable from what i have gathered and has been around for a while. Do I need to stop everything? What should they be doing differently and will the tile already installed need to come up. I am starting to think that I have made a COSTLY mistake. What do you think?
January 17th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Hi Tom,
We are buying a home that has natural oak cabinets and red oak flooring stained butterscotch. (slightly darker than cabinets) The kitchen is in center of home and opens into the family room via a counter bar area. I like the granite with movement and veins. After looking at all the color samples I think the listed ones are my favorites. But it is so hard to tell from a small picture. Do you have any suggestions.
Favorites: Japarana Classico, Oro Romano, Golden Ray, Solaris, Bordeaux)
Thanks Ann
January 17th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
We are moving into a new home that has off white cabinetry in the kitchen. The floors are a dark wood. There are 3 windows over the sink but they really don’t bring in a lot of light. We will have stainless appliances with black hardware. What color granite would you suggest and what color should I paint? You’re help would be greatly appreciated.
January 22nd, 2007 at 11:26 am
Hi,
I am thinking about using 3cm thick granite as a counter top.
About 58 sq. feet. I am concerned about the weight. This will be placed near the center of the house, not a lot of support from the basement. Will this cause the floor joists to sag over time?
thanks,
John
January 22nd, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Can you recommend a home remedy to make for cleaning an off white marble fireplace platform that has rust from water that came in through the chimney?
January 24th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Hi Tom,
I read several of your replies to others. They were helpful but I am still stumped about my particular situation.
I have an older home with wood paneling in the kitchen. I am in the process of painting the paneling a light green and the cabinets white. My appliances are black and my floor is natural Indian Slate. I love the natural stone color variation and that is why I chose the slate but given the chance again I would save it for an outdoor floor. It is VERY hard to maintain, especially with doggy accidents and although by itself it is very beautiful, it is also very dark.
I am totally undecided on what color granite I should use for my counters. I thought maybe I might do an Absolute or Galaxy Black but I worry about it being too dark and then I wonder if a Kashmir White would be too light. I love other colors but the worry there is that it might be too busy if I didn’t do anythign but those neutrals with that slate floor. Any advice on what color to go with?
January 26th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
I want and need light colored, nice clean looking but as care-free counter tops as possible in my kitchen. What would you suggest?
From what I have read it seems that you and others think people put counter tops in their kitchen and then do nothing but polish them.
I put hot pots directly on my counter tops. I have people who help me clean and they may use whatever they have in their hands. My husband and grandchildren help cook and I would not even like to think about what they put on the counter tops. The sun shines here in San Diego most of the time right on my kitchen counters.
I have tile right now but do not feel the grout is clean and I would love something better looking.
January 29th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
I just had my bathroom redone. I have travertine and natural riverbed stone. I had gotten two different kinds of sealer for the workers to use. One was a stone enhancer to be used in only a few places. The other was a matte finish to be used everywhere else. They put the stone enhancer over everything. I need to know if there is anyway to remove it from the stone I don’t want it on.
January 30th, 2007 at 7:39 am
We selected Florence Bordeaux granite for our countertops, and an 18″ bar overhang off an island with a sink. The installer used four thin metal brackets to support the overhang. They were nailed only into a cut 4 inch piece of plywood and spotty yellowish hard glue and some sticky waxy looking substance was sporatically applied. The installer told my husband to do the molding underneath. The salesperson had said the brackets were only decoration. My husband took off the brackets to do the molding the the granite crashed down. The installer said that the brackets were the only support for the overhang. Is this possible? We compromised, taking responsibility for my husband’s error in taking off the brackets, BUT one week later (granite now only 3 weeks installed) we noticed a crack from the backsplash behind the sink…. across the top and then over the edge of the side. We have pics if you can receive them. The installer refuses to replace this granite slab. Questions: what is the difference between a crack and natural fissure? AND, what is the necessary install for the bar overhang? Do we have any recourse?
January 31st, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I like my current countertop- it’s solid surface… I think maybe Corian. Anyway I need to replace my faucet and sink. I currently have a top mount sink but really want an undermount. Can I do that without replacing my countertop, or do I need to install new? Thanks.
Chris
February 1st, 2007 at 11:29 pm
What a great resource! I closed escrow on a new home on 9/30/06. All upgrades were selected by builder, so I ended up with a pale yellow Ceasarstone on the kitchen island. Not my first choice, but I was pleased it was low maintenance. However, now, unless I’m going crazy, “freckles” are starting to show up all over the product. I don’t recall seeing these when I moved in and started noticing them several weeks ago. And now it appears there are more and more of them every day. It almost looks like grains of finely ground pepper scattered throughout piece, all over it. What do you think! My concern is if this is a defect, I want to get this taken care of with builder ASAP. I did read your available information and the piece does not get any direct sunlight. Thanks so much.
February 3rd, 2007 at 7:28 pm
I have Uba Tuba with my faucet, sprayer, and hot water dispenser all sitting directly on/through the granite. As you can imagine, the hard water spots are terrible around the faucets. I know that I am not supposed to use vinegar but what will remove the hard water? Our water is VERY hard. Thanks.
February 5th, 2007 at 6:31 am
Hi – I’m seriously considering using Rainforest Brown for kitchen countertops but am confused as to whether it is a marble or granite (I’ve seen it labled both ways) and want to know what its durability and maintenance would be for this type of use. I have used Rainforest Green as a fireplace surround and absolutely love the movement in this stone – if the Rainforest is not suitable for kitchen countertops, does anything come to mind that has similar movement and would be better suited? Thank you!
February 6th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Two years ago we had a solid granite countertop installed with a 9″ deep stainless steel undermount sink. I am having plumbing leaks under the sink and am being told that the stub-out from the wall is too high and the sink is too low, therefore causing drainage (water is actually flowing down instead of horizontal) and leaking connection problems. Also, one of the sinks is offset at the back so the connection at the stub-out is very close to the outside wall.
I was told that the stub-out can be moved by tearing out the wall behind the cabinets, but would prefer to remove and re-install a lesser depth sink if I can find one with the same sink pattern.
How difficult is the undermount sink to remove? I am thinking of having a lesser depth sink installed. Is removing the sink a task that me as a layman can do or do I need to have a granite person do this? Thanks for your help.
View the answer here.
February 6th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Greetings Tom. We purchased a bathroom vanity with a granite countertop. The granite goes by the name of Atlantis and is the traditional forest green and black color. Prior to purchasing the vanity we purchased a bathroom faucet which we would like to use. However we’ve just realized that the holes which were drilled in the granite will not fit the faucet mechanisms as the faucet does not have two handles but only has one handle for the hot/cold tap. Can we drill into the granite ourselves? What tools do we need? How readily does granite crack or split? Thank you.
February 7th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Dear Tom:
We are in the middle of choosing a granite countertop. Our kitchen is on the smaller side and so far we feel that we want to have it not appear any smaller. We do not have a large countertop space. The color that we are looking at is Kashmir White. I do not want seams and so far this is the only piece that is in the size I need (121 inches). What do you think about this color? I now have painted white cabinets and plan on repainting them in a coffee with cream color or in the taupe colors. The hardware will be changed to brushed nickel or silver. Will that be too boring? I plan on installing an undermount sink stainless and appliances will be white or stainless with black accents. I have a light taupe color on the walls now and need a color theme. I would like a kitchen with some pop and some warmth. I do not want cold and sterile. Also I have beige tile with white veining on the floor and that will not be replaced. I am afraid that all this beige will be too boring. I could punch up the walls and window treatments with some color but am unsure as to what direction to go in to compliment the rest of the stuff. Please help with any suggestions you may have.
February 8th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
We are replacing the kitchen cabinets, with granite counter top, the contractor wants to use 3/4″ particle wood board under the grainte slab. I wanted Plywood, because there is a section of the granite top will overhang by 10-11″. He is telling me particle wood is the standard for this application. What do you recommend.
Thanks
Riyad
February 9th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Hi, we are remodeling our kitchen and want to re-use our absolute black granite in our laundry room. We have successfully removed the granite from
the cabinets. We are going to be about 3 feet short of what we need. My questions are:
1. Will we be able to match new granite with old since the color is black?
2. Will several seams to put it all together look bad?
3. Will an installer come to our house and cut the old granite to fit or will he have to take it back to his workshop
4. Any idea of the cost for this project?
It is either re-use the old black granite (3 years old) or try to sell it and buy new countertop material. Your help would be so appreciated. Thanks!
February 10th, 2007 at 8:46 am
I love the look of honed natural stone such as granite. What do you know about honed stone and the up keep? Which would be best to use for a kitchen to achieve this look and be most durable
February 10th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
we have a black sink,adishwasher with a black front, a stove with a black top and a stainless front, a refrigorator with black sides and stainless front. our cabinets are oak. we wondered if you thought a verde lucia granite countertop would look ok .
February 19th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Dear Tom, I am searching the internet in desperation, as Hawaian/Tropical Green Granite was installed today with an Ogee edge in our new high end kitchen. We were told that the Ogee edge might be slightly lighter green in color for a time period-until it cured/oxydized/was exposed to the elements. It arrived with two Ogee edges (84″ and 86″) a pale gray, blue, red streaks-very drastic and obvious color difference from the warm and dark green/ cranberry streaks of the top. Other edge surfaces are varied and have only some of the pale gray blue discoloration. The squared off drop to the recessed sink is only the “lighter green” color as promised. We have been told that the Ogee problem is not a resin problem and that Ager and minwax were already tried in a small section, but did nothing. Therefore, we must wait and in time it will age and may already be in the process of change. Does this sound feasible to you? We have not paid any money and will most likely be holding back some money tomorrow. How long should we put in the guarantee period for this to change?
Thank you for any and all comments.
August 23rd, 2007 at 5:52 am
what is the function of granite marble for wall finishes?
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Hi Tom,
We are tearing out our old kitchen and creating a new one! Very exciting. We have chosen and LOVE Blue Louise granite for our large island. Now our question is – what granite goes well with Blue Louise – doesn’t compete, but compliments. I am hoping that our complimentary choice for the remaining countertops will be less expensive- I’m sure it will be no matter what it is. But more importantly I want it to blend, but not compete. We have chosen light cherry cabinets and we live in Florida so we want it to be a choice that is a lighter version of the blue, rust and cream in the Blue Louise. Haven’t chosen floor yet. Appliances will be stainless steel. Any suggestions?
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:57 am
Hi Tom,
We have installed brushed absolute black granite countertops in our kitchen. I love the look. However, although it was sealed twice (we are told) it stains terribly. As I speak, workers are applying poultices to remove these stains, as they have been for the last three weeks. I am pretty sure this stuff is defective, but have no idea why. Or do I just have to seal the heck out of it (or wax?) and live with it?
Thank you
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:30 am
Tom,
I hope you can help….we’re at a standstill with our remodel until we can decide on granite and would really appreciate your opinion.
The pantry wall separating our kitchen and den was removed to create a large kitchen/family room area. New perimeter cabinets (as well as den paneling and crown molding) were painted off-white (elephant tusk by SW); new medium/dark stained large (7′x10′) island with raised bar on front and counter seating on side. The 8′x10′ breakfast room is adjacent. Appliances are stainless, except for black stove top on perimeter counter; larger sink will be in island and prep sink near stovetop. We plan to tile the floors same throughout.
We are trying for a “warm” feel, textured walls, taupe/gold/brown mix. (Glazing the cabinets is an option for later – not 100% sure we like it yet.) Windows are east and south so medium light.
We seem to be all over the map as far as the granite types we like. We’ve looked at Antique Brown, as we would like something “newer” and like the honed look but have not seen it in a kitchen yet. We also like Black Forest Gold leather, a light black background with white veins throughout. Yesterday we saw Star Beach in a neighbor’s kitchen and thought it was beautiful, too. One more favorite is Persa Pearl. Our fabricator says we need three slabs (two for the island and one for the perimeter) for the counter space we have.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions or advice you can offer.
Barb
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the response.. I have attached photos through photobucket, so hopefully they go through- I have measurements in the photos as well.
Here is the link:
http://deleted
There are 2 photos of our “inspiration island” and the rest are of our island which has a 3mm granite 90″ x 52″ (with a 2″ overhang by the dishwasher/wine fridge). As the photos show there is an L shaped line of cabinets/ walls to support the dishwasher, sink, wine fridge and garbage cabinet. Our granite is already in and glued down
My concern, which may be an overreaction, is the support on the island at the opposite end. The photo shows 1 of the 2 posts that we have to support both ends of the granite (The posts are 3 1/2″ wide at the top-square). In the inspiration island there are 3 posts… We also have 1 1/16 x 3.5″ “boards of wood” which will extend from post to post and from post to cabinet on the perimeter of the island- similar to the inspiration kitchen.
Do you think we need more support under the island- My thinking was to put either metal or wood attached to the island perimeter and then put the posts under that so the support would be distributed better. Or maybe a larger piece of plywood over the posts (10″ or so) between the posts and the granite.
I am driving my husband crazy!! Am I overreacting? Are the posts directly attached to the granite corners and the wood “boards” enough? Sorry for the lack of proper terminology- I hope I have explained this well enough to get some advice. The photos should help a lot- Please let me know if you can’t see them. Thanks!
CaraLynn
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Me again, I left out some details- The name of the granite is Thunderball, my husband is installing everything himself except the granite in our new kitchen and my measurements of the cabinets that is in the photo are off by 1/2 ” or so.
Thanks again, CaraLynn
July 24th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Total kitchen redo – approximately 19 x20 L-shaped with large center island, receives average amount of light, looking for a casual, informal feel. Cabinets are rustic cherry (some knots) in medium to dark stain (Medallion Harvest Bronze), floor will be slate-look tile dark gray with little color variation, appliances are stainless steel. Love granite with a lot of movement and veining. Was looking at ones with some warm golds (juparana persia, golden beach), but sometimes look too “orangey”. Fabricator said they would be “safe” choices, and showed me new slabs of typhoon bordeaux because she thought they would make more of a statement. I orginally thought they had too much red, but they do look beautiful. What do you think of this choice? Also, wanted island to be “centerpiece” of kitchen, so didn’t know if I should use something more solid color on perimeter (sometimes think the granites with a lot of movement look too busy on smaller areas and limit the backspash choices). Also, what do you think of a rock pitch or chiseled edge on the island to achieve the look we want?
Sorry if I’m repeating my earlier question, but I’ve read a lot of your other replies and would appreciate your experienced opinion. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks,
Marie
July 29th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I had an oil stain in my kitchen granite countertop, color name Rainbow (it’s a mixture of light/dark grays, blues, creams). I created a poultice of acetone & 6 layers of white paper towels, covered with Saran wrap & taped down.
After 12 hrs, when I removed the rectangular poultice, I was horrified to find that I have a faded “white” area in the same exact rectangular shape. Seems the color was bleached right out. I’m sick.
I have pictures if needed. What to do?
July 31st, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Hi!
We are looking to install granite countertops in out kitchen. But currently we have honey-oak cabinets and terrocatta tile flooring with all stainless steel appliances. what color granite would be the best choice to for the countertops?
August 1st, 2009 at 6:33 am
I have a small A frame house at a lake. The main floor is the living room/ kitchen. There is lots of light coming into the room from the A frame windows. The beams in the ceiling are dark chocolate brown I’m remodeling the kitchen and have decided on Bruce laminate flooring in a medium tone, Omega cabinets in Oyster (a cream) and an island in Mocha (spice color). THe frames will be Morris (simple mission/shaker style with 3\ stile & rail) The island is going to be the centerpiece in the room, so I want to be bold in my granite choice and go with an alternate color on the other counters, if possible. The appliances will all be stainless. One granite I liked when looking at the colors together was Juparana Indian Gold, but then can’t decide what to do with the other counters – Darker such as Silver Pearl?? Or, do you suggest all one granite since it is a smaller room (but very open and light).
August 4th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Hi Tom,
I’m so happy I found this amazing website and can ask you a question. I think it is wonderful you donate the money you receive to World Vision. We are replacing our white tile kitchen countertops, sink and faucet. I have an L-shaped kitchen with an island. My cabinets are white, my floor is brazilian cherry (it has many different colors in it), and my appliances are white. We want to install granite countertops and were planning on choosing a stainless steel sink and faucet. Our kitchen and family room extend into one big room. Our colors are gold, beige, and brown with green accents for both the kitchen and family room. The green accents would be easy to change. I don’t like busy granite and so far have chosen golden oak for the countertops. Is golden oak a good color choice for our countertops and is it a good quality granite? Also, what do you think of the stainless steel sink and faucet? Some of our countertop appliances have stainless steel on them. What colors of granite would you put in this kitchen? Thank you very much for your help!
Lori
August 8th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Dear Tom,
First of all, thank you for all the valuable advice you give on your website and I love that you provide support to us novices while raising money for a worthwhile cause. What a creative and generous idea!
Now for your help. We’re doing a kitchen remodel of a contemporary split-level that needs some charm — preferably of the craftsman style. The working part of the kitchen is about 12.5′ by 16′ with 8 foot ceilings (there’s also a breakfast nook). The kitchen is open to the family room by a wide archway so it’s very visible from the family room. The kitchen is U-shaped with a 5′x5′ island in the middle.
I have ordered natural cherry cabinets (Shaker style) (a few cabinets will have frosted or translucent doors) and stainless steel appliances and I will keep my natural stained oak floors. There is a little natural oak baseboard and door trim. The sliding door and the corner windows have white trim. We’ll decide our paint color after we’ve chosen the granite (and tiles).
The kitchen doesn’t get much natural light so I’d like a granite that’s not dark (I will have LED or CFL recessed lighting, undercabinet lighting and pendents over the seating area of the island). I’d like something that has a warm, informal feel but am torn between something calming and something interesting, especially for the island. Low maintenance is also important to me since I have young children.
I’ve started looking at granite and like the tan/white/brown ones (New Venetian Gold, Golden Beach, Golden Leaf) without too much yellow but also the ones with some pinks, blues, etc. (Arco Baleno, Dakota Mahogony (too dark?), two you recommended to someone else — Crema Bordeaux and Amber Fantasy). We like the flowing veins but don’t want something too busy. Perhaps a quieter style for the perimeter countertops and something more interesting for the island or too busy for our size kitchen?
I’ve been amazed at how you know your granite and make specific recommendations with such conviction. I’d also appreciate a recommendation for the edge. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I’m wondering if certain granite is only available at certain places. I didn’t see a couple of the ones I was interested in at the places I’ve been to so far.
I’m so looking forward to hearing your suggestions!
Thank you,
Gina
August 12th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I have a guest bath with Santa Cecelia granite in it. We have coffee bean brown cabinets and dark floors. WE want to use Benjamin Moore paint but cannot decide on a color. There are no windows in this bathroom. WE have tried; Northhampton Putty, crown point sand, coriander seed and coastal path. WE need guidance on what would work. HELP! MJ
August 15th, 2009 at 5:15 am
We had Pretoria granite installed 2 weeks ago. As i was wiping off the counter I noticed there was writing on the counter next to the stove. It says “stove end”. The installer must have wrritten on the stone to verify which end went where. It almost blends in with the granite, but I can still make out what it says. How can this be taken off my granite without damage?
August 16th, 2009 at 9:59 am
We are building a new home and were originally considering expresso cabinets (floors are also expresso laminate), but have been told that this may date a home (get tired of it). We are now considering antique white cabinets, with an expresso stained island. We are wondering what colour of granite would go well with antique white cabinets, and expresso cabinets (island) along with an expresso laminate floor. Walls are taupe or natural tones. We want to stay away from incorporating another colour such as green, blue, red. We have stainless appliances. Not sure whether we need the granite to “pop” since antique while cabinets are pretty neutral.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Hi,
We are pricing granite countertops and I am completely overwhelmed. We have a palm tree/pineapple breezy theme going in an open floorplan. We have trompe l’oiel (sp?) vertical bamboo wallpaper in our eating area that extends into our kitchen, the wallpaper being white, a few shades of gold and brown, and a teeny bit of green. White cabinets, white appliances, medium honey hardwood floor. The den (which is completely visible from the kitchen in this very open floor plan ia painted a medium warm yellow. For the countertops, do I go with color, or something dark, or match what I have (something llike Santa Cecilia). What do you think?
Thanks,
Cecily
August 24th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Hi Tom,
I am hoping you can help us. We are replacing our countertops with granite and we’re having a hard time choosing the right color. We have a fairly large kitchen and will need three slabs. Our countertops are very similar to Merillat’s Classic Seneca Ridge Arch in Paprika. We have red and green as accents in the adjoining rooms with one window in the actual kitchen but big windows in the adjoining breakfast and sun room. We have a center island and stainless steel appliances with black trim. The floor is white ceramic tile wiht grey specks and a charcoal color grout.
The light granites we have looked at and like are giallo matisse, giallo ornamental, giallo venetian and giallo napoleon. The darks we like are verde rio gold and vede butterfly. I kind of like the flowing movement of giallo matisse but worry about it looking dirty. Is there another flowing granite you would recommend. We are open to anything and have a hard time visualizing. We will be purchasing thru http://www.designersurfacesinc.com in Frederick Maryland and can go with any of the granites they have listed on their website. They just got some beautiful crema bordeaux in that looks like a piece of art but I worry that it is too red for us. Also, do you have any ideas for backsplashes?
Thanks for your help!
Anne
August 25th, 2009 at 10:27 am
My question is about corbels, but let me draw you a word picture.
We just added granite countertops in place of laminate. We have a 39″ x 52″ island with a 13″ overhang, and a 71″ x 24″ bar with a 16″ overhang. The island is mounted on cabinets. The bar is mounded on a short wall behind the kitchen sink. The granite is Waterfall Green. It has fiberglass matte on the bottom side. The granite is 2 centimeters thick with 5/8″ plywood underneath and an ogee edge laminated on. My cabinets are white.
What size, and how many, corbels would you use, how would you attach them, and what supplier can you recommend? Regarding attachment, I am thinking that if I start 6 inches in from the edge, there may not be a convenient stud under the bar, and the cabinet the island is mounted on seems to have fairly thin particle board on the back, so it might be necessary to add a backer plate inside my cabinet.
I prefer the look of wood corbels.
Thanks for your help.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
We have iced maple cabinets (the white washed color with a pink cast to them) & stainless steel appliances. We want to warm up the kitchen & get new granite countertops but are not sure what color to choose. Any suggestions?
August 28th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Hi Tom,
We are presently having Typhoon Bordeaux granite installed for an 8 foot bathroom vanity, a 38 1/2″ by 87″ island, and an L-Shaped countertop which measures 123″ at the longest wall (where it meets an 11″ deep pantry,) and 54″ at the shorter wall (which a buds a refrigerator gable.)
When we first chose this granite, we expressed a concern to the sales person regarding the seam, which would be necessary. She assured us there would be no seam near the corner of the L. The fabricator would cut it further down, at the cook top. The template who measured for the job also dismissed our concern over the seam issue and also told us that it could be at the cook top.
As you are well aware Tom, Typhoon Bordeaux with having such noticeable veins, there is much movement in this stone, which we loved about it. Last Wednesday however, when the installers arrived, the two pieces were cut to be joined horizontally, at the corner.
The grain at the seam however, runs in two opposite directions and is jarring to the eye. One of the veins in the darker of the colours, swings up in a direction that is not found anywhere else in the kitchen. This makes it most distracting and spoils the entire effect of the granite, which on the island, is absolutely beautiful.
Also, the two pieces didn’t fit; the longer one being too long by over 1/8 of an inch. The installer was about to grind off the end of the long piece when I requested he phone in and allow us to express our concern over the mismatched piece.
For several tries, no one could be reached. Much later, when we finally spoke to the salesperson, we were told that no such discussion had ever taken place (regarding the seam). If it wasn’t written in the contract, then too bad. There wasn’t enough granite. We hadn’t bought enough. This person threatened to send a new invoice with a higher price.
Since then, we have attempted to reach the owner, who is continually out of town on other jobs. The co-owner, an elderly person, at first said he would look into this situation. He, on subsequent days however, has become totally unsympathetic, even insulting.
Initially, when we tagged the two slabs we were given no indication that these might be insufficient for this job, given our concern over the seam. When we asked why we weren’t informed or allowed some input, prior to this cut resulting in the mismatched piece, the fabricator admitted that perhaps someone should have phoned us.
We are feeling very uncomfortable discussing this issue with the work crew, who, with the exception of the mismatch, has actually done a very good job . We feel strongly that someone in management should take charge.
To sum up, the reasons that we have been given are that:
a) A join can never happen at a cook top,
b) There wasn’t enough granite and
c) No promises regarding the seam were ever made.
Tom, we are most anxious that you may help us out with the following questions and we would also appreciate your views on our experience?
1) Is it true that a join cannot be made at a cook top ? ( I read in your articles that it can be made at a sink. Is a cook top different? (29″x18 1/2″ cutout and the counter is 26″deep)
2) Should 2 slabs (approximately 70″x117″) have allowed for a better result?
We believe the vanity countertop and the island were cut from 1 slab which would leave an entire slab for the L-shaped countertop. )
3) How might we proceed? The installers were told by the salesperson to return both pieces to the shop. We are now without a countertop and cook top. The co-owner said he would call us and all the others involved, the salesperson, the template , the fabricator etc., in for a meeting (no time given) to slug it out, so to speak, and to find out who is lying. We feel that this is so unprofessional and degrading but we must find some alternative in order to complete this job.
4) How can we get an appointment with the actual owner? Supposedly, she will be returning Monday. The co-owner however, refused to make an appointment with her as we requested, and said that she would call us.
5) Do we have any rights as costumers, regarding this eye-sore in the main corner piece of our kitchen? We have already paid $3,000 dollars when the slabs were tagged on June 29th. This was supposed to be 50% of the total. Our final price, which we were given by the installer, despite countless prior attempts to obtain it from the business, turned out to be an astounding $8,251.00! An earlier mis-quote, which we were promised to have been adjusted before the signing of the contract, had never taken place.
(Another issue entirely )
In closing, Tom please pardon my long-windedness and thank you for your time in reading this recount. My husband and I are floored! We honestly don’t feel that we have done anything to deserve this situation. In fact, when we checked on the Friday before the week of the install, while trying to get our adjusted bill, we were told everything was fine . Our earlier request to be present when the templates were being placed on the actual slabs prior to cutting, had also been dismissed.
Tom, I know it doesn’t sound it, but this company is considered the best in our area and had a rating of 10 on a homeowners review website, (although there was only 1 review written ). The 6 other granite installers in our area had no ratings at all and no reviews. The owner of this company proudly deals internationally and in our first meeting was most personable, informative and seemed both knowledgeable and competent. Unhappily she has not been available to us for any subsequent appointments.
Again, I thank you for your time and any advice that you can give us.
Chris
August 29th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Hi Tom,
We are looking to do a small kitchen remodel. We will be keeping our current white raised wood panel cabinets but creating a new island in a contrasting color – possibly a dark wood espresso finish. The island will be large 4×8ft and will have a black finish induction cooktop. The refrigerator and dish washer have white wood panel doors however, the new double oven will be in matt stainless. We have existing light oak floors which we will be darkening to a mid brown. We are struggling with granite choices trying to find something that will work with the white cabinets as well as the new dark island. Choices we have looked at are Venetian Gold and Kashmir Gold. We like the gold/brown tones but not the orange/peachy ones. The backsplash will depend on the granite selection. Would a bronze finish work well for the pulls and plumbling fixtures? Should I go with a white sink or a stainless?
Our home is traditional. Our kitchen is large (and open to the family room) with lots of natural light.
Any advice you can offer would be much appreciated!
Derek
August 29th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
My kitchen is very open and visible to our den area. The colors in the den are golds, browns, greens and a little red. We have a large framed grouping of botanical pictures as the focal point, surrounded by cane weave and rattan furniture with pineapple cushions, and faux palms. Think casual/resortish/natural. In the kitchen, I have vertical bamboo wallpaper(white background, bamboo has browns and a little yellow, tied with green) which at present extends above the cabinets to the ceiling and below the cabinets to the 4 inch formica backsplash. I have white cabinets and honey colored hardwood floors. What are your suggestions for granite and a backsplash? I want the granite to be in keeping with the “naturalness” of the rest of the decor, but I’m thinking some color would be nice. Re backsplash, I am worried about having a stripe the length of my cabinets if I extend it beyond the cooktop. What are your thoughts? Thanks so much!
September 7th, 2009 at 4:30 am
Hi Tom,
Thank you for maintaining your informative website. We are in the process of selecting granite countertops for our traditional kitchen. We have an L-shaped area with a corner sink, an island with a cooktop and a separate coffee bar area. Price, or should I say value, is of utmost importance to my husband. I agree with this but also care about aesthetics. The cabinets are oak stained in a medium honey (somewhat orange). We recently installed new stainless steel Jenn-Air appliances. We have a new radiant heat island cooktop (mostly black with stainless knobs) that will be installed with the new counters. Our hardware is oil rubbed but it has a flat finish and is nearer to black. Currently our floor is laminate (looks like maple hardwood). this will change at some point and isn’t a factor in choice of countertop. Our leading contender right now is Jaguar Gold. We do not have the price yet but have seen the slabs. Our entry level option is Giallo Ornamental or Juparana Gold Light. If I can, I’ll attach pictures. Your insight is greatly appreciated regarding granite color choice. Susan
September 8th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
We are remodeling our 11ftx11ft kitchen with clear maple cabinets (shaker with small molding on inside) in our home built in 1919. Floors are original yellow birch (very close to maple) with clear stain. We’ve opened up two walls to create more breathing room. The room also has two windows so we will be going to 9ft ceilings with cabinets where possible. We will have bar height counter between the dining room and the kitchen (one of the opened walls) and another small counter at one of the windows that will be at 30in height to go under window.
We will have a small ‘U’ shaped section facing the dining room opening and a galley section on the opposite wall. one arm of the U will be beech butcherblock and the remaining ‘L’ will be in granite along with the galley section (broken in two by stove).
We would have liked to go with a granite that is not consistent, that has some flow (like asterix, cosmic black) but are being told these are very hard to work with. so have been looking at other, safer options like Black Galaxy with the small sparkles). We’ve also thought of using the Tropical green or Imperial red as the bar height counter bridging to the dining room but are struggling with the main counter that would tie it all together…
Any help appreciated.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Tom,
I have two questions.
1) What do you think of limestone or travertine floors for the kitchen instead of ceramic? We have dogs and a casual lifestyle.
2) What’s you opinion on the use of volcano or carmel fantastico granite on a 4×6 ft island and Indian black polished on the countertops? We want to go with cherry cabinets in a flat panel design in a medium shade, such as nutmeg or mandrian (Omega/Dynasty cabinet line); stainless appliances; light tile floors – alpaca travertine or camargo limestone or Pietra Latina ceramic; and glass tile backsplash, called beige stack. All stone choices can be seen at http://www.arizonatile.com or I can send pictures. The kitchen has a catheral ceiling with space for a dining table and is approx 17×17 with a bay window at the sink, a patio door, and three other windows, so there is good lighting. Catheral ceilings.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Tom,
I have two questions.
1) What do you think of limestone or travertine floors for the kitchen instead of ceramic? We have dogs and a casual lifestyle.
2) What’s you opinion on the use of volcano or carmel fantastico granite on a 4×6 ft island and Indian black polished on the countertops? We want to go with cherry cabinets in a flat panel design in a medium shade, such as nutmeg or mandrian (Omega/Dynasty cabinet line); stainless appliances; light tile floors – alpaca travertine or camargo limestone or Pietra Latina ceramic; and glass tile backsplash, called beige stack. All stone choices can be seen at http://www.arizonatile.com or I can send pictures. The kitchen has a catheral ceiling with space for a dining table and is approx 17×17 with a bay window at the sink, a patio door, and three other windows, so there is good lighting. Catheral ceilings.
September 9th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Hello Tom,
We need help with a small condo kitchen with Merillat Classic natural oak cabinets that the builder put in along with white appliances. We like the following granites – Costa Esmeralda, Marron Cohiba, Black Pearl Antique.
The kitchen is open to a great room with Sepele floors and formal furniture. Walls are BM Palace White – a pale yellowish white. Paint can be changed so that aspect is not a concern. However the wife wants to keep white appliances.
What suggestions would you have for us for granite in this situation?
September 14th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Hi Tom,
We had Juparana Fantastico installed for our kitchen countertops last week and I signed off just after istallation because everything looked beautiful and as it should be. One week later I had to call them because a tiny chip appeared around the edge of the sink (we are a small family and only did normal dishwashing) as well as a crack across piece to front of sink that can be felt all of the way through the granite (crack looks to be along a movement line). We contacted the fabricator and they came out and filled the tiny chip with epoxy but took pictures of the crack and are telling us now that the pictures they took after installation did not show the crack and we signed off so they will only be able to fill and grind the crack but will not be able to make it dissappear. They said that they always install a metal bar in the narrow part of granite in front of the sink to make it stronger and that either the plumber we hired to reconnect the faucet (granite fabricator installed sink) or we caused the crack. Could granite crack all of the way through a narrow piece like that as a result of something we did (normal daily use) or should they be replacing this piece because it was just installed a week ago?
We would love any advise you might have.
Thanks so much,
Janice
September 15th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Hi Tom:
I would like to know your recommendation for best floor sealer and/or protector for each application of my residential project. Below are the stone types and applications. I am aware that one product may not be best for all surfaces. I am particularly concerned about protecting the very porous Kashmir White flamed finish shower floor surface, which will see pretty heavy use. I do not want a sealer which will add a yellow tone to the Kashmir White.
-Grey Sardo Polished Granite Living Room Floor
-Absolute Black Flamed Finished Granite Living Room Floor Accents
-Crema Bordeaux Polished Granite Kitchen Countertops
-Kashmir White Polished Granite Bath Vanity
-Kashmir White Flamed Finish Granite Shower and Bathroom Floors
Are the solvent-based treatments (like those made by Surface Treatment Technologies) the best?
Thanks for your expert advice!
September 15th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Hello,
I need some advice. I recently contracted with a kitchen company in June 2009 to purchase new cabinets and have granite installed in my home. I noticed that there was a yellowish trail of discoloration of approx. 1 1/2 feet to 2 feet in length when the granite was installed. There is no particular pattern and the discoloration (which looks like spilled coffee) is not shown in any other piece of the installed granite. I picked the slab but I did not see a 1 1/2 to 2 foot size discoloration when I picked the slab and the salesperson did not bring the discoloration to my attention. I contracted with the kitchen company and they sub-contracted with the granite supplier and the fabricator. I am totally not happy with the discoloration and with the kitchen company because they have not been an advocate for me as their customer to provide any solutions to my problems. Also, I feel that the fabricator should have either asked me to choose another piece of slab or cut around the lengthy discoloration rather than installing such a piece of granite. I paid the kitchen company with a credit card and have filed a dispute for the value of the granite. I have spoken to two granite people in my area so I can get a written professional opinion regarding the granite and I have been told that it should not have been installed. However, everyone seems to know everyone else and no one wants to provide a written statement. My kitchen is 90% done and I am afraid to have the granite removed and reinstalled because this company may damage my new cabinets. So I am writting to you to ask your opinion as to whether the granite should have been installed with the discoloration (1 1/2 to 2 feet in length) and what are my options at this point. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Thank you
September 20th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
hey Tom, We just installed travertine in a powder room and the color is to tan, we would like it to be closer to white. Is there anything we can do (stain,paint, etc) We would appreciate any advice, Thank you, Kathy
October 6th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Hi Tom,
We are trying to choose a granite color for our oak cabinet/oak flooring/stainless appliance kitchen. We like this color on the bhg.com website but we don’t know the name of it. Can you help us identify it? Do you have other granite colors that might work as well? We’re so glad we found you on the web.
Faye
http://www.bhg.com/photos/rooms/kitchens/1112800002/?photoId=1112100005&fromSearch=true
October 9th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Where can I find some test results for slip resistance ( coefficient of friction)
for granites, and limestones.
thanks
Louis
October 13th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
We are renovating a large kitchen/dining area with a lot of countertop space (over 100 sq. feet). The cabinets will be a painted maple — some type of creme or off white. The floor will either be a light travertine or a white oak hardwood. My wife is leaning toward a white spring granite. I feel that this would be too white. She has searched all types of granite. The choices are either too yellow, too pink, too grainy. At one point she liked delacatus, however, after looking at slabs most ended up being way to loud and grainy. She is difficult to please, so much so, that we are even considering silestone.
Our style is somewhat transitional. Not quite contemporary but a little more than traditional. The kitchen is pretty high end in quality and she is looking for perfection.
Any thought on a light granite without too much diversity that would still be light for my wife but may add some pop and not make everything so white?
October 14th, 2009 at 5:27 am
We are doing a partial and budget minded remodel of our kitchen–we’ve added a large window and relocated appliances and some cabinets but kept the existing floor and cabinets. The previous owners installed granite around the large cooktop (which is on an island) which looks like a dark–almost black–verde peacock (some light mica specks along with specks of rust floating in dark greenish black field). The owners left a laminate on the perimeter counters. We now want to replace the laminate with granite. Our appliances are a mix of stainless (refrigerator, large double sink with built in drainboards and large hood over cooktop) and white (dishwasher and wall ovens). Our floor is a terracotta rubber tile–feels good underfoot and would be very expensive to replace–we have a big kitchen and eating area. Our cabinets are painted wood with glass inserts on upper cabinets–now painted Benjamin Moore linen white–will probably go to a whiter white when we repaint. We’d like to install a white subway tile backsplash.
Should we attempt to get similar colored granite like the verde peacock knowing that it won’t be a perfect match to the island granite–but not caring as the island area is some distance from the perimeter counters? Or should we look for a complementary shade in a lighter color–and what would that be?
Wall color is now a light yellow but that can be changed. We live in New England and have a traditional Georgian style colonial house and crave light and color in the long winter.
Thanks so much.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I HAVE A GALLEY KITCHEN (DOOR WAY AT ONE END OPENS TO DINING ROOM & LIVING ROOM AT THE OTHER END) FLOORS ARE WOOD COLOR RANGES FROM HONEY TO MED DARK BROWN. I WAS GOING TO CHOOSE KM CANVAS TRANSITIONAL CABINETS WITH ASTRIX (GOLD) GRANITE BUT HUSBAND DOESN’T WANT WHITE CABINETS…NOW I AM THINKING KM MAPLE PRAILINE STAIN WHAT COLOR GRANITE SHOULD I BE LOOKING AT? I REALLY LIKE BLACK GALAXY W/ WHITE GLASS SUBWAY TILE, WILL THAT LOOK OK…PLEASE GIVE ME SUGGESTIONS FOR MED MAPLE AND MED CHERRY CABINETS. I WANT THE GALLEY KITCHEN TO POP
October 17th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Hi Tom,
What a great idea to combine helping people with questions on granite and helping children through World Vision!
We are currently in the middle of a kitchen remodel and are uncertain about a choice in granite countertop. We have a red oak hardwood floor with natural finish. We are installing knotty alder cabinets with a medium brown stain that has a slight green tone. The kitchen is open to the dining area and living room which has a used brick fireplace. There is an island that is one level this is essentially L shaped about 82 inches on one side and 85 inches on the other. Appliances are stainless steel. We have several large windows in the living room and dining room and also a solar tube in the kitchen ceiling so there is a lot of outdoor light. Ceilings are only 92 inches. The kitchen dimensions are 12 feet by 12 feet.
We have looked at several choices and just seem to get more confused. At the last slab yard we visited, we liked a Peregrine slab and a golden crystal slab. What would you recommend?
Thank you so much. We are sending a donation to World Vision.
Sincerely,
Jackie and Fred Modrow
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Tom-
I tried to send the following message along with 2 photos to your email address but it bounced back as undeliverable. Here is question, PayPal $$ has been sent. If you provide an email address, I can send the photos.
Found your rock blog and you seem to be the most knowledgeable voice out there; hopefully you can help me with my current situation. This past Tuesday, I had granite counters installed – juparana bordeaux. The slab that was used had been stored outside on the contractor’s lot in Maryland – I don’t know for how long, There was also a smaller slab stored in front of it, as you can see from the attached photo. When the granite arrived for installation, it was obvious that the area that had not been exposed to the sunlight, behind the smaller slab, was much darker than the exposed stone and there was a clear, straight line where the color changed. You can see this in the other attached photo. The contractor claimed that the darker area of stone was still wet and that it would be uniform in color once it dried out. Today is Friday and it has not improved. The contractor is now saying they have ordered a special “enhancer” that should make the color uniform. I’m concerned that they may be able to temporarily create a uniform appearance, but over time it will revert to its current state. Can you please share your opinion as to what has caused this and whether it can be salvaged or should be replaced?
I look forward to your response and will make my donation via PayPal now per your instructions.
Thanks in advance for your response.
John Walsh
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Hi, Tom,
Found your site by accident — what a nice surprise. Read lots of Q&As, but didn’t see one that closely fits. We are remodeling a typical 70s ranch-style house, going for a vintage / farmhouse look. We have put in 5-panel doors and glass doorknobs, and the wood trimwork above the doors to give it an old look, which looks great. The kitchen area opens into the living and “dining” areas, great-room style. We installed 18″ plank-style tile floor that looks convincingly like oak wood-plank flooring with a slightly medium spice tone to it (everyone is surprised it is not wood). The existing medium-toned oak cabinets are staying, with the modification of glass doors in a few and new knobs. Appliances are stainless.
The walls are a soft muted yellow with a very subtle orangish tint to it, which looks great with the wood floors and stone fireplace, which has subtle orangish / taupish tones, very pale, but nicely rustic. The kitchen itself is a U-shape, sort of, with a new peninsula added to the original U that looks out onto the great room area with a large surface area that also serves as a countertop dining area with stools. The exterior of the peninsula is beadboard in a subtle olivish tone of yellow/gold (light and muted). The apron and turned legs supporting the peninsula overhang are stained to match the oak cabinets. The doors, trim , living room shutters and beadboard wainscotting on the kitchen side of the great room are a soft off-white (no white white allowed).
We are at the point of having to decide on the pattern & color for our new granite countertop. We plan on putting subway tiles as the backsplash, probably in an off-white tone that works with the granite color. We want to keep the room light and bright, and I am drawn to the creamy based colors with some subtle orange / brown / black in it. Our installer suggested Santa Cecilia, and I liked it when I first saw a sample, but comments I’ve read indicate it may not give us the overall effect we are going for. The sink color will be determined by the countertop; I’m thinking maybe bisque or stainless, but wanting to maintain a farmhouse feel. We are totally confused by the myriad colors to choose from — just from a cursory review of a site suggested by the installer, we liked Imperial Gold, Firestorm, Giallo Etrusca, Juparana Vicenza. The installer suggested we might like Venetian Gold, Juperana Fantastico, Giallo Portofino. A photo of a kitchen that has similar characteristics we are looking for has Juparana Bordo for the countertops, with off-white subway tile, and it looks great. (Not creamy white background, but doesn’t seem to be too dark, either). We are totally lost — what would you recommend to end up with a bright, comfortable, farmhouse feel? Also, from some of your comments to others, perhaps a simple square edge would work best?
(The ceilings are standard 8′ high, not a ton of natural light in the room.)
We are really glad to have found you; thank you for taking the time to help.
Karen & Paul
October 28th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Hi Tom,
We are rennovating a 85 year old house. The walls and ceiling will be a light distressed pine. The floors are engineered maple (wide board)….med. dark and hand scraped. The kitchen cabinets are rustic cherry with a natural finish….no stain. Will you suggest some colors for my granite. My husband saw some kind of red bordeau that he liked but I was leaning more towards the browns or greens. Please help.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Hi,
We are putting up toffee cabinets with raised panels and crown molding. The color is a mixture of gold and brown but more goldy like. The floors are ceramic tile and a natural beige with a hint of light brown. Our appliances will be stainless. I want to go more bold in the kitchen but I am unsure if I should with the counter tops. I am considering UbaTuba counters or the black galaxy. However, we have 0 windows in the kitchen and it is pretty small. We will also be installing a island/bar in the kitchen for eating space. Do you have any other recommendations for colors? I’m looking to get a eye popping look without making the room look smaller or like I’m trying to do too much in a small kitchen. I really want to paint the walls a fun color to before I get the cabines shipped but I have to decide on granite first…:D
And the blacksplash is a whole issue in itself! But I am aiming towards glass mosaic tile pieces.
Another question we are huge bargain shoppers. However, we don’t like to show it. I have seen that the granite tile can look great and save tons. But have you any idea on how much lower the return on investment is for installing granite tile vs. a granite slab?
November 1st, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Hi Tom, Well I thought purchasing a new home, and being on the ground floor would be fun, however, it has been overwhelming, daunting, and sometimes downright difficult. Just too many decisions, to coincide with family life, etc. Anyway, I know we are blessed, and I will appreciate everything when its all done. Okay, that aside, here is my question. We will have an open floor plan. Our family room is a two story room, with the kitchen adjacent. The kitchen will have Autumn Cherry (medium cherry color) cabinets with Giallo Vicenza granite countertops and island. There is wood flooring. I believe oak. The family room will have a fireplace in cherry wood fireplace, but chose a Country Pine finish, with slate insert. I am going for a warm, inviting, Tuscan feeling. I will probably go for furniture in a neutral, possiblly warm brown look. Since these two rooms are adjacent, and open, I have thought about two, but complementary color shades (colors that appear on the same swatch). Given your experience with granite, and I’m hoping you are familiar with Benjamin Moore colors, what would be a complimentary color scheme. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a sample of the granite, or it would have made it a bit easier. I was thinking of a striking pop of color in the kitchen, based on the granite, but want it to be complementary in the Family Room. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, I have to make this decision like yesterday. Sorry, I just discovered your site.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:54 am
Hi Tom,
So glad I found your site. I am at the beginning stages of replacing the countertops in my kitchen with granite and would love some advice.
My kitchen is large and light-filled with 30 year old medium-stained Oak cabinets that should be replaced or refinished some day but that’s for another decade. There is a large island in the center. The floor is large white tiles. The walls are a warm white. The current countertops are a cream formica which actually looks wonderful. The appliances are all black. The whole kitchen looks very light and warm. I’ve thought I should stay in the cream genre for granite. I don’t think it should be at all white. I love granite with a lot of depth and veining but like less the granite that is more “spotty” because I find it dizzying (which is one thing I didn’t like about quartz countertops).
Any suggestions? On paper and website photos, I though Sienna Bordeaux looked good. Again, thanks for any direction you can point me!
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:03 am
tom,
I am looking to update my kitchen with new wall paint and countertops without changing out my 15 year old honey oak cabinets. The kitchen floor is a honey oak also. The adjacent family room has a pale yellow wall, but I am willing to be changing colors there also. My appliances are black. The kitchen backs up to a wooded yard, so it doesn’t get alot of light, and we plan on adding more lighting and under cabinet lighting. My concerns are to not have a dark kitchen and also not to have too busy pattern of granite, as the cabinets seem to have alot of grain going on.
By the way, I am all for sponsoring children. Thank you for your help with my dilemma
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Hello Tom,
I am having kitchen cabinets designed in mahogany with an art deco motif ( can send you pictures since the bottom cabinets are installed. I am vascillating between either luche di luna (which is hard to find and I like because it is striated and not speckled) ), black or a green granite. I had heard from two suppliers that the white granite that i mentioned can have iron deposits in it that will get larger over time.
What would you suggest?
Thanks
Sivya
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Tom.
I should have read the posts before I posed my question to you just a few minutes ago. My home has a very eclectic feel which definitely leans towards art deco. The kitchen is more or less square with approximately two walls with stainless sinks and dishwashers on them and a 9 foot island with six burner cooktop. On third wall there are floor to ceiling cabinets broken by the fridge and double ovens. The kitchen has a lot of light as it has a south west exposure with skylights.
The cabinets as I mentioned before are art deco ish in style in natural mahogany with a semi gloss finish. The floor is light cork. I initially wanted a white marble looking granite and saw a kitchen in Trends that had “moonbeam” quartzite which I subsequently have learned is lucha di luna granite. Some of the slabs that I have seen have light greenish tinge; I have seen others on line that appear to be more pure. I have also considered peacock green, emerald green, verde marineche and green gold. The greens that have brown in them seem to work better. I have also considered black.
I have read your thoughtful responses and I hope that you can help me out as I am holding up this project because of my indecisiveness.
Thank you
Sivya
PS: The donation is on its way.
November 13th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
We just had Santa Cecilia Gold Granite installed in our kitchen. There is an approx. 36 inch fissure (or crack?) which runs through a vein portion and is quite camouflaged unless you see it in the light. It feels like a scratch and I’m concerned about it’s integrity and strength since it runs along a 9” overhang area, which we do have supports under. Will this portion of questionable granite eventually crack deeper? As well, many of the darker spot areas have chips which are pretty visible and feel sharp. Can these chips be filled? I’d be glad to send you pics if you’d like. Thanks, Julie
November 14th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Dear Tom,
I happened on your website while looking for pictures of granite countertops to aid me in making choices for our kitchen and bathrooms. After pouring over your site for over four hours, I think I’m ready to post my questions to you. I have decided that choosing granite countertops is worse than choosing wallpaper in that there are almost as many choices, but it’s a much bigger investment. Your knowledge of the subject matter is amazing.
Here is my setup. We built our home in 1980. It is a traditional two story. The kind with triple dormers across the front. It is approximately 2000 sq. ft. We have slowly been redecorating the home over the past couple years. The home is decorated in shades of persimmon, burnt reds, sage green, golds and browns with dark wood mouldings and wrought iron used in accessories such as mirrors, coffee table legs, lighting. The doorknobs and bathroom fixtures are rubbed bronze. I always end up using darker colors when choosing paint, walllpaper, flooring because I just love the deep rich tones and cozy feel it affords. On the flip side, it makes the house very dark and I have to keep every light in the house lit to avoid the feeling of living in a dungeon. The floors throughout the downstairs are brazilian cherry. I recently refinished the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry (which are solid wood – I think birch) with a mahogany stain. I refinished the hardware with a satin black finish. The walls are currently wallpapered in a burnt orange and gold pattern, but that is subject to change. The appliances are all black and the sink in a dark grey composite. (also subject to change) The kitchen is galley style (which I hate but am stuck with) about 12 ft. in length. The countertops are currently a rustic brown tile with greyish grout and wood edging. I will try to include a picture – I know it’s worth a thousand words and at the rate I’m going I’m going to be there soon. I really love my tile countertops. They are so practical and almost indestructible, but I also love the look of granite and am afraid that the tile is becoming dated looking.
My husband and I have started looking at granite and have been to a couple of distributors to look at full slabs. I am torn as to what would look best in our kitchen and bathrooms. I would assume it would be better to use a lighter color tile since everything else we have is so dark. I had a much easier time determining what I DON’T like than narrowing down the choices of what I do like. I tend to be drawn to the more dramatic granites but I’m afraid that they might be overpowering in my small kitchen or get ‘old’ quick. I also was afraid of using anything with an orange or pink base as it seems it would limit your color choices down the road should color trends change. The granite choices I wrote down as favorites are: Crema Expresso, Golden Verona, Mascarello (really liked this one), Juperano Bordeaux (kinda pinkish) Veracatto, Juperano Fastasy, Copper Canyon, and Golden Beach. I am at a total loss as to which way to go and fear making a several thousand dollar mistake. I bow to your expertise.
There also is a scrap piece of Tan Brown available at our local dealer (half the cost of the others because it’s a scrap piece) that I could use in my small bathroom downstairs (same dark cabinetry with 2″ coppery brown tile on floor and tuscan looking wallpaper) Should I use the same granite in the two bathrooms as what I use in the kitchen or is it okay to go with something different in each bathroomI
I tried to attach a couple of pictures of my kitchen but I guess I’m just not computer savvy enough to do so. Guess my description will have to suffice.
I will most gladly make a donation to your worthy cause. Thanks, in advance, for your help.
Debi DeGennaro
Debi
November 18th, 2009 at 3:42 am
Tom, I bought shaker maple spice ( medium color)cabinets for a rental which my son lives in . He loves ubatuba granite. The floor is a lighter maple. Will ubatuba work and what color should walls be? Thanks Patricia
November 19th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Hi Tom,
I sent you some pics (via my outlook express) of our Santa Cecilia Gold Granite which I questioned as having a crack or a fissure in. Hopefully, the file wasn’t too large. Please let me know ASAP.
Thanks so much,
Julie
November 26th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I have a white carrara marble floor in good condition. I want to darken the color to a tan. Can that be done?? Thanks-J C
November 26th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Does engineered stone emit radon like granite or not??
December 7th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Hi Tom,
I’m trying to choose a granite for our countertops. We currently have an island with violetta granite. We’re keeping the island therefore would like the countertop to work nicely with the violetta. Black seems the logical choice, but I’m not too sure I like the look of black granite or the fact that it shows everything. Black galaxy was recommended and would look beautiful with our light cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliances, but I’m not sure it would work with the violetta.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you.
December 9th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Hi Tom,
I am looking for some advice on an upcoming kitchen remodel. In the process of choosing all the components and want your opinion as to whether or not I am on the right track with design scheme. Kitchen is medium sized with an islas and breakfast area, one window above kitchen sink, and sliding glass doors so light is pretty minimal. House was built in late 1960s so it is fairly closed off from rest of house but works. Rustic contemporary describes our house and style best. Here are the specifics: Stainless appliances, undercounter apron front hammered copper sink, hammered copper range hood (and both are the dark, bronzy antiqued copper), dark honey stained alder shaker style cabinets with oil rubbed bronze hardware and faucets, possibly distressed black cabinetry for island cabinetry, verde fire granite (we have 2 slabs on hold that have consistency in movement and veining: green and terracotta are dominant colors), beige tumbled travertine 1″x2″ brick pattern for backsplash, and a beige tumbled travertine look porcelain floor in a large square tile. Light fixtures are oil rubbed bronze/iron. Abutting floors are wood similar in color to cabinets. I think my main question is if we are on the right track with the verde fire granite? If not, do you have any other suggestions? Any help or thoughts are appreciated!
Thanks!!
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:14 am
Hi. Thank you for taking the time to review my email. Your website is fantastic and your stewardship for this charity is admirable.
My husband and I are in the process of totally remodeling our kitchen. We removed the old galley style kitchen (with avocado tile, yellow vinyl floors, gold appliances and dark brown faux wood cabinets) and broke through one wall into a very small unused space that was previously used as a small bedroom. The space that used to be the small bedroom had red oak flooring. The old galley kitchen floor has old vinyl that will be ripped up.
Our cabinets are Cardell – Shaker II style with full overlay. We ordered them in a creamy white with a pewter glaze. We will also have an island (bi-level) that is Cardell – Shaker II style with full overlay, but this will be in black with a pewter glaze. The island will also house the sink and dishwasher. We have two decent size windows for this new room and it is between the living room and dining room. The stairs to go upstairs are also in the kitchen. The rest of the house has red oak flooring.
Here are my many questions. Should I have red oak flooring in the kitchen or some kind of tile? I can go either way with this. If tile, what kind, what color, what size? If I go with the red oak flooring, I can match the old kitchen floor with wood from a salvage shop. What color granite should I choose – just one color for both the island and cabinets or two? I think I would rather have one, but I am so confused. Would you also use granite for the backsplash or tile? I can go in any direction for the appliances, black, white, stainless steel, anything. I can go in any direction for the paint color also. In the kitchen, I will have undercabinet lighting, pot lights as well as pendants above the island. One side of the island, I will also have chairs to serve as a small eating area. I don’t know what kind of edge would look good.
We have small children, so safety and functionality are major concerns, but I want this kitchen to look beautiful and really well put-together. If you have multiple suggestions/combinations, I would love to hear them. I’m so confused and in need of your expertise. Thank you so much for helping. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. We look forward to hearing from you.
December 28th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
We have installed Grey Pietra Slate, and have a white ring the countertops are less than a week old. Is this fixable? They were sealed and we waited several days before using.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Hi Tom,
First of all, I love World Vision and sponsor a couple of kids with them. Great idea and I love your servant’s heart.
So, I don’t have granite but have installed Cesar Stone (Lagos Blue). I love it. It’s got a beautiful look with movement in it. The name is deceiving though. It’s more of a taupe with a lighter taup-ish color in it, not modern looking like some of the C. Stone. Not really important, but thought you might like to hear about it.
I’m still nervous about putting hot pans on it and sliding things over it. I would never think of cutting on it, but wonder if a guest will sometime and don’t want to be crazy over the top protective counter lady.
Can you let me know what you know about Cesar Stone? Do I need to reseal at any point?
Thanks much,
Adrienne
January 5th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Hi Tom-
I really like Home Depot’s color “Summer Sage” or as it is now called “Giallo Arctic” It is a warm consistent speckled granite with sage green undertones. However I don’t like their high price $75 sf. My local stone yards are much more affordable but they don’t have access to this granite.
Wondering if you had any other suggestions for cream cabinets with walnut floors. I am thinking of painting kitchen sage green. I don’t want anything too yellow or gold. Liked Azul Platino but wondering if it is too blue. Also liked New Caledonia but wondering if it is too brown.
I would be happy to make a donation. Just wondering if you are still answering questions.
Thanks,
Amy Medling
Nashua, NH
January 10th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Hi Tom,
I am happy to donate to World Vision and greatly appreciate your assistance. We are remodelling our home on Cape Cod and would appreciate some guidance regarding the granite selection.
The kitchen will have white oak flooring, painted wood recessed panel doors in Biscuit, stainles steel appliances including a professional rangetop with Eurostyle hood and brushed nickel hardware. The kitchen is L-shaped (about 14′x14′) with a 4.5″ x 5.5″ island with some beadboard (which could be panels instead).
I envisioned a black granite countertop with tile backsplash in biscuit, but I am having trouble identifying the black granite. Friends who have absolute black do not recommend it due to streaking. I looked at Jet Mist, but the grey streaking does not look good with Biscuit cabinetry. Black Galaxy has too much “bling”. I prefer the shine of polished vs the look of honed or leathered. Would you be able to suggest any other varieties or color combinations? (I have biscuit cabinets with golden oak at home and like it, but wanted something different for the Cape.)
I also have a question about the seaming of the granite. The fabricator said the span is to too long for 1 slab so he first suggested seaming it in the middle of the sink. When I rejected that he suggested seam it under a glass cabinet that sits on the countertop. I am Ok with that except that he wanted to seam in the middle. I think it should be seamed on 1 side of the glass cabinet aloing the edge or just under it. What do you think?
Last question is regarding the use of Calacutta marble as a 4′ countetop, tub deck and shower seat(?) in the master bath. I am afraid of water spotting and etching. Should I be? If so, would you suggest a granite or other material that looks similar?
Thank you for your help.
Debbie
January 12th, 2010 at 10:52 am
I just had SuperWhite granite installed a couple of days ago; just a hair over 3/4 in thick, with an Ogee end to look more like a marble counter. I didn’t pick out the slab myself but it is beautiful, smooth, no pockmarks or fissures that I can see, etc. When the installers came, they commented that the stone was quite bowed when it came to them. There are 3 pieces in the kitchen (no seams). Each piece seems to have a low point in the center and then bows upward at the ends. The bowing was noticable in the longest piece (9 1/2 ft) such that the counter installers ended up shimming the cabinet underneath it up a titch (maybe as much as a 1/4″) to cover the gap. As for the second biggest piece (4′x4′ with a corner cut out to make an L shape), one wing of the “L” is separated from the bondo holding it to the cabinet. The third piece (3′ long) is a little separated, but still bonded to the cabinet; doing the best and of course it is in the area of the kitchen that will get the least amount of use! The gap between the granite and the cabinets they are resting on goes from 2 mm to 1/8″.
I plan to call the company and I know they will come out and see what they can do. They seemed great to work with and called around quite a bit to find any SuperWhite in our area, and they are a small shop so the same guys did the purchasing, cutting, and installation. They stayed quite a bit longer than they planned trying to see how to make it look straighter, and talked about how they didn’t want to clamp it too hard or it might break, etc
So my questions are: Are these counters going to crack with their own weight, or crack if I put heavy pots on them, or if a kid (or an adult) goofs around and climbs or sits on the counter? Is the weight distributed evenly enough; do I need to worry about how well they are supported? Is this a normal risk with granite, or was this a bad purchase on their part that they are now trying to stick me with? I’m not sure I would have spotted the bowing myself even if I had picked out the slab, but is that something the customer is responsible for? I’m hoping your answers will help me know how much to push if I end up being dissatisfied in the end.
January 17th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
We are doing a kitchen remodel on a lake house. We are installing natural maple cabinets, stainless steel applicances, and medium colored wood floors. What granite color would look best in this room? By the way, this is a small room that is open to the family room and dining area.
January 20th, 2010 at 11:44 am
The color is Amazon Jungle leather finish. What antiquing/leather brushes do you recommend most for this stone???? Basically to match the profile edge to the top surface
January 21st, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Hi Tom,
I have oak cabinets with a honey stain and now have Sierra Bordeaux granite countertops and backsplash. Needing some advice as to where to go regarding paint color for walls to make this granite pop. Can you help? Need by Sunday
Thanks,
Joanne
January 23rd, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Hi Tom,
We are building a second home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We will have wonderful views of mountains and a river. I am striving for a warm, homey and just slightly rustic feel. The kitchen is 18×11, u shaped with a bi-level island and a peninsula on one side open to the dining area which has windows on three sides and a great view of the river. The kitchen is at one end of a large room and open to the living area. The cabinets are Kraftmaid square recessed doors in the Sunset finish (medium). The floor will be red oak stained on site. I am planning on a stain slightly lighter than the cabinets, but am open to suggestion. What granite would you recommend? I don’t want anything too busy as I am trying to create a calm environment in keeping with the peaceful surroundings. We have 90 sq. ft. of countertop so cost is a consideration. Would welcome your thoughts on a backsplash as well.
Will donate gladly to your cause, especially important now given the tragedy in Haiti.
Thank you for your help.
January 24th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Hi Tom-
I am at a loss and love all your suggestions. We have a 10 year old home. 9 foot ceilings. We have merillat cherry paprika raised panel cabinets and red oak floors. Stainless steel appliances. Our kitchen has about 60 square feet of countertop space inluding an island and our kitchen opens up to a eating area and the family room. I am worried about making the wong decision and need some advice on what I should be looking at. I like kashmir white, biano romano, crema bordeaux, sucuri, viara. Any advice?
Thanks so much!
January 24th, 2010 at 11:56 am
We are re-doing our kitchen – dark cabinets (cherry with fruitwood) and will have stainless appliances. Counter will be extended into a counter height table that seats 4-6. I’m leaning toward a wood floor but am really stuck on which way to go for granite, dark or light, neutral or colored. would love to hear your recommendations.
January 28th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
We are in the beginning stages of building a New Orleans Garden District traditional style home on a small scale. Our flooring will be brazilian chestnut and the cabinets will be a medium brown (not sure of exact cabinets yet). We will have stainless appliances and sink. The small kitchen is open to living and dining, with a small island and plenty of light from the many tall windows. We are unable to decide on a granite. We are not fond of pinks, gold, and bold statements. Our taste leans toward earth tones and we have lots of medium brown to dark brown furniture. (My husband is a geologist and loves the natural stone look and variations in the granite stones). We thought a dark granite would make everything look too brown and dark, but we do not have experience in this area. Also, we have no clue for backsplash material and color. We would love to get your opinion. Thanks for helping the world with your charity support.
January 28th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Tom, we are remodeling and have cinnamon cherry cabinets with a raised panel in our kitchen. We have brazilian cherry wood floors and plan to go with a travertine backsplash. We have selected Vyara Gold granite, but now I am questioning whether this was the right choice. It’s not too late for a change. Can you provide advice?
January 28th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Thank you for your time and advice. We are more than happy to donate towards World Vision..
We are remodeling our 1949 kitchen. Our flooring is oak and we are not sure how dark the finish should be. We have purchased off white shaker style cabinets with pewter colored pulls and would like to go with granite. We liked so many of the granite choices and aren’t sure what stone to choose! We have looked at Golden Beach, Limoncello, Flash Blue, Butterfly Green, Ubatuba, Tuscana Antique, and Labrador Antique. Our appliances are stainless and we think we will be getting a bisque undermount sink. We just painted our living room in the Benjamin Moore color Shelburn Buff . I love the color and had thought about going with that if it works with the granite choice. We would love your advice on tile back splash ideas, granite, paint, and stain color for our floor!
January 31st, 2010 at 1:43 am
Hi Tom, maybe you can help. I’ve been getting different answers to this, and the guy who supplied marble mosaic to us doesn’t seem to know anything about sealing it. I applied sealer from home depot to our marble floor mosaic twice – once before grout, once after grout. Instructions said to spray on liberally (which is what I did). Then I wiped it off with cotton towel. However, after second sealer application, the mosaic looks dull – no shine whatsowever, almost plastic. I am dissapointed, don’t know what to do about it. Any recommendation on this? What can I use to remove any of this dullness without damaging the stone, and the color originally applied to the mosaic pieces? Thank you!!!
February 1st, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Hello Tom –
I am having a devil of a time picking a granite for my kitchen countertop. The cabinets are Adel Birch from Ikea (a pale, natural birch color, in a simple Shaker style). The floor will be cherry wood. The appliances will be stainless (with black accents). The backsplash will be white or off-white. I was thinking of a neutral, dark granite with some “activity” or reflective pieces to add interest and hide fingerprints. I don’t like the Black Galaxy, too gaudy for me. Maybe Black Pearl? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am driving my fabricator nuts with my indecision. Help! Thank you, Susan
P.S. I can send pictures if that is helpful – the cabinets and some appliances are in, the floor and backsplash are not.
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:52 am
Dear Tom,
I have several peices of granite of differnt grades and makes. The size of the peices vary but typically are 6 inches by 9 inches. The sides of the peices are all rough from being hand cut with hammer and chissel.
My question is can you recomend a sealant that I can apply to the rough edges to keep small sand size peices of granite from falling off of the granite peices. I was also looking for a sealent that when dried will give a wet look to the sides of granite.
Thank You
Daniel
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:07 pm
In need of some expert advice. About 4 months ago we got the Granite Blue in the night installed. They sealed it and so did we. I was later told it was actually anorthosite and anorthosite doesn’t need sealing. The problem is we have ring marks on the counter from our ice cold water glasses. Once we noticed the problem we discontinued doing that which was about 3 monts ago. We were told the water marks would go away after time but they still have not. I’ve tried taking off the sealer with Acetone but that didn’t change anything. I don’t know how to get rid of these ugly ring marks, please help. Thank you.
February 7th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Hi Tom! Thanks for doing this website-it is a great service! I am trying to choose granite that will complement my kitchen/style. I have honey oak raised panel cabinets that will be painted a creamy color with mocha glaze and we’re adding additional raised panels to ends of cabinets, double crown, extra trim etc. Have an oil rubbed bronze faucet. My floors are honey oak. Family room is open to the kitchen/breakfast area. Kitchen/breakfast room is 15.5 x 20.5 with large picture window/french door in b. room and medium window over sink in kitchen, with a southern exposure. We have a southern traditional style brick home–I have antiques and some transitional type furniture. Also have bookcases/mantel fireplace that are cream color in FR. The kitchen is U shaped with a peninsula that is 96″ X 40 (we’re making a 10-12 inch overhang. We need rougly 70 SF. Fabricator is going to work with 2 slabs. Live in Atlanta area, and there seems to be lots of colors. http://www.glmarble.com is one place we’ve looked. I have been looking at Geriba Beach, Juperana Classico, Golden Beach, Andorra, Golden Persa etc. I like the warm tones with some movement, but don’t want to get too crazy. I’m thinking of painting my walls a mocha color in the kitchen. Also know I shouldn’t go too gold, but am afraid of too much taupe with the natural oak floors. What do you suggest? Thanks so much for this service. Am happy to donate. Feel free to suggest other colors than I’ve mentioned.
February 7th, 2010 at 11:28 am
golden volcano is the granite of choice 1 to 10 its a 6 putting on a 10 foot wide kitchen island bar in kitchen ,not sure of 2cm or 3 cm cost of 3 cm is much more contractors says 2cm will be fine , CONFUSED
February 8th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
I am interested in Pine Green granite and would like to have it in an “antique” or sometimes called “leathered” finish. I really think polished granite would not work well in my rustic kitchen with pine cabinets. My question: Is it possible to add lustre to the antiqued finish. Will sealing it more often bring out more of a sheen on the surface?
Many thanks,
Pamela
February 9th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Dear Tom,
I just had several long slabs of beautiful 3cm dark red Quartzite installed over lower cabinets. I was warned that certain edge detail could chip the stone, so I was offered either an eased edge or a Cove-du-Pont edge. I chose the multi step Cove-du-Pont edge, as it was more decorative. When the stone was delivered, I noticed that the edge detail was extremely wavy. The fabricator agreed explained that Quartzite has soft and hard spots that causes this irregularity in the edge detail. They took the stone back to their shop and through manual polishing or hand applied fabrication, were able to get the edges straitened out to an acceptable level or about 90%. The issue now is that after installation, I noticed that the edge is not really the same color. It’s pink in color and lost it’s deep red color like the flat top portion. It’s very pale looking. Also the edge detail looks very flat with no where near the shine the top portion of the slab gives off. Can the AGER stone enhancer I’ve seen you recommend help with this? I noticed also that there are a lot of pores in the edge detail. I also read some where that Quartzite slabs should not be cut with a decorative edge detail, but receive an eased edge as the only option. Thoughts?
February 11th, 2010 at 10:53 am
We are doing a total redo of our kitchen – taking down a wall. The kitchen is about 10 by 20 and will have a 3 by 8 island. We are looking at gerbia granite or typhoon bordeaux. We are having a painted maple island with a glaze. We are having medium to dark Cherry cabinets in the rest of the kitchen and I don’t know what stain to use or how dark to go with those granites. The floor will be a wood floor – light if I go with dark cabinets and darker if I go with light cabinets. What is your opinion about those two granite colors and what stain would you use on the cherry cabinets? Our house is a traditional salt box colonial and the cabinets are shaker style. Thank you.
February 13th, 2010 at 7:17 am
how do i tell white carrara marble from other white marbles of similar look?
February 16th, 2010 at 6:43 am
Hi Tom,
We are in the process of remodeling a small U-shaped kitchen with a peninsula (11′ x 10′ x 11) and need some help selecting granite.I was hoping to get some suggestions. We are having custom cherry cabinets (natural finish) in a traditional style – raised, rectangular panel. We will be running medium oak flooring from the dining room into the kitchen. Lighting in the kitchen is pretty good – a 3′ window (facing North) in the middle of the 10′ wall, and an east-facing skylight in the vaulted ceiling. We will be keeping our current newer but WHITE appliances – fridge, free-standing range, microwave and dishwasher. Our tastes tend to be restrained – earth tone decorating scheme, and lots of natural wood and hand-crafted decorations (quilts, pottery, etc.) We’d like the kitchen to be comfortable – ‘understated but elegant’ would be nice. We have looked at a couple of granite options and are confused. We saw a nice slab of Madura Gold – it had some nice movement in part of the slab that would work on the peninsula, and more standard patterning on the rest of the slab that would work on the counterops. We also saw a granite called “Golden Fusion” – lighter, with lots of gold and mica that gave some sparkle. For a darker countertop, Tan Brown matches the cherry nicely. but I don’t know how that would work in a small kitchen with white appliances. If you could give us suggestions, we’d be most grateful!
Thanks,
Dan and Lynne Ellis
February 16th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Hello Tom, I just stumbled on your site. How wonderful to have you and your knowledge! We live in southern Ca., not far from the beach, in what’s called a tall and skinny home. Our kitchen is on the second floor and small (8×12), not alot of light, has a window above the sink. The kitchen looks into the dining room, that looks into the living room. Kitchen and dining room have low ceilings, living room has a high ceiling and a reddish brick fireplace. There are med.light honey hardwood floors throughout. We’re gutting the kitchen and already have chosen antique white cabinets with a heirloom opaque finish,Bianco Romano granite and stainless steel appliances. We didn’t want drk granite as it made the kitchen look so dark. We want a tile floor and backsplash. Any ideas? We somewhat like a light sage green color for a backsplash with some biscuit color, but cannot decide on the floor? Thank you kindly and we’ll donate to the children. Elissa
February 18th, 2010 at 8:12 am
WE ARE DOING A COMPLETE KITCHEN REMODEL. WE WILL HAVE CUSTOM BUILT RAISED PANEL MAHOGANY CABINETS. WE WILL HAVE A WALL OF CABINETS ON ONE SIDE OF ROOM WITH A PENINSULA THAT WILL HAVE BAR STOOLS. ON THIS WALL WE WILL BE INSTALLING GRANITE. ON THE OTHER WALL WE WILL HAVE MAHOGANY COUNTERTOP, LIKE A BUILT IN HUTCH. OUR FLOORS WILL BE RED OAK HARDWOOD. WE WILL HAVE A 4 INCH TILE BACKSPLASH. I AM HAVING A VERY DIFFICULT TIME PICKING MY GRANITE COLOR. WE ORIGINALLY WERE LOOKING FOR TYPHOON BORDEAUX. WHEN WE WENT TO SEE THE GRANITE SLAB IT LOOKED NOTHING LIKE THE SAMPLE IN SHOWROOM OF FABRICATOR. WE THEN LOOKED AT SIENNA BORDEAUX. THESE COLORS VARY SO MUCH AND ARE HARD TO FIND AT OUR LOCAL SUPPLIERS. I HAVE NOW PLACED WHITE SPRING SLABS ON HOLD. I LOVE THE MOVEMENT AND THE COLORS IN THIS SLAB. IT HAS BLACK, CREAMY WHITE, A LITTLE RED BROWN SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT AND EVEN A LITTLE BROWNISH TONES IN THE VEINING, AND A LITTLE GOLD. WHEN WE PLACED OUR MAHOGANY DOOR SAMPLE UP TO THE SLAB IT REALLY PULLED SOME OF THE COLORS OUT. I BROUGHT A SMALL SAMPLE OF THE WHITE SPRING HOME AND MY ONLY CONCERN IS, WILL IT BE TOO WHITE WHEN IT IS INSTALLED? IT IS A VERY BEAUTIFUL SLAB. I HAVE SEEN SOME SLABS OF THIS GRANITE THAT I DID NOT LIKE, BUT THIS ONE IS VERY PRETTY. WE NOW HAVE WHITE APPLIANCES, BUT ARE CONSIDERING CHANGING THEM. COULD YOU PLEASE HELP ME!!! THANK YOU, KAREN
February 20th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Hi Tom,
I’m so grateful to have come across this site. What a gift! Too bad I didn’t find this site during my bathroom remodel : )
I have a very small odd shaped kitchen (A U shaped broken up by an entry door-the sink to fridge are on an L Path and opposite to the fridge I have a freestanding oven with two cabinets encasing it-which gives it a galley kitchen feel) and am planning a remodel. I like the warm and earthy tones and am planning on getting simple shaker vanilla stained cabinets. My appliances are white, but I am having a hard time picking the right granite, backsplash and floor combos. I was thinking of oil rubbed bronze knobs and faucets with a tumbled stone or travertine backsplash. I was thinking of adding in with a thin brown mosaic line to balance the design.
Then for the granite, I like something light as I think the darker tones will overpower the small space. So far I am leaning toward gerbia beach, but am not sure if that is the best choice. I also like white honey, but that is way out of my budget and wondered what you would suggest. For the floors, I am thinking to play off the backsplash for balance.
I look forward to your reply.
February 23rd, 2010 at 4:14 pm
We’re having a travertine backsplash installed soon. It’s 3×6 tiles with a decortant accent (meshed 12×12 cut into 4 x12) of travertine & glass tiles that are 1×4s. We were told to choose 1/8 non-sanded grout. Is that right? Also, when and what do we do to seal it for stains and water protection. If we choose to use an enhancer, when is it applied? I really want to do this right the first time. Thanks so much.
Elaine
February 23rd, 2010 at 6:52 pm
We had marron cohiba granite installed in the kitchen, it was sealed at installation. A glass was left on the counter for a few hours that had grape juice on the bottom, now there is a ring left on the counter. It is mostly noticeable at night when light reflects off of it. I also noticed another ring left from the coffee decanter. I tried mild dish soap and water, this helped a little. I was under the impression this was a dense stone that was more difficult to scratch or stain. Was it sealed properly? Or are we to live with stains and straches?
February 24th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Thanks for your blog, answers, and support to World Vision! We have a 18′ x 12′ kitchen – done in galley style, one wall with two large pantry cabinets, refrig, counter, stove, and pennisula. The 12′ wall hosts the side of the cabinets and an east window. The remaining (south) wall has cabinets, d/w, large s/s farm sink and door to patio. There’s a 5′ long window above the d/w and sink area – so plenty of light. The kitchen opens up to a family/dining room with plenty of windows as well. All appliances are stainless. The cabinets are Medallion’s Mackinaw in Knotty Alder with a Natural Burnish Glaze. (Basically a raised center panel, square, with simple square drawer fronts…and not so basic – a great crown). The rest of the house contains a lot of wood, some heavy timbers, rustic cabin. The flooring will be wood – something that looks like it’s lived with the traffic we’ll put it through (the house use to be a barn, and more than occasionally gets treated like one). These rooms are currently painted a light yellow – Behr’s “informal ivory”. So…what would you suggest for a countertop and backsplash? Thanks for your help!!
February 24th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Hi Tom,
We are renovating our kitchen and are on the hunt for granite. Found a beautiful stone and love the variations and colors, but there seems to be several cracks throughout each slab. The name is mascarello. Is this typical of this stone or perhaps just this particular lot? Should we look for the same stone elsewhere or will they all have this problem? Maybe it is not even as big a problem as I am making it out to be. What, if anything, can you tell me about this particular type of granite?
Thank you!
Debbie
February 25th, 2010 at 7:00 am
Tom,
I am looking at green granites such as Pocono Green, Butterfly Green and Uba Tuba. I love the colors, but the glitzy look and reflectivity of the polished granite worries me. I’ve heard about less glossy finishes like ’satin’, ‘leather’, ‘antique’, and ‘honed’, but it seems that these may compromise the rich appearance of the stone and possibly also the performance. Worse yet, I’m told that I cannot know in advance what the piece will look like because the non-polished surface will have to be prepared at the source–I cannot choose my pieces from a stone yard in the way I can polished granite. Do you see any solution here? Also, I plan a light-colored wall/backsplash to set off colorful decorative tiles that go well with the green granite: what wood finishes for kitchen cabinetry would you recommend to complement the granite counter tops? Thanks for your help.
Lana Cable
February 27th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Tom,
We are in need of help picking out a granite color. We have dark walnut with some red tone cabinets. The applicances are white and the tile is a light taupe. There is a free standing bar/sink area. In front of this bar is our family room which has medium dark wood floors. I’m having a hard time figuring out what color goes with white applicances and darker cabinets.
I am attaching links to photos below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9418154@N08/4393450945/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9418154@N08/4393450931/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9418154@N08/4393450937/
March 1st, 2010 at 10:46 am
Hi,
I am looking at changing my old (pinkish!) formica countertops with granite. The kitchen/dining room area is painted yellow. The floor in the dining room is a 3 1/4 in white oak hardwood and the kitchen has a light beige porcelain tile which doesn’t have alot of color variation from tile to tile. The cabinets are a light oak which seem to have taken on an orange hue (or maybe I am just noticing it now). The appliances are stainless steel or stainless steel and black. The whole area is rather small. The dining room gets more light from the sliding glass door then the kitchen does but I wouldn’t consider either dark by any means.
My original thought was to go with a granite in the brown family but I don’t want to highlight the orangeness of the cabinets so I am not sure this is a good choice. Any ideas? Ideally I would love to scrap the cabinets but I don’t think that is an option at this point.
The hallway leading to the dining room is painted a historical color green from Benjamin Moore (prescott green I think) and the living room is painted a historical tan/beige (carrington beige). The kitchen/dining room, front hall and living room make up the whole downstairs of the house so I included those colors in my description. The floors in those rooms are the white oak hardwood. Any help would be appreciated
March 1st, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Tom here I ago again with another email but I did forget to mention in my last one that I was also considering two other granites called Seafoam green or costa esmeralda along with the one I mentioned being Juparana Vyara.. and to ask what type of edging you would suggest. And do you know of any good fabricators in seattle, washington or close to that area? So sorry to not have included this in my first email which I just sent.
Janice Hopson
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:10 am
Tom
I am remodeling my home and have completely redesigned the kitchen, removing walls to make the kitchen and living area open to each other. The living area has oak flooring (refinish color to TBD). Kitchen floor tile TBD. I will have stainless appliances with the exception of having a black gas on glass cooktop installed on a peninsula/ bar which will be flat across as of now. The new cabinets are maple with a chestnut stain. I do like the juparana_bronze, arandis, cafe_imperial. There is a north facing window above the separate counter with a sink which does not provide a lot of light until late afternoon. I do plan on installing skylight to brighten things up.
Where do I start? Stainless, black and chestnut are the only absolutes at the moment.
Thanks
Eric
March 8th, 2010 at 11:43 am
Hi Tom,
Have you heard anything with respect to the strength of Antique Brown. Is it one of the weaker granites? Or, is it still durable to have in my kitchen and breakfast bar (overhang). I don’t want to have it installed and find that I am experiencing problems with cracking.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated!
Thanks.
March 9th, 2010 at 8:52 am
We are building a home with carmel java stained maple cabinets and were thinking of selecting Geriba for the granite and Tortoise Shell glossy glass tile for the backsplash. The other choice was Giallo Fiorito and tumblestone backsplash which was nice but I’m looking for a “new” look. Any suggestions?