Hi Tom,

You should be seeing my question soon. Choosing the granite is proving to be more difficult than I thought! I am so glad to have found you!

If I might add one more thing – my son is telling me that I should go with engineered stone such as Silestone. He had that in his first home and now has granite. He is very strong on the engineered stone. He is very often correct about things, and given that he has experience with each and I don’t, I am a bit puzzled about what to do. Any thoughts? – Peggy

Hello Peggy,

Thank you for your patience. I never received the original posting so if I miss some elements of your question, please let me know.

First let me give you some comments about engineered stone versus natural granite. Specifically, you mentioned Silestone which is a trade name for an engineered stone made by Cosentino in Spain. It is widely marketed though Home Depot. Silestone is man-made and created by combining quartz with colored polyester epoxy resin. It is extremely stain resistant and scratch resistant as well. Since these are two very desirable aspects in a kitchen, engineered stone boast these benefits and claims that it is superior to natural granite.

On the other hand, granite is truly natural and created when the Earth was formed. It is sort of like comparing apples and oranges. Since sellers of both products know that the other is like a shark in their swimming pool, marketing and technical advances are being created to close the gap. Suppliers of engineered stone continue to develop more ‘natural-like’ colors but they don’t seem to be able to measure up to mother nature. Likewise on the granite promotions side, some new development of sealers are truly at a promising level now and provide an almost maintenance free surface. The bottom line is that you should take a look at Silestone and see if you like it. In my opinion, it only belongs in an ultra urban or contemporary decor.

Back to granite now and the color pallet you mentioned. By far my favorite with taupe cabinetry is Mascarello. If you have enough light in the kitchen, I would also recommend a dark tumbled travertine full height back splash in a tiny module, maybe even mosaic. If your light is limited, then you need to at least run slab splash 4” up with the same granite, above that you can paint or go with a lighter tile color in a big module.

The Colonial Dream is another great choice and the long thick veining movement is excellent in a galley kitchen. However, this is a little too light for your cabinetry and the selection of slabs would have to be perfect. There are just so many shades in this granite and a peachy tone would be horrible. By the way, there is no way you will like Silestone if these two granite colors appeal to you.

A stainless or bronze sink with matching fixtures is the right move. Try to match the knobs and pulls in the same finish. This is not always the requirement but Mascarello is so bold that you need to tie in everything around it so it doesn’t get messy.

My best wishes to you, Peggy! Thank you for supporting the Rock Blog’s World Vision kids!

Tom

I recall discussing drainage grooves in the
granite to drain into the side of an undermount sink, at my first meeting with the fabricator. Now, at fabrication, he tells me they can not do this.
Frankly, I would have picked a different countertop material if he had made this clear when I was choosing granite over other options. I am quite sure we discussed this on our first run though, and before I got deeper into the process of picking the slabs and etc. Similarly, I have full bullnose on most countertops in my house. At the same early meeting, I asked for the same edge on the granite, but a 1/2 bullnose ended up in the bid. The edge detail is fairly easy to change, but this issue of the grooves is more difficult.

Am I asking for a truly non-standard item, or is this fabricator just not familiar with the process and unwilling to add a new service “just” for me?

I like the fabricator very much. He & his staff have been very helpful, but this has kinda set things back. We did discuss a lot of issues at that first meeting, but this has been on my list of basic wants for this kitchen upgrade for so long, that I am really surprised he could have missed it.

What should I expect?

Am I stuck with an ugly drainboard on the countertop, on top of my beautiful granite?

Eileen

Hello Eileen,

I must admit this is the first time I have been asked about this so I appreciate the interesting new issue you are facing. I am sorry for your trouble but the request you are asking of the granite provider is not very normal.

What you are describing is doable but extremely difficult and requires the right CNC machinery to perform the grooving and polishing work accurately. If the fabricator does not have a CNC machine with the right tooling, then it can not be done without an incredible amount of saw and hand work. In addition the polishing of the groves would be extremely time-consuming.

Most likely, you would not be happy with the result in the long run. The grooves would be prime mildew catchers and hard to keep clean. I can see your point that if you don’t have a dishwasher, you are stuck with a tile drying rack but that is what is most common.

Again, it can be done but it is expensive and there is that mildew issue that I mentioned. You could research other granite companies in your area to see what they can do. A list is available on www.GraniteStock.com.

Regarding the bullnose issue, fabricators rarely charge more for a full 1.5″ bullnose over a 1/2″ bullnose. It sounds like there was just a verbal mix-up and I hope you are being treated fairly about this.

I am very sorry about the late reply. Please send any follow-up questions that I can help you with.

Thank you for supporting the Rock Blog’s World Vision kids.

Tom,

I am a commercial interior designer. I think we need a reference book. Is there a book or publication that succinctly provides information on the advantages and disadvantages of each type of stone – plus it’s correct installation method (grout line size, type of grout, sealing, maintenance etc.

Regarding Travertine – what are the disadvantages to using travertine (on the floor in a residence hall lounge – to be precise…) Thank you for your help.

Linda Kress, ASID

Hi Linda,

The Marble Institute of America has all the information guidelines that you needed. Check their bookstore and
consumer resources pages.

Regarding travertine on floors, it is widely used but there are some important considerations. For example, if the travertine is not properly filled, then high heel shoes can literally pop the fill right through the travertine, thus leaving pits randomly throughout the floor. To avoid this, you should specify “travertine which has minimal fill and all holes are adequate filled to avoid damage from foot traffic”.

Joints are important. The tightest reasonable joint should be 1/8″. However, if your tiles are quite large, then 3/16″ is reasonable as well. Grout at this width should be non-sanded and filled flush to surface. Grout and thinset should have a dry-polymer additive to increase strength. There are brands like Merkrete or Laticrete that are well known of strength and quality.

Best wishes!

We are redoing our kitchen and are building a 122″ island. We would like the island to have glass bricks serving as a riser for our raised bar. The bar area will over hang about 12″. This overhang will have granite (Juparana Beach) on top of the glass bricks as well as on the counters. I have a couple of concerns:

The Glass bricks are 7 3/4″ square X 4″ wide. Will this raise the bar up too high? (I don’t know what the standard rise should be.)

Will the glass bricks be strong enough to support the granite?

Should the granite be supported with something on the overhang (corbels)?

Dorothy

Hello Dorothy,

Thank you for a very interesting entry. This is the first time that I have heard someone using glass block to support a raised granite countertop. First of all, the height is correct. The normal height of kitchen countertops is 36″. Raised upper countertops are usually 6″ higher at 42″. Given the 4″ block plus the thickness of the granite and subtop, the finished surface should be at just about the right height. The height is actually driven by the normal height of bar stools so stay as close to 42″ as possible.

Now the more difficult part of your installation is the support intended. Resting the granite on the 4″ wide glass block and extending it out about 8″ to make 12″ overall will not be adequate support. You need to create another form of support that is positively affixed to the cabinet and let the glass block be for décor only. Although the procedure is complicated, you can do this by having a steel support designed and bolted to the cabinet and then use 2″ wide block on both sides if the steel riser, instead of one 4″ block. Basically, you would sandwich a steel plate on both sides with glass block.

The vertical steel supports should be ¼” thick and have vertical legs that are about 3″ wide each, at about 12″ apart. These will need to be bolted in to your cabinet. At the top of theses vertical plates, you would need to have a large plate of 3/16″ steel welded to them at a 90 degree angle. This will be an adequate platform that the granite will sit on. Talk to your local granite company about this plan and see if they can do it for you.

If the information above seems way over your head, here is another option that might just accomplish your design intent. Have a wall built for the upper countertop which is typical to industry standards. This would be framed out of wood and a plywood subtop screwed to the top stud. After you are done with the drywall covering, install glass tile for the backsplash. There are beautiful glass tile options in sizes from 1″x1″ to 6″x6″. Here is an example of very low priced glass tile that is beautiful: http://www.daltileproducts.com/series.cfm?series=119.

I hope that I have helped and thank you for supporting The Rock Blog’s World Vision Kids.

We just had a granite countertop installed in the kitchen (stone name: Golden Beaches or it is sometimes called Persa Classico, I believe it is Italian). We have a 12″ overhang at the peninsula, which is 86″ long. When they came to template, they said that they were going to add steel rod supports for the overhang. After it was installed, I noticed that there were no steel rods. I inquired with the installer and he said that it was fine. I have been doing some Googling, and I am concerned about this overhang without supports. I cannot add corbels, because it would ruin the design (the back end of the peninsula has furniture panels that would look horrible with corbels. Is there a way to add the steel supports after installation? Or, is it really ‘OK’ as is?

Thank you, Barbara

Hello Barbara,

The installation you described with the 12″ granite overhang will crack and fall eventually. As you mentioned, it is 3/4″ thick with no corbel or steel angle support, and it does not even have embedded steel rod. I expect that gravity alone will stress this particular granite enough for it to crack along the cabinet edge. If you take a level and lay it on the counter, you may even see a 1/16″ sag already.

You should search the ‘overhang’ on my blog and read the comments that I have already written about cases like this. In particular of your situation, the Juparana Beach granite is a Class D granite, which only means that has more natural fissures; this, creating weaker flexural strength. Basically, it is more fragile to horizontal forces like gravity. I love the color and it complete fine when adequate supported.

The embedded steel would have at least stopped the granite from falling on the floor after it cracks. I don’t believe that embedded steel would have prevented it from cracking because the horizontal forces at a 12″ cantilever is too substantial from gravity and unnatural forces like heavy objects resting on it. I understand your problem with the decorative facing on your cabinets which prevent using corbel supports. This is not uncommon. In this case, heavy duty 1/4″ thick flat bar is embedded into the plywood substrate and place about 18 inches apart. These bars run from just behind the front edge of the granite bullnose to about 12″ back from the cabinet (into the cabinet area).

If your granite was recently installed, I would ask the fabricator to try to remove the granite without breaking it (might not be possible) and install the steel flat plates. If you don’t do this, your granite will eventually crack. Because it does not even have embedded steel, it will fall. Hopefully it will not crush someone’s toes or a small child’s head. Frankly, the installation you described is very hazardous. Sorry for the bad news.

We just discovered your website and cannot thank you enough for providing such an invaluable service to confused homeowners such as us

We are in the process of updating our kitchen. Out of an array of granite that we saw we have finally settled on “Silver Sparkle” for our countertops. Also we are giving serious consideration to using granite as the flooring material in the kitchen/foyer/hallway etc. The questions we have are:

1. What has your experience been in using granite for flooring? How is the the stain resistance, durability, and care? I am a little worried as it will be used in a high traffic area. We thought about using porcelain/ceramic in our kitchen but were advised against it as it may not hold the weight of our heavy duty Wolf appliances. Is there any truth in this?

2. We are leaning towards either “Kashmir White” or “Ivory Raw Silk” granite tiles for the floor. Which one of these do you think will work well with the Silver Sparkle on the counters? Our cabinets will be mahogany with a dark stain (resembles the autumn blush stain of the cherry Kraftmaid cabinets).

3. Would you recommend Silver Sparkle on the backsplash as well? It certainly has a lot of movement which is beautiful. Do you think we should stick with a 3 inch backsplash or take it all the way up? We would greatly appreciate your advice.

Hello Athar,

Silver Sparkle is beautiful and a very durable granite for countertops. I can not think of anything to watch out for that is not mentioned in my ‘Homeowners Checklist’ on the blog. Be sure to review that when you select your slabs because the color varies a lot with this granite. Focus on how the countertops will layout on the slabs at the seams. A full splash would look best as look as you have decent natural light in the kitchen. Hopefully you are using stainless appliances and sink.

The floor is another story. I never recommend granite floor in homes. It is too shinny, too slipper and too commercial looking. Did you know that a wet granite floor is more slippery than an ice rink? That is a fact and I have tested it. The static coefficient of friction is actually higher for ice, than a wet polished granite floor. So, watch out!

Secondly, it is extremely difficult on the eye to look at shiny floors unless you are going somewhere, like to the reception counter. It feels cold and hard because it is. Granite is always about 10 degree cooler that the ambient temperate of the room. Touch it, it will always feel cool, which is nice for countertops, but not so much for floors.

Kashmir White has low compressive strength and I suspect it would crack before porcelain tile. I also can not suggest any other granite color for the floor with the Silver Sparkle and I strongly suggest going with porcelain tile or a natural wood. Let me know if you get stuck on the color for the floor and I will follow up on this reply with you. Perhaps a light mottled cranberry porcelain tile would match with the veins in the countertops. If you pick slabs without the red veins, I would consider a light gray floor tile.

Best wishes!

Hi Tom. I am in the process of buying a townhome from a builder that I almost passed up due to the granite selection, Venetian Gold. It is a spec home and I don’t have the option of changing it. I took some friends by to look at it and give their thoughts. They liked the stone, but one suggested that the tile flooring and backsplash is not a good match. The current tile is a creamy, yellowish color with a little veining. With that suggestion, I’m growing to like the Venetian Gold, but am not sure what color tile and b/s I should have it replaced with, as well as the paint choice.

My cabinet color is called cherry spice – 42″ meet the ceiling, canned lighting, appliances stainless steel with black trim. The kitchen is open to the living area and breakfast nook, both covered with wood flooring of a med reddish brown color, living area ceiling height is a full two floors. My furniture style is contemporary, but not a cold urban loft look.

I would appreciate your suggestions for tile and paint color to maintain a sort of coffee house/bistro sort of look with this granite color.

Shari

Hello Shari,

Even though you are working around the constraints of stainless appliances with black trim and New Venetian Gold Granite, you can still achieve the coffee house/bistro ambiance. The granite color is quite popular and tames the kitchen enough to allow you to go bolder with the paint. Paint is a funny thing because it can totally sell a home for top dollar if it is the right color, but if the color is wrong, buyers usually look past it and just imagine another color to change to after they own it.

The coffee house, bistro feel would work well with New Venetian Gold and Cherry Spice cabinets. Leave the floor as is. For the backsplash, I suggest Roman tumbled travertine (4″x4″) set on a 45 degree angle with almond grout. Now! Here is the fun part. Consider a blue or sage green paint for one wall as an accent. Paint the other walls to match the floor kitchen floor walls (creamy/yellowish). If the accent wall gets a lot of natural light, forget the blue and go with sage green. Blue is very tricky and it needs to be a purple/blue, as shown in the photo below, to warm the room up. I like this best but if it gets too much natural light it will turn everything in the room blue, including your face! In which case, go with a sage green and even consider matching the carpet in the living area. See the sage green carpet swatch below, also.

The goal is to darken up the area a little to get the coffee house mellowness but you need more color than just the New Venetian Gold offers. Going this route also allows for future buyers to change the whole décor but just changing the paint color. Also, it sounds like your furniture will go well in this setting as well.

My best wishes!
Tom

Tom, just read your response to John regarding fissures and Ubatuba. We just had an install ourselves. Many fissures all over. Fabricator/Installer coming back next week. Will address it then, but my question is will the fissures get worse over time? We have a downdraft gas stove top right in the middle of the counter and the fan portion is very heavy, will that cause more? Uba Tuba was by far the most attractive better priced granite we found but now I understand why. Can a special epoxy sealer be put on to give us the best chance of no further hairline fissures? Any other suggestions? Also know that we have a undermount sink with no supports just added and a counter overhang not quite resting on the three corbels it was suppose to, will they shim it?? It that a potential crack area too?? Linda

Hello Linda

The fissures will not increase and I want to add that some people actually like the fissures because of the nature of the stone. If you have direct sunlight on the countertop, you will experience more ‘browning’ in the stone overall. This comes from inherent oxidation in Ubatuba granite.

Best wishes!

Hello Tom,

I have been most interested in the questions you’ve been receiving regarding problems with green granites. Could you please tell me if Canadian granite, “Adobe” color is a green granite (my monitor does not show me if it is really green and tan) and whether it, and “Tunas Sea Green” from Brazil will have any “staining” problems? Also, I have read somewhere that some companies cut their stone with kerosene instead of water and that the residual kerosene perks to the surface, staining the stone. How can you be sure that your green granite selection has been water cut?

My thanks for your expertise,
Merr

Hello Merry

I do not believe that anyone in the USA uses Kerosene for cutting. It is just too much of a health hazards and very few even know that it reduces the wear on diamond tools. Would the fabrication plant in Canada use it? Yes, perhaps but I don’t think so. Large slabs are cut with what is known as a Gang Saw, along with corundum shot and a large volume of water. Cutting with Kerosene would be more common in very shorter slabs which are cut with a diamond wheel saw.

Anyway, the Adobe granite is very good stone and I recommend you see local samples to understand the true color. Best wishes!

Hi Tom,

I am just beginning my research on buying granite for my kitchen. Luckily I found your website! I had someone come to my house to measure my counter tops and give me an estimate. My question is this, How do I know if I am getting prefabricated granite? The owner of this establishment told me I can have any standard edge and a middle of the road granite counter top, 1 1/4 thick. He measured 47 1/2 square feet and gave me a price of $3,700 including a new sink and removal of old counter and installation of new counter. He told me to come to the showroom (a store front with a few kitchens displaying granite counters) and that I can choose my granite from slabs. He didn’t elaborate if these slabs would be mine or just samples of what I would be getting. I have also called Costco and they are coming with samples of granite and samples of kitchen sinks. Any thoughts on Costco granite? Another company I called asked me to come to their quarry (or something to that effect) to pick my granite and then he would come to my house and template my kitchen and then give me a price.

I do not want a prefab granite kitchen. Please tell me how I can make an educated purchase and be happy with my investment.

Thanks so much for your wonderful website. It was very timely for me!!! – Kerry in NJ

Hello Kerry,

You have already done great research and I am glad that The Rock Blog has been so helpful. Simply be sure that you follow the Homeowner’s Checklist and hand selected your slabs for the full size sheets of granite. That is it. The $3,700 price sounds about right for the project down without prefab granite tops.

Best wishes!