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.

Hello Tom,

Suzanne from FLa here, we are weekend DIY warriors. Finally after 6 years of remodeling a 52 year old CBS Fla 2 story- we are at kitchen/greatroom. We are stuck with a flagstone fireplace in the /beige/golds/rust tones. We have chosen carmelized bamboo floors in kitchen/great room, new stainless steel appliances, L-shaped kitchen now gutted.

White plantation shutters, decorative mouldings on doors and windows (painted white) Window in kitchen replaced with hurricane impact -facing WEST. “European white” walls (light taupe) We may have to change that color a bit.

We believe we have settled on arctic RTA white cabinets – nice balance with bamboo floors- we plan on an island-with same granite. Im not too keen on wood floors and wood cabinets (too rustic)

Last week we took a piece of the bamboo floor to the local granite yard/fabricators we went to each slabe with the bamboo and narrowed it down to to Baltic Brown and Lapidus Granite (matched tone of bamboo beautifully) I also like the “movement” in the stone. We chose the stainless undermount sink to match appliances. A friend keeps telling me to go lighter (creme) or whitish granite.

Although we chose the Lapidus Granite to pick up on the floor and fireplace. The samples they cut for me from slab, pick up beautifully, I am wondering if my match the countertop with floor tone/paired with white cabinetry was incorrect. I dont see Lapidus Granite paired with white cabinets too much. I can still change that as well.

QUESTION: What do I do with backsplash? Would a continuation of the lapidus to bottom of cabinets be overkill? Or should I go towards a tumbled stone or jerusalem stone look or glass tile?

Thanking you in advance fo any input you can afford me.

Suzanne

Hello Suzanne,

Natural wood cabinets with bamboo floors don’t look good so you instincts are correct here. I really do like natural wood cabinets but never with bamboo floors. They just clash because of the natural grain in each.

I have recommended Lapidus Granite many times with bamboo floors so maybe you saw that somewhere else on the Rock Blog. White or even black cabinets really are the best compliment. I am concerned about the white color your mentioned. Hopefully the white you mentioned is a bluish softer white, rather than a yellow or gray-white. Hold a piece of paper up to the cabinets and consider what hue you see in the cabinet finish. Any range in the blue-white would look great. Yellow-white would just be ok and gray-white would be cold, dull and just ugly.

Lapidus is one of my favorites when it is selected well. You may have found many variations of Lapidus as it is extremely wild. Because of the wild veining movement, you definitely want to carry the granite up the walls to the bottom of the upper cabinets. This is really important so that the heavy movement rolls right up the wall for a complete look. Many homeowners ruin the complete picture by only putting Lapidus on the countertop and then mashing it with some mottle travertine tile on the splash wall. Tile splashes are great for more monochromatic or bright colored granites, but not highly variegated granite like Lapidus. A good place to see Kitchen photos are in the Kitchen Galleries at www.GraniteStock.com and www.HomeGranite.com.

Lastly, Baltic Brown is a far stretch to the simple side from Lapidus as you know. I do like this color but only with Stainless fixtures and appliances. Baltic Brown does not go that well with white cabinets because the darker browns are just too overwhelming against white. It is like dark brown shirt, with white pants…I don’t think so!

Regarding glass tile, I love it but not with Lapidus. That would be like putting pin-striping on a S500 Mercedes. Lapidus is the right choice. Let this stone be the art and function in your kitchen.

Best wishes and thank you for support The Rock’s Blog’s World Vision Kids!

Hi, Tom,

My introduction to World Vision was through my mother. She has never been well-off yet has sponsored a child since her college days… 55 years and still going!

We need help choosing a granite color (and maybe advice on floor color). What shall I tackle first: the kitchen design or the granite choices? Let’s go with design.

We have purchased traditional style cherry cabinets with a sable/nutmeg finish, no glaze. Our kitchen (remodel) is a galley style, about 10′x17′. One side has a pantry cabinet/3′ of granite/sink under window/5-6′ of granite; the opposite wall has stainless steel refrigerator/2′ granite/range with black ceramic cook top/2′ granite and over a bit is a 42″x48″ island.

We’re thinking of tumbled traverine for the backsplash. The walls are painted light beige/tan. I should mention the other appliances are stainless too. Until I read some of the postings I hadn’t thought of anything but a stainless undermounted sink–should we consider black?

The ceiling is 8′ and the kitchen gets no direct sunlight as its window faces east but is under an overhang. After the remodel the kitchen will open northward into the family room (which also gets little direct sunlight). That said, we live in So. Cal. and actually do have mostly sunny days.

I like movement/pattern in a granite and would like to walk into the kitchen each morning and say, “Wow, that’s a fabulous work of art!” My wife prefers subtle but distinct movement (not sandy looking) and wants “blend” and “balance” so the kitchen won’t look too “busy.” Help!

The first granite I chose was called Crema Beach (that bold chunky look!). There was some concern that it would be hard to decorate around. Next we considered Incas; right colors but maybe boring. We were trying to stay away from yellows, so we thought of Bianca Romano. I think a roman ogee edge looks nice.

Since we suspect travertine is too slippery for our two large dogs and three pool-loving kids, I’d like the floor to be medium dark porcelain tile that sort of blend into the cabinets. My wife is concerned that will be too dark.

Thank you for considering all of this!!

Paul

Hello Paul,

Thank you for the great explanation of your intended remodel. It is very helpful to get so many details.

Let me start from the ground up. Dark porcelain floor tile would really close in your galley kitchen. I would not recommend it. In addition, dark colors are just flat out hard to keep clean. Being a Southern California resident myself and father of small children, I can confidently say that you floor will always look dirty if you choose a dark color. The sable/nutmeg finished cherry cabinets are screaming for a lighter color floor.

That being said, I recommend looking into a travertine designed porcelain tile in a color that matches the tumbled travertine backsplash that I will mention a little later. Some of the best porcelain knockoffs of travertine that I have seen are at Bedrosians Tile and Marble www.Bedrosians.com on State College Blvd in Anaheim. Don’t go with natural travertine for kitchen floors. It is just too high maintenance in an area that involved cooking grease and other food products that love to stain natural travertine. I would avoid the really light colors and choose a classic mid-cream cross cut travertine design in 18×18 format of porcelain tile.

Now the floor needs to work with the cabinets and the granite. Think cream, not bone or gray. Cream will work with the cabinets. The floor is somewhat mottled now so I want to recommend the following granite colors for the countertops. Juparana Gold Rush, Indian Parana, and African Ivory. These granite colors will open the kitchen and present style and artistic intent. In gallery kitchens, tile on the splash is the way to go. In your case, tumbled or hone travertine in a 4″x4″ size is the perfect. These granite colors have black accents that have just the right amount to go with your appliances. They have the background hues to mix with the tile splash and the dark cabinets. You can see swatches of these at www.GraniteStock.com and you will notice they don’t look the same. You can also see some good travertine backsplash combination in the online kitchen gallery at www.HomeGranite.com.

One of these granite colors should ‘move’ you. That should be the catalyst that makes your decision. That feeling is what will make you enjoy the granite every day and for many years.

Lastly, I do like a black sink in this décor rather than a stainless sink, except if you choose the African Ivory. It is not a décor breaker to use stainless but it really would put the final splash of style in the kitchen. Go with the Rroman OG if you have raised/recessed panels in the cabinet faces. Go with a flat edge if the panels are flat.

My very best wishes and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog’s World Vision kids.

Thank you for this helpful site! I am about to have a granite countertop installed in my kitchen. It will sit atop new base cabinets, and 18″ below new wall cabinets. The cabinets are properly secured to the walls. The cabinets have stickers warning to “remove shelves before installing countertop.” Is that a good idea for some reason related to installation, or is it unnecessary? Anne

Hello Anne,

Those stickers are usually for two purposes. First, you always want to remove the shelves before installing cabinet bases in order to make the cabinet lighter and easier to screw into the walls. Secondly, when installing the countertops, access to the bottom of the countertop is sometimes needed to fix the top and supports in place, especially at the sink. I can also confirm that that granite installers have been known to step on shelves to get leverage!

Basically, shelves and drawers should go in last just to keep them dent free and clean. I don’t see a major issue here, but basically the manufacturer wants you to have a nice beautiful product when you are done.

I’d like to send you a bottle of premium granite cleaner for your generous World Vision donation. It is anti-bacterial and great to use just before guest come over. For regular cleaning, just follow the simple cleaning and maintenance tips on the Blog. Send me your address and I will ship a bottle out to you.

My very best wishes!

Hi, Tom,

I am looking for help regarding a new kitchen I am installing as part of a large-scale home renovation and am struggling with granite choices.

The kitchen is fairly large (18×14) with a working island with a sink (about 3x 6) and a peninsula/breakfast bar that opens up to an eating area and family room with lots of east-facing windows. We have ordered simple style (recessed panel) cherry cabinets with a russet stain (no glaze) for the perimeter of the room including the peninsula and cream-colored cabinets with a glaze called suede (reddish brown color) for the island. All of our appliances and sinks in the island and counter are stainless. The floors will be a light (natural) oak.

I like the idea of darker granite on the perimeter and something different on the island, but I’m not sure if that would be too busy. Would I be better off with the same granite throughout since I already have two different cabinet colors? I like the more sophisticated look of dark granite with the cherry perimeter cabinets but don’t know if it would work equally well on the cream painted cabinets.

Colors I am interested in are Ubatuba for the perimeter and maybe Giallo San Cecelia for the island. I also really like the Tan Brown or English Brown and am thinking of that for the whole room. I think the reddish tone in the tan brown looks good with both cabinets and it keeps the dark look I’m looking for. I know that granites with lots of movement and swirling patterns are popular, but I prefer smaller “patterns” and do not actually want much movement. Also, do you have any suggestions for the tiled backsplash?

Finally, I have friends who find the darker granites in the kitchen very difficult to keep looking nice with kids, crumbs, etc. and are trying to talk me out of it. I just think tan or gold granite throughout the whole kitchen might be blah-looking. What is your opinion on this?

Thanks for your help. This is an awesome site!

Amy

Hello Amy,

That sounds like a truly gorgeous kitchen you are putting together. I love the overall kitchen size, the cabinet colors and the russet stain. That is a talented décor that requires careful completion with the perfect granite countertop combination. I do have a recommendation.

First of all, Tan Brown throughout is a good choice to tie everything together is a simple casual way but it would be better to set the island off as its own piece of furniture. The lighter island cabinet already separates itself from the rest of the perimeter and I strongly feel the theme should be continued to the surface.

Dark Ubatuba is the way to go for the perimeter if your russet stain has a dash of purple or dark rose undertone. This will be absolutely stunning with the stainless and contrary to your friend’s comment; it will be low maintenance after sealer with a penetrating granite sealer. If the russet stain is browner, then Café Bahia or Imperial Coffee would be a better choice.

The next important choice is the lighter granite color for the island. Choosing Santa Cecelia or similar will downgrade your kitchen. It is way to boring and cheap. Take a look at Kashmir White and Colonial Cream which have nice understated style. These are totally different from each other but work well with the cream cabinets and reddish brown glaze. Think cooler or warmer. If you want a cooler feeling, choose Kashmir White. It you want a warm (not hot) décor, choose Colonial Cream or Colonial Dream (a little darker). These granite colors have movement but the mineral matrix is tight and the movement is long and smooth. You can see swatches at www.GraniteStock.com (see links above) but when you see full slabs, I am sure you will see what I mean.

If you don’t like the slabs of Ubatuba, Kashmir White, or Colonial Cream that you see, just keep looking and keep the following principal in mind; dark semi-monochromatic around the perimeter, with an accent island that has more movement and compliments the cabinet base. You could even go with an island granite color like Red Dragon Granite, but I don’t think this is your taste. Stay away from pinks and blues.

For the backsplash you really have a lot of choices. I really like the ceramic running brick pattern in a 3×6 size with a décor like this. The color should try to match the lightest color that is in the island granite. Anything from off-white to brownish/red goes with Ubatuba. Even glass tile would look great.

My best wishes and thank you for donation to The Rock Blog’s World Vision kids!

Hi Tom!

What a wonderful site you have! Thank you for your opinion and expertise. I need to pick my stone in a few days!

We are remodeling the kitchen and here are the details:

The kitchen is a long room with water views and lots of natural light. It is a great-room style with 9 ft ceilings in the kitchen part and 9-14ft cathedral beamed ceiling in the sitting area. There are windows on all sides but east. The flooring is old chicago brick (terra cottas, yellows, grays, a touch of black). The u-shaped perimeter has creamy white cabinets with carved wood details, fluted columns, rounded corner posts, shaped toekicks, glass front uppers, white fireclay apron sink, stainless steel pro appliances. In the center is a 10ftX4ft mahogany island with chunky turned posts with seating for 4. The desk cabinets are creamy and have a mahogany top, and the sink and rangetop sit on mahogany trim like a drip edge.

I am thinking a darker hardware on the creamy white perimeter and polished nickel on the island. We love wrought iron and old copper and will have a chandelier over the island and possibly a hanging pot rack. I’m still undecided on the backsplash, pending the granite choice, but had thought I’d go simple with white or cream subway tile.

The main prep and cooking areas are on the perimeter, but lots of eating and fun will happen on the island! The walls are painted a warm buttery gold and the ceilings are a pale gold. All the trim is the same cream as the perimeter cabinets. The adjoining rooms are similar but with cherry floors. It is a gulf coast house, and we are casual people.

We would like to use 2 granites that compliment each other. I love the pale creamy granites with soft swirly movement for the island, but don’t know which one is good or what to mix with it on the perimeter. I hope our kitchen is a warm classic yet casual look with country french or tuscan influence. What granites do you see for our room???

Thanks so much for your help,

Margie

Hello Margie,

The décor is very classy. A medium perimeter granite and darker on the island would give your kitchen a finished custom look. I like subway tile, but I just don’t see it here because of the less than contempory decor. There is a lot of articulation in the cabinets. To compliment this well, choose fine/medium grain granite that has large vein movement and contains rusty accents of deep red, grays and blacks. The edge detail should be upgraded to an OG Bullnose to be consistent with the overall kitchen details.

Colonial Dream and Arandis Granite work well for the perimeter and the center can be a dark color like deep red, deep green that compliments the perimeter granite and the mahogany base it sits on. Let me present a few combinations that would work well.

I would match the hardware on the island and the perimeter cabinets. This brings planning and connection to the kitchen which is already quite busy. Go with a darker hardware, perhaps even gun metal which goes great with stainless appliances. Now back to the splash again. I would run the granite all the way up to the upper cabinets. You really need to avoid introducing another element in the kitchen. In addition, veined countertop granite as I mentioned above really looks great when matched with the veins in the countertops.

My very best wishes and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog’s World Vision kids!

Hi Tom,

Cabinets: maple with light cherry stain, sleek slab, frameless design. Floor: ceramic tile, creamy yellow with both brown and grey/black faux veining. Appliances: black sxs fridge; black smoothtop slide-in range; black DW. Penninsula houses range with a curved glass range hood whose hardware is stainless. Sink: stainless, as is faucet; faucet with black accent at spout. Walls: best described as pear-green; turns a bit bronzey in evening incadescent light. Kitchen tends to be a bit dark. Nearby dining area flooring is a natural red oak as is the the cener stairway and LR on the opposite side of stairs.

We took down the wall between the DR and kitchen, made a one-level counter where the wall was and basically killed the DR, making it little more than a dining “area.” So when you open the front door you see the oak floor to both your left (DR) and right (LR). You can immediatley see the kitchen so there is the transition to the the tile there and further back into a pantry/mudroom. Exterior: red brick turned terra-cotta in color. The rest of the downstairs is painted with goldne khakis, olive with a hint of bronze and a calming tan. Until or unless we change, white trim.

So then, we loved Emerald Pearl but fear it showing every little spot and it seems formal for our 60-year-old cozy home. I had a small block of NVG Light and loved it. It seemed to pick up the yellow, grey, black elements fo the kitchen and even the warm tones of the DR wood and the garnet is a bonus. Madura Gold entered the picture and while it is a nice pick up of the overall warm tones of the house I think it is too orange, although the cabinet stain leans in the orange/red direction rather than the maple/yellow direction

Since I last wrote, our fabricator broke ties with the original yard and wants us to pick another slab anyway. So, I have a second chance at happiness. I like a bit “homey/casual, husband wants classy and uncluttered.

I appreciate your time. – Anne

Hello Anne,

First of all, that was the best narrative description I’ve ever read. It was enjoyable to read and very helpful.

One of the most important parts of your description is that one can see so much from the front door. That is very important and I like the balance you have between the dining room and the living room. The kitchen is its own element but it needs to fit properly in between.

Also important are the kitchen door front style and the glass and stainless features you mentioned. Because of these elements, New Venetian Gold really does not go well. This granite was the most popular stone from 2002 to 2005 because of its generally appealing brown tones and accents of garnet. It is also inexpensive. While it still looks good with very deep cherry cabinets, it turns to ‘track home’ with light natural wood, even with the cherry stain. Bottom line, it is a track home granite and the fracture larger mineral matrix does not go well with the contemporary kitchen décor that you created.

Emerald Pearl is just too dark. I really don’t like this granite in a kitchen unless the cabinets are white and cathedral style doors.

I suggest the following colors because of the tight matrix and subtle movement that will be classy, contemporary and still a little playful.

Terra Brazilis Granite could be just perfect with a full height granite slab backsplash. It is what I call a ’smart stone’ because it can be formal or casual depending on what plates or dish towels are on it. It is look great with black and stainless.

Good slabs of Colonial Ivory Granite is lighter and would act the same as Terra Brazilis.

Lastly, Arandis Granite and Colonial Dream Granite are perfect choices that have tight matrix and subtle movements. These two stones glow in low lighting and would be beautiful with the paint colors you described.

I am sure that one of the options above would be best and give you long lasting enjoyment. Be sure to talk to the fabricator about the layout of the slabs and think about where each part of slabs will be placed. Read my Homeowner’s Checklist again to a review of things to consider.

My very best wishes!

Tom,

Your blog has been very helpful. I am totally renovating my kitchen and bathroom and am really struggling with granite choices for both the kitchen and bathroom. My house is a contemporary. The kitchen cabinets will be maple with a honey finish. The floors will also be maple, but stained a bit darker than the cabinets. The appliances will be stainless. I will have lots of light from windows. I’m thinking of a neutral (beige) tile backsplash. My island is three-tiered and rather large. It will have a bake center (36×25) with two wings to either side measuring 78×25 and then a straight 9 foot edge along the back for seating (a 39×42x39×108 section) that is the highest level. All together, I will have about 115 square feet of granite. I really liked the verde fire, but am afraid the cost is prohibitive (twice the price of some other colors I looked at). I also liked the green hawaii. I find myself gravitating to granites with green in them as green is my favorite color and I like the look of it with the maple cabinets. I liked the verdi fire because it picked up the color of the maple cabinets beautifully as well as having some green in it. What would you recommend I consider? I am open to other than green color choices too!

I am also concerned that I choose a color that will come in a 9-foot plus slab so that I won’t have a seam on the island. For the bathroom, I was thinking about going with a lighter color of granite. I’m probably going to go with a neutral tile – cream or beige maybe with a hint of green in a border. I thought I would pick the color of cabinet for the vanity depending on the granite I chose. I looked at some of the lighter recommendations you have made to others and the african ivory and colonial cream look very nice. I have two bathrooms that I will be redoing the vanities, so I’d like to do two different granites. I will probably stay in the neutral tiles for both. Thanks for your help!

Hello Brenna,

I love the contemporary style kitchen with maple cabinets. So often the contemporary attempt is done with black and white. As long as your lines are straight and panels flat, you will have a clean contemporary look while the primary yellow undertone of maple adds color. It is no surprise that you like green because greens go very well with maple. I want to suggest a couple colors that would look perfect and then you can search for ones similar if these are not available in your area.

Acacia Granite is perfect. It is relatively new in the market but getting very popular. It is light blue/green with beautiful movement and cream and Bordeaux veining. You can see a swatch on www.GraniteStock.com but seeing the whole slab reveals more beauty.

Acacia is one of the few light green that goes really well with stainless. It is from Brazil and is very reasonably priced. I actually think this granite is currently way under priced based on it’s similarity to the very expensive Costa Esmeralda Granite. Look for Ayers Granite as well which is the right color tone but doesn’t have as much Bordeaux veining.

By using Acacia, you will have captured the three primary colors in very subdued tones. I am sure that is not your goal, but I think it is interesting that it works out that way. A similar granite in this same tone would be Wild Sea Granite.

Another way to go would be to select a darker more monochromatic green like Dark Tunas Green or Ubatuba. Both of these granite are gorgeous with stainless but have to be carefully selected because they vary in color so much. Some slabs are washed out and horrible, while others bold and beautiful. With a contemporary style, dark granites present a more handsome than homey ambiance. The lighter granites mentioned above definitely lighten the mood and are less formal.

For your bathrooms, consider reversing the colors a bit. Creama Bordeaux is a pretty but sophisticated granite color and because it varies so much, you could use the same color in both bathrooms. When searching for slabs, ask the supplier if they have a rack of singles or orphans that are discounted. These are good slabs that are just left over from a bundle and therefore don’t match anything else. This is the way to get expensive granite for the bathroom for a great price.

Let me know if you need any following up help! Thank you for donating to the Rock Blog’s World Vision kids!

Hi, Tom,

I am looking for help regarding a new kitchen I am installing as part of a large-scale home renovation and am struggling with granite choices. The kitchen is fairly large (18×14) with a working island with a sink (about 3x 6) and a peninsula/breakfast bar that opens up to an eating area and family room with lots of east-facing windows. We have ordered simple style (recessed panel) cherry cabinets with a russet stain (no glaze) for the perimeter of the room including the peninsula and cream-colored cabinets with a glaze called suede (reddish brown color) for the island. All of our appliances and sinks in the island and counter are stainless. The floors will be a light (natural) oak. I like the idea of darker granite on the perimeter and something different on the island, but I’m not sure if that would be too busy. Would I be better off with the same granite throughout since I already have two different cabinet colors? I like the more sophisticated look of dark granite with the cherry perimeter cabinets but don’t know if it would work equally well on the cream painted cabinets. Colors I am interested in are Ubatuba for the perimeter and maybe Giallo San Cecelia for the island. I also really like the Tan Brown or English Brown and am thinking of that for the whole room. I think the reddish tone in the tan brown looks good with both cabinets and it keeps the dark look I’m looking for. I know that granites with lots of movement and swirling patterns are popular, but I prefer smaller “patterns” and do not actually want much movement. Also, do you have any suggestions for the tiled backsplash? Finally, I have friends who find the darker granites in the kitchen very difficult to keep looking nice with kids, crumbs, etc. and are trying to talk me out of it. I just think tan or gold granite throughout the whole kitchen might be blah-looking. What is your opinion on this?

Thanks for your help. This is an awesome site! – Amy

Hello Amy,

That sounds like a truly gorgeous kitchen you are putting together. I love the overall kitchen size, the cabinet colors and the russet stain. That is a talented décor that requires careful completion with the perfect granite countertop combination. I do have a recommendation.

First of all, Tan Brown throughout is a good choice to tie everything together is a simple casual way but it would be better to set the island off as its own piece of furniture. The lighter island cabinet already separates itself from the rest of the perimeter and I strongly feel the theme should be continued to the surface.

Dark Ubatuba is the way to go for the perimeter if your russet stain has a dash of purple or dark rose undertone. This will be absolutely stunning with the stainless and contrary to your friend’s comment; it will be low maintenance after sealer with a penetrating granite sealer. If the russet stain is browner, then Café Bahia or Imperial Coffee would be a better choice.

The next important choice is the lighter granite color for the island. Choosing Santa Cecelia or similar will downgrade your kitchen. It is way to boring and cheap. Take a look at Kashmir White and Colonial Cream which have nice understated style. These are totally different from each other but work well with the cream cabinets and reddish brown glaze. Think cooler or warmer. If you want a cooler feeling, choose Kashmir White. It you want a warm (not hot) décor, choose Colonial Cream or Colonial Dream (a little darker). These granite colors have movement but the mineral matrix is tight and the movement is long and smooth. You can see swatches at www.GraniteStock.com but when you see full slabs, I am sure you will see what I mean.

If you don’t like the slabs of Ubatuba, Kashmir White, or Colonial Cream that you see, just keep looking and keep the following principal in mind; dark semi-monochromatic around the perimeter, with an accent island that has more movement and compliments the cabinet base. You could even go with an island granite color like Red Dragon Granite, but I don’t think this is your taste. Stay away from pinks and blues.

For the backsplash you really have a lot of choices. I really like the ceramic running brick pattern in a 3×6 size with a décor like this. The color should try to match the lightest color that is in the island granite. Anything from off-white to brownish/red goes with Ubatuba. Even glass tile would look great.

My best wishes and thank you for donation to The Rock Blog’s World Vision kids!

Hi Tom, I am remodeling and am having a hard time putting things together. I have redone my kitchen with natural cherry cabinets and have an existing jatoba floor. I really love the Kashmir white granite and have already picked out a slab. Is this a good choice ( I know it is porous and I don’t mind the upkeep.)? I’ve seen you say that it would look good with a white porcelain sink, which is what I have but then on another run of cabinets I do have a stainless oven and frig which I went with so there was not this drastic variation in color from the floor? The dishwasher next to the sink has a cabinet panel on it. I wanted a lighter granite because the kitchen, eating area, and family room are a little dark due to the floors and northeast lighting but there are quite a few windows. Also, I prefer the lighter color granite. So, I still have time to pick out a different slab of granite if that is what you recommend. Also, you mentioned being careful of heavily fractured garnets… Can you explain more. I just picked out the slab that I thought was most beautiful?? Any recommendations a color palette that would work best to pull these rooms together? And lastly, I know this is a lot, what would you recommend for faucet, pulls and granite edge. I have a farmhouse sink and I love a casual feel. Thanks so much for your time and advice!!

Susan and Carl

Hello Susan and Carl!

As you may have read, Kashmir White Granite is one of my favorite granite colors. It is the color in my own kitchen. My wife loves it too.

Kashmir White is not high maintenance after it has been properly sealed. Usually I suggest that homeowners simply seal granite themselves but this is one color that requires a couple applications to get to a level of low maintenance; therefore, some sealing experience is required. All you are trying to accomplish with the sealer it blocking the absorption of contaminates like juice and wine. This granite color is still very durable and you can put hot pans right on it. Because there is a little less quartz in this granite and the molecular structure is more ‘loose’ it is more absorbent. Some like to say it is softer, but that is not really an appropriate word to use.

Reading your entire post really helped. I was worried until I read that the white sink was farm house style. I could never recommend a white sink with a stainless refrigerator unless the sink was a farm house style. Farm house sinks should be white used with stainless refrigerators.

The mineral colors in Kashmir White are perfect for your décor. The silver wavy grain structure will compliment the stainless well. Check for any lose garnet specks that you can literally pick off with your fingernail. If you find some of these lose garnets you have to make a decision on how much you like the slab. It does not mean the slab will fall apart, it just means that you have to live with some small pitting. In my opinion, it is not that bad but you need to decide this for yourself.

Natural cherry cabinets with Jatoba flooring make for a very rich, formal and romantic atmosphere. In a kitchen, this is wonderfully subdued to homey, warm and modest by adding the granite color of Kashmir White. The garnets really pull it together but they are subtle. The silver gray with the bluish white background is inviting and tells others that you want them to come into the kitchen. A darker color would say, “I’ve got a cook by myself.”

I would consider going full height with the granite on the splash to light the room even more and appreciate the granite from the vertical position.

Go fancy with the edge detail if you want to a more formal kitchen. I think you need to at least go with a Roman OG edge. You can see edge details swatches at www.HomeGranite.com or www.GraniteStock.com.

Lastly, use pulls that match your faucet and refrigerator. Go with stainless or brushed metal of a similar color. Remember, the sink is a piece of furniture now and should stand on it own so don’t go with a white faucet.

Best wishes!