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!

Tom,

My husband and I are renovating the kitchen of our 19 year old beach home. As we have plans to keep our second home for many years to come, we went fairly high end in the kitchen, particularly with the granite. It is Bianco Antico, which I am told is more commonly known as White Diamond. The granite is stunning. However, when fabricated, the granite counter area by and around the sink – about 100″ long and standard 25 1/2″ counter width, plus there is in an “L” section where the counter curves toward the range, but is part of the 100″ length – was cut into 4 pieces – a large one to the left of the sink where the “L” is, a large one to the right of the sink and two small strips in front and in back of the sink itself. We are extremely disappointed to have the 4 seams in the sink area.

The fabricator made no real attempt to match up the abutting pieces and claims that the stone was fabricated that way because it kept breaking up on them when they were trying to cut out th e hole for the undermount double sink. The stone does have quite a bit of quartz in it – and is “meshed” on the bottom – which is why they are saying it kept breaking apart. The sink is fairly standard size – 31 5/16″ long by 20 3/4″ wide (the larger bowl; smaller one is 15 3/4″ wide). The templater had discussed one large piece for the entire sink area including the “L” and we were not remotely prepared to be looking at 4 seams around our sink. The installers simply showed up with the 4 sink pieces at installation. We have discussed this issue with other granite companies near our primary home, where we recently installed granite in our kitchen as well, and with other granite fabricators in the area of our beach home too. Not one of these companies has indicated they would have treated this particularly stone in that fashion. Every one of them has said they would have cut it in one piece.

My husband and I have a few theories – 1. Not enough manpower. Only 2 men in stalled the granite (in constrast we had 6 at our primary residence, and the granite is not nearly as “fragile”). 2. The fabricator did not order enough stone to begin with. or 3. The fabricator has never worked with this type of stone before and butchered it as a result. As we did not directly hire this fabricator (our cabinet company is acting as GC and did a fine job with the new cabinets), we are at a loss on what to do other than continue to argue with all the parties involved. That seems to be going nowhere as we’ve all dug in our heels. The fabricator says they did everything by MIA standards, which we don’t dispute, but it doesn’t make the seams look any better. Any experience with this stone? Should we just keep quiet and live with the seams? Incidentally, I will also mention that there are many nicks around all the counter edges, not just the sink side counters, that were not properly filled in and the granite was not sealed. We were told we would have to seal it ourselves. My husband and I are sick to our stomachs over all of this especially considering how much we paid (only half up so far though). Thanks for your input! – Maria

Hello Maria,

First let me say that I know the stone very well and have installed it myself in Southern California. It is a beautiful but delicate stone with some inherent factures; however, with normal professional fabrication and installation experience it can be installed perfectly. After looking at your photos, I would have installed your kitchen with one seam at the inside corner or perhaps no seams at all if the sink wall is less than 8 feet long. I can not tell how long it is in the photo.

That being said, you have not been treated fairly if there is more than one seam in your entire kitchen, especially if it was not disclosed prior to fabrication. Furthermore, two seams at the sink is an unprofessional method used to save material. It is not first quality for a custom kitchen project. Furthermore, the MIA would not stand behind this procedure in a custom residential kitchen application.

The seam at the sink is a very poor match as you know. Not only is it a poor match, but utilizing the ’spreader’ piece concept mentioned above makes it even easier to find a part of the slab that matches! Shame on this installer, I say.

Here is what you should do. First, ask them why they cut it this way (in so many pieces). They will probably say that it is because of the size of the slabs. Then, ask them where they bought the slabs and call the supplier to confirm the slab size. You will probably find that the fabricator cut the slabs vertically instead of horizontally in order to save material. If they had cut the pieces horizontally then the sink piece would have been long enough to stretch to the corner.

After a little more research, you need to get a local experience fabricator to write a little report for you. Get someone with at least 10 years of experience. Then, present the report to the contractor. You should also check with your state contractor’s board to know your rights. You have more rights than you think and a contractor is not going to fight you when his subcontractor has not complied with industry standards.

Regarding the chips in this granite, they can easily be fixed by a fabricator with the proper experience.

Best wishes!

Hi Tom,

We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and also the floor ( kitchen / dining/ living room ). We have chosen Volga Blue for the counter tops and island. We are leaning towards natural maple for the cabinetry but are in a quandary for the porcelain tile color. We have looked at a light gray /gold color and also something in a slate pattern. Does that scheme make sense. We are a little concerned about how dark it may make the rooms look. To compound our issue, we have light sunset / brown pavers on a big deck just outside the sliding doors. Do I have to be worried about that? Or is the inside the inside and the outside the outside, and don’t sweat it. We would really appreciate your thoughts.

Keiko

Hello Keiko

I want to direct you to a webpage that has a photo of a Volga Blue kitchen with light oak cabinets: R Stone Restorations on GraniteStock.com

I really link this arrangement and because Volga Blue is so dark, strong, beautiful that you should blend the floor into the cabinets when using any other cabinet color but white. If you use white cabinets, then matching your exterior red/brown pavers in the kitchen would be perfect.

If you can not do a wood floor like the photo in the link above, search for a matte finish porcelain tile in 18×18 or 24×24 in a slightly mottled color which is just a little bit lighter than your cabinet color. The cabinets and the floor will appear to be the sample color because of the ceiling lighting and the difference in finishes. Since the floor is matte finish and rectilinear, the articulation of the cabinets will feature the countertops even though the floor and the cabinets are the same color.

You really do not want to add more colors in a Volga Blue kitchen. See other responses that I have written about Volga Blue (search it on The Rock Blog).

Best wishes and I hope that I helped.

Hello Tom,

My question is about what granite color to select for my 80’s kitchen: I have original honey oak cathedral type cabinets (still in good condition – plan to have them refinished, however, to get rid of any evidence of wear, possibly glaze to change color), taupe floor, bisque appliances that probably won’t be replaced in the near term. The kitchen itself is on the smaller side (12 x 16) but bright (eastern exposure, 3 windows). Decorating style of my house is modern-eclectic; taupe base, grays, blacks (stone coffee table, dr chairs, etc), wine accents, blue/sage green in places as well (adjoining living room & dining room), but those are pretty muted. Kitchen is brighter – still taupe base but watercolor with brighter colors (blues, yellows, oranges, pinks). I am drawn to Volga Blue and I’m wondering if I can make this work in my kitchen – with the right tile backsplash perhaps (taupe?)? Other colors I have considered so far are Tropic Brown, Verde Maritaka (really like the “flow” in this granite), Juparana Royale & Giallo Antico.

Help!!

Maria

Hello Maria,

Volga Blue from the Ukraine is beautiful with its deep colors and large opalescent features. It is best presented in a bright room and with the backsplash in the same color. There is just not enough surface area on the countertop alone to appreciate Volga blue and this stone on a full height back splash really give the best presentation. Furthermore, this color can look oily sometimes so you need to be an above average tidy person to keep the countertops wiped clean.

That being said, if you don’t see using granite for the splash, then Verde Maritaca with a cream tumbled travertine would look very nice with Eastern sunlight but I am worried about the Taupe floors. If you lighten your cabinets a lot, then the Verde Maritaca should compliment the taupe very nicely. This would be bright in the morning and charming at night.

I don’t recommend Tropic Brown with bisque appliances because it will just make overall décor in your kitchen very dull, too much brown/green tone with the tops and the floor will not work well with bisque. You should switch to stainless if decide to you go with Tropic Brown.

Juparana Royal and Giallo Antico are very similar as you know. Both these Brazilian granites match stainless appliances very well but are bright enough to use with bisque as well. With your cabinets this works very well and should compliment the taupe in the floor perfectly. I like either of these selections best with a very light travertine splash. Match the cabinets to the color tone of the splash and you will bring it all together. Wall paint can be white.

Best wishes!

Hi Tom,

My wife and I are looking to redo our master bathroom. The room has a bathtub and separate shower enclosure. We will also be replacing the existing ugly white Corian countertop with granite, as well as the cabinets and flooring. The granite has been tentatively narrowed to 3 choices; Rosso Fiorentino, Verde Fire and Crema Bordeaux.

The Rosso is our first choice because it is so striking and has the deep red we are looking for but we are at a loss as to what coloring to choose around it. Should we choose a dark cherry wood to blend with the deep tones, or a contrasting light wood? Originally we wanted flooring with more warm tones, but this may not go with the Rosso. Perhaps we should choose an easier granite to decorate around.

As for the shower enclosure and tub surround we have looked at natural stones but are concerned with upkeep, porcelain would seem a viable alternate. Any suggestions concerning color and material would be appreciated. A sales associate at one of the tile wholesalers recommended Seagrass limestone as a match but my internet searching would seem to indicate that is a poor choice for a shower.

- Rick

Hello Rick

Rosso Fiorentino is a beautiful stone and I highly recommend it. It will require a good sealer application about once a year to keep soap scum from dulling the finish. I would suggest a dark cherry or even mahogany stain for the base. Definitely don’t go with light wood or else you will turn your turn your tub into a cherry lifesaver candy. The contrast is just too much for elegance.

If you go with a dark wood, you have choices with the floor and shower wall tile. I would definitely do the same color tile for both the floor and the walls in a matt or honed finish. You can go as light as Beaumaniere limestone, or as dark as Noce Travertine. I like the Beaumaniere limestone best for this pallet. I would use a large 12″x24″ running bond module for the floors and walls. Try to find 24″x24″ tiles and cut them in half. If the room is small, 9″x18″ will do.

If you really want to reduce your maintenance then porcelain tile is the way to go. Finally there is some incredible stone simulated porcelain in the marketplace to choose from. You need to look hard and find large tiles in the colors that match the stone colors I mentioned above.

The stone combination I mentioned will make the room look like a million bucks. You need to go all the way with it and match the countertops in the same tub deck stone or limestone. Let me know what you decide and I would love to see a photo of this completed remodel.

Best wishes!

Hi Tom

We are just starting to go the granite route for our kitchen countertops. I’m considering a granite in the dark brown to red family. The granite company we will most likely go with recommended a 2-3 inch backsplash with the rest of the backsplash going up to the cabinets in some form of stone; I think it was silestone. Do you think that would like nice?

Anyway, my appliances are white and cabinets are white. What do you recommend for my sink? I was thinking of a granite composite sink in white or do you think I should do a color? I am not thrilled about a stainless so I’d rather not go that route. And by the way, my floor is white tile.

Also what are your thoughts about a granite composite sink? Good idea?

- Maricia

Hello Maricia,

One of the hardest colors to work with is White for two reasons. Whites do not match other whites, and whites go with everything else (a lot of choices!). You have white tile floors and white cabinets. This is OK because these are two separate elements in the kitchen. However, you need some color in the kitchen as well as pull the eye away from the floor/cabinet transition.

Even though you will bring color into your kitchen with the granite, you still need to go with a white sink. A stainless sink will look really out of place and too sterile with the white floor and cabinets. Go with white glazed cast iron for a clean look. I know what you mean about the granite composite sinks but unless it is black, smoke or bronze, I think the granite composite just looks more like something you would find in a Laundromat.

For the granite countertop, you mentioned dark brown or red. I think that is very interesting because what goes very well with white is reddish brown. Red is too hot on its own and brown is to cold with white. Together they are a perfect compliment to whites. My three favorites for you in order are Juparana Ipe, Dakota Mahogany or Tan Brown. These have the right color temperature and are very beautiful.

Regarding your backsplash, in your case I feel you should definitely go with full height granite splashes. You need the more color in your kitchen and the horizontal surface just is not enough.

My very best wishes to you and let me know what you decide!

Hi Tom, Glad I found your site. I’ve been stressing over the color of granite I should use in our “once in a lifetime kitchen”.

We began the project knowing that we would have to work around our wood floors which are a red oak stained in a medium wood tone. (Minwax… 3/4 provincial… 1/4 natural.) So, we have chosen creamy white cabinetry with a glaze (looks like honey). The cabinet color is called Amaretto. We are doing the island cabinetry in a dark wood – 3 to 4 shades darker than the floors. The color is called distressed English toffee. We have 9 foot ceilings and are taking the cabinets to the ceiling (48 inch upper cabinets) with a 6 inch thick crown molding. Our kitchen is medium size 18 x 14 including a little breakfast nook in a bay window.

We have chosen stainless steel appliances. The refrigerator and dishwasher will have overlays. I am considering a stainless sink with brushed nickel knobs, pulls and faucet. I lean toward country French in design. My house is a newer (1994) home and very elegant (formal dining and living room) 2 story. Have not decided on wall color yet; that will be the last decision. We use our kitchen a lot; have our children, their spouses and grandchildren over all the time. We like to work together in the kitchen. I love for things to always look neat and clean with little maintenance.

My questions….
What granite would you suggest? I have looked at New Venetian Gold, Santa Fe Brown (a darker choice), Giallo Ornamental (seems to miss for some reason), and Santa Cecilia (the showroom shows this with the amaretto cabinetry). I like darker granite as well, but I keep hearing that the blacks are too nineties. Should I do the perimeter in one granite and the island in another? what would you suggest in that case? What would you use for the backsplash? I see pictures on some of the granite sites with matching granite countertops and backsplashes…what do you think of that? Is tiling the backsplash the more traditional way to go?

I thank you for any suggestions you can offer. I am feeling frustrated because there are so many beautiful choices.

Catherine

Hello Catherine,

Your kitchen is perfectly set up for a two-color granite scheme and I really feel that I know exactly what to recommend. First, let me steer you completely away from New Venetian Gold or Giallo Ornamental. They will wash out the whole kitchen when combined with the Amaretto cabinet color with honey colored glazed. That would be not consistent with the “once in a lifetime” kitchen that you want to love everyday.

Here is what I recommend. Find a dark version of Ubatuba Granite without too much gold veining. This is hard to find because the darker versions are the one that have been exposed to sunlight longer. The sunlight also accentuates the gold veining so it is normal that the darker the Ubatuba, the more gold veining will be visible. However, find slabs that feel almost black but you it really a rich dark green. You will know it when you see it. Just avoid the brighter green color slabs and the ones that are riddle with gold veining. Use this color for the perimeter countertops. You will love it and after 18 years in the granite business, I still feel that nothing looks better with stainless appliances than the color of Ubatuba that I described.

Now, for the island. You really can have some fun without going overboard. Selecting another color can be a mega design hit or it can be just plane silly looking. Personally, I would recommend Espirito Santo or Juperana Bronze or Typhoon Bordeaux. These are very classy granite colors and will go nicely with your floor and cabinet pallet.

For your backsplash, I still like tile when it is appropriate. My own kitchen has full height granite splashes but my décor is totally different. In your case, you should use natural stone tile that is the same color as your cabinets. Try to match the color exactly. It would be great if you could find a light yellow/cream marble or travertine mosaic in a small ‘brick pattern’ and put that up above the Ubatuba granite all the way to the bottom of the upper cabinets. Either honed or polished finish would look great, just not tumbled and no accents, please!

For the granite edge details, you can not go with a very fancy edge because the room is just not big enough. Some people just love a full bullnose feel so if you are that way, consider going with a full bullnose only at the island and a half-bullnose at the counters. Otherwise, a straight edge with a 1/4″ top round would be more French.

When you put the above pallet together, I think you will see that it brings designer concepts and color to your kitchen. The way I described it, you might thing it is too busy, but I think you will see it all works together. Let me know what you decide!

My very best wishes!

Tom:

I am remodeling a kitchen with red oak floors and cherry cabinets with a pecan finish. We have black appliances and will have a black kohler cast iron undermount sink. We’re considering English Brown granite. Do you consider that a good choice and do you have any other recommendations?
The peninsula counter is 11′ long so will require a seam. How do we avoid an abrupt color/grain transition at that seam?

We will also have a 12″ overhang for bar seating. We expect to need undermounted support for the overhang. Any recommendations in that area?

Thanks very much–you have a great site! – Clayton

Hello Clayton

You’ve got a beautiful décor stated there and choosing the right granite will definitely pull it all together. The English Brown Granite with the right brown tones is perfect. I could not make a better suggestion.

Regarding your island, having a seam in the middle of your island is never desirable. Some installers can do an excellent job, but personally, I would rather have a smaller island than a seam in the middle. Everyone will see it and you will be shock at how may will reach to feel if the transition is smooth or not. Now here is the good news. This granite from India can be found in slabs that are very large. I have contracted the installation for an island in this granite that was longer than 11 feet. This is one of the few granites that are sold is slabs that long so just keep looking.

There are two other similar colors from India that you should look at if you can not find a slab long enough for your island. They are called Tan Brown and American Mahogany. I don’t think you will like the American Mahogany even thought it would go very well with your decor. The colors are the same but the mineral matrix is much tighter. Tan Brown Granite is very similar and can often be sold as English Brown. The difference between Tan Brown and English Brown is the amount of black and the redness of the brown orthoclase minerals. Tan Brown is handsome and elegant with a black sink, red oak floors and your pecan washed cabinets. Just bee sure to inspect the slabs closely for open pock marks. Good quality slabs in this color are resin filled at the factory so they should look very smooth looking.

Regarding your overhang, I’ve written a couple good responses to this question in the past which are the best to give you complete information.

See these two posts: Supporting Granite With Corbels and Installing Granite With An Overhang

If the references above do not answer all your questions, please write back to me and I will provide more information.

My best wishes!

Feedback in response to the post “Is Colonial Cream Problematic?“

Hello Tom,

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my concern about Colonial Cream granite. Just as you said, the granite turned out beautiful and, having picked a reputable fabricator, we are indeed happy with the results.

Thank you again,
Maria

Tom, Hi I’m from London England. I stumbled upon your site by accident just at the moment of making some final choices on my Kitchen scheme. I would like your advice on the following colours please.

We are having a new Walnut kitchen installed. We are considering Kashmir White Granite worktops with no upstands but instead having glass splashbacks in lime green or something slightly paler, such as the border on this website page, along the back of the kitchen from the top of the granite to the underside of the wall units

My question is will the splashbacks go with the the rest of the scheme.

I understand that the walnut, green and Kasmir white are rather a contrast which i like, but I do not want to make a complete dogs dinner of it.

Thanks, Kieron

Hello Kieron,

Kashmir White from India is the same color in my kitchen so I certainly like that choice. This granite has a very soft green/blue/gray cast beyond the predominately white background. Here are a couple things to know about this granite: Check the garnets and be sure they are not heavily fractured. This can cause the garnets to pop out later. If the slabs you chose have heavily fractured garnets, just choose other slabs. Secondly, Kashmir White is more porous than other granites. This is not a problem as long as you seal it well. See my article called “Sealing and Cleaning Your Granite“.

You mentioned lime green glass for the splash. I certainly think glass in a 4″x4″ module would look beautiful as long it is opaque and a small variety of shades. I’m not sure about the lime green tone. Please take a looks at a pale blue/green glass. Even some stronger opaque blue accents would look nice, compliment the stone and the walnut cabinets, and bring some more color into your kitchen. This gives you more options with dish towels and other accessories as well.

Lastly, I did not hear you mention the color of your sink. Hopefully, you are going with white cast iron as I don’t think stainless looks good with Kashmir white. My best wishes!

Tom Cordova