# What problems have you had with Granite?



## talkamotta (Mar 27, 2007)

I read the thread on Granite, Corian, or Quartz.  

Corian is out.  So its between Granite and Quartz.  The salesmen really love Quartz.  Dont know if its because they get a better commission or what?  Price is close.  I am putting in  medium/dark cherry cabinets and I thought the green granite would look good (maybe a little dark) but there is a lighter brown speckled quartz that looks ok not great like the green granite.  The advantages of the quartz out weight  the granite.  Its the staining on granite Im worried about?  

So granite and quartz users out there, what are your thoughts?


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## Deb from NC (Mar 27, 2007)

I LOVE my granite.  I've had it 2 years now...no problems whatsoever.
Don't let people scare you about the need for sealing...sealing is no
big deal, I do it myself once a year, it takes about an hour.  As far
as the appearance of corian vs quartz vs granite, I just prefer granite, but
that's a  matter of personal opinion.  Most people seem to share it, however!


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## lynne (Mar 27, 2007)

We had granite installed over 12 years ago when we remodeled the kitchen.  We chose a very dark green granite (Uba Tuba) and self-sealed it every 1 - 2 years.  It was as beautiful and durable when we sold the house last June as when we had it installed.  

We are again remodeling the kitchen in our new home and chose granite again.  For our bathroom remodel, we decided on Silestone (Quartz) as we did not want to deal with a slab and a fabricator.


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## abbekit (Mar 27, 2007)

We've had our granite for three years and have had no problems at all.  Just love it!  It is black and we had it sealed when installed but have not re-sealed it.  I have since read that with black granite you don't need to seal it at all so we haven't worried about that.  

I wears like, well... granite.  It is a very hard surface.  I'm careful to wipe up any spills, especially careful with anything acidic like wine or vinegar.  I do cut on it if only cutting something quickly (like an apple or a slice of cheese) otherwise I do use cutting boards.  But I can't tell the difference as it doesn't scratch at all.  

We had Corian in a previous kitchen but love the granite much more.  It still looks brand new.


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## Kay H (Mar 27, 2007)

My granite kitchen counter tops are about 5 yrs old and I love it.  No problems or staining at all.  It is called blue sapphire but has no blue in it .  It is primarily black with brown, beige and gray with speckles of mica.  My dark brown cabinets really bring out the brown in it.


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## mamiecarter (Mar 27, 2007)

*Granite is top[ of the line!*

You may never want to sell but still it tells you something that granite counter tops sell houses. Granet doesnt stain. Has no problems. Doesn't scar. It is too hard to cut on, will ruin your knives so use a cutting board. Forget Quartz!!


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## Glynda (Mar 27, 2007)

*Granite*

I love the dark brown granite that I have with my lightly stained cherry cabinets. No problems with it at all.

I HATE the Absolute Black granite that I have on my bathroom vanities.  It shows dust and water stains badly.  It has a kind of haze over it.  I suspect I need to get the but I won't go with it again.  I have a different black around my fireplaces and on the hearths which looks great.


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## talkamotta (Mar 27, 2007)

I never thought redoing a kitchen would be so stressful.  (and I havent started doing any work yet).  I didnt have any problem picking out the cherry cabinets.  The stain is autum blush.  The tile floor has lots of vague muted colors in it including red, green, grays, brown and yellow. Im going with the  20" tiles, there is about 500 square feet.  The tile changes colors during the day.  So the only thing I have had to worry about is the counter top.  

I saw a large slab on display at one of the stores and it was so beautiful.  I know each slab can vary but I just loved it.  Its a darker shade of green. I like the characteristics of the granite.  It has those little shiny spots in it.


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## Glynda (Mar 27, 2007)

*ooops*

I thought I had typed "I suspect I need to get the installers back..."


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## elaine (Mar 27, 2007)

*WE (and many I know) have the Uba Tuba*

It's the green/black one--it looks great with cherry and you can ask for a slap that has more green, if you want--ours is more green than black, while others can be more black. It is also in the CHEAPEST price category--as low as $39 ft.  Of course, cuts, demolishing old counters, etc., add to price.
The only thing I would say is that black/dark is VERY "in" right now---and I wonder if it will stay that "in" 10 years from now.


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## Rose Pink (Mar 27, 2007)

talkamotta said:


> I never thought redoing a kitchen would be so stressful. (and I havent started doing any work yet). I didnt have any problem picking out the cherry cabinets. The stain is autum blush. The tile floor has lots of vague muted colors in it including red, green, grays, brown and yellow. Im going with the 20" tiles, there is about 500 square feet. The tile changes colors during the day. So the only thing I have had to worry about is the counter top.


 
I am soooo jealous!  At least you have your cabinets picked out.  DH and I are still arguing about the layout (and that's why I haven't been working on my Pensacola plans).  Where are you getting your cabinets?  I want to go with Chris & Dick's.  Friends highly recommended them.  Their showroom is gorgeous!  

As for the stress, read "Bless Our Contractors" in the March/April AARP magazine (starts on page 50).  It is subtitled "Our kitchen redo went horribly wrong--and we couldn't be happier."  I have a copy posted on my fridge.

I think we may need marriage counseling before this is over.  I was looking at appliances at Gygi's telling the salesman my woes.  Had him in hysterics.  He told me to come back for laughs anytime.  DH doesn't appreciate my humor, though.


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## talkamotta (Mar 27, 2007)

Lynne:

When I went to the store to pick out the counter tops Ubatuba was the color I had in mind. That was a coincidence.  I hope it is more green than black.  They had another color that was the same price and it was dark green but it had blues in it.  I hope it looks good.  I have a day or two to think about it; they are going to give me a bid and call me, but Im pretty set on it.

To Rose Pink:

My kitchen is 30 years old and with the 5 kids and thier kids and friends, it is a disaster area.  I have the original linoleum, butcher block formica and cupboards that have been painted. The kitchen should have been gutted 5 years ago. (But I had places to go). It just cant wait any longer.   They asked if I wanted to have the installers removed the cabinets.  No, Im going to relieve all my frustrations on those cabinets. They will only be good for Sandy pickup when Im done. 

I looked at Chris and Dicks, they are beautiful.  My brother who has been a contractor for years recommended Chris and Dicks. Was thinking of the lighter cherry cabinets that are right by the sales desks (more expensive) or another pattern I liked (less expensive). They gave me a high and low quote which was a little more than Lowes. It was a hard decision which place to pick.  I had heard that the big box stores have a large markup but I saw the wholesale price quotes (by accident) and there wasnt that big of a markup.  The cabinets Im picking are Kraftmaid.  They were rated pretty good in consumer reports.  Chris and Dicks are Karman.  Karman  have been around locally and has a very good name and if there was a problem local is good.  

The salesman at C&D's  didnt want to deal with quartz or granite.  Maybe it was just him and it was late. They sell the corian type.  I wanted to buy the cabinets and counter tops from the same place, so it would be easier to coordinate installation.  (hopefully)  Right now its about 3 weeks without a kitchen.  (Maybe summer or fall would be a good time to look at Park City timeshares) 

I picked May/June to do this because I could put my hutch and table (if I have to) out on the patio.  I have accumulated alot of stuff in those cupboards.  Oh my goodness!  I also have been going to the D.I. alot.  Good luck when you start.


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## riverdees05 (Mar 27, 2007)

We have a new house and have granite tops.  No one told us about sealing, what do we need to do?


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## janapur (Mar 27, 2007)

We love our granite!! Uba tuba seems to be very popular with others as well.


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## talkamotta (Mar 27, 2007)

Rose Pink said:


> I think we may need marriage counseling before this is over.  I was looking at appliances at Gygi's telling the salesman my woes.  Had him in hysterics.  He told me to come back for laughs anytime.  DH doesn't appreciate my humor, though.



My son is getting married May 5th. My future dil went to Gygi's (for reception supplies); went over to the decorating area  and I just drooled.  Every single display was so beautiful.... I'll take one of each... I was afraid to ask for a quote from them.


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## happymum (Mar 28, 2007)

LOVE my granite.


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## lbertera (Mar 28, 2007)

I love my granite tops.  Mine are grey, beige, and black and absorb a little more than other granites.  If you get a stain there is this clay that you buy and mix with water, place it on the stain, place plastic wrap on it and wait 24 to 48 hours and it will remove the stain.  Wine is a real culprit.  If I was buying I would ask for samples and test how absorbent the samples are with water, wine, oil.  Dark granites would show less stains.


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## abbekit (Mar 28, 2007)

Our black granite is called San Gabriel Black.  It has flecks of golden colors in it that sparkle in the light.  It's really beautiful.  We have beech cabinets and we love the look.  We don't worry whether or not it's considered trendy five or ten years from now (I'm sure it will still be in great condition).  Granite is classic.


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## Deb from NC (Mar 28, 2007)

Ours is called "Crystal Gold"... a mixture of golds, browns and black.  Love
it!  (And it doesn't show dirt at all    )
To the person who asked about sealing---it is recommended that you seal
granite annually.  You can buy a granite sealer at home depot for less
than $ 10.  It's just a liquid/cream you put on, let dry for a half hour
or so, then rub off.  It keeps spills, etc from being absorbed into the stone.


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## kjgrain (Mar 28, 2007)

riverdees05 said:


> We have a new house and have granite tops.  No one told us about sealing, what do we need to do?



You should call who ever installed your granite for you and ask them about sealing.  Ours is sealed from the installer but I have a travertine limestone farm house sink and the manufacturer sent a maint package with the sink for care.  It included a granite, stone sealer and you just clean the granite and wipe this stuff on with a foam brush then buff.  I try to do this once or twice a year (better to be safe than sorry).  It only takes me about 45 minutes from start to finish to do my whole kitchen.


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## aliikai2 (Mar 28, 2007)

*We went with Corian and Quartz*

See attached photo

Joyce didn't want seems, and with the long counters there was no way to fit Granite without a lot of seems.

She chose the darker Quartz for the island amd the lighter corian for the countertops. 

We use cutting boards, and trivets. The counters are just about 18 months old, and still look new.:whoopie: 

Now the Pergo floor, well that is a different matter... 
Greg


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## xzhan02 (Mar 28, 2007)

kjgrain said:


> You should call who ever installed your granite for you and ask them about sealing.  Ours is sealed from the installer but I have a travertine limestone farm house sink and the manufacturer sent a maint package with the sink for care.  It included a granite, stone sealer and you just clean the granite and wipe this stuff on with a foam brush then buff.  I try to do this once or twice a year (better to be safe than sorry).  It only takes me about 45 minutes from start to finish to do my whole kitchen.



Some granites are very hard and poreless and do not require sealing:  This include Emerald pearl, blue pearl, black galaxy etc.  If you try to seal those, the sealer will not be absorbed and will form a layer of haze.


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## talkamotta (Mar 30, 2007)

Thanks for all your help.  I feel good about Uba tuba.  I saw a big slab in one of the Home Depot stores and it was so beautiful.  

It will be fun to go pick out my slab, they can be so different. I'll let you know later how it turned out.  

Thanks again


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## caribbeansun (Mar 31, 2007)

Do they not allow you to pick your own slab?  Our contractor had many slabs on-site to pick from and if we hadn't found what we liked we had the option to go with them to the distributor and choose from 1000's of slabs.  FYI - we love our granite and it sets the cherry cabinets off perfectly!

hehe - just saw your post above which made this redundant.



talkamotta said:


> Lynne:
> 
> When I went to the store to pick out the counter tops Ubatuba was the color I had in mind. That was a coincidence.  I hope it is more green than black.  They had another color that was the same price and it was dark green but it had blues in it.  I hope it looks good.  I have a day or two to think about it; they are going to give me a bid and call me, but Im pretty set on it.


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