Kitchen Granite Advice . . .

[yazhound]

I would use the granite as back splash also. Grout around sink / water will require much more cleaning. More exps with granite but in end better looking and easier to maintain.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by mthomas58

Granite with color samples of wall color, cabinet color and backsplash. Not sure we want to go with the glass subway tiles but the color match is good - still looking.

Looks good. I think that the glass tiles look cheap. I know they are the rage right now, but I wonder how long they will be in fashion. We went with plain white subway tiles with strategic accent tiles.

Ian

[mthomas58]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

Looks good. I think that the glass tiles look cheap. I know they are the rage right now, but I wonder how long they will be in fashion. We went with plain white subway tiles with strategic accent tiles.

Ian

And the glass tiles are 2-3 times the cost of tile/stone - go figure. Wifey & interior designer found this ealier today (glass tile combo). She loves it so I guess we are done with the selections! It's a little busy but the colors are a perfect match and I think there is enough contrast in the materials in the backsplash and it's geometric pattern vs the granite swirls.

The grey/green will be the wall color and the base cabinet color for the Island

Thanks for letting me share and I'll be sure to post the after shots. Construction starts on the 24th and will take 7-10 days so I figure 2 weeks. We're not moving any walls but are replacing the builtin kitchen desk with a couter height base cabinet with more storage and 4 glass doors above, expanding the island to add a 1,200 CFM downdraft vent hood and exteding the counter top opposite the sink to accomodate bar stool seating and elimination of the kitchen table which we rarely use in favor of t small leather recliners in a keeping room setup.

[mthomas58]

Counters were templated last week and today we recieved the computer mock up of the layout/seam locations for approval. Good news is that we have enough excess material to do the downstairs bathroom vanity! Pretty cool technology. Template was done with laser on a tripod hooked up to a computer vs luan wood strips and a blue gun. They did a very nice job on the layout given an somewhat exotic granite pattern.

[imcarthur]

That looks great, Mark. Aside from visual entertainment, another benefit of wild granite is that it masks a lot of the crumbs which really stand out in a solid color.

Ian

[andy_uranium]

We put a stainless steel top in our kitchen, seamless and integrated sinks, can't beat it IMO. If I was going for a stone look I would use a quartz top.

[FrankyV]

Originally Posted by gizmofixer

Never put your joint in front of the sink!!
That is the weakest point in the top, can create sealing leaks for the sink, and is the most visible spot of all.
i would seam the pieces in the left side, the least used and least noticeable place.

Agreed, that is where mine is and it's not obvious at all.

[mthomas58]

Originally Posted by mthomas58

Ian, how about a pic of the finished project? We are going under the knife next week. We picked out an exotic (Mombasa)that really jumped out at us both. Pricey and we need 3 slabs but its what we want. Here is a pic of the granite and the before pics. New cabinets will also be an off white - too much oak now.

Progress update after 2 weeks. We're getting close. Granite is scheduled for install next Wednesday.

[mthomas58]

Originally Posted by mthomas58

Progress update after 2 weeks. We're getting close. Granite is scheduled for install next Wednesday.

Well, as expected, our 7-10 day job took 4 weeks. Very pleased with the way it turned out! The granite installers contributed to the delay. They cut the cook top opening in the wrong place and drilled the fawcet holes incorrect without even asking us. They had to source a new slab from the same lot in FL so I'm pretty sure they lost money on the job.