Granite, marble countertop advice

[kickingfrog]

Looking for tips, advice and contacts (Barrie area) for granite/marble countertops.

 

Thanks for the help.

[Shloim]

Granite is a better choice for kitchens, less staining and better heat resistance. Most fabricators are the same price. I'm a builder in Toronto not sure if my guys will make the trip

[craigdritchie]

For God's sake, do NOT even think about using marble in a kitchen. It's extremely soft stone, so it won't take long at all for the surface to be scuffed and scratched, and look absolutely awful. Beyond that, marble is extremely porous, so it absorbs liquids like crazy. Every drop of wine, spaghetti sauce, terriyake, soya sauce etc will leave a permanent stain - regardless of how careful you are to seal it first. Marble looks great when it's brand new, but put it in the kitchen and I promise you'll hate it within six months.

 

For heavy-use areas like kitchen counters, you want something that wears, and granite is the standard. You'll still need to seal it, and give it an annual re-seal, but it lasts forever and looks absolutely great.

 

Even better, consider going all-out for quartz countertops like Caesarstone or Cambria. Caesarstone has its own look (you either love it or hate it) while Cambria comes in a range of finishes and can be impossible to tell from granite. It's also resistant to heat, but unlike granite, Cambria doesn't need to be sealed. It's as low maintenance as you can get, and looks fantastic. Cost is not that much more than granite, and it adds to your home's resale value.

 

When we renovated our home last year (stripped to the studs on all four walls) we put Cambria in the kitchen and I feel it was the best decision we could have made. Every morning you walk downstairs and see it and think holy crap, that looks amazing.

 

We put marble in the bathrooms. It's now 8 months later and I regret that decision. Should have put Cambria there too. The marble counters in both the main bath and the ensuite were professionally sealed, and already there are tiny stains here and there, along with several small scuffs and scratches. That was an expensive mistake I will never repeat.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Craig_Ritchie

[wallyboss]

Not sure if you have a company like this " http://granitetransforma1.rtrk.ca/?scid=80821&kw=229738:7&pub_cr_id=15453314949 " in you area. But I upgraded my counters 2 years ago and they did an amazing job.

 

 

It is real granite, just not 2" thick. They come and measure and they build at the factory. Then they just install it right on top of your existing counter.

Edited March 26, 2013 by wallyboss

[lew]

We have white cabinets in our kitchen with a white floor and went with black granite counter tops and it looks really outstanding.

 

You get some choices on the style of edges you want cut into the granite Rob, and also different ends, so be sure to see all they have to offer.

Edited March 26, 2013 by lew

[Dara]

Corian, or the same stuff under a different trade name.

Solid surface counter tops.

Doesn't stain, you don't need to seal it

If you scratch it you buff it out.

Its softer than rock so when you or the kids set a glass on it you don't have to worry about chipping the glass.

You can get any edge you want because they cut it with a router.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Dara

[aplumma]

Corian gets my vote. I have hooked up the plumbing in 100's of kitchens and seen them down the road. The Corian or Dupont products are the best way to go for an active kitchen. If you go with granite make sure it is smooth with no places where your fingernail can feel edges. The granite depending on what piece it is may look smooth on the sample but is rough due to the mineral content in it. The browns are the most problematic in my experience. Good luck on your choice it is nice to have new tops once you put them in they make a big difference in the appearance of the room.

 

 

Art

[kickingfrog]

Thanks guys. I'll take a look at the other options mentioned and definitely stay away from marble.

[Twocoda]

Corian gets my vote too....alot of people in this area are starting to use limestone....but if your heart is set on granite...THE TOP SHOP in London serves all of southern ontario and beautiful work

[mattybculp]

Depending on the size you need width and length ofcourse ask if they have any off cuts. I had to put a couter top on my reception area an "L" cove approx 8ft by 2 3/4 ft. I went out to a place that had all different kinds of counter tops Corian, marble, granite, etc. They had huge pieces of granite sitting outfront of there wearhouse and show room, I went in picked out a colour which i liked and got that price i believe it was 1300.00 bucks plus another 600.00 to have it measured up and installed. So I asked what was the deal with all the large pieces of granite out front they told me they were off cuts with imperfections in them. So I went out found the same coulour i wanted and the size i was looking for could be cut outta that slab and miss the flaw all together. Ended up costing me 450.00 we decided to do our own measurements ( and we checked like 6 times to make sure we had the correct measurements, there were lots of little different cuts to accomondate walls and trim) and install it ourselves we used a mini van with all the seats removed ( a new caravan) and lots of packing blankets and just drive easy make sure you got a few bodies to help you lift it. If your measurements are correct, it was pretty easy to install and im by no means handy. Its worth the savings to do it yourself with some planning if its pretty straight forward, unless its complicated and then you may want to spend the bucks and have them come and measure it up and install it. In my opinion I like the look of granite better than corian. Just my 2 cents.

[BITEME]

yeah drop me in for Corian as well cant complain

[fisher]

Next is to decide on whether to have the counter go straight back to the backsplash, or have a lip of corian/granite run across the back of the counter. I prefer the straight back to the backsplash as it gives you more room on the counter and I think it looks better.

 

We did that when we replaced our laminate countertops with granite and were lucky to have found a box of our same backsplash tiles in the basement that the builder had left behind...so we easily were able to match it.

[camillj]

Granite rocks .. did my kitchen a couple years back .... looks like yesterday ... did the cottage this winter ... looks like fantabulous .. I wish I did it years ago

[mcdougy]

The look of granite is very nice and hard to match. It is a rock. It is pourous. It requires some maintaince. no warranty . I like Corian ,lifetime warranty, non-pourous, can be refinished. Corian is in all the new hospitals, for the cleanliness (non pourous) application, and it is a very stable product vs a 1 000 000 000 piece of beautiful rock.

[backbay]

I like the look of Corian, and the chance of a glass not breaking if it tips over is a bonus for sure, but having done had two kitchen renos in the past, both times we found sheets of granite that we fell in love with. There's not much that looks better, imo.

[moxie]

Corian, or the same stuff under a different trade name.

Solid surface counter tops.

Doesn't stain, you don't need to seal it

If you scratch it you buff it out.

Its softer than rock so when you or the kids set a glass on it you don't have to worry about chipping the glass.

You can get any edge you want because they cut it with a router.

X2. I do some work with a friend that holds re-fitting contracts with McDonalds Canada and have installed quite a few Corian counters. Great product.

Edited March 29, 2013 by moxie

[solopaddler]

If you're leaning towards granite have a look at what this company is doing. Much cheaper and the finished product is spectacular.

 

http://www.sauderdesign.com/

[captpierre]

I would stay away from very light coloured granite because it can stain as others have said.

 

I like granite because it is natural and is unique, especially if you get some with a cool pattern.

 

It's way cheaper if you go to the manufacturer directly. There are tons of them in the Jane/Hwy 7 area. Lots of competition.

 

Avoid the box stores like HD. Most guys will throw in a double SS sink as well and install it.

 

We paid about $3K for a lot of counter space. Looks amazing and I'm sure we'll get it back when we sell.

 

peter