Battle of the Countertops
I am working with a very tight budget for a full renovation with contractors holding very tight pursestrings (money is doled out to them from loan). We have gotten to the countertop stage……and I have wanted stone (either honed granite or Caeserstone/Silestone product) since we began. They are now suggesting I look at “Chinese granite”;…
I am working with a very tight budget for a full renovation with contractors holding very tight pursestrings (money is doled out to them from loan). We have gotten to the countertop stage……and I have wanted stone (either honed granite or Caeserstone/Silestone product) since we began. They are now suggesting I look at “Chinese granite”; from what I understand it is lower-priced granite product. Park Slope Kitchen Gallery, where I purchased cabinets, is suggesting the same, for budgetary purposes. Can anyone shed any light on this? Frankly, I do not want any Chinese-made product (within reason, I am cognisant of modern manufacturing)in my kitchen where I will be slicing and placing food on (yes I use a cutting board).
I so appreciate any of the responses, thank you.
Luckily, counters are the very easiest thing to replace and really don’t need a contractor. If it were me, I’d put in the cheapest ready-cut formica from home depot or butcher block from Ikea for $100 and complete your renovation. Then, when you’ve kissed off your contractors, go to a stone yard and order the stone. They’ll measure and install and do all that.
Also, if the budget is this tights and you have additional costs along the way, I really do feel that counters are something that you can do later. I’d rather have this as my “next year” project than, say, having to make compromises and install a cheaper floor or cheaper doors or cheaper plumbing or not rewiring the living room or skipping the stall shower or whatever it might be.
We put dark green granite countertops in our kitchn nearly 13 years ago. We’ve never done a thing to them, and they look fabulous. Maybe staining is problem with lighter colors?
At the time we purchased our granite, the price range was huge. We have a lot of countertop space, requiring two slabs. Purchase price, including installation, ranged from $2,000 to $6,000. We went with the low bid.
Our granite is called “Pocono green” and is from — you guessed it — the Poconos. Maybe it was so cheap because transportation costs were relativly low.
As a cooking / prep surface, the granite has been great. I love being able to put a hot pan pretty much whereever I want. When we make huge messes on it (e.g. making pasta), it cleans up well. We do have to wipe it with a waffle weave cloth to prevent smearing, which will happen with an ordinary sponge or less textured cloth. It looks its shiny best if you also dry it.
Still, we couldn’t be happier.
Sorry I meant to also respond to your question about honing, which makes the finish of the stone surface more matte, since it’s more matte it can absorb liquids/stains.
It’s a frequent debate, polishing is more durable but doesn’t look as nice. However when you have honed counter tops and you’re a big cook – eventually they will get stained. The darker the material, of course, you’ll see less you’ll notice stains too.
Again it’s not an easy answer, and there is no ‘correct’ one, but something you have to decide for yourself and tailor to how you’ll use it.
Drew Stuart
Incorporated Architecture & Design
http://www.incorporatedny.com/
Alex is right on, we try to always avoid granite. I’m not sure who decided that it was such a great product in the first place. (This goes back to my own personal aversion to materials / products that look like petrified vomit).
When clients come to us wanting granite – the only granite material I can recommend is Absolute Black, which since it’s black it can be honed, although if you’re really a messy cook you can still get oil rings.
The agglomerates are really great products (Silestone, Ceser Stone, Zodiac, etc ), you can get this with very little amounts of color flecking and are pretty hardy with intense stains like red wine – which is prevalent in my kitchen 😉
It’s worth the extra money to upgrade to an agglomerate counter, you won’t regret it. If you feel the need for something with a little more personality – one trick we like is matching an agglomerate counter with a natural stone to use as your back splash. Not everyone’s cup of tea but a good looking compromise.
Here we matched a Cesar Stone to a Silver Travertine (filled and polished). Please pardon the terrible pics we’ve yet to have this one professionally shot).
http://picasaweb.google.com/IncorporatedNY/TravertineAndCeserStone?feat=directlink
Please reconsider the Chinese granite!
Good Luck,
Drew Stuart
Incorporated Architecture & Design
http://www.incorporatedny.com/
Curious, Alex; why not honed granite? And you are confirming what I am fearing about Chinese granite (and curious why a relatively high-end kitchen supplier is suggesting it).
Chinese sourced granite and marble are low priced for a reason. They are first-rate garbage not suitable for indoor use. If on a serious budget the only place you should consider using that crap is for outdoor decorative areas.
While the Chinese can and do make good products for their own use at home; they send all their sub-standard building materials and other crap here.
You should get prices from some real local suppliers and fabricators using non-Chinese material. There are many good deals to be had now. Also stay far away from third-party resellers like Home Cheapo, Lowes, and kitchen showrooms that simply add a markup to other peoples work without providing any extra value.
Also, unless your kitchens are for looking and not cooking; stay away from any honed surfaces and concrete countertops.
Great article…..I wonder if that if a problem in composite countertops like Silestone, etc.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/garden/24granite.html
I’d go for formica.
I was told when we bought stone that sometimes cheaper granite was dyed and the color comes out when the countertop is used.