05-06-2013, 04:30 PM
I am thinking about getting new countertops. Not a must at this point but would be nice to refresh the look of the kitchen (about 8 year old cabinets)
I saw granite countertops at two friends' houses and both of them seemed very pleased with the results. They went through some specialized companies, but through a contractor from Home Depot or Lowes. They said those guys came and took exact measurements with some lasers, make sure the surfaces were flat, and several weeks later installed, and in one case where a crack/chip appeared, they replaced it no questions asked.
So now here are my questions:
-are there various types of granite, or it's all the same (except the color)? I heard that some of this stuff is not real granite, but something else that looks like granite
-will this stuff crack if you put a hot pot by mistake?
-around the sink there will be only 1" in the back (between sink and wall) and about 1" in the front. Will it crack here?
-The current countertop is like an "L" and the joint between these laminated boards is at 45 degree. Should I also do 45 degree or stick with right angles?
-I am also thinking about a new sink at the same time, I guess it will be a pain to replace it later. Maybe instead of one large sink get one of those dual sinks? pro, cons?
-I am not replacing appliances at this time, the dish washer will stay. I assume these are standard sizes and in the future the next one will fit right in the place of the existing one, or am I wrong?
there is a 5" gap between dishwasher and stove, and if I want a larger sink, it may make sense to move the dishwasher closer to the stove to make room for the new sink. Is there a minimum gap required between dishwasher and stove, or can I move them close to each other?
-back to the granite countertop, the existing countertop has a back-splash of about 3 1/2 inch. Would it make sense to ask them to see if I can make this taller, maybe 6"? there seems to be enough clearance that it would not cover outlets or switches
-finally, a realtor once told me some granite countertops are radioactive. True or BS?
-how do you clean and maintain a granite countertop, just wipe it or something else? someone mentioned about sealing a marble countertop, does granite require this or not?
Thanks
I saw granite countertops at two friends' houses and both of them seemed very pleased with the results. They went through some specialized companies, but through a contractor from Home Depot or Lowes. They said those guys came and took exact measurements with some lasers, make sure the surfaces were flat, and several weeks later installed, and in one case where a crack/chip appeared, they replaced it no questions asked.
So now here are my questions:
-are there various types of granite, or it's all the same (except the color)? I heard that some of this stuff is not real granite, but something else that looks like granite
-will this stuff crack if you put a hot pot by mistake?
-around the sink there will be only 1" in the back (between sink and wall) and about 1" in the front. Will it crack here?
-The current countertop is like an "L" and the joint between these laminated boards is at 45 degree. Should I also do 45 degree or stick with right angles?
-I am also thinking about a new sink at the same time, I guess it will be a pain to replace it later. Maybe instead of one large sink get one of those dual sinks? pro, cons?
-I am not replacing appliances at this time, the dish washer will stay. I assume these are standard sizes and in the future the next one will fit right in the place of the existing one, or am I wrong?
there is a 5" gap between dishwasher and stove, and if I want a larger sink, it may make sense to move the dishwasher closer to the stove to make room for the new sink. Is there a minimum gap required between dishwasher and stove, or can I move them close to each other?
-back to the granite countertop, the existing countertop has a back-splash of about 3 1/2 inch. Would it make sense to ask them to see if I can make this taller, maybe 6"? there seems to be enough clearance that it would not cover outlets or switches
-finally, a realtor once told me some granite countertops are radioactive. True or BS?
-how do you clean and maintain a granite countertop, just wipe it or something else? someone mentioned about sealing a marble countertop, does granite require this or not?
Thanks