Granite Contertops

[clay]

ADent wrote:
I hate undermount bathroom sinks - it puts the faucet too far back and there is like 1/2" between the water and the sink. I guess there are long neck bathroom sinks to fix this, but many people/commerical locations just use standard faucets.

big pet peeve of mine as well. drives me crazy....its almost like those who are responsible for picking and installing these have never used one before and experienced how non user friendly they are.

[Robert M]

Adent and Clay,

This has nothing to do with the user-friendliness of the sink or faucet. It has all to do design and planning when choosing the sink and faucet. Choosing an appropriate faucet for the sink and the situation you've described won't exist. It's without a doubt avoidable.

Robert

[Ombligo]

Like others have aid - look at quartz.

[clay]

Robert M wrote:
Adent and Clay,

This has nothing to do with the user-friendliness of the sink or faucet. It has all to do design and planning when choosing the sink and faucet. Choosing an appropriate faucet for the sink and the situation you've described won't exist. It's without a doubt avoidable.

Robert

I think you and I are in agreement, Robert. I wasn't blaming the manufacturer, per se, just the contractors/builders/homeowners that don't think through the selection of a faucet when they select their sink. The end result is a sink/faucet combo that isn't user-friendly. That fault lies directly with the person(s) responsible for making those choices in a home....much like how I might question someone that decides to buy a Ford F-650 truck with full-length bed, 2-row seating, and dual rear wheels and put it in their 1-car garage built for a "normal" sized car. :-) The F650 may be a fantastic truck, and the garage may be perfectly fine in most cases, but together, they don't make much sense.

[space-time]

Ombligo wrote:
Like others have aid - look at quartz.

Thanks a lot everybody. To be honest, now that I think about it, some of those countertops I have seen could have been fused quartz. I need to call my friends and ask for details. and I plan to visit a showroom and talk to their people. This is not an imminent project, I need to think how much I want to spend and what options I want. It is probably 12-24 month into the future.

[davester]

If you're primarily going for low maintenance, then "quartz" countertops are better than "granite". They are not "fused quartz" though. They are basically quartz sand mixed with acrylic resin glue and coloring. Personally I don't care for them purely based on how they look. However, if the look appeals to you then they are a good (if expensive) choice.

Another material to consider is soapstone. Soapstone is completely non-porous and you can set hot pots and pans on it with no issue whatsoever. It has a really nice texture also. The downside of soapstone is that to keep it looking its best you have to oil it every 6 months or so (reapplication is necessary because it is nonporous so the oil eventually evaporates from the surface) and it is softer than granite, so it can be scratched (though it's very easy to sand out the scratches to make it look like new again). Since it is soft, you can work it with carbide-tipped woodworking tools, so a DIY installation is definitely possible.

[Grateful11]

I'll take Granite. We looked at everything before settling on granite, quartz is quite a bit higher around here than granite.



The rest of the Kitchen:

http://forums.macresource.com/read.php?1...sg-1234757

[Robert M]

Davester,

I hear you about quartz. Many of the flavors of quartz are bland and unnatural in appearance. Some, though, can be stunning. I’d already chosen and installed granite into the kitchen in my old apartment when I saw some examples of quartz and similar materials that would’ve given the stone I chose a defintie run for its money in beauty. My old apartment has Crema Bordeaux granite combined with cherry cabinetry and a porcelain backsplash that mimics travertine near perfectly. I’ve fooled real estate agents with it - lol!

I’ve seen soapstone and it looks nice. however, I wouldn’t go near it due to the maintenance issues. Granite in itself requires more maintenance than I prefer and soapstone is even more work. I wouldn’t want to have to oil the countertops regularly nor would I want a countertop that scratches easily. That’s just me, though.

Robert




> If you're primarily going for low maintenance, then
> "quartz" countertops are better than "granite". They
> are not "fused quartz" though. They are basically
> quartz sand mixed with acrylic resin glue and coloring.
> Personally I don't care for them purely based on how
> they look. However, if the look appeals to you then
> they are a good (if expensive) choice.
>
> Another material to consider is soapstone. Soapstone is
> completely non-porous and you can set hot pots and pans
> on it with no issue whatsoever. It has a really nice
> texture also. The downside of soapstone is that to keep
> it looking its best you have to oil it every 6 months or
> so (reapplication is necessary because it is nonporous
> so the oil eventually evaporates from the surface) and
> it is softer than granite, so it can be scratched
> (though it's very easy to sand out the scratches to
> make it look like new again). Since it is soft, you can
> work it with carbide-tipped woodworking tools, so a DIY
> installation is definitely possible.

[Speedy]

I love Formica. Minimal maintenance, looks great.

[Pam]

Here's my new tile floor, laminate (Formica) countertop, sink, faucets, and tile backsplash