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Thanks for the tip about Ticor Sink. I checked them out and love them. The fabricator is including a dual sink in the quote. Do you think its worth it for me to ask them to pro-rate that cost (if possible) and buy this on my own?
Nick
Our fabricator was throwing in a free sink but after I did more research the free sink wasn't that great. It was 18 gauge and had no insulation underneath which helps cut down on the garbage disposal noise (I learned that the hard way years ago). I went with the Ticor because it was 18 gauge, insulated and I really wanted a single bowl sink that was the size of a double bowl. Retail wise both sinks were the same cost so I felt Ticor was a much better product even if I had to pay for it. I can wash a cookie sheet no problem and that is what I wanted. I did not get any money off because it was a promo. Never hurts to ask.
I'd also like to recommend Blanco Siligent granite composite sinks....we had one installed in our last home and they are wonderful - they do not scratch, dint or chip....Once a week I wiped mine out with Mr. Clean Eraser and it stayed looking new for years.
CHARLOTTE has a good point about keeping that solid black shiny. As long as you use a pH neutral dish fluid, you can clean it like any other counter (but only use sponge side/rag), but to keep it looking good, at the hardware store get a cleaner/conditioner specifically for granite or stone, and wipe dry to shine with a chamois (shammy) cloth, synthetic is fine. The granite should come already sealed, should last ten years, so you don't want to do anything to the counter that would tend to goof that up, so get up stains pretty fast, put hot pots on a potholder, that sort of thing. Like I said, I'm not too into granite, but if you want it, perhaps a loose design on it will help that a lot, since I am not so fond of speckles. When you go look at granite, ask them to show you nongranite choices, too. I kinda like stainless steel, you clean it with 20-muletrain-borax, but it's pretty industrial, you'd have to change your cabinet knobs. But I'll push it again, I like that swirl sand stuff, maybe it comes in a mix of black and sand, so it's mostly dark. Very modern look.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cattknap
Some granite should not be sealed and I believe Absolute Black is one of those - sealing Absolute Black can actually cause problems....so do your research before you decide to seal.
CAT, kittycat, dear one, I know you are simply advising the OP, but since you quoted me in your advice, I think what I said was "The granite should come already sealed," so I did not tell anyone to seal anything. Unless maybe the cleaner/conditioner you thought was a sealer, but it's simply a cleaner specifically for granite. GG
Granite countertops are expensive and a real big investment
for your home. You must have them professionally installed,
so, considering this, and considering you are not a billionaire,
buy the granite countertops that you LIKE. Nothing else,
except the cabinetry, matters. Everything else is much cheaper
in price and you are probably going to replace it anyway.
That is what the original poster said, which was lost.
Always try your very best to think baout every project
this way and you will not waste money.
Good luck on your beautiful countertop, I'm sure it will
look wonderful.
Thank you all. Finally decided to go with ubatuba - good balance between price and looks. The sample looked good in the kitchen. Templating tomorrow and installation next Thursday. Need to get a plumber for sink disconnect and installation.
I would vote for the Black granite.
We bought our granite counter last year. We hesitated between a black (looks like yours) and a green Eucalypus.
We finally chose the green Eucalyptus because it has some purple touches witch is the colour of our extractor hood and it fit perfectly.
We also picked the green one because my wife was reluctant to have black colour in the kitchen.
We are happy with the choice but I still view the black as a very good option. It's like a make-up black line over the kitchen furniture.
Whatever your choice, try to choose yourself the granite plate, they can be very different.
Thank you all. Finally decided to go with ubatuba - good balance between price and looks. The sample looked good in the kitchen. Templating tomorrow and installation next Thursday. Need to get a plumber for sink disconnect and installation.
What arrives at your home may not be an exact match to the chip you picked up at the store. You don't have control over how the granite is cut. The installers will likely do their best to mark pieces with the best appearance, but they have less control over the slabs that get shipped.
The company we dealt with did everything in house include a yard with the slabs of granite. We went right to the yard and got samples and were able to look at the full slabs themselves, the samples really don;t compare to looking at a big piece. They sent a guy to make a template. Then if you wanted once you selected which granite you could go and select the slab and even which section of the slab they would take it from. Then once it was cut they sent about 6 guys to install, they were in and out and did a fantastic job.
Just to add it was significantly less than anywhere else. They have a few locations in the Northeast:
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