Granite Counter tops...are they the 'only' acceptable surface now? (townhouses, Lowes)

[Tesaje]

The new houses that went in in the last 2 years in my neighborhood, supposedly custom, tho they do look a lot alike, mostly had formica. They are of the half a million variety on the east coast.

I'm going to redo my kitchen and thought I would put in granite. But now I plan on selling it in 3 years so I'm thinking a high quality formica might be more cost effective. They have some newer laminates that are tougher and certainly prettier than the old formica ever was.

[Parsec]

My parents just built a new house in rural PA for $400k and THEY don't even have granite! Just simple laminate...

[K'ledgeBldr]

From a health stand point I would avoid granite in the kitchen. I'd probably do quartz- plus its more uniform in pattern and color. But granite for bathrooms with undermount sinks- awesome looking!

[kdog]

Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr

From a health stand point I would avoid granite in the kitchen.

Rubbish. I'll bet you can't find one reference to health concerns of granite that doesn't come from manufacturers of competitive counter top materials.

To the contrary, here's a study by the Hospitality Institute of Technology & Management that shows that granite is the easiest counter top to eliminate E-Coli on -- even more so than stainless steel. THE Reduction OF E. coli on Counter Tops

[K'ledgeBldr]

That study failed to address one issue- was the granite already sealed before the start of the test?
That was the point I was making- I don't want to bother sealing, and resealing every 8-12 months. Clean it and go, there are more important things in life to be done.

[BlueWillowPlate]

heh
Sealing takes minutes.
I never even bothered doing it with the granite at my former house in Denver--nobody did back then, and nobody got sick from horrid scary phantom germs in supposedly porous granite, and in 9 years I never had one single problem with spilled olive oil, water stains, or ANYthing.
Anyway, for those who care, there is the Lemon Juice Test.

[kdog]

I think the sealing issue is vastly overstated. We've lived in three houses with granite over the years, and never sealed any of them. Never had any staining, dulling, and haven't died of botulism yet. Granite is typically sealed by the installer when it's new and buffed out. That initial shine lasts a very long time. If I started to notice the shine wearing off I'd probably investigate sealing. However, that's never happened. Honestly, I don't know anybody who has ever done it either.

[andybuildz]

I sorta skimmed through 3 pages of replies but I didn't see anyone mention SOAPSTONE. I'm a renovations and restorations contractor the past 32+ years and I've done every imaginable tile, stone, and solid surface imaginable for people including myself and hands down my personal choice is soapstone.
Its natural, you can put hot things right on it. Doesn't stain cause its the most dense (and wayyyyyy heavy...ugh..lol) stone of all. Any scratches you put on it you can easily sand right out. It has a warm look to it and its easy to maintain and I'd have to say its less costly than granite...but it doesn't have the same high gloss granite has if thats what you're after.
Check my web site in my profile to see a cpl of pic with me fabricating it in my own kitchen and the end result if you want.

[kdog]

Yeah, I think there's mention of soapstone buried in here somewhere....

Great website, Andy, and I really like your work. I'm a long time subscriber to FWW and FHB. I've done a lot of hobby renovation, but you're living my dream.

[andybuildz]

Originally Posted by kdog

Yeah, I think there's mention of soapstone buried in here somewhere....

Great website, Andy, and I really like your work. I'm a long time subscriber to FWW and FHB. I've done a lot of hobby renovation, but you're living my dream.

Thanks...it's all relative ya know. Took a lot of nightmares to get into this dream. some I doubt you'd wanna be a part of...lol. Now the dream of selling this place is also becoming a nightmare in this market...did I say it's all relative?
Every single thing we own and them someeeeeeeeeeee is in this. Savings accounts and IRA's??? Bwahahahahaha....I wish. Thats part of someone elses dream i wish I was in about now...lol.
Check out Journel Of Light construction if you haven't already or the JLC forum.
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