Granite Counter tops...are they the 'only' acceptable surface now? (kitchen, white cabinets)

[bellalunatic]

I can't stand granite countertops they are so terribly pedestrian and lowest common denominator nowadays...Whenever I see a granite kitchen countertops it truly drops the value of the house as far as I'm concerned....just my 2 cents.

[LindaDLai]

Originally Posted by lovemaine

We recently replaced our jade green laminate countertop with the High Definition laminate from Wilsonart. We absolutely love it. In our neighborhood laminate is the norm. Since we didn't want to over-improve and we're not planning on staying in this house forever, we went with the less expensive option. It's still laminate, but looks so much nicer than the builder-grade stuff in most homes around here.

Ditto: I absolutely love the HD laminate from Wilsonart. If I get tired of it, I can easily replace it and not feel guilty for spending so much money.
Linda

[lumbollo]

I've noticed that if you watch almost any cooking show in TV, especially the better ones on PBS, I've never seen any of the polished granite that is going into homes these days. It's been way over done like stainless steel and wood floors in kitchens.

[Coldjensens]

[quote=LindaDLai;8767093]

Originally Posted by GeminiGal

Could'nt agree more! Might I add that in certain markets/price points - if you plan to sell your home - your house will suffer due to no granite or bad color choices.

Oh puleeeeze. They is a lot of hype perpetuated by people who market the product. There are many people out there who do not like granite and wouldn't want it.
Linda

I am one. I dislke Granite countertops immensely. However the houses that I would consider buying predate granite and if the kitchen has been "modernized" (aka remuddled) then I usually do not want the house anyway. So, yes, Granite countertops in an 1800s or earlier house means that I am not going to buy the house. Not only are the countertops out of place but that usually means that anything of historic value has been ripped out and repalced with modern cr#p (stuff?).

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Claire_F

Your cobalt blue kitchen sounds pretty. Do you have a picture you could share?

I love cobalt blue, and have a collection of glass in that color.

We used white and Cobalt blue for our kitchen. We took some depression glass to the pain tstore and had them color match it. It is not done here we are still restoring our old stove and do not have the marble window sill, but it looks great when the sun shines through all the blue galss. Eventually there will be a shelf in that window with more glass and some plants.

[thegirlinaz]

I have never had granite countertops, but they look beautiful. If a house had them then that would definately be a plus, but I am not going to not buy a house I love specifically because the countertops aren't granite...

[LindaDLai]

the Upscale are probably 650K and up
and the "tear downs" are 850K and up, with many of them sitting vacant.
They are the granite counters, cherry 42" cabs, w/ SS appliances ... yet they sit unsold.

My home is in a very good location, about 2900 sq ft, 3.5 car garage [tandem] 4 BR 2.5 bath.[/quote]

YEP!!! They are all over Southern California; granite countertops and all.
And when the market was sizzling, there was no talk about putting granite countertops in your home.
Linda

[desertsun41]

Originally Posted by bellalunatic

I can't stand granite countertops they are so terribly pedestrian and lowest common denominator nowadays...Whenever I see a granite kitchen countertops it truly drops the value of the house as far as I'm concerned....just my 2 cents.

Not only are you responding to a thread so old that it is growing fur but your opinion is worth just the value you yourself gave to it. How does granite drop the value of a house? What you said is when you see granite the home value drops. Do you now see how silly that sounds? I dare you to say that in the Realtors forums. They will drill you good for that nutty statement. Buyers today demand granite. They also do not want white cabinets. Only you do.

For your information I have designed and overseen more then 8000 kitchens in the past 3 decades. The past dozen or so, everyone, maybe 95% wants granite. 3 more % want it but can not afford it.

That being said, if it makes you feel any better, Im with you and the posters below, I also do not like granite but I sell and offer what the people want.

[LindaDLai]

Originally Posted by kdog

Home furnishings really boils down to a matter of choice. But some of the arguments in this thread knocking granite are just plain silly.

Oh really??? We don't have a right to our opinion???? What gets me is that we are living in a very dire time due to our economy. Do you know how many millions of people lost their homes due to foreclosure and how many people have "upside down mortgages"? That may be a little off topic, however, we are listening to people tell us that we really need to put this heavy expensive stone on our countertop, whether we like it or not. Homes with these countertops are foreclosed, millions on the market.
I saw my neighbors granite countertop and it was a puky yellow with a "blemish" the size of my hand that looked like an ugly stone. I was told that it was a "natural blemish"... how the stone was supposed to look. I have seen them stain, crack..... you name it. AND you are going to tell US that we are silly? I'll tell you what is silly. People who have lost everything, homes, jobs, etc on the freeway with a sign saying "will work for granite"... Hahahaha
Linda

[LindaDLai]

Originally Posted by desertsun41

Not only are you responding to a thread so old that it is growing fur but your opinion is worth just the value you yourself gave to it. How does granite drop the value of a house? What you said is when you see granite the home value drops. Do you now see how silly that sounds? I dare you to say that in the Realtors forums. They will drill you good for that nutty statement. Buyers today demand granite. They also do not want white cabinets. Only you do.

For your information I have designed and overseen more then 8000 kitchens in the past 3 decades. The past dozen or so, everyone, maybe 95% wants granite. 3 more % want it but can not afford it.
.

This is the hype that I can't deal with. I have been buying and selling homes for decades. I LOVE white cabinets. There are millions of homes on the market and granite isn't making them sell one bit. It's a materialistic obsession and hype from the people marketing and selling the product.
Linda