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

[Marlow]

Our house was built in 1946 and has the original ceramic kitchen tile. It's cracked and needs replacing but when we redo the kitchen we're going to use ceramic tile again. When I tell people that they look appalled and embarrassed for me and say "what about the....grout?" Other people in the neighborhood have redone their kitchens with granite and zodiac-type counters but I think the tile is in keeping with the bungalow style of the house. And we've never seen the dreaded grout as an issue.

[Claire_F]

Speaking of granite, I have a long rectangular slab (maybe two feet wide?) leftover from when they built the house. I'd love to have something done with it, but can't figure out what. Any ideas?

[kdog]

Table tops! Coffee table, end tables, etc. Any granite fabricator will be happy to cut it into the right sizes and bullnose the edges to your specification. Of course unless you're a furniture maker, you probably need somebody to build some tables for you. Or you might be able to buy a table from somewhere like Crate and Barrel and put the granite on that.

[Torrie]

What about an outdoor countertop? maybe for gardening or for barbeques?

[movingtolou]

I like poured concrete, or bluestone for outdoor kitchens...

I have to say, I am probably one of the pickiest people I know when it comes to house, home & garden. It is the think I splurge on most/ and most frequently. I have a degree in design & architecture; and I am extremely sensitive to my environment.

All that said, I don't think granite is the ONLY option for counters. I think it completely depends on the style/ size and nature of a house. I also don't think the most expensive option, always looks the best. Creative use of materials can be interesting & beautiful...and it can work. I often see (especially contractors) using costly things to impress people, and not taking into consideration actual thoughtful design.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by Marlow

Our house was built in 1946 and has the original ceramic kitchen tile. It's cracked and needs replacing but when we redo the kitchen we're going to use ceramic tile again. When I tell people that they look appalled and embarrassed for me and say "what about the....grout?" Other people in the neighborhood have redone their kitchens with granite and zodiac-type counters but I think the tile is in keeping with the bungalow style of the house. And we've never seen the dreaded grout as an issue.

I think this is great, Marlow.
And won't the dreaded grout be just fine if you seal it?
In our Denver bungalow, we had white tile countertops in the bathroom and they were fine.

I often see (especially contractors) using costly things to impress people, and not taking into consideration actual thoughtful design.

True. And I think this is where HGTV and the gotta-have-granite mentality can come in.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by Gurl

Good point.

Just today, I was looking at countertop materials made from recycled glass. They were SUPER lovely (kind of shiny - like glass, but lovely).

I agree with pp who mentioned how there are many older homes listed with no upgrades...

Does anyone know of any 'green', eco-friendly counter options besides the recycled glass ones I looked at today?

My sister just moved ito a "green home that she and her husband built in downtown San Antonio-- replete with polished concrete floors and "green counter tops" that are actually made out of some kind of durable vinyl (I think) flooring. They had kind of a brick color to them with colored speckles. They were nice and the kitchen was HUGE with an ENORMOUS ISLAND. I think the kitchen was a little TOO big for my tastes. (I don't like to have to walk a quarter of a mile to the sink from the stove in the middle of cooking a dish that might burn if i don't add the water in time.)

[kcm]

Originally Posted by Marlow

Our house was built in 1946 and has the original ceramic kitchen tile. It's cracked and needs replacing but when we redo the kitchen we're going to use ceramic tile again. When I tell people that they look appalled and embarrassed for me and say "what about the....grout?" Other people in the neighborhood have redone their kitchens with granite and zodiac-type counters but I think the tile is in keeping with the bungalow style of the house. And we've never seen the dreaded grout as an issue.

My whole house is tile. As a matter of fact I just got done redecorating my bathroom with tile... I love it. If you "Seal" the grout when you are done, it stays very nice. I re-seal it about every two years. It's not a hard job.

I think the tile in my bath room will bring more money than the flormica counter top that I had.



I redid my bathroom for under $800 by doing the work myself. As you can see, I'm not quite done yet but almost.

[lilypad]

I love tile in the kitchen, bathroom and on the floors. Is very southwestern. But have seen the polished concrete floors and they are beautiful. We lived in NM for a while and had a stucco house with concrete floors, they were not polished, but kind of a reddish color, very interesting. Hard to keep clean, seems like I was always mopping them! Maybe the polished ones don't show dust as much.

[kdog]

We had tile kitchen counters in one house, and had the grout problem in spades. When you wipe down the counter, all the crumbs just get wiped into the ground lines. Drove me nuts. How do you folks get around that?

We remodeled and replaced it with GRANITE!!