More questions about finishing basement (countertop, price, contractor, value)

[equinox1]

I have a couple more questions about finishing the basement in my "mountain" home in N. Ga.

I decided granite is too much $ and am considering tiling the counters in bath and bar area.
Questions:

Are tile counters OK for resale? Should I use large, say 12x12 or 6 inch?

Color of tiles... Tan/beige has been in as a neutral for a while. Is that still the best plan? I'm thinking for the bath of using a darker neutral with a few colors for floor and a lighter beige/tan for tub surround and counters. Thoughts? Will use white for tub, etc.

I also posted this in decorating just to get more ideas, but know real estate pros see more houses than almost anyone.
Thanks.

[Avalon08]

No, tile is horrible for counters. The only place I've had it was Southern CA, where it was commonplace. I was CONSTANTLY worried about the grout -- spilling coffee, makeup, whatever. You can clean up the tile but the grout can get stained. It can also get dirty just from the wiping-down of spills or crumbs. If you can't get the granite for the vanity, can't you just get a cultured marble top? And maybe a solid-surface like Corian for the bar?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I have granite tiles, the big ones, in the kitchen. They are set so close together you can't see the grout. Both tiles and grout are deep black so nothing shows anyway. I would not want anything but black, however, as the grout lines show and get dirty.

[equinox1]

I checked out other surfaces. Corian is even higher than granite.

I've looked at granite tiles-just don't know if the contractor has someone who can cut them. I think it's a special saw.

[almost3am]

I am not a fan of tile counter tops, I also had that in California. It was difficult to clean and leaves a dated look, in my opinion. Maybe nicer tiles would look more modern, never really looked into that. Anyway, after my one experince with tiled counters, that would be an immediate reno project if I was buying a house with them.

[chet everett]

Tile counters are horrible in baths, maybe worse than in kitchens. The tendency for commonly used bathroom products from toothpaste with whiteners to nail and hair products to alternately bleach or stain the grout makes for really gross looking surfaces very quickly.

If you have not shopped for REMNANTS from bigger granite supply shops you are probably missing out on some AWESOME values -- the granite shop will basically sell a bathroom sized remnant for a fraction of a "slab cut". Yes, you will have a hard time getting remnants to match mutliple baths, but for a basement reno this is not usually a problem...

[Silverfall]

I used travertine tiles in my bathroom but used the 18x18 ones. I used the 24's on my bathroom counters and have one grout line. It looks great. If you use tile, you need to go with the largest tile that you can to minimize the number of grout lines. You also need a highly skilled tiler than can do the super thin grout lines.

I would never use tile in a kitchen though. People, including myself, hate it. Kitchens by nature are just messy. You really need solid surface. I can say in my area buyers will take formica over tile.

[equinox1]

Thanks for the input! I decided against the tiles. Some of the pics of granite tile look great. I even checked on the gorgeous wood counters for the bar area, which won't get a lot of use, but my cabinet guy strongly recommended against it. Since he would make money on it and didn't think it was a good idea, I gave that up.

I did call a granite place that does remnants, but it wasn't much cheaper. She said they could get me one for about 35 sf. and will back splash, a 4 ft section would have been 550.

I may stop at another one tomorrow. Otherwise, prob formica. Oh,well.

[chet everett]

If your supplier is quoting you $125/linear foot for the granite COMPLETE that is not a bad price, especially if the backsplash is finished so that it has the same edge detail as the countertop.

You can probably get a laminate for less than half, but weigh the fraction of the total cost of the job and maybe spending more for a "lifetime" product makes sense...

Originally Posted by equinox1

Thanks for the input! I decided against the tiles. Some of the pics of granite tile look great. I even checked on the gorgeous wood counters for the bar area, which won't get a lot of use, but my cabinet guy strongly recommended against it. Since he would make money on it and didn't think it was a good idea, I gave that up.

I did call a granite place that does remnants, but it wasn't much cheaper. She said they could get me one for about 35 sf. and will back splash, a 4 ft section would have been 550.

I may stop at another one tomorrow. Otherwise, prob formica. Oh,well.

[accufitgolf]

I guess I will never understand the dislike of Formica type laminates counter tops. They are reasonably priced, many color/pattern selections to choose from, almost indestructable, and easily be replaced at a later time.