I installed granite because I liked the look of it. After living with it a couple of years, I find its utility makes it far more desirable for me than its appearance.
Kitchen countertops are one of the many things that are sold by men and used by women. How can some guy who has never so much as made toast in a kitchen properly address the various facets that must be considered before making an informed decision? In short, he's looking at installation, appliances, sinks, and faucets, while she's looking at preparing the family's three meals daily for a number of years.
Some questions to ask...
Where will the joints be. Unless you have a very small kitchen, granite will be installed in pieces. Stone is shipped from the quarry in roughly 12 X 8 foot pieces. You'll want to avoid joints near the sink. Consider the colour of the material used in the joint and how it matches the stone. Consider the pattern in the stone too. Some installers encourage the customer to come to the shop and approve the very piece of stone before work begins -- no surprises.
Thickness of stone. Thin stone will cost less, but will require a double thickness at the edge. Two-piece edge pieces lend themselves to more decorative treatment. Two-piece edges also have a seam running the entire length. Again, consider colour and grain, as it will show. Thick stone costs a little more for material, but less for labour. Thick stone reduces choice of edge treatment, but the edges are seamless.
Sinks and faucets. Most people choose under counter sinks and through the counter faucets. It's easy to wipe the counter spills into the sink. (Corian sinks molded to the countertop offer this convenience too.)
Granite countertops do not weaken from dishwasher steam. The particle board backing used with some other material requires a metal shield above the dishwasher.
Stoves and ovens. If a cooktop is selected, granite is often installed in pieces around it. The hole is just too big to allow sufficient material width otherwise. Cooktops in islands can be set into one piece of stone.
Cleaning. I find them easy to clean. Although I haven't scratched mine, the material is consistent throughout and injury could be repaird with a bit of polishing. So far, I've found nothing stains, although I was told olive oil will.
Heat resistance. A delight. I can take hot dishes, pots, or pans from the oven or stovetop and put on the countertop. It's thermally indestructible.
Disadvantages. Don't drop a glass jar on it. The Commander once dropped a Waterford sherry glass and it didn't break, but we're Irish and as such, are very lucky.
Another issue. Granite is usually polished to a mirror finish. This will reflect under-cabinet lighting and may cause glare when working. Consider this when selecting the lighting.
One thing one must consider is the wall behind the countertop. Select the covering for this wall and the countertop at the same time. Think about a backsplash.
Juggle these three (countertop, backsplash, and wall) to get the look you want.
Hint: Tiling the wall can be expensive. There are many choices of wallpaper that have a pattern similar to tiles. Most kitchens could be done with one roll -- and you can do it yourself. Live with it a while. When you're absolutely sure you like the look, remove the wallpaper and finish the job in tile. (Take some wallpaper with you to match tiles.)
I've seen stainless steel on kitchen walls. This stuff is a bear to keep clean. It shows every fingerprint, splash, and bit of dust. This is a very durable and practical material for commercial kitchens, where it stands up to abuse from hurried chefs and industrial cleaners, but at home, it's labour intensive. I like to clean my stainless steel appliances with baking soda -- it's quick and it doesn't look too bad if I miss a spot.
Have you looked at the solid quartz countertops? They have all the advantages (some enhanced) of granite without any of the maintenance problems. They are pretty much indestructible. Pricing is comparable to or a little cheaper. The only draw back that I see is you can't duplicate some of the granite looks. Granite by the way is quartz with different "impurities" that give it the color.
From what I've seen granite breaks down into two different looks, a "sandstone" type texture, and a polished glass 3D type look. The solid quartz come real close to duplicating the sandstone look. If you carefully pick the color/texture you can get a poor approximation of the glass 3D look. It appears there are 4-5 manufacturers so if you don't see what you like at one, try the others. I would love the glass 3D granite look, but considering solid quartz is harder, stronger, and because of the manufacturing process totally nonporous, I'll just carefully pick the color/texture and settle for solid quartz and good enough when I redo my kitchen in the next few years.
Formica Corporation now offers an exquisite yet durable, high-polish, stain-resistant natural quartz surface, Formica Stone Natural Quartz Surfacing is a new materail for kitchen countertops. It not only offers the elegant look and durability of granite and it's virtually maintenance free. Nonporous so there's nowhere for bacteria to hide. More heat resistant than solid surfacing and high-pressure laminate. Formica Stone never requires sealing, buffing or polishing. Formica Stone contains 93% quartz - the 4th hardest mineral in nature. The high quartz content creates a superior surfacing material with remarkable flexural strength, preventing much of the chipping, cracking and breakage that can be common with other natural stone surfaces. Formica Stone Natural Quartz Surfacing lets you have the look of granite, with exceptional durability. It's not only scratch resistant, but more impact resistant too. Avaliable in12 warm natural stone and rich jewel colors. Formica Stoneis consistent in color and texture from slab to slab. Plus, Formica Stone has a 10-year warranty. Formica Corporation is a huge global company with over 100 years experience designing and manufacturing surface materials. www.formica.com
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