Choosing solid surface countertops is a big step. So we thought that these five things you should know about granite countertops would be a good place to start off at, before dropping big bucks at your local big box store.
- They can be expensive. Slab granite starts at $50 a square foot installed! It’s less expensive if you can lay the slab yourself, unless your experienced in laying slab surfaces. But that being said once you get it down, you won’t need to replace for at least 10 years unless you taste changes or you decide to change your cabinets. (As a quick side note, if you are going to the expense of replacing your counter tops, make sure your cabinets are worthy!)
- They need to be sealed. Not every kind of granite countertop needs to be sealed, but you need to know what you got and figure out which way you have to go. Sealing or having someone else seal it for you, will cut down on those pesky water spots and possible staining. Also keep up on your seal. I recommend resealing every six months to a year, with a food grade eco-friendly granite sealer. Good sealer is expensive, there is no question of this. But don’t cheap out at the end as you will definitely get what you pay for. You need to protect your purchase. It doesn’t make any sense to spend all that money on the granite and try to save $20 on the sealer.
- Granite doesn’t only come in slab form it also comes in tiles. which is much less expensive. Tiles start at $3 a square foot. Though install will start at $10 a square foot. You can install it yourself, but once again make sure you know what your doing first. Natural stone is much harder to install than ceramic. It’s harder to cut, and the tiles aren’t always the same thickness so you need to know how to adjust for that. Also if you are installing tile instead of doing slab, don’t expect it to look like a slab because it’s not! You are going to have grout lines and you are going to see them. Also you are going to notice the slight differences int he tile height. So start out with realistic expectations. Just because it doesn’t look like slab, doesn’t mean it’s not going to look beautiful.
- It’s durable. Heat resistant and scratch resistant it’s not going to show wear like traditional laminate or tile countertops. That’s the beauty of natural stone, it’s not going anywhere. Now just because I said it was heat and scratch resistant , doesn’t mean you can try to intentionally burn or scratch it. It just means it won’t burn or scratch under normal everyday tasks.
- It’s beautiful. You don’t have to be a geologist to appreciate the beauty of the shade variations and stone formations of natural granite. Speaking as someone who often goes to granite show rooms with clients, I can tell you there is something there for every taste. From neutrals in the golden and brown tones to colors that pop in the greens, blues and reds whatever your statement there’s a granite for it. Whether you want it to blend to or to be the focus of your kitchen.
