Granite Tile countertops...whats your expereince?

Question

Want to hear from people who have done this, or know someone who has. How difficult it was, how expensive, how is it holding up?
My plan is to rip the laminate off exsisting countertops and work with that as far as putting on granite.
Or maybe you can reccommend some other types of stone type tile.

Answer 1

Granite countertops are expensive and although they are durable, they have two major downsides in addition to cost: breakage (not of the countertop but of objects dropped on them) and staining.. We installed a very small granite countertop in our small downstairs bathroom where it was much less expensive, and it was good for that, but it would have been out of our price range to do the whole kitchen. I don't know exactly how much it costs but I've seen some places online list prices of $28 per square foot, I imagine those places are cheaper than most places would charge because they're online.

Granite is a VERY hard surface. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. It is very durable. You can cut directly on it and it will not scratch. You can also put very hot objects on it. It remains shiny its whole life. However, if you drop a glass or ceramic object on it from a moderate height, the glass will be more likely to shatter. By contrast, a formica countertop or most other artificial surfaces are softer, easily scratched, easily damaged by heat, but won't shatter glass objects as easily.

The other major downside of granite is that it is porous. This means that if you spill a dark-colored substance in it, like cranberry juice, the spill will stain the surface--often permanently. This is mostly an issue with lighter colors--granite has a complex texture and with darker granites, stains are less noticeable, but it's something people rarely think about. We accidentally spilled miracle grow on ours and now we have a small pale green spot on the corner of our bathroom sink. You can treat the granite with a sealant to prevent staining--this must be done periodically, say, every 1-2 years.

Answer 2

We just renovated 3 bathrooms and choose solid granite and it is outstanding, although a bit pricey. The problem with using granite tiles, though, is that you won't have the choice of using a trim for the front of the counters. The top/front edge (trim) of the counter will have a flat edge, unfinished, unless you can find bull nose granite (one side is rounded and polished). You may find that the price difference between the tiles, installation, mastic (glue) and grout may be close enough to use solid slab instead.

Other options would be limestone tiles, tumbled marble (both pricey) or even porcelain. Since porcelain tiles come in a wide array of styles, colors, trim pieces, ease of installation, durability, and accent pieces, it was our choice for our kitchen. The tiles look like stone and are beautiful. They are so durable (more so than granite or man-made products) and the price point was great for top of the line porcelain. Whichever you choose, good luck and have fun.

Answer 3

My guest bathroom has them(granite), and even though they are quite attractive, they ere just too expensive. When I redid my kitchen I was looking at granite, marble, and composite. the granite and marble both are extremely pretty, but the composite was better. You have more choices of colors with the composite, and since its easier to work with its cheaper than granite or marble. and btw it lasts just as long, it rpels cuts better too. I think the actual name is called "solid surface".