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Another house question: Granite countertops?

zorbazorba Senior MemberPosts: 25,056 Senior Member
in Clubhouse #1
This house also has granite countertops. Wouldn't have been our first choice either, but they do look nice. What is the correct maintenance regimen (read: how much of a PITA are they to keep up?) so they don't get messed up?
-Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

"If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
)O(
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Replies

  • Diver43Diver43 Senior Member Posts: 12,197 Senior Member
    #2
    cpj wrote: »
    It's a ing rock. Wipe it off with a rag. Don't hit it with a hammer. All fixie. :tooth:

    Pretty darn close. When we remodeled the kitchen the installer advised to re seal every 2-3 year and wipe down after use. Do no use windex or like products with ammonia.
    Logistics cannot win a war, but its absence or inadequacy can cause defeat. FM100-5
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  • TeachTeach Senior Member Posts: 18,428 Senior Member
    #3
    Self-leveling acrylic, if you want an easy maintenance top surface. Think about the abuse bar tops get. I'm about to do the tile counter tops in our kitchen with the stuff, if a test mix doesn't give Mary allergy problems with the fumes while curing.
    Jerry
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #4
    Good to hear - the condo we just sold has Corian or something similar. Wife doesn't like it, scratches too easily. *shrug*
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #5
    Teach wrote: »
    Self-leveling acrylic, if you want an easy maintenance top surface. Think about the abuse bar tops get. I'm about to do the tile counter tops in our kitchen with the stuff, if a test mix doesn't give Mary allergy problems with the fumes while curing.
    Jerry

    Let us know how it works out. Tile would have been our first choice - although wife bitches about the grout...

    Wife actually likes Formica - even *I* don't get that!
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • JKPJKP Senior Member Posts: 2,567 Senior Member
    #6
    zorba wrote: »
    Let us know how it works out. Tile would have been our first choice - although wife bitches about the grout...

    Wife actually likes Formica - even *I* don't get that!


    I will never have another tile kitchen countertop. Lots of better options these days.
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #7
    JKP wrote: »
    I will never have another tile kitchen countertop. Lots of better options these days.

    Yea, I don't really have a dog in this fight - wife doesn't like tile because of the grout, doesn't like Corian because it scratches - like Formica doesn't! - but she likes Formica. *shrug* No experience with granite, we'll see.
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • DanChamberlainDanChamberlain Senior Member Posts: 3,395 Senior Member
    #8
    One thing about Granite. Every glass that tips over will likely break! Love my wife...but she drops things like a toddler! Once or twice a month, I'll hear "Crash" and I don't even ask anymore. I just go get the sweeper.
    It's a source of great pride for me, that when my name is googled, one finds book titles and not mug shots. Daniel C. Chamberlain
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #9
    Wambli Ska wrote: »
    I've lived with Granite for a looooooong time in a bunch of houses. Haven't managed to "F" it up yet...

    Good to know - but OTOH, you like smart fones and STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES!!! :jester:
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #10
    I "think" this new house will work out well. Its not perfect - what is? - but it has a room for my Library, a 2 car garage (fairly rare in Florida for some reason), a workshop area, and there's no HOA. Don't like the STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES of course, and there's a large family room which is a stupid waste of space, but whatever works!
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • Elk creekElk creek Senior Member Posts: 7,417 Senior Member
    #11
    Tile counter tops are the devil! The grout lines suck to keep clean. We had tile floors and granite countertops in our house in Ohio, I didn't have to pack very many glasses and a few less plates coming back.
    Aim higher, or get a bigger gun.
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #12
    Yea, we've lost our share of glasses on tile floors!

    This house has a gas stove, which we prefer - which means there's gas on the premises. That's not all that common in this part of Fl either, but means a backup genset will be a no-brainer!
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • Big ChiefBig Chief Senior Member Posts: 32,995 Senior Member
    #13
    Lots of older FLA homes have "Car Ports" or nothing at all. I have 2 car garage that one will fit in because of all the crap stored out there. I also see a lot of the aluminum roof covers with open sides to park cars under.
    It's only true if it's on this forum where opinions are facts and facts are opinions
    Words of wisdom from Big Chief: Flush twice, it's a long way to the Mess Hall
    I'd rather have my sister work in a whorehouse than own another Taurus!
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #14
    Big Chief wrote: »
    Lots of older FLA homes have "Car Ports" or nothing at all. I have 2 car garage that one will fit in because of all the crap stored out there. I also see a lot of the aluminum roof covers with open sides to park cars under.

    I've seen a LOT of that too - and lots that *do* have garages have only single car. What gets me is Floridians are even worse than Californians about filling their garage with crap and not parking their car therein. To my mind, Florida is the ONE place on the planet where a car should be kept inside as much as possible! *shrug*
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #15
    Another oddity is that it has a fireplace. In Florida. Yea, right. Maybe once every 2 or 3 years...
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • ilove22silove22s Senior Member Posts: 1,511 Senior Member
    #16
    be careful about putting any hot pyrex on it.

    also, as much as you would like to cut on it, dont.
    The ears never lie.

    - Don Burt
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  • pjames777pjames777 Senior Member Posts: 1,421 Senior Member
    #17
    Granite! Easy to clean (don't use ammonia products) and wipe down. Lowe's n Home Depot carry granite cleaner/polish and it works well, last a long time and doesn't cost a fortune. Congrats on the new house!
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  • JayhawkerJayhawker Moderator Posts: 18,147 Senior Member
    #18
    The only thing I like better than granite countertops is concrete....they do amazing things with that stuff and with some skill you can build them yourself....
    Sharps Model 1874 - "The rifle that made the west safe for Winchester"
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  • wizard78wizard78 Senior Member Posts: 1,004 Senior Member
    #19
    Hard to believe that the area you've bought in has mainly 1 car garages? Down here, unless it's a house older than 35 years, most have two and many have 3. I have granite on the counters and island of our new home but one of the best counter tops available for kitchens is Quartz. Very durable, a variety of designs mimicking granite and needs NO maintenance!. Our Daughter researched and has it in her home. LOVES it!
    Take a look here. http://www.homedepot.com/c/SF_KB_Quartz_Countertops
    Congratulations on the new house.

    “When guns are outlawed, only patriots will have guns.”
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  • timctimc Senior Member Posts: 6,684 Senior Member
    #20
    Wambli Ska wrote: »
    The top I liked the best (and it was MY idea and the wife fought me tooth and nail on), was on the island we had in the kitchen in our ranch. The center of the island was a gas range with the built in indoor grill and the whole island was butcher block!!! We had stools all the way around and I could just stand by the stove and grill and serve folks food sitting all around me while I cooked. The whole thing was one big work area and easy to clean and maintain. Wife had to concede after a year of living with it that it was a great idea. The rest of the kitchen was of course..... granite...

    We did very similar with our island but it is granite but we do have the extended side with bar stools and the grill insert, good for social cooking. We love the granite counter tops. We were too poor to have them when we built our house so we went with Formica and hated it for 12 years. We finally installed granite in the kitchen and are very happy with it, easiest counter top to clean and maintain but yes it is a glass killer.
    timc - formerly known as timc on the last G&A forum and timc on the G&A forum before that and the G&A forum before that.....
    AKA: Former Founding Member
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  • therewolftherewolf Member Posts: 90 Member
    #21
    My rule of thumb is to calculate the BCR. (Benefit to cost ratio)

    In simple mathematic terms, divide the number of years you will be using the product

    into it's total cost. The granite costs more than standard Formica, or other laminates,

    obviously. For round numbers, say you buy a countertop, for 1000$. If you stay in the

    house 10 years, your annual cost is 100$, not bad. If you stay 20 years,

    it costs 50$ a year, pretty good. If, however, you move on in two years, the

    countertop costs 500$ per annum, or more than it would have cost to install a new

    Formica countertop every year, which is not so good.

    Quality of the countertop is important, but a sensible purchase also factors in time

    of usage.

    In summation, IMO, if you are going to stay in the home for a long time, Granite,

    marble or Stainless is a justified expense.
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  • timctimc Senior Member Posts: 6,684 Senior Member
    #22
    Wambli Ska wrote: »
    Yes but your formula ignores resales value. We passed on several houses that needed kitchen updates because of the added expense and granite is a BIG expense. A good kitchen is a strong sales differentiator.

    It also missed the "it just looks better" factor!
    timc - formerly known as timc on the last G&A forum and timc on the G&A forum before that and the G&A forum before that.....
    AKA: Former Founding Member
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #23
    wizard78 wrote: »
    Hard to believe that the area you've bought in has mainly 1 car garages? Down here, unless it's a house older than 35 years, most have two and many have 3.

    This one is vintage 1963 - a banner year! Anything new-ish has an HOA, no RV parking, blah, blah, blah. We wanted a house in a neighborhood where we could have a *home*, not a McMansion with HOA Bravo Sierra. It has the usual drawbacks of a house of that period - smallish bedrooms and small bathrooms, but it'll work - even if they *did* put STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES in it! :roll2:
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #24
    therewolf wrote: »
    In summation, IMO, if you are going to stay in the home for a long time, Granite,

    marble or Stainless is a justified expense.
    I agree with you - except on the STAINLESS. That's *never* justified!! :tooth:
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #25
    cpj wrote: »
    You could always just buy some stainless steel sheet to make your counter tops from.

    FUN-NY GUY! :yesno::punch::jester:

    It sounds like we'll be fine with the Granite - it certainly looks good with the Cherry cabinets.
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #26
    Wambli Ska wrote: »
    HOAs have their place. For example, I don't have any guys in skirts and veils running around my place :tooth:

    I can change that... :devil:
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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  • tennmiketennmike Senior Member Posts: 27,457 Senior Member
    #27
    Wambli Ska wrote: »
    HOAs have their place. For example, I don't have any guys in skirts and veils running around my place :tooth:

    :spittingcoffee: It could be a LOT worse! You could have ME as a neighbor! :rotflmao:
      “I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer”
    ― Douglas Adams
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  • JermanatorJermanator Senior Member Posts: 16,244 Senior Member
    #28
    cpj wrote: »
    It's a ing rock. Wipe it off with a rag. Don't hit it with a hammer. All fixie. :tooth:
    Basically. I built my own stone tops. They are actually easy. Cut it to shape like it is a chunk of plywood, router and polish the edges. Piece of cake. Granted, all your tools are diamond and the stone is hella heavy, but the concept is the same.

    Breaking glasses? You will never stop breaking them and I got sick of buying another set only to have mismatched drinkwear. Buy commercial! The glass is much heavier and if you go with a common design, 20 years from now, you can always buy more and have a matching set. I still got 4 more cases of pint glasses stored in the basement so I am set for awhile. Same with dishes-- we went with Fiesta Wear. They have been around forever and if they are different colors, that is even better. All my plates "match" and will for the rest of my life probably.

    Pint glasses just like the pints you get at the local craft brewery...
    http://www.webstaurantstore.com/3725/mixing-pint-glasses.html?filter=capacity:14~17*-oz.
    Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
    -Thomas Paine
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  • JermanatorJermanator Senior Member Posts: 16,244 Senior Member
    #29
    Webstraunt Store has taken a whole lot of my money over the years.

    Cast iron...
    http://www.webstaurantstore.com/47869/cast-iron-cookware.html
    And this one specifically for CPJ. This is what I was talking about earlier to make omelets. That, and it is awesome for pancakes. I just make bigass full plate sized ones for everyone...
    http://www.webstaurantstore.com/lodge-l90g3-10-1-2-pre-seasoned-cast-iron-griddle/530L90G3.html
    Real pots and pans that will last a lifetime and then some...
    http://www.webstaurantstore.com/40799/induction-ready-cookware.html?vendor=Vollrath
    And my beloved tri-ply heavy stock pots....
    http://www.webstaurantstore.com/2737/stainless-steel-stock-pots.html?filter=induction-ready:yes&filter=type:stock-pots&vendor=Vollrath
    Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
    -Thomas Paine
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  • JermanatorJermanator Senior Member Posts: 16,244 Senior Member
    #30
    I am more of a function over fashion kind of guy. Stainless can take a ton of abuse and keep on trucking. The same goes with butcher block and stone. And we don't fart around in the kitchen either. This summer, me and Mrs. Jerm canned tomato soup and salsa. I had 3 open boiler kettles going and cranked out 60 half pints of soup and almost 90 pints of salsa in one night.
    Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
    -Thomas Paine
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  • zorbazorba Senior Member Posts: 25,056 Senior Member
    #31
    Wambli Ska wrote: »
    :rotflmao: You better be at Jerry's this year, I really need to meet you...

    I *really* hope to be!
    -Zorba, "The Veiled Male"

    "If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
    )O(
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