[dbussone]

Originally Posted by CFrance

There is radon, by the way, in all natural products. You are hundreds of times more likely to be at risk for radon emanating from the soil beneath your home. For a good read on radon in granite, try this: Granite and Radon and this: snopes.com: Granite Countertops and Radon

One recommendation I happened upon when researching granite was to be careful that your granite does not come from a third world country or Russia.

As in most things, there are different qualities of granite. the top two quality stones will not water stain. There is a 15-year sealer that can be applied ($300 for our Begonia countertops). We've never had a staining or any other problem with our Level III granite from Ultimate Granite.

Up north, we had Level I granite. It was sealed normally, and any water left standing on it would cause a dark stain that lasted till it dried out. Not permanent.

You are supposed to be able to put a hot pan on it, but I don't. One granite company up north said theoretically you can do that, but on a rare occasion you could hit some kind of seam that could cause the granite to crack.

Our corian countertops in this new house were a scratched-up mess within a year. Yes you can sand them down, but the scratches tend to occur in the same places where you use the counter a lot. So after a while, you'll have an indentation from continued sanding. I found I couldn't even put a UPS box down on it without protecting the counter. It was a nuisance.

Look at soapstone as well. More expensive than granite, but totally impervious. Some beautiful blacks with green or white veining. Martha Stewart has them. The slabs are not as wide as granite slabs, so you might end up with a seam in a designer kitchen.

Interesting - we had a lot of granite in our last kitchen. I put hot pans and skillets all over the place. Never had a problem. No one ever told me hot stuff was s problem. You learn something every day.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by dbussone

Interesting - we had a lot of granite in our last kitchen. I put hot pans and skillets all over the place. Never had a problem. No one ever told me hot stuff was s problem. You learn something every day.

It's not supposed to be a problem. But after the one granite installer told me that (maybe he pulled it out of his hat!), I was afraid to tempt fate. I was used to not putting hot pots on countertops anyway, so I just continued not doing it.

[graciegirl]

Granite. Lovely. Good for resale too.

[villager]

Thanks, all! I do appreciate the feedback. I never thought of soapstone. I think I'll add that to my list when I go look.

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by villager

Thanks, all! I do appreciate the feedback. I never thought of soapstone. I think I'll add that to my list when I go look.

When you ask about soapstone ask about the weight difference between granite and soapstone. We have a buffet that suffered a broke granite slab during a move. We had it replaced with a soapstone slab of the same size By itself, it weighs more than 350 pounds - much more than the original granite. Soapstone is gorgeous and I would love to have it in my kitchen. Before doing so though I would want to make sure that the contractor assured me that soapstone counter tops can be supported.

And if you get granite be sure not to spill vinegar on it. Any acid will immediately discolor it.

[DianeM]

I've had Silestone and loved the look and durability

[LuckySevens]

Originally Posted by WhoDat

We had quartz in out last house for 10 years and loved it. No sealing, no staining, an very durable. Having it installed in our TV house which will be done in August.

Had Quartz up north, granite here. I tired to get the Villages to put in Quartz, but they would not. I like Quartz MUCH better than granite.....no scratching, no sealing, etc. Quartz is just a little more subdued, but I like the less shiny look (it is still shiny). If there is a 'next' time for me, it will be Quartz.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by dbussone

When you ask about soapstone ask about the weight difference between granite and soapstone. We have a buffet that suffered a broke granite slab during a move. We had it replaced with a soapstone slab of the same size By itself, it weighs more than 350 pounds - much more than the original granite. Soapstone is gorgeous and I would love to have it in my kitchen. Before doing so though I would want to make sure that the contractor assured me that soapstone counter tops can be supported.

And if you get granite be sure not to spill vinegar on it. Any acid will immediately discolor it.

Huh, DB... I've never had a lick of problem with either of our granites, including spilling vinegar. And does nail polish remover count? 'Cause I've done that too! Guess I got lucky.

There was enough support from our kitchen cabinets up north to hold the extra weight of the soapstone countertops (second level, tile floor), but they were solid oak cabinets. The problem was the slabs were smaller, and we would have had seams. We went with granite for no seams.

Silestone looked a bit too manufactured for our taste. But my former neighbor was able to put quartz (or is it quartzite) in her Premier, and it really looks good.

[big guy]

Originally Posted by villager

I'm not posting this in the contractor's services section because I am not asking for contractor suggestions (yet).

I am going to start the process of looking at different options for new kitchen counter tops. I would like to know what people have and whether they like the product. I know there is granite, solid surfacing, quartz and concrete (laminate is not an option for me).

What do you like and dislike about what you have?

I appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback.

We have black granite and love the granite but hate that dust and smears show so much. We had Granite Transformations (composite) in Ohio and loved it. Brown, tans, and off white. Dust and smears did not show.

[big guy]

Originally Posted by JanandFran

How do you keep the corian looking good? Mine is dull and you can see rings on it from glasses, etc. Can it be polished? Tried a couple products, nothing works.

We have Corian at a rental unit we own. The cleaning people use Pledge on it and it always looks great.

[tv2016]

Originally Posted by JanandFran

How do you keep the corian looking good? Mine is dull and you can see rings on it from glasses, etc. Can it be polished? Tried a couple products, nothing works.

I sanded Corian with very fine steel wool and it looks great.

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Huh, DB... I've never had a lick of problem with either of our granites, including spilling vinegar. And does nail polish remover count? 'Cause I've done that too! Guess I got lucky.

There was enough support from our kitchen cabinets up north to hold the extra weight of the soapstone countertops (second level, tile floor), but they were solid oak cabinets. The problem was the slabs were smaller, and we would have had seams. We went with granite for no seams.

Silestone looked a bit too manufactured for our taste. But my former neighbor was able to put quartz (or is it quartzite) in her Premier, and it really looks good.

Vinegar will discolor granite, even if the granite is sealed. I learned that the hard way. I don't know about nail polish remover. I usually just leave nail polish on until it comes off itself.
::

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by dbussone

Vinegar will discolor granite, even if the granite is sealed. I learned that the hard way. I don't know about nail polish remover. I usually just leave nail polish on until it comes off itself.
::

You are so funny! Did the vinegar sit on the granite for some time before you discovered it?

I agree with BigGuy that the color of the granite makes a big difference. The black is beautiful, but it does show fingerprints and smears. Ours here is in browns, tans, golds and rust, and the pattern is not allover the same. It's in swirls. Smears don't show. My husband says part of it looks like the picture he saw on the monitor when he woke up in the middle of a colonoscopy. Thanks a lot, R.

Our Corian countertops in this house were a very pretty beige and cream pattern. We both like to cook and use the kitchen so much. Unfortunately, they had to go. You couldn't put a plate down without having something under it. But maybe Corian comes in different qualities.

[virgind]

Still like the old stand by Formica. Scratch it or what ever just replace it easy to do and cost effective. Stone is over rated.

[CFrance]

They have some very pretty Formica out now. It's worth looking into.

But I disagree that stone is overrated. Our stone is durable and will never need to be replaced. It doesn't scratch or dent. It has a 15-year "cast-iron" seal on it. In 13 years it will get another 15-year seal, for a cost of $300. It looks gorgeous; really makes our kitchen pop.