Kitchen Countertops

Hey everybody. First post here, I just bought my first house and I am already getting the itch to start working on projects, so I'm sure I will be on here learning as much as I can. I grew up doing various renovations on houses, but my experience is limited to spending hours chipping paint, etc.

Anyways, quick question. I wanted to re do the existing countertops with granite ones, but have no idea the exact process. I saw online where I can buy slabs, but I couldn't find any that would cut it to my dimensions. Is this a case where I should find a local company to supply and cut it then I can install myself? I apologize for my ignorance, I just have no clue what the smartest and most cost effective way to do this.

Thanks for reading

to House Repair Talk!

I've done a couple of total kitchen remodels in houses that I've owned and did everything myself....except for the granite counter tops. The reasons being, weight...you want sections as large as possible for fewer seams, boring, drilling and cutting for the sink and scribing so it fits tight to the walls.
If I were doing it again I would calculate the existing counter square footage. Find a supplier/installer and in pick out product by price and style. Once you do that they'll need to do a template from your existing layout. You'll need to tear out your old counter to get accurate measurements. A week or 2 later they install the new granite. Use some scrap plywood or sheetrock for temporary counter tops.

I also have done a few kitchen remodels and being a total DIY type person I alway stayed clear of stuff that wasn't DIY friendly. I would feel this is such a material. I would love giving it a shot but without the tools and skills I would find a pro. As to having someone make it and the DIY the instal, I wouldn't risk it. It's heavy and areas like the sink cutout are fragile I would think.

I love the look of stone counter tops and I know they have big resale appeal. I watch these TV shows and they spend a lot on stone and then the buyers love it but want a different color or look. Kind of like having a swimming pool for resale.

If you just bought the house I'm sure resale is not on your mind. You will have lots of other projects you can save money with DIY so it's a case of picking your battles.

I was always working on a limited budget and when ever I got quotes on these high end installs I would see more bang for my buck in other areas and hold off on those things. That was just me.

Welcome to the forum.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Repair

:agree: What he said. And welcome.

smokescreen said:

Hey everybody. First post here, I just bought my first house and I am already getting the itch to start working on projects, so I'm sure I will be on here learning as much as I can. I grew up doing various renovations on houses, but my experience is limited to spending hours chipping paint, etc.

Anyways, quick question. I wanted to re do the existing countertops with granite ones, but have no idea the exact process. I saw online where I can buy slabs, but I couldn't find any that would cut it to my dimensions. Is this a case where I should find a local company to supply and cut it then I can install myself? I apologize for my ignorance, I just have no clue what the smartest and most cost effective way to do this.

Thanks for reading

Click to expand...

I am just about finished with our demo today. We are going to end up with quartz but what you are doing is what got us started on the kitchen demo in the first place. We also saved up until we could afford to do this right.

Our original handyman said I can buy prefab granite, have the place cut it and he could install it for us. The granite places he recommended all would cut it for us, or our handyman could take the slabs and cut them in the backyard. He ended up being too flaky which lead me to take the kitchen apart myself.

The place we ended up going with will cut and install quartz for $800 for a flushmount sink. Another quote we got for prefab granite was $540 to install and $180 for undermount sink cut out.

I would check out local places and ask a ton of questions.

Granite countertops are not a DIY project IMHO.Do find a local supplier and have them do the measure ,cut and install.
Imagine how you would feel after spending thousands on the top and cracking it or doing a poor job on the install and having to see it everyday.
It also takes specialized tools which you would have to rent and have probably never used before.
I've been remodeling kitchens for 40 years and still leave the granite to the pros.I've seen it done many times and feel comfident in my abilities to do it but it would just not be as cost effective as having the pros do it and if there is an issue it's on them not me.

We put in Granite counter tops about a year ago.
We are selling our house soon, old countertops were horrendous so absolutely had to be replaced and everyone wants Granite so we put in Granite.
Had Costco do it, price was very competitive the place that did it did a very good job.
Unless you have at least two STRONG friends the DIY granite would be a bad idea.

My wife and I like the LOOK of the new granite counter tops however the function we both personally can not stand it and will NOT be putting in Granite when we get a new house.
To us the granite is like walking on eggshells in the kitchen, the surface is HARD as hell and if you put down something like a wineglass you always feel like you are going to break the glass unless you sit it down very slowly. For instance if we dropped say a Mason Jar from a standing position onto our hardwood FLOOR about a 4' FOOT drop unless it hit just right I doubt the mason jar would break, if I dropped the same mason jar about 4 INCHES onto the granite countertop it would probably explode.
I also have lots of cast iron pots and pans, both plain cast iron and enamel coated Le Creuset type.
Even though we both have been VERY careful we still ended up with a small little chip at the edge of the kitchen sink just from the cast iron pan just barely touching it.
If we actually truly HIT the sink edge accidentally with any of these pots and pans it no doubt would crack a big chunk right out of it.

More than likely we are going to go with a Hardwood Butcher Block countertop in the new house, warm, comparatively soft would have to slam down a glass to break it and would have to literally bash it hard with a cast iron pan to damage it.
Also we can put in a knife block right into the countertop, wood backsplash etc.
and do a true end grain butcher block with good hardwoods.

If we buy an existing house instead of build, even if the kitchen was just done with brand new granite we will replace it with the butcher block that is how much we dislike the granite.
May not be first thing we do but sooner or later that granite would be gone.

Wood countertops are just as endless in what you can have as granite is, there are thousands of different colors and looks.

https://www.google.com/search?q=end...=end+grain+butcher+block+countertops&imgdii=_

The apartment we came from had granite and we didn't have any issues with chipping the counters or breaking glasses on it. My fiance isn't so gentle in the kitchen either and had plenty of people over for wine. The first wine glass that was broken was gently tipped over on our wood living room table. What type of edge were your counters to chip from a pot?

Kitchen sinks and counter tops are about the dirtiest places in the home. Storing knives in a counter at the sink...yeah, for decorations only. I'd never use them on food. Try putting a hot pan on your wood counter or walking in and find someone using it as a cutting board.

No one has mentioned granite tiles. I have never worked with them but I would see them as a DIY option, and also a cost effective option.

beachguy005 said:

Kitchen sinks and counter tops are about the dirtiest places in the home. Storing knives in a counter at the sink...yeah, for decorations only. I'd never use them on food. Try putting a hot pan on your wood counter or walking in and find someone using it as a cutting board.

Click to expand...

Put that hot of a pan on your cold granite and it could crack or scorch it.
On Quartz it would definitely scorch it because of the epoxy used.

http://www.marblecityca.com/granite-countertop/how-to-prevent-and-treat-granite-heat-damage

I wouldn't want my knives at the sink either, will be putting them on an Island.
If you never clean your knives then I guess it doesn't particularly matter where you store them does it?

It is only my wife and I so there wont be "somebody" doing anything other than me.
But actually you can use it as a cutting board if you wish, just depends on what finish you want.
Personally I am just going to use a large cutting board on top of it.

buzzkillb said:

The apartment we came from had granite and we didn't have any issues with chipping the counters or breaking glasses on it. My fiance isn't so gentle in the kitchen either and had plenty of people over for wine. The first wine glass that was broken was gently tipped over on our wood living room table. What type of edge were your counters to chip from a pot?

Click to expand...

Just a standard small chamfer around the sink area.
The pot is about a 17# cast iron Skillet, quite heavy, the chip is small.
Problem is that we both feel like the countertop might as well be glass, we always are VERY careful and still already got a small chip.
We don't even let a drop of water stand on it for long, I clean it and use Granite polish on it a couple times a month.

We are going with a Butcher Block countertop in our next Kitchen and also putting in an extra large thick stainless Farmhouse Sink or preferably a nice old style drainboard sink if we can find one.



Old style sink



Or new Stainless drainboard sink, where the wood gets absolutely no where near any water.
This is the one we want that way there is nothing be it Granite to chip or Wood to stain that will be a problem, super easy to clean, nothing but scratches in the stainless which is no problem.



If we have the room will have a separate super thick real butcher block as the cutting board/station separate from the rest of the countertops.

That big white sink is porcelain over cast iron, the frying pan wins every time.

I was told to check out granite tiles too. I wasn't sure that the resale would be worth it. We ended up going quartz because of the color, white. Even though it's more expensive than prefab granite. Lots to consider, obviously from comments through this thread. But really how hard is it to place a hot pot or pan on something instead of directly on the counter? We were close to going with stainless counters between the seams and quartz past that.

Attached picture shows what we are going with.

nealtw said:

That big white sink is porcelain over cast iron, the frying pan wins every time.

Click to expand...

Yeah, you would think so, but most of these old sinks some of them well over 80 years old that I have seen don't have a single chip on them, or at least not ones that go through to the iron.

I know when I was growing up our house that I was born in which was built in about 1904 had an old sink like that that I think was from the 20s so it was 35-40 years old before I was born and we stayed there for another 10 years and I remember my mother slamming and banging cast iron pans in it for years.

It had a couple small "dings" in it, but not technically any chips that showed the cast iron.

So yeah they will chip and I have seen a few with full-blown chips in them, but I am pretty sure those old Porcelain sinks are probably about twice as tough as Granite.

Accidentally drop a 17 pound cast iron skillet in it from about 6" or more and you're right probably going to knock a chip out of it.

Which is why we are heavily leaning towards something similar to the bottom one, a very large heavy stainless one.

Super easy to keep clean, large enough so my wife and I both can be using it at the same time and no chance of water getting on whatever countertop.

Then just rub in some Howards Butcher Block Conditioner on the wood countertop every month which is all food grade Mineral Oil and Beeswax and you're good to go.

buzzkillb said:

I was told to check out granite tiles too. I wasn't sure that the resale would be worth it. We ended up going quartz because of the color, white. Even though it's more expensive than prefab granite. Lots to consider, obviously from comments through this thread. But really how hard is it to place a hot pot or pan on something instead of directly on the counter? We were close to going with stainless counters between the seams and quartz past that.

Attached picture shows what we are going with.

Click to expand...

That looks really nice.

I agree, I cannot imagine ever putting a hot pan right off the stove onto ANY countertop ever. That just seems insane.

My wife and my only real concern or problem with any kind of stone, be it Granite, Quartz, Marble etc., is that it is just cold and hard.

If you drop a glass on it forget it even if the glass just falls over it's most likely going to explode like a firecracker.

If you accidentally hit the edge anywhere with a heavy pan it's probably going to chip.

We went with Granite mainly because of resale value for the house that we plan on selling soon and neither of us have ever had Granite countertops before so went into it thinking this is going to be great finally having Granite countertops.

The first week or so that was true, but after about a month or so the novelty wore off we were both thinking the same thing, but neither of us told the other for at least another 3-4 months then we were talking one day about what our plans are for the new house and when we got to talking about the kitchen we both literally look at each other and said in unison "I sure as hell do not want Granite".

Both of us had exactly the same feeling about the Granite after living with it for a while, love the looks it's really gorgeous, but simply cannot stand it for functionality.

We both decided on Wood as our next choice and are very pleased that we didn't spend $2500 for a countertop that we both dislike and stuck with for the rest of our lives since we are selling it anyway and most people seem to really like Granite just not us.