Sorry for previous post,I sent it by mistake before finishing it.
Has anyone had experience with a granite or marble counter in their kitchen?
I am trying to decide between them and also if I want an undermount sink or
not. Any advice from some kind person would be helpful. Thanks. S

Sis wrote:
>
> Sorry for previous post,I sent it by mistake before finishing it.
> Has anyone had experience with a granite or marble counter in their kitchen?
> I am trying to decide between them and also if I want an undermount sink or
> not. Any advice from some kind person would be helpful. Thanks. S


My sister has polished black granite in her kitchen: it's very tough and
looks fantastic. Remember that any stone IS brittle, so don't drop your
cast iron cookware on it or you could have chips and cracks to deal
with! The highly polished surface can scratch, just like any other
polished surface.
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Thanks so much for your help! S

"Sis" > wrote in message
...
> Sorry for previous post,I sent it by mistake before finishing it.
> Has anyone had experience with a granite or marble counter in their
kitchen?
> I am trying to decide between them and also if I want an undermount sink
or
> not. Any advice from some kind person would be helpful. Thanks. S
>
We put in a granite island counter top almost 2 years ago (2 yrs this
August) with an undermount prep sink. We couldn't be happier. We use our
kitchen for real cooking on a daily basis; it's not a 'show' kitchen. The
granite has stood up very well with no chips/cracks/etc. After 18 months we
thought we would re-apply the surface sealer. A mistake. After following the
directions to clean off the surface, none of the new sealer soaked in. It
was still very well sealed. We never did get directions on how often to
re-seal (it's a trivial job) but my guess is no more often than 3 years,
probably.

By the way, with an undermount sink, cleanup of the surface area is really
easy; just sweep it into the sink. Also, I am very carefull when working
with vinegars and do wipe up any such spills fairly quickly (within 15
minutes). Don't know if that's a requirement, but I do.

We have no experience with marble.

"SCUBApix" > wrote in message
...
>
> We put in a granite island counter top almost 2 years ago (2 yrs this
> August) with an undermount prep sink. We couldn't be happier. We use our
> kitchen for real cooking on a daily basis; it's not a 'show' kitchen. The
> granite has stood up very well with no chips/cracks/etc. After 18 months
we
> thought we would re-apply the surface sealer.

Surely, if it's real granite, it will not need sealing.
Graham

In article >,
Sis > wrote:
>Sorry for previous post,I sent it by mistake before finishing it.
>Has anyone had experience with a granite or marble counter in their kitchen?
>I am trying to decide between them and also if I want an undermount sink or
>not. Any advice from some kind person would be helpful. Thanks. S

IIRC, marble stains more easily, and is easier disolved by
acids.


Chuck Demas

--
Eat Healthy | _ _ | Nothing would be done at all,
Stay Fit | @ @ | If a man waited to do it so well,
Die Anyway | v | That no one could find fault with it.
| \___/ | http://world.std.com/~cpd

"Sis" > wrote in message
...
> Sorry for previous post,I sent it by mistake before finishing it.
> Has anyone had experience with a granite or marble counter in their
kitchen?
> I am trying to decide between them and also if I want an undermount sink
or
> not. Any advice from some kind person would be helpful. Thanks. S

I would avoid marble for any surface except for a pasty area. Marble will
etch with acids like vinegar, fruit juice, and most carbonated beverages. I
have rings on marble topped tables from people putting down wine glasses
without coasters! You might consider granite for your counters and marble
tile for your backsplash.

Sis wrote:

> Sorry for previous post,I sent it by mistake before finishing it.
> Has anyone had experience with a granite or marble counter in their kitchen?
> I am trying to decide between them and also if I want an undermount sink or
> not. Any advice from some kind person would be helpful. Thanks. S
>
>
Get a sample pieces of the granite and marble you are thinking of using.
On each sample, put a few drops of oil, wine, lemon juice and let it
set for a while. Wipe off and see what changes, if any, happen to the
each materials. We installed verde ubatuba granite about 2 years ago.
I am a very active cook and love my granite countertops.

"Vox Humana" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Sis" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Sorry for previous post,I sent it by mistake before finishing it.
> > Has anyone had experience with a granite or marble counter in their
> kitchen?
> > I am trying to decide between them and also if I want an undermount sink
> or
> > not. Any advice from some kind person would be helpful. Thanks. S
>
> I would avoid marble for any surface except for a pasty area. Marble will
> etch with acids like vinegar, fruit juice, and most carbonated beverages.
I
> have rings on marble topped tables from people putting down wine glasses
> without coasters! You might consider granite for your counters and marble
> tile for your backsplash.
>
>
While it is true that FINISHED marble will etch, the key is to get your
marble HONED. That's what we did, quite successfully, in two different
kitchen remodels. Of course, you have to like the honed look, which is much
softer than the finished look. It won't stain under normal use, but I
wouldn't drop a cast iron skillet on it either!

fOn Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:16:39 GMT, "Vox Humana" >
wrote:

>I would avoid marble for any surface except for a pasty area.

Howdy,

What is the supposed advantage of marble over granite for pastry?

Thanks,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

"Kenneth" > wrote in message
...
> fOn Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:16:39 GMT, "Vox Humana" >
> wrote:
>
> >I would avoid marble for any surface except for a pasty area.
>
> Howdy,
>
> What is the supposed advantage of marble over granite for pastry?
>

None!

Graham

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 01:12:14 GMT, "graham" > wrote:

>
>"Kenneth" > wrote in message
.. .
>> fOn Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:16:39 GMT, "Vox Humana" >
>> wrote:
>>
>> >I would avoid marble for any surface except for a pasty area.
>>
>> Howdy,
>>
>> What is the supposed advantage of marble over granite for pastry?
>>
>
>None!
>
>Graham
>

Hi Graham,

That is my view, but folks often suggest otherwise.

I will mention a related thing that might be of interest:

We built our new home about three years ago. The kitchen is granite,
and is wonderful. As you might know from another group where we meet,
we put in a Bongard deck oven for my baking... In any case I
considered the issue of a pastry area with a lower counter so that I
could easily "get over" a rolling pin. I tried, without real success,
to assess the utility of such a counter. Eventually, our builder came
up with a great solution: Beneath the cabinets of the "baking area" is
a small ring. One pull on the ring and out slides a "step" that is
about 3" wide and about 5" tall. When I step up on it, I am at the
perfect height for rolling out dough. When I am finished, in it goes
and "magically" my counter returns to its original height!

All the best,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

"graham" > wrote in message
news:gXajc.264723$oR5.221041@pd7tw3no...
>
> "SCUBApix" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > We put in a granite island counter top almost 2 years ago (2 yrs this
> > August) with an undermount prep sink. We couldn't be happier. We use our
> > kitchen for real cooking on a daily basis; it's not a 'show' kitchen.
The
> > granite has stood up very well with no chips/cracks/etc. After 18 months
> we
> > thought we would re-apply the surface sealer.
>
> Surely, if it's real granite, it will not need sealing.
> Graham
>
>

Not so - granite usually needs sealing. A polished flawless piece of granite
is indeed impervious to anything that a cook might expose it to, but few if
any slabs are flawless. As I understand it the sealer is for the minute
imperfections, fissures and pores, present in almost all granite.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"Peter Aitken" > wrote in message
. com...
> "graham" > wrote in message
> news:gXajc.264723$oR5.221041@pd7tw3no...
> >
> > "SCUBApix" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > >
> > > We put in a granite island counter top almost 2 years ago (2 yrs this
> > > August) with an undermount prep sink. We couldn't be happier. We use
our
> > > kitchen for real cooking on a daily basis; it's not a 'show' kitchen.
> The
> > > granite has stood up very well with no chips/cracks/etc. After 18
months
> > we
> > > thought we would re-apply the surface sealer.
> >
> > Surely, if it's real granite, it will not need sealing.
> > Graham
> >
> >
>
> Not so - granite usually needs sealing. A polished flawless piece of
granite
> is indeed impervious to anything that a cook might expose it to, but few
if
> any slabs are flawless. As I understand it the sealer is for the minute
> imperfections, fissures and pores, present in almost all granite.
>
I should have expanded my argument a bit I suppose. What quarrymen and
stonemasons call "granite" very often isn't and I hadn't thought about any
imperfections caused by the cutting processes.
Graham
Graham

"Kenneth" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 01:12:14 GMT, "graham" > wrote:
>
> >
> >"Kenneth" > wrote in message
> .. .
> >> fOn Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:16:39 GMT, "Vox Humana" >
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> >I would avoid marble for any surface except for a pasty area.
> >>
> >> Howdy,
> >>
> >> What is the supposed advantage of marble over granite for pastry?
> >>
> >
> >None!
> >
> >Graham
> >
>
> Hi Graham,
>
> That is my view, but folks often suggest otherwise.
>

There is little difference in thermal mass between the two from a
pastrymaking point of view. Maintaining a cold surface is all that is
important and either should work well.

> I will mention a related thing that might be of interest:
>
> We built our new home about three years ago. The kitchen is granite,
> and is wonderful. As you might know from another group where we meet,
> we put in a Bongard deck oven for my baking... In any case I
> considered the issue of a pastry area with a lower counter so that I
> could easily "get over" a rolling pin. I tried, without real success,
> to assess the utility of such a counter. Eventually, our builder came
> up with a great solution: Beneath the cabinets of the "baking area" is
> a small ring. One pull on the ring and out slides a "step" that is
> about 3" wide and about 5" tall. When I step up on it, I am at the
> perfect height for rolling out dough. When I am finished, in it goes
> and "magically" my counter returns to its original height!
>
A good solution! However, I like a high countertop, but I'm 6'3" and hate
bending down:-)
Graham

"Kenneth" > wrote in message
...
> fOn Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:16:39 GMT, "Vox Humana" >
> wrote:
>
> >I would avoid marble for any surface except for a pasty area.
>
> Howdy,
>
> What is the supposed advantage of marble over granite for pastry?
>
> Thanks,

I wouldn't anticipate that you would be as likely to expose the pastry area
to acidic foods as you would in a general prep area.

Thanks so much for your wonderful advice! You should call your granite
installer/showroom on how often to reseal. They should have given you
information on that. Thanks again. S.

The finish on granite is from buffing with a machine, and will dull in
time.According to my granite dealer, all stone will need to be resealed in
time. Do you have experience with it? S

I agree! S.

Ohhh.. Are they allowed to call it granite then? Sorry if I'm being
naive,but aren't there some regulations? What other materials could they be?
Thanks for your input. S

Thanks so much. You sound like a granite salesperson! are you? S.

I thought so. I really like the color/look of Creme Marfil marble(Italian
marble in a creamy tan color),but will keep it in mind for a bathroom
instead of my kitchen,I guess. Thanks. S.

I'll definitely not use the marble then. Have you tried to apply a sealer to
the tabletop? Thanks. S.

That sounds nice. Does "honed" mean less polished? What shade/type of
marble do you have? Thanks for your help! S.

Marble is cool to the touch,so this makes it great for working with pastry.
I haven't heard that granite is noted for the same attributes as far as
that. S.

Great idea,I'm going to try it tomorrow! Have your coutertops held up well?
I do a lot of cooking with the products you mentioned,by the way! Thanks for
your help and insight. S.

"Sis" > writes:

>Thanks so much for your wonderful advice! You should call your granite
>installer/showroom on how often to reseal. They should have given you
>information on that. Thanks again. S.

We put Blue Pearl granite countertops in several areas of our kitchen,
butcher block in another area and a 4 foot marble tabletop. I don't
believe the granite was ever sealed, nor have we done anything to
it in the 7 years we've lived in the house. It still looks pretty
much like it did the day it was installed, at least when the counters
aren't covered up. :-)

Aside from rolling out dough, we usually don't work directly on the granite
or butcher block surfaces, that's what they make chopping boards and
washable plastic mats for. I do use the marble surface for making candies,
though I prefer to pour things like peanut brittle onto a sheet of
alumimum foil rather than directly on the marble. And some candies I
pour into disposable aluminum trays because I can't find a decent set
of candymaker bars to keep them from spreading out too much.
--
Mike Nolan

The dealers in my area don't offer to allow me to view the slabs before
deciding on my purchase. Where you allowed to do this? S.

Kenneth wrote:
>
> On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 01:12:14 GMT, "graham" > wrote:
>
> >
> >"Kenneth" > wrote in message
> .. .
> >> fOn Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:16:39 GMT, "Vox Humana" >
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> >I would avoid marble for any surface except for a pasty area.
> >>
> >> Howdy,
> >>
> >> What is the supposed advantage of marble over granite for pastry?
> >>
> >
> >None!
> >
> >Graham
> >
>
> Hi Graham,
>
> That is my view, but folks often suggest otherwise.
>
> I will mention a related thing that might be of interest:
>
> We built our new home about three years ago. The kitchen is granite,
> and is wonderful. As you might know from another group where we meet,
> we put in a Bongard deck oven for my baking... In any case I
> considered the issue of a pastry area with a lower counter so that I
> could easily "get over" a rolling pin. I tried, without real success,
> to assess the utility of such a counter. Eventually, our builder came
> up with a great solution: Beneath the cabinets of the "baking area" is
> a small ring. One pull on the ring and out slides a "step" that is
> about 3" wide and about 5" tall. When I step up on it, I am at the
> perfect height for rolling out dough. When I am finished, in it goes
> and "magically" my counter returns to its original height!
>
> All the best,
>
> --
> Kenneth
>
> If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

A built in Vertical Height Adjuster! What a neat idea!
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 09:39:15 +0100, Kate Dicey
> wrote:

>A built in Vertical Height Adjuster! What a neat idea!

Howdy,

It really has been wonderful, and, obviously was trivial in cost. With
it, our counter is always the "perfect" height for the task.

All the best,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 02:34:28 -0400, "Sis" > wrote:

>Marble is cool to the touch,so this makes it great for working with pastry.
>I haven't heard that granite is noted for the same attributes as far as
>that. S.
>

Howdy,

Marble is the same temperature as the kitchen <g>. It feels "cool to
the touch" because it conducts heat well and your hand it likely to be
warmer than the marble. I am no physicist, but would certainly believe
that any stone would do the same (within limits of kitchen measurement
accuracy).

All the best,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 02:41:32 -0400, "Sis" > wrote:

>Great idea,I'm going to try it tomorrow! Have your coutertops held up well?
>I do a lot of cooking with the products you mentioned,by the way! Thanks for
>your help and insight. S.
>

Hi,

When you include nothing of the message to which you are responding,
it is impossible to know what you mean.

What is the "great idea?"

Thanks,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 02:54:04 -0400, "Sis" > wrote:

>The dealers in my area don't offer to allow me to view the slabs before
>deciding on my purchase. Where you allowed to do this? S.
>

Find another dealer.

Of course we selected the pieces we wanted, and those were the pieces
delivered to us.

All the best,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

"graham" > wrote in message
newsOijc.269004$oR5.228389@pd7tw3no...
>
> "Peter Aitken" > wrote in message
> . com...
> > "graham" > wrote in message
> > news:gXajc.264723$oR5.221041@pd7tw3no...
> > >
> > > "SCUBApix" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > >
> > > > We put in a granite island counter top almost 2 years ago (2 yrs
this
> > > > August) with an undermount prep sink. We couldn't be happier. We use
> our
> > > > kitchen for real cooking on a daily basis; it's not a 'show'
kitchen.
> > The
> > > > granite has stood up very well with no chips/cracks/etc. After 18
> months
> > > we
> > > > thought we would re-apply the surface sealer.
> > >
> > > Surely, if it's real granite, it will not need sealing.
> > > Graham
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Not so - granite usually needs sealing. A polished flawless piece of
> granite
> > is indeed impervious to anything that a cook might expose it to, but few
> if
> > any slabs are flawless. As I understand it the sealer is for the minute
> > imperfections, fissures and pores, present in almost all granite.
> >
> I should have expanded my argument a bit I suppose. What quarrymen and
> stonemasons call "granite" very often isn't and I hadn't thought about any
> imperfections caused by the cutting processes.
> Graham
> Graham
>
>

Not imperfections caused by the cutting process - although these may exist
too. Simply natural imperfections in the stone, too small to be visible in
most cases. You cannot expect a natural material such as granite to be as
uniform as, say, glass.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"Sis" > wrote in message
...
> Ohhh.. Are they allowed to call it granite then? Sorry if I'm being
> naive,but aren't there some regulations? What other materials could they
be?
> Thanks for your input. S
>
>

I think that Graham is being too pessimistic. If you use a reputable dealer
I do not think you need worry.

A word of advice. Before buying I highly recommend seeing, in person, the
actual slab that you are buying. Slabs of the same granite, even from the
same block, can differ quite a bit. If you select based on a photo in a
catalog you may end up disappointed.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"Sis" > wrote in message
...
> The dealers in my area don't offer to allow me to view the slabs before
> deciding on my purchase. Where you allowed to do this? S.

Your dealers must have a source for their granite. Ask where they get it
from. If they are unwilling to share that info, I wouldn't deal with them.
As others have said previously, you need to go and look at the slabs and
pick one out. Granite is not a manufactured item. Even slabs from the same
vein in the same quarry will be somewhat different.

We went with a slab that had a lot of 'motion' in it. That is, there are
'waves' of colors flowing through the slab. Technically, these colors are
imperfections. But they are beautiful imperfections and most granite have
them to some degree. We picked out a slab for our island and then told the
people who would do the finishhing what part of the slab to use for the
island and where the sink would go as well as the faucet. You also get to
choose how the corners are finished (rounded at what radius) and how the
ends are finished (round, bull-nose, half bull-nose, etc.).

You really can't get the full effect looking only at small samples. You need
to go to the supplier to see the real thing. Just my opinion.

"Sis" > wrote in message >...
> Thanks so much. You sound like a granite salesperson! are you? S.

Hello,

Thought I'd toss in my two cents as we recently made this same
decision on our remodel. We actually went with "Silestone" as it was
touted to us to have most all of the benefits of granite without the
need for constant resealing, and also that it is supposedly a little
more durable, though that really smells like sales talk I suppose.
Silestone is all made in Spain I believe, is in the same cost
ballpark, and is actually quartz. We think it's gorgeous, every bit
as attractive as any granite I've ever seen. You might want to
consider this alternative as long as you're spending the real money on
this stuff.

Good luck!

eno

Honing removes the shiny surface, so, yes, less polished. We have white
Cararra and have never had a problem with staining...

"Sis" > wrote in message
...
> That sounds nice. Does "honed" mean less polished? What shade/type of
> marble do you have? Thanks for your help! S.
>
>

"Sis" > wrote in message
...
> Great idea,I'm going to try it tomorrow! Have your coutertops held up
well?
> I do a lot of cooking with the products you mentioned,by the way! Thanks
for
> your help and insight. S.
>
>
We did the put-stuff-on-it-overnight test with HONED white Cararra marble
and were amazed that they didn't leave the stains we thought they would. Of
course, YMMV.

"Sis" > wrote in message
...
> The dealers in my area don't offer to allow me to view the slabs before
> deciding on my purchase. Where you allowed to do this? S.
>
>
Yes! Any reputable stone dealer should show you the slabs and even let you
choose the one with the veining you want!