Pros and Cons for granite tops?

Over rated expensive nonsense IMHO. ...especially when they get chipped!

 

Pro's, good for making shortcrust pastry on (nice and cool)
Con's, everything has to be perfectly level, Heavy, having to make templates for the granite suppliers and very disheartening when someone takes a chunk out of them with a heavy saucepan etc etc.

 

con's:
heavy(but always extra hands employed for the day)
sometimes akward to get in the kitchen
suppliers take a chance on price(for same kitchen had quotes from £1700 to £3500 black granite)

pro's

everything else:
look great
nice feel compared to laminated w/tops
almost zero maintanance (think wooden tops!)
will outlive the kitchen cabinets life and sometimes owner life...
can be reused when kitchen replaced(good money for not to much work)
good margins for supply and fit as customer expects the stuff to be expensive
company templates for you (£80 at the moment so not worth the hassle )
company fits for you (£200-£300,london);no way!done by us so money in our pockets

ah,and no end strips to f@@@ about

 

I think they are a fad. I don't know if you watch Rick Stein on TV but he has a mixture of timber and granite work surfaces in his kitchen - I have installed a few like that now. I think granite everywhere is too cold and too easily damaged.

 

cons of granite depending on colour (black) looks like a tombstone!!!! chips if caught with a big pan looks a mess when wiped shows up all marks in the sun stains very easily just to temper mentle more for show than every day use . i would higly recomend quartz work tops much more stronger and scratch resistant looks nicer especially with the black sparkle

 

Good use of English by Simple Simon the plumbers friend! :^O

 

dont know what planet some peeps are on, i've had granite in mine for 4 years now, never chipped, never cracked, looks immaculate when you clean up, no drying marks at all.

Are you asking for pros and cons from the fitters point of view or the customers? There are none from the customers point, and as said, you can reuse them if you dont want to change the layout.

 

Granite varies enormously in the quality of the stone and installation. I have seen some that has lasted beautifully for years and others that have chipped and cracked very badly.

 

Have had few problems with chipping, but to reduce risk don't go for the cheaper grades.

On fitting granite, it can be weak across areas where there are large cut-outs, have seen fitters break large pieces, but that is not the customer' problem.

Joints on long runs are inevitable, but if you want granite you have to accept that.

Highly polished black granite acts like a mirror, reflecting everything under wall units, make sure your under cabinet lighting and cable runs are planned accordingly.

Granite is not impervious, will etch with the likes of fruit juices, beetroot, Ribena etc. Warn your customers to wipe up any spillages immediately.

In its favour, the right granite in the right kitchen looks stunning.

 

Addendum

Having said all that, if asked for advice on solid surface, would guide the customer towards quartz.

 

seen a few specially round sink area with hairline cracks in them

 

Just to add. Light granites are for lighter/more brittle than the blacks. This means that some, like Kashmir, are easily chipped on the sink and corner edges. They also get stained more easily.
Never have honed granite as it looks like **** after a few months and everything, like pans, will mark it.
My granite man tells me that although quartz looks good , after a year it looks like a piece of granite that has been in 10 years.
I think the darker ones are best if you have a light and large kitchen, but not Galaxy, as it well known to be a gay granite.
Love and kisses

 

Clear as Mud then OP? :^O

 

Of course, you also have concrete, very trendy, solid glass, with or without broken mirror underneath, Pyrolave, which is ,I believe, re-formed volcanic lava, bakalite, solid ceramic top, uranium 235,(a Bugger to keep clean,) the list goes on........

 

Nowt wrong with laminate !

 

Heston Blumenthal did a test on worktop materials - the best by far was Laminate.

 

try ebay granite modular system for the diyer meter long lengths 600 for 8 meters with front profiles + splash backs just fitted one + it looks gr8 easy to cut as well