Granite Tile Recommendations?

Hi E.! My husband is a professional remodeler and has installed quite a bit of granite tile. He could give you some tips or suggestions as far as advantages and disadvantages to this type of countertop. He could also help you in what questions you might ask the installer. These ladies are so right about it being properly installed. Anyway, his name is Steve and his email is ____@____.com a great day! Aj

Hi,

I have granite tile in my kitchen, and I wouldn't recomend it. It is uneven, so that when you put down a cutting board to chop something, the cutting board doesn't stay flat and makes a ton of noise. Plus, the grout between the tiles is difficult to keep clean, the counters are hard to wipe. If I were putting in a countertop, I wouldn't choose the granite tile. Concrete slabs seem to be all the rage these days, but I have no idea as to their cost. Perhaps an alternative stone?

We live in a fixer upper also. We made this really hard decision also. If you can afford it, I would suggest quartz. We couldn't afford it, so we went with Wilsonart HD Laminate. I love it. It looks like Granite or Marble, but it is Laminate. We are doing it ourselves which saves a lot of money. We paid $157 a sheet at Home Depot. Check out the Wilsonart HD.

With Granite there have been reports of radon seeping into the air. Radon causes Lung Cancer. When I talked to our contractor, suggest Quartz and not Granite because there are too many flaws in Granite.

We had granite tile put on four years ago and it's been great. The granite and grout are dark, so we haven't noticed any staining, and I really like how it looks. It was 1/3 the cost of getting a granite slab, too. We had Bowcutt's Flooring America in S.Jordan do the work and they were fantastic--on time and reliable.

Hi E.,
I don't know about granite tile, but we have solid granite (house came with it) and though it's beautiful, I wouldn't highly recommend it even in a single slab. It chips, it takes a fair bit of upkeep (because it's porous), and like someone else said, if you drop a glass or dish on it it will shatter. There are some really beautiful manufactured surfaces available now, and I'd definitely check out those. :)

Hi E.- I'm an interior designer, and I have a granite tile counter top. It is a great way to get the granite counter tops that you want without the large price. If you should get a stain or crack you just replace that tile not an entire slab, so it is actually better than a slab in some respects. When getting your home appraised they will just note granite and it doesn't matter if it is slab or tile. We have had no issues with tiles popping off. Just educate yourself on the care of granite and you will be fine. Don't put hot pots on it, wipe up spills, especially oil, and you should be just fine. Laminate is OUT, and even if it is upgraded laminate it is still laminate and buyers will know that. Good luck!!

For starters, don't go with a contractor who says it won't be a good idea that they will pop off etc...that means they don't know how to install properly. Granite can crack but doesn't scratch like other tile. As for stains, it is a porous surface so it will soak in liquids which can cause staining. using a good sealant and maintaining it will help deter this, but you have to be careful what cleaners you use. One of my friends loves the fact that her granite takes on different colors through the years as it soaks in different liquids, and I have a friend who meticulously cares for hers to ensure it never never gets a stain. I've been looking into this too as I want to replace our countertops as well so asking lots of questions to friends and doing research. One thing that concerns me is that granite is porous and so being a germ freak it makes me wonder about that...do you ever really get all the germs up? I am sure you do but still, that is a concern I have, a reason I wouldn't do all wood countertops either. Lots of people have granite tile and it works like the other response you got. It really is a long term investment, and will pay off if it is what you want do it. Just do a little homework on how to care for the granite tiles you are getting.
one thing to think about, I have a friend who went with concrete counters, they were stained and look like marble, it cost way less than granite did and looks amazing--once the sealant was on it seriously it looks like they spent TONS of money on the counters but they didn't and they are gorgeous.

As a realtor the only thing I will warn you about is the Frankenhouse syndrome. Does the granite match the kitchen? Meaning, are the cabinets, sink, fixtures, etc upgraded to match a granite look? Have the cabinets been replaced or given a high end refinish so that they can carry granite? Or are the cabinets and sink/faucet still low end where laminate would potentially match better?

Granite tiles can look decent, but obviously are not as nice as slab and don't wear as well as slab. Laminate can look very nice in the right kitchen. I've been in a few houses with brand new laminate in a lower end kitchen and they looked beautiful and kitchens where granite was installed with no consideration for upgrading the rest of the surface areas and it looked terrible. Get a sample of each and decide for yourself...and look at HGTV photos and check out the kinds of cabinets used with granite vs laminate. HTH and GL.

I would look around. We also thought that granite slab would be expensive, but our contractor did business at place that sells "scraps" of slab granite. Our kitchen looks no worse for the wear and it was affordable.

Hi there. Probably echoing a bit here. We have granite tile in our kitchen. I do like it, but if I have to ever re-do the kitchen I would save up for Silestone or a granite slab. It is not uneven, and hasn't cracked or stained in 11 years. The main drawbacks are that we have a lighter grout, and I do have to clean that (usually coffee stains which come up easy, but still). Also because it is granite I have to seal it appx once a year. So a little more effort than I would prefer, but in the big picture not a big deal.

I would be leary of a contractor who 'predicts' problems. He may be putting that out there so if/when you have a problem he won't have to take responsibility. Any kitchen surface is only as good as the install.

I know that a lot of folks are nuts about granite, and it is beautiful. I've moved a lot and had laminate, solid surface (Corian), solid granite, and granite tile. Personally, I like the Corian (or cheaper version of same) best, and to me even a good laminate beats granite tile. Why? If you have tile, you have grout lines, harder to keep clean than a smooth countertop. Plus, if you ever drop a dish on your countertop, it is much more likely to survive the impact on laminate or solid surface than on granite. Dishes that land on granite tend to shatter into a gazillion pieces. You probably don't have to ask me how I know... :-)

HI E.,
Love your name! Ok the granite tiles...granite tiles are a great affordable way to get the look of granite.Now I might just mention that there are places that have Highly discounted granite slabs (waaaayyyyy lower than $30 sq. ft.), that you may want to check out. But if you decide to go with the tiles a thicker tile is best. That way you can keep from worrying about the cracking. Next Black & the dark green is very hard to keep looking clean as it shows everything. I lived with black granite tiles & Black slab granite...It was hard!

If you try to go with a darker grout & seal it with a food safe sealer this will save you alot of trouble. Granite is porous so you must treat it with care so that you avoid stains. but with the natural "pattern" of granite it is sometimes hard to see a stain that has occured. If they are laid properly they will not pop off. And I suggest a wooded trim around the edge of the counter rather than a tile one. The edges of the counter get alot of contact & use and in these areas can tend to break or pop off. I hope this helps, G.

I think one of the most important questions is: How much time do you want to take in caring for your countertops? I went from laminate to granite. As beautiful as my granite countertops are, I miss the easiness of the laminate. And just the other day I was in someone's house that I thought they had granite countertops - until I touched them. Laminate! I was very surprised! She said she paid $1,500 total for all of the countertops in her house - kitchen with island bar, 3 bathrooms, laundry (done by a company in SLC - if you are interested, I could ask her the name.) I don't know what the cost of our granite countertops were - new house I had nothing to do with it - long story. But in our old house that we fixed up to sell we put in corian countertops and paid around $2,500 (kitchen only.) As for granite tiles, my personal opinion - more time in caring for it because now you have grout to deal with too! Good luck in whatever you decide!

I see you have a fixer-upper in the house, so if you wanted to do Granite yourself, it is possible to this yourself. If you pay very close attention to details, you can do this project very reasonable. (Granted you have the tools or can borrow them) They make granite tiles that already have a bullnosed (rounded) edge so you would not have to pay another company to do this for you. If you want, I can give you some more advise personally via e-mail instead of writing a book here. But my opinion is Granite is beautiful, durable and can be reasonable.

A friend of mine used recycled granite....apparently it's almost half the price.

Another idea...I used to work for a monument company and they used to literally pitch the unused granite slices. Check and see if there is a monument company or "gravestone" company in your area that does this. We used to give away the slices for free, it was already polished,etc. You may have to cut it, but it's free!

Hi E.,
I lived two rental houses with tile counter...really disliked both. I like to bake, and tile counters are an absolute nuisance. I much rather have a smooth surface to work with than grout crevices.
My 0.02, good luck with your contractors!
Good job mommin'!
A.

My husband remodeled our kitchen and used granite tiles for the counter tops. Mind you he is not a skilled professional at that trade, but did a great job. We have had this new kitchen for 5 years now, and not one tile has popped off. Of course, nothing is perfect...there is some very slight unevenness because it is hard to get everything level while the mud is setting up. However, you can only notice this if you slide a glass or plate across the counter. They will stop instead of sliding across completely. To me, this is a very minor thing that I don't worry over since I don't do a whole lot of saloon bar tricks. Our counter top still looks beautiful. I have also never had any problem with the granite tile staining. There are special cleaners and polishers for granite that do a great job of protecting the surface. The only crack I have noticed is a tiny hairline one that I only noticed because it was near the sink. I can't say if this was caused by the granite or by me dropping something on it. Either way, it is only about a half an inch long, and it doesn't bother me enough to regret having granite tile. Of course, we would love to one day have granite slab, but when we remodeled we felt the same way you do...too expensive. Overall, we love our granite tile.

Just remember that with the tile, you'll have all the spaces in between. Make sure there is a good stain resistant grout, and if you can, something to seal it. It can become a pain to scrub out the gunk in the cracks.

We have the Granite tile and as far as quality and durability it has been really good. That said, I hate it, it is a dark color and I personally thonk granite is on it's way out and the next thing you know you've spent all that $ and your kitchen is "dated"! I would go with the laminate, it will probably be more kid friendly any way! Have fun! We have alway's bought "fixer uppers" and it is fun to have it the way you want , over time it will be great!