I absolutely HATE my 90’s granite! (I have no idea how it happened.) i use the Method Granite cleaner and only have streaks if i use a cloth that isn't clean (for example, it may be fine at the start, but as i get to the last part of my counters, it starts to get more streaky--i have a lot of counter space in my kitchen). It's cheap, smells great, and I replace it every 8 months, so it works out great and I always have a new house. When it came to replacing the old laminate countertop, bro had to install what everyone isgoing ga-ga about these days...namely, granite. Granite Paper – Just Misty: If you don’t trust yourself to paint granite countertops (we’d be nervous! Lol. A lax attitude like hers seems to be key, otherwise you might drive yourself crazy trying to prevent stains and chips. All of my mistakes can be traced to a desire to “cut corners’ and save money. If the do have granite, they are giddy....doesn't even matter what color or style. Click Follow Search to get alerts on new listings. Are you pleased as punch with your granite countertop or do you wish you wouldn't have jumped on the granite bandwagon? Because the pattern is so small, it’s very forgiving. It's a beautiful rock, but besides its hardness and heat resistance it honestly isn't terribly functional for a countertop. See more ideas about Countertops, Kitchen countertops, Kitchen remodel. It absorbs liquids and stains. Impossible to see if there is food left on the counter when wiping down due to the pattern so I always find an area that has crumbs left after dinner cleanup. I put black granite in my bathroom. In 2018, homeowners have more options than ever when it comes to kitchen countertop materials. GLASS. We are completely remodeling the new house and after researching everything extensively we settled on Corian. Yes, it's cold to the touch, but it's a bathroom vanity top. Everytime I turn on a home show on hgtv the prospective buyers do not like any kitchens if they do not have granite. There are so many options out there if you’ve tired of the standard go-to material. Once you find the seam, take a close look. The minute your granite countertops are installed, something doesn’t look right but you can’t quite put your finger on it. They remind me of those weird, heavily varnished wood clocks and coffee tables from the '70s.". ©1995-2021 National Association of REALTORS® and Move, Inc. All rights reserved.realtor.com® is the official site of the National Association of REALTORS® and is operated by Move, Inc., a subsidiary of News Corp. Adriana Velez is a food, wellness, and home writer. Personally I like wood countertops. Bro doesn't even like to lean on it in the wintertime, and for we who can have 8 months of winter temperatures, that's not pleasant. For Larissa Phillips, a farm owner in upstate New York, soapstone is an A-plus surface for the kitchen. Contact a granite company to see if they can remove the tops and give you credit for new ones. !… HERE IS THE ABRIDGED STORY I was originally going to do FORMICA countertops. i'll join the club - granite hater! If you are on well water do not get granite. So as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk I HATE MY BRAND NEW KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS – NOT WHAT? Our “DREAM” countertops had been installed and I could not wait to them in person… Boy did I regret my decision on this one. It's created with recycled papers and a non-petroleum resin, making it a good option for homeowners concerned with having a green home with LEED certification. Most people don't seem to know this yet...anyone installing it these days will reall date their homes. I'd love to replace them when I can and will probably do a mix of Buddy Rhode's concrete in an off-white and butcher block from Ikea. (I wish they spent more time updating the cabinets and working on the kitchen layout instead! It’s the most common mistake when choosing granite. If your first reaction is the same as mine, then you’re thinking – extravagant, expensive to run, difficult to add on after counters are installed, not good for baking, not hygienic, and totally over the top. when they built their house in 1994. Have had it for five years and wish I could afford to replace it with something more durable. Whether you are looking for kitchen countertops, bathroom countertops, backsplashes, vanities or anything else, this natural stone is an excellent choice. However, if the pattern is exactly the same, it is likely that you have fake granite. Compared with other surfaces, they're a splurge at $50 to $120 per square foot. You see, he and his wife bought a new/old house last year that needed quite a bit of TLC. I do not recommend starting out with kitchen or bathroom countertops, those are big projects and you want to see how the surface will wear with different uses. Me. I bought my house with a remodeled kitchen and granite countertops--they're very pretty but have a lot of pattern and an orange cast to the color of the stone. “We recently traded black granite inherited from the prior owner to quartz, and I’m so happy with it!” says Bettina Elias Siegel, a writer in Houston. My parents chose granite countertops (and stainless steel appliances!) No one sees those stray bits of mushroom, shallot, or granola until approximately 11:30 a.m., when the light from the window hits the counters at just the right angle. See more ideas about granite stone countertops, stone countertops, countertops. Luckily I guessed it was Pier One and was right, so I was able to replace it for $6.00 (More than I would EVER pay for one glass as I buy mine at thrift stores, yard sales and auctions, but not so much that I couldn't make our hostess happy! I know my crumb-colored granite countertops are unfashionable, but I'll defend them to the end of time. It’s just not my style. Paint your kitchen cabinets in a tone that contrasts the granite. It is totally overrated and I truly think people were brainwashed to think it's so great. Not only does it have the above problems, it is totally cheesy to me. No granite, no stainless steel, no marble floors. Their speckled appearance hides fingerprints and flakes of food, and I don't have to be vigilant about wiping down my countertops every single time I cook. Reply. It seems that we are seeing a backlash to the near-ubiquity of granite as a countertop surface in high-end homes and apartments in the 90s and 00s, and now is more mass market as prices fall below that of other surfaces. But until then, I’m off the hook. It needs sealing. Bleach/cleaners can discolor it. I dislike granite for the following reasons: it's cold, it's often ugly, it's pretentious, it breaks dishes (I value my china far more than any countertop), it emits radiation, mining it rapes our Earth, it cannot be completely santiized because of microscopic pores, it stains, and, quite frankly, Roman Vomitorium is not the look I like in my home. Also love the quartz surfaces, but warmth, integrated sink, and restorative properties of Corian seeled the deal for us. BEAUTIFUL! As soon as I can afford to replace it with something softer it goes. Surprised the hell out of me as I always dismissed it. They didn’t do a good job with it.) i have black granite countertops. Tile countertops add pattern and texture to kitchens and bathrooms. Then the crumbs stand out in stark, shameful relief. I hate them. What do you think about laminate as a cheaper idea then replacing the horrid 90’s granite. Or lastly do what most of use do. So let’s take a minute to think about outdated granite colors as you dream up your kitchen’s new look. Soapstone does require a bit of maintenance and needs to be oiled every now and then to really look its best. Help, I hate them! I had polished granite counters installed in my remodeled kitchen 4 years ago, only for the resale value and I hate them. Once that process no longer works, you will need to look into repair or other, more drastic, measures. The first time I've had it. I mean really hate it. I didn’t like the look in those kitchens either. 15 Stories of Holiday Habits. Another comment. I prep, and I move on. Here’s an email I received with this question: “I find granite hideous,” says Jenn Cole, a designer from Brooklyn, NY. I prefer the warmth of butcher block. This blogger did and made it … Incidentally if you're replacing your counters with butcher block and have standard sized shapes, Ikea is the best deal on the planet. Can you paint granite countertops? when we remodel our main kitchen, we'll most likely do the caeserstone. From the types and cost of tile countertops to the pros and cons, here's what homeowners should consider before taking a walk on the tiled side. But while I'm perfectly content with my granite countertops, others see them as the ugly ducklings of the design world. A hot plate of food doesn't stay hot long if you set it on their new countertop. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of having a long conversation with my big brother about home improvements. Remember, many stone countertops throughout the world are still around in historic buildings. My house has granite countertops. The walls, however, are a cool grey/blue! Wood, though still hard, is more forgiving. I hate them. Like when paint manufacturers gather to discuss what colours they will push as being the colours to have. If the latter, what material do you wish you would have installed instead? Find out what it is and how to avoid making this mistake in your kitchen. Polka Dots – Mrs. Mama Hen: Of course, contact paper comes in lots of colors and patterns as well. Now with the new pressed particle boards that came out, I am in wood heaven! Our lovely 50's Ranch was updated before purchase with cheetah print granite. Don’t do it!! So what is quartz? I wanted granite countertops, marble floor tiles, beautiful cherry wood cabinets (remember this was 10 years ago), warm limestone backsplashes and stainless steel appliances for my … I’m probably going to get into trouble here, but I have to say it: I hate granite countertops. Photo by Saint Clair Kitchen & HomeIf you have an unlimited budget and enjoy the finer things in life, be sure to check out marble countertops. Do not think you can wipe it down with anything other than straight water or special granite cleaner. The house I'm renting has brand new black granite countertops. So what say you? The people who lived here before me installed them when they were updating the kitchen, presumably to make the kitchen appealing to buyers. I saved $$ an extra few months and went with granite. If it’s been at least 15 years since you renovated a kitchen or looked at the newest trends in homes on the market, you might still be thinking your options are fairly limited and that granite is the … Enter big sister. Nov 10, 2020 - Explore CherylGay Cottage Cachet''s board "I hate Granite &Stone Countertops" on Pinterest. So much that they’ve got an acronym for it – ABG (anything but granite). I LOVE it!!! I for one was pleased to leave the stuff behind when I sold my home last summer. But some people, like Amy Blankstein of Queens, NY, take pride in the way marble wears with use over time. I just redid our kitchen (painted cabinets white, white backsplash, blue island).We have the same style Granite, and i hate it! 8 Myths About Renting You Should Stop Believing Immediately, 6 Ways Home Buyers Mess Up Getting a Mortgage, 6 Reasons You Should Never Buy or Sell a Home Without an Agent, Difference Between Agent, Broker & REALTOR, Real Estate Agents Reveal the Toughest Home Buyers They’ve Ever Met, The 5 Maintenance Skills All Homeowners Should Know, Click for complete coronavirus coverage from realtor.com, 6 Kitchen Renovations That Really Pay Off, How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Cost? Shelley Rogers, a documentary filmmaker in Florida, loves her PaperStone counters because they are heat- and stain-resistant, nonporous, and warmer to the touch than quartz or marble. Very cold. Granite is the stone that jumped out of the graveyards into everyone's kitchens just because shows like HGTV brainwashed us. First, Designers will for the most part, only create dreams/ideas and want to spend your money. The cabinets are already a warm white and the backsplash a fairly solid brown colour. It's AMAZING to go into their plant  to see these huge beautiful slabs of stone! It's cold. It makes the cabinets look yellow and the room look terrible overall. Yes, you heard right. The average life expectancy of a granite countertop is long. The people who lived here before me installed them when they were updating the kitchen, presumably to make the kitchen appealing to buyers. I can't wait till it's time to rip everything out again and refresh my 1928 bungalow by the beach!! This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the, Sorry, we were unable to share this article. This dated granite countertop looks like marble now — just by using paint! If the kitchen is the culprit in your case, you could be casting a suspicious eye at your granite countertops. Lay completed plywood over countertops. Today when you walk into a home in a planned/tract home community and see granite everywhere, you realize granite is nothing special. I'm not resting my forearms on it or eating a plate of pancakes off it. Once cleaning and polishing no longer restore the surface, you probably need to have the countertops resealed. We later learned it emits radon radiation. So if you’re redoing your kitchen and on the hunt for ABG, here are some popular countertop alternatives—and honest opinions from homeowners who have them in their own kitchens. A few years ago, she and BIL redid two of their bathrooms. The sealer is supposedly good for 15 years and the company (Hallmark Stone - St. Louis) has been super to work with. I recommend to anyone who is thinking of painting a granite surface to start with a small project in the home, such as a granite fireplace surround and use an oil based paint. I do not know what the deal is with granite counter tops. I hate it just because of our subject here! I was wrong. Trash the old granite countertops. It is HARD, loud, hard to clean and even harder to find the stuff on it. It's a pretty countertop for lazy people.". Granite, we just had Black Pearl granite installed this week! “I don’t find the patterns that are typical to granite very pleasing. But I don’t own my kitchen. Ugh. Gritty Granite Countertops vs. Formica by: Anne Thanks to all of you for your "Gritty" comments I was about ready to bust my granite countertops into a zillion pieces! I just don’t care for how they look or feel and if I owned my own kitchen, I would never install them. Stain to look like butcher block, or paint in color of your choosing (could even paint to look like faux marble or stainless steel). Home Buyers Reveal: 'What I Wish I Had Known Before Buying My First Home', Selling Your Home? One room in particular in need of attention was the kitchen. In fact, people hate granite so much, there’s an acronym for their attitude: ABG, or "Anything but granite." my husband and i wanted to get caeserstone quartz for our basement kitchen bar, but opted not to because of the $1500 price difference. I like soapstone ok, formica and some laminates are tolerable. The only thing worse is stainless steel. Heck I even like laminate and Formica or whatever the popular choice for countertops was in the 80s and 90s more than granite countertops! “It scratches easily, but it’s not really an issue. It was a fad, that reached it's zenith. if i use paper towels, i'm fine. It's what sells a house, but doesn't make a house special to the buyer who isn't average, and especially 'green' and upscale minded. This fad is the avacado shag carpet of our time and should have died with the real estate market in 2008. I immediately broke a Waterford vase that my son gave me decades ago. Goes to show how the industry convinces folks what's popular. Soapstone can set you back about $70 to $120 per square foot before installation, according to HomeAdvisor. So if you’re redoing your kitchen and on the … Enter ME. It looks like Cookies are disabled in your browser. (I wish they spent more time updating the cabinets and working on the kitchen layout instead! After months of back-and-forth Formica vs. And I love my heated counter. Heated granite counters. Porcelain tile is a good countertop choice. I will never put another material in my home. But the new colors and patterns are beautiful and it's really functional. And although we have no stains, there IS the teeny tiniest little chip out of one of the top edges. Everyone seems to love it (but me). Five things to do with your old granite countertops #1. “White quartz countertops are great because they’re super durable and don’t share the weakness of natural stone,” says Taylor Spellman, interior designer, stager, and co-host of the Bravo television show “Yours Mine or Ours.”. But when you get ready to sell your house, you need to make sure that money spent on upgrades are recovered in the sale price. It was really cool when I bought it--back in 2004. One of the most popular types of quartz is Caesarstone. Chrisinsd - there are drawbacks with solid surface products too. I HATE IT. PaperStone is one of the most eco-friendly countertop options out there. We purchased a house 1 1/2 years ago that has granite in the kitchen. My husband put these in before I lived here and I had always had Formica tops and this is my first experience with Granite. Granite is a highly attractive, durable and easy to care for stone that will transform your home for the better. “Caesarstone all the way,” Brooklyn food writer Matt Gross insists. “It looks nice, is heat-resistant, and doesn’t need regular treatment. I am not a granite fan and when I remodel my kitchen this winter, it will be with a good quality laminate. For the best experience, please enable cookies when using our site. Think your going to hate all the color sooner than you think!! Both bro and SIL are very pleased with how the granite looks, but that's about it. Minerals will erode it,   You have to be totally obsessed with cleaning to be able to keep it up. Good luck to everyone as they search for the perfect surface as everyone slowly begins to explore the brave new "post-granite" world. She also loves the way it looks. The builder is probably getting a good deal buying so much granite. Ultimately, in bro's words, he hates it. She didn’t like how dark the granite made her kitchen look, but quartz turned that around. Did five renovations in three years and took the "never again" pledge for both granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. “I’m not overly uptight about keeping it pristine, so it’s fairly easy to take care of.”. It's a natural stone crushed with pigments and polymer resins and cured to create the ultimate gleaming, easy-care surface. My partner, besides other things, likes carpentry, so when we did our 'little' kitchen' (there is the original 'big' one, and the 'now' one, which we Brits might have called a scullery back in the day) he made inch wide butcher block strips with alternating walnut (dark) and cherry (warm brown)  It's very beautiful and any bad burns or what ever, can be 'patched' or sanded and re polyurethaned. If you have a basement that you plan to finish, or wish to have an outside kitchen, remove the tops use them there and put new ones in. I guess I could say that I would hate my granite Countertops, but I would never have them. It breaks dishes. And according to numerous rave reviews, they actually work. Get quick and easy access to your home value, neighborhood activity and financial possibilites. The only person I need to impress is me and I am not impressed with see-it-everywhere impractical granite. The cost of PaperStone varies depending on the color and size you choose, but you can generally buy it for $50 to $80 per square foot. My house has granite countertops. Today I chipped a dish. Granite countertops are among the most popular types of countertops worldwide. I wish formica would come back in fashion. I don't like the stuff either. The orange and busy pattern is proving to be a challenge to make work with my pale turquoise flowery color scheme--definitely not going out and buying new dishes, cookware and dining set. Sis is not pleased. ), try using granite or stone patterned paper instead. If the pattern on the other side of the seam is slightly different, it is likely real granite. When it comes to style and function, granite countertops are the way to go. You can place hot pans directly from the oven on the counter, and it's flat enough for rolling out pie dough. I can not stand the clanking of dishes on the granite. I buy real estate and don't like looking at anything with newly installed granite, which I consider putting lipstick on a pig. If he did it all over, he'd make sure to install some sort of heating element underneath it. There's no getting around it: People are passionate about quartz. Learn more, send a tip to tips@curbly.com, or sign up for our free weekly newsletter: What's in a Tradition? They didn’t do a good job with it.) It is good for thawing out foods. Her work has been featured in Healthyish, Prevention.com, Lifehacker, She Knows, and CafeMom. “It’s pretty and I love it,” she says. Natural granite countertops will have seams somewhere on the surface. Dec 24, 2014 - Explore Kristy Faucher's board "hate my granite time for a change", followed by 157 people on Pinterest. I suppose they picked out a popular style, but I don’t like it at all. Ditto for a cup of coffee. Tagged: Curbly Original, Conversation, Granite, Countertops. Here’s where you are now with outdated granite colors Let’s say you have a cutting edge countertop in your kitchen. My husband fabricated and installed granite and many other types of countertops for years. "This is very cool, because you can get it in any color [since] it's back-painted. But I didn’t cook much at the time, so I didn’t really mind compromising on it. Big mistake. I always prefer to avoid the trendy "what everyone else has" items. Their #1 complaint? I can afford it, but I don't want it. I have ugly dark cherry look cabinets. And I’m here to tell you: Granite countertops are taking … The average granite countertop costs between $3,000 and $5,000 to install. Beauty wins over practicality. I must say that the countertops held up amazingly well over time, and the kitchen still doesn't look dated after almost 20 years. And, … Will go great with our contemporary design. I just had to train the kids not to cut directly on it," she says. Others out there are having the same issues to be sure. Life is good!! Boo and I put in a black granite vanity top in one of our bathrooms a few years back. I’m a renter in the early stages of browsing Craigslist, looking for a new apartment. Enough to Make You Lose Your Lunch, How to Organize Your Kitchen Fast—Even in 15 Minutes, 'Worst House on the Street' in Florida Is the Week's Most Popular Home, 8 Ways To Use Nail Polish Remover To Clean Your House, NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire Lists Elaborate Florida Mansion for $3.5M, 5 Things You Didn’t Know a VA Loan Could Do for You, House on a Boat—but Not a Houseboat—for Sale in Massachusetts. You would have to glue the edge piece to the top piece, but, this shouldn't be that hard. Another sticking point is the trend itself, which some say is on the downslide. Wine, vinegar, soap and almost any spills will erode or stain it in some way. They chose lovely granite tops for their new vanities. if you want something better, less maintainence, more durable, go with quartz. Add in the whole radiation issue and you just might have a surprising amount of people who wish they didn't have/hadn't installed granite in their homes. It is a little unforgiving in the bathroom and kitchen, but the stains and mildew just feels like home to me. To please my wife we replaced our laminate with some beautiful granite. ! I inherited a busy granite countertop with plenty of orange from the previous owners of my house. “I love the super clean, bright look, and it stands up to even the worst stains, like red wine and rust," she says. I figured I could always replace it someday. This post s really informative! “I just try to wipe up acids as soon as possible,” Blankstein says. We're still happy with our decision to install granite, but its seeming fragility does make me wonder about a big installation in a busy place like a kitchen. Julie says: February 8, 2017 at 10:49 am. With regular care, your granite countertops should last for at least 15 years if not much longer. I personally like recycled glass, wood, and tile slabs that look like wood. =) granite is less expensive. I want to replace The island with a butcher block but am a thousand percent trying this on tHe rest of our countertops! Anyway, we are more "simple look" people, and went with the Black Pearl because there is just a really pretty subtle patterns (blacks, greys and whites). They’re affordable, easy to maintain, and always in style. All the other houses I looked at before buying also had granite countertops. It's the independent minded home owner who will make the home THEIR home and not some cookie cutter looking magazine home. Meanwhile, paint-your-own kits-- which go for roughly $80 -- can be applied over the top of pretty much any existing counter, from laminate to tile to drywall to wood. I hate granite, too. No trendy no thank you. But selecting this surface type has its drawbacks, too. They're also high-maintenance and not very scratch- or impact-resistant. It’s a slight beige color with dark marbling. It has no redeeming value and should have stayed in the institutions where it came from. Ever! ... We did our kitchen over in 2005 with all new cabinets, granite countertop, stainless appliances and also knocked down a wall and added a large island. They hardly are involved with fabricating, and customers need to understand that they are not always the go to people for fabrication jobs. there is a lot of stone so there is value. Most quartz countertops cost $50 to $80 per square foot before installation, according to HomeAdvisor. It's cold. I always go for quality and put unpainted plywood everywhere. The house we are in now is not my forever house. The only good thing about granite countertops is that they’re fairly durable and easy to clean. No matter how many times I wipe them I always seem to have finger prints. In fact, people hate granite so much, there’s an acronym for their attitude: ABG, or "Anything but granite." At a party a while back, I accidently tipped a pretty wine glass and because of the granite it shattered in a thousand pieces! Personally I would go with wood though :-). Because circumstances being what they are, big bro will be selling this house in then next 2 years, so he's been doing his improvements with an eye toward resale. Experts estimate that most natural stone countertops can last over 100 years. That is the only thing good about it. I was wondering about doing a marble look laminate counter. Granite countertops add value—but only if the market says so. I can't use normal kitchen cleaners on them like my clorox wipes b/c they can bleach them out over time, water alone leaves water spots and doesn't clean up well enough, and the expensive granite countertop wipes I got from Home Depot just smudge all the grunge all over and never … Have Lowes cut plywood to measurements. The one bath that gets the most use--the master--is showing water stains. “A natural stone is porous and won’t stand up to a lot of stains—like red wine—which is a deal breaker for me," he says. Don't Neglect These 6 Maintenance Tasks—or Else, Debunked! The thermal mass cools food and hot drinks quickly.