New Granite Counter Tops

sunchaser said:

DuPont granite sealant products last much longer. Our house based countertops are approaching 6 years and still impervious.

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We have Quartz in the house and on the boat, Corian in the Motorhome and a Granite kitchen table at home. Side by side granite and quartz at home, but the granite is now over 10 yrs old and I haven't had to go to the store for sealant yet as it is very much "new" condition still.
The base for the table top supports it only in the inner 30" of a 48" radius. Other than refraining from sitting on the edge, no special cautions against cracking. It is 3 cm thick, so the same as heavier countertops. On your boat, if you place it over your existing laminate, you can use a thinner slab.

The look of the Quartz and of the granite beside is very similar, so there is little advantage in one over the other. Both are far superior to Corian.


The reputation of granite for cracking comes from the difficulty of getting a huge slab in place for a large kitchen island. Unless you are equipping a true superyacht you won't have that concern.

I’m a grumpy retired architect, woodchuck, boat owner.

Countertop material is a matter of taste and fashion, and choice is informed only a little by mere reality. If you’re concerned only with function, recall that commercial kitchen tops are nearly all stainless steel; they look as new decades later when they’re scrapped (but you do have to like the look). At the other end of functional over time is wood and various tile-with-joint choices. From the low end of snazzy up, but pretty darned functional, are all the sheet goods - linoleum, plastic laminate (Formica and its cousins), plastics (HDPE, Corian, ‘cultured marble’, and similar); lots of opportunities and problems here: brittle or flexible, gluable, joints or joint sealants, repairable when damaged or worn. The stone-like choices: concrete, terrazzo (inflexible, must be sealed, hard to repair if cracked, can be ground and polished in place, can be seamless (to some limit in size); man-made composite stone (stone chips in resin: epoxy-terrazzo, quartz) (somewhat flexible, must be sealed, can be stained by heat - the resin binder is vulnerable, will likely have joints, can be ground and polished in place. Natural stone choices: all need to be sealed though many granites are nearly impervious to water but less so to oils, some are susceptible to acids (limestone, marble) so sealing is necessary, can be ground and polished in place.

My taste? I prefer wood; there are 12 wood countertops here, some urethaned, some epoxy-and urethaned, some oiled. The two oiled countertops require scraping/steel wooling every year or so; they’re the main working spaces in the kitchen. The others look as good as ever except for the one next to the ‘fridge (20+ years old, unmaintained, gets dinged along the front edge). I like stainless steel. I don’t like the appearance of any of the man-made materials. I like some of the marbles and granites. I agree that granite will go out of fashion; there’s too much cheap stuff used in cheap places.

geoleo said:

Granite has fallen out of favor in the housing market and is now a minus to a Housing price. Its hard to spot garbage and will break dishes.

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Geoleo,

I might respectfully disagree with that one. Being in the remodeling and home investing business, the vast majority of remodeling is done with granite. 100% of my homes are done with granite.

There are good alternatives, but granite is hard to beat. And I don't want to see garbage, and dishes will break if you mishandle them on anything.

Interesting, when we ordered granite counters for the boat I never considered the breakage issue. Good to hear a lot of people have them and no issues on their boat.

We move a lot, and have had granite in about 5 past homes. Only once did it crack in the home we have now and that was due to it being improperly supported around the kitchen sink during the original install. I had a granite person add more vertical shear support with some wood framing, and he filled in the slight crack with an epoxy. Probably a band aid long term, but it has held for about 4 years now. Nock wood.

Geo, as usual, you seem to enjoy throwing s#$& at the wall and hoping it sticks.

I try to avoid abusing surfaces, regardless of their composition.

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I also try to avoid that.
The reason I tested the quartz with carbide was that one of the "selling" points was that you could cut right on the surface. I didn't plan on dong that but I tested the sample square they gave me first with a knife. Then when that didn't scratch it, I used the carbide scribe. Their claim was true.
I only tried scratching the granite cause I had a small piece left over from a remodel and I wanted to know based on this thread. Couldn't find my scribe so I used a screwdriver.

oceancrosser said:

Has anyone had any negative experiences with granite?
Rusty

DeFever 53 POC
Iuka, MS

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The previous owner installed granite on this old wooden boat which comes with plenty of flexing and vibration, but after six years and many open sea miles we've had no cracks or problems.

The only issue from my POV is the lack of fiddles or even just a raised edge on the bench. Plus the need for rubber bench mats to prevent slipping on the polished surface.

I'm not changing, but if starting from scratch I'd be tempted towards timber.

I think I have granite countertops on my N43, but am thinking of replacing the galley ones with stainless as I think it is kinder to China and glass.
Best,
Maldwin

geoleo said:

Granite has fallen out of favor in the housing market and is now a minus to a Housing price. Its hard to spot garbage and will break dishes.

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BS!

catalinajack said:

Yes, twice a year granite must be sealed with silicone. We had lots of granite in our former dirt home. It took about 20 minutes to seal the surfaces. Granite has been installed in I'll bet hundreds of thousands of homes.

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I've been a builder for 40 years and have used granite exclusively for at least the last 30 years. One sealing at installation and never again. Put granite in my boat 6 years ago and zero problems in over ten thousand miles.

DHeckrotte said:

I’m a grumpy retired architect, woodchuck, boat owner.

Countertop material is a matter of taste and fashion, and choice is informed only a little by mere reality. If you’re concerned only with function, recall that commercial kitchen tops are nearly all stainless steel; they look as new decades later when they’re scrapped (but you do have to like the look). At the other end of functional over time is wood and various tile-with-joint choices. From the low end of snazzy up, but pretty darned functional, are all the sheet goods - linoleum, plastic laminate (Formica and its cousins), plastics (HDPE, Corian, ‘cultured marble’, and similar); lots of opportunities and problems here: brittle or flexible, gluable, joints or joint sealants, repairable when damaged or worn. The stone-like choices: concrete, terrazzo (inflexible, must be sealed, hard to repair if cracked, can be ground and polished in place, can be seamless (to some limit in size); man-made composite stone (stone chips in resin: epoxy-terrazzo, quartz) (somewhat flexible, must be sealed, can be stained by heat - the resin binder is vulnerable, will likely have joints, can be ground and polished in place. Natural stone choices: all need to be sealed though many granites are nearly impervious to water but less so to oils, some are susceptible to acids (limestone, marble) so sealing is necessary, can be ground and polished in place.

My taste? I prefer wood; there are 12 wood countertops here, some urethaned, some epoxy-and urethaned, some oiled. The two oiled countertops require scraping/steel wooling every year or so; they’re the main working spaces in the kitchen. The others look as good as ever except for the one next to the ‘fridge (20+ years old, unmaintained, gets dinged along the front edge). I like stainless steel. I don’t like the appearance of any of the man-made materials. I like some of the marbles and granites. I agree that granite will go out of fashion; there’s too much cheap stuff used in cheap places.

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As usual-the best and final word!!

Seevee said:

Geoleo,

I might respectfully disagree with that one. Being in the remodeling and home investing business, the vast majority of remodeling is done with granite. 100% of my homes are done with granite.

There are good alternatives, but granite is hard to beat. And I don't want to see garbage, and dishes will break if you mishandle them on anything.

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Granite does hide the garbage and dirt on countertops so one cant see to clean it.

geoleo said:

Granite does hide the garbage and dirt on countertops so one cant see to clean it.

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Yup, house cleaning is a real chore. Sometimes a bit of discipline is in order.

sunchaser said:

Yup, house cleaning is a real chore. Sometimes a bit of discipline is in order.

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Countertops are the least of my boat concerns.

twistedtree said:

Any ideas why?

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At that level, everyone wants something special, to be the envy of others. Granite has become commonplace in tract homes, there is absolutely nothing special about it anymore. So, concrete seems to fit the need. It takes a craftsman -- much more so than granite, and can be as special as art.

I am still a fan of wood like in not so old ages when we could find butcher blocks in kitchen, but I am a nostalgic dreamer.

L

jleonard said:

I also try to avoid that.
The reason I tested the quartz with carbide was that one of the "selling" points was that you could cut right on the surface. I didn't plan on dong that but I tested the sample square they gave me first with a knife. Then when that didn't scratch it, I used the carbide scribe. Their claim was true.
I only tried scratching the granite cause I had a small piece left over from a remodel and I wanted to know based on this thread. Couldn't find my scribe so I used a screwdriver.

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I could not think of a more abusive practice than to cut with a finely-honed knife on a stone surface. Doing so will round over the edge in one stroke. I will not even use my knives on a plastic cutting board, wood only, maple to be be precise.

Lou_tribal said:

I am still a fan of wood like in not so old ages when we could find butcher blocks in kitchen, but I am a nostalgic dreamer.

L

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Did you say wood? A friend made this teak wet bar for a 72’ Viking. It’s not for everyone but it’s still pretty cool.

Larry M said:

Did you say wood? A friend made this teak wet bar for a 72’ Viking. It’s not for everyone but it’s still pretty cool.

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Wow first time I see a sink made of wood!

L

We actually had an oil stain on our granite...the fellow who installed it came over and took out a propane torch, heated up the spot where the stain was and wiped it away with a damp rag. Granite is pretty tough...personally if I could do it over again, Id do engineered quartz. It just looks better in my opinion.

Granite counters

Very happy with granite countertops in our Hyatt Fantail, although they are quite heavy.

Our countertops are all granite and have been trouble free since installation in 2008 just prior to taking off on our Great Loop. Just recently took this photo for a friend showing our newly installed induction cooktop that replaced our propane cooktop. We love this also.
Attached Thumbnails

Hampton has been putting granite in boats for at least 10 years. My friend's Delta is 15 years old and has original granite counter tops.

This our galley, with custom granite floor (it's heated too, with the diesel furnace loop).

I'd say if a granite counter top cracked on a boat, you have more problems that just a counter top.

Interestingly, Hampton is going to try some quartz. The Chinese gov't has shut down granite operations near Shanghai. They are MAJOR into reducing pollution, and granite dust evidently can't be trapped. (I'm not an expert, just relaying what I heard.)

We went to a stone yard that was about 100 kilometers from downtown. They are able to add equipment so they can continue with marble.

Yes - countertops are all about fashion. Choose whatever turns you on. I prefer something lightweight especially if the galley is up. Remember- it’s a boat.
We had granite in our dirt home for 20 years and didn’t reseal it once. It still looked and worked fine. Just got tired of the sparkle and put in Ceasarstone (quartz). We have to keep up with those Kardashians. ?

We had granite in our last house. Sealed it once a year per the installers recommendation. It took about 30 minutes to seal them, no biggie. We went with quartz in our current house mostly because the color was predictable.

"Yes - countertops are all about fashion. Choose whatever turns you on. I prefer something lightweight especially if the galley is up. Remember- it’s a boat."

Boats are not stable platforms like dirt houses , so a boat sink will have to clean up and catch spills and a mess more often than in a house .

The SS formed sideboard sinks from Ikea or the other size sinks with built in sideboards would seem ideal.

The galley is a food factory , and cleaning depot, there are better places to display current fashion.

Perhaps SS is less useful for yacht club bragging ," mine cost more than yours", but a delight for the cook in rough weather.

A useful carved well draining sink & sideboard could be created in stone , but the cost might be a Gasp!

Daddyo said:

I've been a builder for 40 years and have used granite exclusively for at least the last 30 years. One sealing at installation and never again. Put granite in my boat 6 years ago and zero problems in over ten thousand miles.

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Agreed,

I've probably had over 60 or 80 houses with granite, and never sealed one of them, and never had an issue. No cracking, just a great product.

A lot of countertops are heavy, granite, quartz, marble, etc., and for a go fast boat, that's a negative.

Dorian is a bit lighter, and that's what I have, and it's fine, but not the quality of granite.

Can't think of a high quality light weight countertop......

I heard really great things about granite's durability but it is very porous meaning it can harbor bacteria more than quartz. I found this article breaking down the expectations for quartz, i've had it for about 3 years

https://marble.com/articles/guide-to-understanding-quartz-countertop-costs

hope this answers your questions

geoleo said:

As usual-the best and final word!!

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I disagree with the stainless part, it’s the most fragile of any surface. You can scratch it with a fingernail, and you can dent it with a skillet. True, after years of patina build up, it settles into a dull ugly autoparts store look, and won’t get worse, ever.
In my remod I think I’m going to do wood with raised edge, and bar top plastic poured on it. Now that is commercial grade!

Granite has fallen out of favor in the housing market and is now a minus to a Housing price.

I watch a lot of reno shows and just finished a massive reno on my home. Granite has fallen out of favour in certain regions and is king in other regions. In the south, granite is king, in the North Quartz is definitely becoming favoured.

One feature with quartz not mention, but I gave up reading all the posts, was it is more resistant to heat than granite. Because of its higher heat resistance, lack of staining, and no maintance, and the newer stuff is slowly being made to look like granite, the original stuff was a basic colour all the way through. Now go into a granite and quartz store and ask to see the quartz that looks like granite and you'll have much more choices.

So for you home reno freaks, Home Town and what's their names out of Waco Texas will use mostly granite, The Property Brothers originally out of Vancouver BC use pretty much quartz unless the home owner insists on granite. So since so many boaters are southern based, I imagine granite will be your go to, if in Seattle probably quartz.

What I have read and almost did, my refit guy fought me with either my preference of granite or quartz based on my smaller 29 foot boat and weight issues, was to use the thinnest layer of quart (looking like granite) glued to thin marine plywood with a lip to hide the plywood, this for weight purposes. In the end I went with the cheaper counter tops (can't think of the name now, but not stone) as I was adding other stuff to the boat increasing the boats weight so I decided to listen to my refitter.

And this from a web site:

Pros and cons of quartz


As with granite, quartz countertops also have their own sets of drawbacks and benefits that go along with them.

Quartz countertops are just as strong as granite but have the added benefit of being more flexible making them less likely to chip or crack.
Quartz is non-porous and does not require any sealing - ever. These stones offer a virtually maintenance free kitchen work surface.
While very durable they cannot be considered indestructible. They are stain-resistant so dropping a glass of wine on them simply requires a quick cleanup.
One drawback that you should definitely take note of is thequartz can discolor over time when exposed to direct sunlight. If part of your counter receives strong UV rays from the sun while another part doesn’t, over time you may see a color difference.
You can expect to see seams with a quartz counter but they will be less visible if you choose a slab that’s darker in color.
Pros and cons of granite
Here are some of the most important drawbacks and benefits of granite that you need to know:

They are not uniform in color or appearance. For some this will be a benefit while others will consider it to be a drawback.
Granite countertops will need to be sealed year after year as long as you own the countertop. Here's how to seal granite.
Granite is extremely durable but should not be considered indestructible. It is a natural rock and can break or chip if abused, but if they aren't abused and are properly maintained they'll last a lifetime.
It's impossible to completely hide the seams in a granite counter, but a good fabricator will make them very hard to spot.
The samples that you see at the store can slightly differ from the stone that you receive, but by picking a full slab from a stone yard you can avoid any surprises.




If you spend some time browsing the internet you’ll find a range of different opinions about quartz vs granite. While one homeowner will tell you that you absolutely, positively must get a quartz countertop, another will insist you buy granite counters.

When you do spend some time reading through these reviews you’ll begin to notice a common theme.

Both quartz and granite countertop owners are defending their own personal choice with a vengeance because they are so completely pleased with their counters. At the end of the day, you can walk away from these reviews knowing that choosing either quartz or granite stones will provide you with a countertop that you’ll love!

Cost Of Quartz vs Granite
Granite is cheaper than quartz. Entry level granite costs $40 per square foot but quartz starts at $70. High end granite costs as much as $200 per square foot and quartz is priced as high as $175.

There’s no doubt that with either product you’re going to have to dig deep into your pockets. For a 28 ft.² counter made of quartz you’ll have to budget for approximately $2000 - $3000. Here are some more details to help you get a closer estimate.

In most cases you’ll end up paying less for granite. Prices can vary depending on where it comes from and how rare the stone is.

Fortunately, the price of granite countertops have come down significantly. It used to be that granite would end up costing a bit more than quartz. But since quartz has been directly competing with granite for the last 15 years the price of granite has fallen while quartz manufacturers have raised their prices.

All in all, you may have to pay slightly more for quartz, but the cost difference probably won’t be all that significant unless you have a very large kitchen. The important thing is to choose a budget and then do your best to stay within it.

When it comes to aesthetics…
This is personal choice only. Don’t let anyone else tell you which one looks better. There are some very beautiful brands that make quartz like Caesarstone and Cambria.

If you’re looking at a painting and absolutely love it and then someone else comes along and tells you how bad it is, you’ll still love the painting despite the bad critique. The same goes for quartz and granite.

They both make lovely countertops and there is going to be one that grabs your fancy more than the other. It’s just human nature and you’ll have to decide for yourself which one you prefer.

Some people like the look of granite more than quartz because it has a natural earthy aspect to it. Others prefer the sleek uniform look of quartz. The great news is that you can never go wrong by choosing either one!

Why does quartz seem so much more popular than granite?
Granite seems to have simply run its’ course. In the 1990’s it became the hot material to replace your laminate countertops with and it stayed that way for at least 20 years.

But designers, real estate agents, and especially home improvement TV shows needed a hot new product to introduce us to, and quartz was ready to take granite’s place as the “it” countertop.



Granite continues to be the best-selling natural counter that you can find on the market, even though quartz has overtaken it in overal popularity. But now that the prices of Silestone and other quartz manufacturers have gone higher than granite, things are evening out a bit.

The indoor air quality of your home
There has been a lot of concern about the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may be present in either quartz or granite counters. Quartz countertops are comprised of approximately 90% quartz and 10% epoxy binder (resin) and acrylic. This means that most quartz tops have more VOCs than countertops made of granite. On the other hand, some granite slabs contain radon in very low levels. But the truth is that both options are safe for indoor use.