Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Solid Granite or Granite Tile

When clients are on a budget and need to consider all money saving options, I gladly give my opinion. In almost every "Update/Stage Project" counter tops are an issue. Most frequently the question is whether to go with solid slab granite or granite tile.

Both have positives and negatives. I of course, love to use solid slab granite when possible.



The cost of slab granite FAR exceeds the cost of a simple granite tile. The top kitchen to the right is a "Stage Update", where the client wanted to do the MOST for the cheapest amount possible. We priced both options and decided to go w/the granite tile due to how far we needed to stretch the budget. Also the location & size of the house was a factor (Would buyers expect solid granite? Would installing solid granite "over-build" the house?) . The kitchen had blue Silestone to begin with..."blue anything" is never a good selling point! We chose a simple Venetian Gold granite tile to replace the 'ol blue and it instantly brought the kitchen to a more neutral ground that is pleasing to look at for most buyers...at a fraction of the cost of slab granite (thousands less!).

Other important Notes:
*Grout lines, grout color and choice of how to seal the granite or granite tile is important as well. *The "edge" choice is limited when using tile as opposed to a fabricator cutting a chosen custom edge.
*The depth of granite tile is considerably different than that of slab, which takes away strength of the stone...and can lead to cracking more easily.



The second case we have is a client that was doing the same thing, a "Stage/Update". Only this client's home was in a location a home should not have "less than" solid granite counter tops. It had a very high end granite to start with, but again it was BLUE! The dreaded color of homes for sale! For budget purposes, we picked a generally low level, neutral granite called St. Cecelia. Very popular because the colors and pattern can fit in with MANY styles. Going with the color choice we kept our cost down. The truth is, most granites are the same depth, it's the rarity of the color or pattern that makes the price go up! Granite vendors often have "Levels" to grade their granite supply. From Level 1 and up...even in Lowes they have levels for their granites offered. But if you ask the right questions, you can find that most often the difference is not in the size, weight or depth, it is the color and pattern that is sought after and cost the extra bucks!

This new granite costs less than the owners original "blue pearl", but looks a million times better for the purpose of "showing a home on the market". Buyers are totally turned off by anything that makes them feel automatically "bad" in a space...Kitchens are SO important and having a blue counter top, no matter how expensive it originally was, will not be a strong selling point and most likely will turn buyers "off". We were able to salvage the old blue pearl granite in solid pieces and use it in the adjoining pool house, a rightful place for that color! Re-purposing the hi-end granite outside was a great investment and use of color and materials.

Both clients in these two instances were very pleased with the outcome of their choices based on the criteria of their homes and projects.

Granite in any form is a wonderful and amazing product from our Earth. If you ever have the chance to just go "shop" for slabs of granite in a real granite yard, you will be amazed at what comes out of the quarries and into our spaces. The marble, onyx and granite specimens cease to amaze me with all their color, little blobs of fossilized something-r-other and the way it is all perfectly preserved. Some people can't see the true beauty behind these remarkable pieces of stone, even say they "hate granite"!! God is truly The Master Creator and so, so, so much more creative than we could ever be! Just look at a slab of marble and think of the story of " David" (the statue) that Michelangelo sculpted...It was a big piece of marble passed from Artist to Artist to create a statue for the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. It was weathered, worn down and left for someone to make it all it could be. "Michelangelo worked under the premise that the image of David was already IN the block of stone he was working on — in much the same way as the human soul is found within the physical body".
I LOVE that story! Not only do I find "stone" interesting because of it's physical traits & useful nature...it is the relation to myself. How I am like weathered stone, full of blobs of something-r-other, but yet I can be sculpted into something wonderful, polished, purposeful and stand the everyday tests of life all because someone saw what was IN me. :)

I have several local granite fabricators and granite yards I can recommend for your projects if you are in need of bids or more information.

7 comments:

Blogalicious Designs said...

giiirrrrl you got it goin on!! Your a pro....we will talk tomorrow at strong about when we can meet!!

John Stanton said...

ya,really the pics are very beautiful and
granite tiles
gives it a very attractive and strong view .

Anonymous said...

Good day !.
You may , probably curious to know how one can manage to receive high yields .
There is no initial capital needed You may commense earning with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.

AimTrust is what you need
AimTrust represents an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.

It is based in Panama with affiliates everywhere: In USA, Canada, Cyprus.
Do you want to become a happy investor?
That`s your chance That`s what you desire!

I feel good, I began to take up real money with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. If it gets down to select a proper partner utilizes your funds in a right way - that`s it!.
I make 2G daily, and my first investment was 500 dollars only!
It`s easy to join , just click this link http://umumybabam.lookseekpages.com/lerule.html
and go! Let`s take our chance together to become rich

Anonymous said...

Hello !.
You may , perhaps curious to know how one can make real money .
There is no initial capital needed You may commense to get income with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.

AimTrust is what you thought of all the time
The company incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.

Its head office is in Panama with offices everywhere: In USA, Canada, Cyprus.
Do you want to become a happy investor?
That`s your chance That`s what you desire!

I feel good, I began to get real money with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. If it gets down to select a proper partner who uses your money in a right way - that`s the AimTrust!.
I earn US$2,000 per day, and my first deposit was 1 grand only!
It`s easy to join , just click this link http://difucufyg.ibnsites.com/tygobymu.html
and lucky you`re! Let`s take this option together to feel the smell of real money

New York Marble said...

Very nice! I've never had much confidence in my own ability to do such things. I'm very impressed with what you've done!

Unknown said...

hi...
Home remodelers and builders have experienced a boom in the demand for granite countertops in kitchens and bathrooms.

Unknown said...

Very good blog!!!!
Granite tile is often a feature in a residence or a commercial building, not only because it is visually impressive, but because of the auspiciousness of having a flooring material which literally took ages to create!Vanity Store visit this link.