Having hard time picking out my countertops

[Syd's Mom]

I'm so confused. We have been to the granite place... actually a few of them a bunch of times.

If I don't pick out the granite, Thanksgiving dinner will really be interesting!

[aday]

have you seen the ENTIRE slab? that's what makes the difference to me...being able to see the entire slab & the pattern. most has a directional grain that would look funny if the seam is not placed in inconspicuous location.

[Syd's Mom]

Yes, we have walked thru and looked at the slabs. It's so hard.

For one thing, those little samples look different when you get them home with your lighting, cabinets etc.

I'm a very neutral person so as much as I want some kind of "pattern" I really would like something simple. Everyone else in my family wants something more fun.

[aday]

what color are your cabinets?

when i redid my last kitchen... i had stained the cabinets a dark espresso and i knew i wanted a lighter counter to soften the feel...and i also know i didn't want the granite to be too yellow. (brownish was ok, just not "yellow")...which eliminated most of the lighter colors.

then violia! i saw this leftover slab called Bianco Romano. it was absolutely gorgeous. whitish gray granite w/ garnets (red) specks thruout. it was lovely. ...ohhhh i miss my kitchen!!!

[Phoebesmom]

We have the natural cherry cabinets with the "ooba tooba" I think it is called counter. The black with silve and dk green specs. Because it is so dark, the pattern doesn't hit you in the face.

Deb

[Chocolabby]

This is what we have in our kitchen.

[MyHunter]

What worked for us? The instant both DH and I said "LOVE IT!" that's what we went with. We tend to do that with most things.....we both have to LOVE IT to spend the money...LOL

Our granite is Pocono Green.....very similar to Uba Tuba.......has specks of green/gold and a little red, when light hits it. We LOVE it!

[BestBuds]

Oh boy do I remember that decision! We hadn't installed the cabinets yet and were guessing how they'd look together! First decide dark or light. We have oak cabinets and black/blue granite. Looks GREAT together....but dark granite has to be shined with a towel or it shows every little smudge or smear! (wish I had known that before....)

We couldn't tell from those little samples either so we asked if they had TILES. They did. So we brought home 12x12 inch tile samples. They didnt' make us pay for them- we left a deposit that we got back. You might see if your store has tiles too. A LOT easier to envision that final product!!

[whipperton]

we're in the same boat, although we're looking to use a recycled glass material. we both fell in love with one and then couldn't agree on flooring...so we went back to the design place, finally agreed on a tile for the floor, which incidentally now DID NOT WORK with the countertop...feh! we're doing our dream kitchen so we're spending a lot of $$ and we're terrified it's going to look hideous.

fingers crossed you'll be done for thanksgiving! i'm now hoping for christmas over here.

[PopTop]

Have you looked at man made products that give the same effect as granite. Their coloring is consistent throughout.

[FoxRedMom]

We currently have Uba Tuba tiles (dark green with small gold and black flecks) and we're actually replacing them with....Uba Tuba slab

We saw all the colors and samples and 1) we like small, not big flecks (i.e. Papillon)

2) our cabinets and hardwood floor are stained variations on a walnut color. It's really warm. So it was hard to find "warm" dark granite. The cool colors looked horrible.

Good luck picking out your slabs!

[Syd's Mom]

Thanks for the info! I love the pictures of your counters!

Our cabinets are oak and we aren't changing them but I originally wanted a darker and then moved to maybe a cream with brown, black in it.

So I've got so many samples right now.

I think I need to go out again with my friend who is a decorator and will be able to give me some help with color. I really must make a decision this week or else I won't have a kitchen for Thanksgiving dinner!

[BestBuds]

Kitchens for holidays are over-rated! NOT. When we were building our house we invited the entire extended family for Christmas Eve- and then we couldnt' finish the house! We worked our patooties off and still.... So we had it anyway! It was quite the adventure! Everyone brought folding chairs, we borrowed a couple of microwaves, cooked the dinner at our other home and just reheated it all at the unfinished house! At least it was closed in and we had the wood stove installed! The hardest parts? Decorating two trees- one for the work in progress and one for our house- AND packing up the dirty dishes to bring to the other house for washing!!

I am keeping fingers crossed you are DONE before Turkey day!

[Syd's Mom]

I'm not having people over for Thanksgiving - just the four of us but I will need my cooktop!
I've been looking at pictures online tonight and hope to come to a decision by Monday.

[Nallah06]

I've just gotten into starting to design kitchens & color themes for customers. One thing that I've found very helpful, is to try to go with one of the two themes:

Dark, light, dark.....or.......light, dark, light. In terms of countertop, cabinets, flooring. So depending on what you have for flooring & cabinets that should help you decide what will look best as a top, either light or dark.

We have dark floors, light cabinets and dark countertops. My floors are Brazilian Lyptus, cabinets are Hickory, and top is Silestone Dark Ebony.

One thing to keep in mind about dark tops is that they do SHOW almost everything. I have to clean my top off pretty much everyday....which is a pain. But I LOVE the look of my kitchen.

Real granite is going to be unpredictable. Its the nature of it. So don't expect it to be patterned or to have that perfect spot for a seam. Same with any natural product such as quartz. Most natural surfaces are so resiliant to the beatings a normal countertop can't take. Say you get a scratch in it, you can usually get it sanded out. Heat resistance as well.

Man made products have come a long ways though as well. We carry a few different brands that have come up with some beautiful products. LG has a product called Viatera...absolutely gorgeous and a fraction of the price.

Hope you can find something soon........and I want to see pictures when its all done!