what else are you considering? that's not a bad price - i think only laminate would be less.

Thanks Glad,
Well, formica or the simple laminate.I know granite doesn't compare, but several thousand $$$. I assume you have one.
Is it worth the $$$?

My opinion is this. Of all the fancy-shmancy things that people spend money for in a kitchen, granite countertops pay you back in durability and real value. I've had them for about 5 years and think they are worth every penny. There was a time when Corian was around $140 per sq. ft. Of course, if you don't have money to spend on granite tops, then it's not even a countertop to consider. But if you have the money and wondering if they are worth it, my answer is"absolutely."

I went from ceramic tiles to granite and love it. Just be careful of the granite you get as some are better than others. Also, you should shop around. The local independent installers often beat out Home Depot and have better choices.

Do your research - there are tons of options and tons of granites out there. In fact, do a search for the name your granite thread here.

I second what pbris said. HD can be quite expensive. Search the Internet or look in your phone book for granite places around you. Visit them, ask questions, and you'll get an education about this material, that's for sure.

We had formica and now granite, and I'm happy with it. It really does give a kitchen a whole different look.

Go with what you can afford, and don't break the bank.

mango, i do have granite, but am just finishing up my remodel so haven't exactly used it! it does look very nice and makes the kitchen look very polished. but it is certainly pricier than laminate, which can also look very nice. :) so, i think to spend the extra $$$ you have to either, (1) really want it, or (2) have a place of a certain level or in a neighborhood where it would be "expected" for resale.

Here's a link to that thread I was talking about.

Also, be aware that different granite yards will often name their granites differently (thought there are some pretty consistent ones as well). The actual slabs will also vary amongst themselves - sometimes considerably.

Here is a link that might be useful: Your granite name thread

I think it sounds high. DS did his kitchen last year and he didn't pay that much. I think you should check out your local granite yards and compare prices. They'll also offer more colors!
Last time I bought granite I paid per lineal foot, but that was including fabrication.

Whether it's worth it depends on your home. For example, DSis just remodeled her kitchen but she knew that her surrounding real estate didn't warrant her over-improving her kitchen. She also felt her kitchen would feel out-of-place when compared to the rest of her modest home. Instead, she purchased a granite-look laminate with rounded front, and spent more money on a really nice backsplash design.

If you think you'll see an increase in resale value, and can afford it, I'd do it. But, I LOVE granite!

Mango,

totally remember being where you probably are now! :>) When we first started scouting out granite prices (at HD too BTW), I couldn't believe the $$$!

Whether or not 'its worth it', is a judgement call that you can make informed by asking yourself:

1) Do I value the look and feel of real stone? Do I have an affinity for natural materials?

2) Have I researched what is available in granite, and other counter surface material choices? Go to stoneyards, marble places, etc and talk to people in the field, not JUST HD.

3) Am I prepared to live with the change in lifestyle required? Being more careful with glasses/dishes, wiping up quicker and with a dish cloth in one hand and microfibre cloth to polish streaks in the other.

4) Is this added cost within my budget?

5) Does the real estate value in my area warrant this extra cost when I put my house up for resale?

We had more people 'warning' us not to get granite (not here- didn't discover this forum until AFTER major choices were made) than encouraging us. Even though we've had horrible luck with our fabricator/installor (still waiting for several pieces to be replaced), we do not regret FOR ONE SECOND, getting the granite. We are VERY cautious with our money, did most of the remodeling DIY, and plan to retire in the near future, so we are not in the position to throw money around. For us, the granite was a huge expense but I can't imagine this kitchen without it.

Definitely shop around! The KD at Lowes told me under her breath that their granite was overpriced and that we could do better elsewhere. I would think that the same holds true for HD. If you can get a much better price then I hope that your feelings about value would improve. Good Luck!

I depends on what you mean by 'worth the expense'. Laminate counter tops are durable, can be attractive, are very low maintenance, easy to clean, easy to live with. IMO, you aren't getting greater function with granite. You're getting stone instead of plastic. And, in fact, you lose some things in the trade off, that someone mentioned in a post above.

I don't think anyone else can tell you whether it is worth the expense to you. I'm sure 99% of those who chose to go with granite are certain it was worth the expense. And I expect that 97% of the people who went with laminate are certain that it wasn't.

One other cheaper choice which hasn't been mentioned in this thread is wood, ie Ikea butcher block which is very cost-effective and looks nice. I personally chose NOT to use it partly because I found the perfect countertop (quartz) on Craigslist, but also because we're messy and I worried about keeping a wood top in good shape. But I do like the way they look.

That said, I'm very happy with the Cambria quartz we wound up with - it's easy to clean, looks great and we're very pleased with it, especially since we got it for even less than laminate would have cost us!

Btw, laminate may not be the "high fashion" popular choice currently, but it's durable, easy to maintain, and much cheaper - it shouldn't necessarily be "despised" JUST because it isn't granite. It has its place. And even those who could have granite don't always choose it - my aunt, who has a pretty high end condo kitchen in a major city, originally put in laminate because she couldn't decide what she really wanted to go with the rest of her luxury kitchen - the plan was for it to be a cheap temporary solution. Some years later, it's still there and she says she wouldn't trade it for anything because it's so carefree. She could easily afford granite, btw.

Anyway, just another set of opinions!

Shop around. Know also that the price of granite varies widely depending on (1) availability of the stone/"color" you want (is it rare or is it readily available), (2) originating location relative to where you live (shipping costs), (3) what your market is like, and, I think, (4) thickness (2cm vs 3cm).

To me, if that is the price of a "D" granite, I would say it was cheap. But, without knowing what level granite it is, where you're located, etc. I cannot tell you if it's a good price or not. I know that when I priced Black Galaxy at Expo and independent granite yards, Expo was less expensive. In our area:

* EXPO was: $79/sq ft including one sink/cooktop cutout & 4 holes w/eased edge + 10% off (there was a special going on)

* Elsewhere, it averaged $82/sq ft, no cutouts or holes included (ranged from $80 to $85/sq ft)

I wasn't sure about granite either but finally decided on granite.
below is what worked well for me:
1: I got references for a local fabricator (the people who cut and install your granite). I chose a fabricator who had an excellent reputation, did nearly perfect seams, and worked with me on templating the granite - ie they come in to your kitchen and make a template of your countertops, they tape the templates onto the granite and cut it. We taped the templates together so I got the parts of the slabs that I wanted
2: I went to several granite yards over a period of a couple of months. I got lots of samples to take home (the granite looked very different in my house then it did at the granite yard) They would only hold the slabs for 2 weeks so when I was within 2 weeks of needing the granite I was familiar with what I wanted and found a gorgeous granite that was perfect for my kitchen. The granite yard shipped the granite to the fabricator and it was installed the next week.
The granite turned out to be the best part of my new kitchen!
Good luck on your new kitchen

Re: the Home Depot deal, what I have found is that if you have a quote from another company (for just about anything) and you want to use HD, they'll price match. I got the HD quote for granite, it was $7800. A local floor and decor company quoted me $6800. My Home Depot KD has the quote and is taking it to her Manager. I'll know Tuesday if he's matching or not. But he's price matched everything else I've found. Including finding appliances on the internet for WAY cheaper than HD - resulting in saving several hundred dollars for me (ex: $270 on the dishwasher and over $500 on the fridge). I prefer to use Home Depot because a) they're here local, not some internet fly by and b) it's just easier coordination wise to get all I can at one place and I got my cabinets from them; which by the way, were delivered yesterday! :)

I originally went to Expo, and was able to get there when two specials overlapped. I got 10 percent off plus 300 dollars off. I looked around and also asked my friends, and someone recommended a local fabricator. My granite ended up being 2,200 dollars for 46 feet.

I did make sure to get recommendations. It was installed today.

sammi, we get functionality with our granite that we wouldn't get with a laminate. I don't understand raehelen's comment about needing to be more careful with granite than with laminate - at least as long as one is careful to choose a granite well suited to use in a kitchen (e.g. not one of the few that etch easily).

We bake a lot and it is joy to have such a baking friendly work surface. We have a counter surface that can take the use of a dough scraper and has the smoothness for working with the dough. I don't think I would be comfortable doing that on laminate.

When I had laminate many years ago, I had to be careful to not scratch it and to not put a very hot pan down that might scorch it.

Our granite is a dream to clean up - we have 4 cooks in the kitchen and some are not always careful to wipe up. Even when a spill is discovered later, a quick damp wipe takes care of it. We like Indian cooking so we sometimes are using spices such as tumeric that can stain some surfaces but that hasn't been a problem with our granite. We do have one of the low porosity stones, but higher porosity stones can be dealt with by sealing.

Budgets are important and laminate is a good kitchen surface - I would much prefer it over my kitchen's previous 70's bumpy tile with wide grout - I'm not knocking laminate which is a good solution that is easier on the budget than granite. But, where it fits the budget, granite can have some functionality advantages.

And yet, Mangotoo, today's good laminates are so super-great for the price that a main reason people might choose resin-coated stone (?!) over them is the issue of undermount or top-mount sink.

A number of people who didn't want to foot the price for granite have done counters with large granite tiles. Its my understanding that this is *much* less expensive. And with large tiles there are few grout lines, so it is a decent work surface.

I have a 4 slab kitchen = lot's of granite. It's worth it! It's an upgrade! It looks like an upgrade! It costs like an upgrade! I had butcherblock formica before this and it was dated,ugly & fake(not a piece of mother nature, I live in a wooded area so why fill my house with plastic!). Granite or marble slabs for pastry chefs has been an "upgrade" since the beginning of time. I've seen old farm houses that had a 2' X 2' slab of marble to spoil the cook. :0) Function: It's great for rolling out dough(it's very cold), it won't burn like formica will, you can set a hot pan on it. My granites been in for 4 years and I've never resealed it, looks like it did the day it was installed. Which granite you pick will determine how it wears, be informed before making your final purchase. :0)