cherry countertop finish
laurielou177
12 years ago
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bobismyuncle
12 years agoRRM1
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Finishes of granite counter top
Comments (10)I think they can go well together as the grey solid one picks up the meduim grey color color of the island stone. I can't comment on the appropriateness or not of your stone choices 'going together' because I don't know what your entire color scheme and style is. But I'm sure it will be stunning. I personally like the darker stones. Regarding your question as to the finish, I have lived with all types of stone countertops with a variety of finishes. And I've been doing quite a few different ones in my own remodel. Polished is generally the easiest to clean and will also show the most brilliant colors, and have the most contrast, against the same stone in honed or leathered. Look at the stone yard for ANY slab that has both a polished and a honed version (or polished and a leathered version).The most brilliant color will be the polished one. Also if there are any crystals (which I love having in a stone!), they will jump right out when polished and really blend in the background if honed or leathered. Polished will really emphasize all of the contrast of colors and textures. Polished is generally easy to keep clean but if a stone is softer and more of a marble than granite, and if prone to etching like classic marble is, a honed surface will be an easier care finish because it will hide the etch marks more than if polished. A sealer can protect from stains but etching is another problem. The honed surfaces, of marbles especially, will have a natural glow and soft sheen rather than a high gloss and might be more appropriate for a vintage look for example. Also the honed will not have the reflection that the polished will (see your picture and the light reflection difference), but that depends on where it will be located. Perimeter polished countertops for example will show the under counter lighting in the reflected surface for example and a honed or leathered will not. Sometimes people don't notice that and it does not bother them at all and sometimes it does. Or can be a trade off (like most things!). Some people love the classic polished. It all depends on what effect you want the entire room to have. Honed surfaces will soften colors and contrasts of the stone and have a less dramatic effect. Also the honed stone surfaces, to me, will be less cold to the touch than the polished (under the exact same conditions and temperatures), or I have thought so in my sample testing, if that is a consideration. Of course, you can always heat the edges if you like (see a recent GW post about that.) Using the thin (1/8" or so) mesh that is typically used for under tile flooring. The leathered finish add a physical texture to the stone and it has the other characteristics of the honed. It is typically more difficult to have a clean seam with leathered but since yours will be an island, you probably should not have a seam. The leathered will have an additional texture that will be seen with grazing light across the surface (think morning or evening light coming in across the counter through a window), but not as much with overhead light. The leathered is much more popular and more available than it used to be (and fabricators with the right equipment and talent can leather most any slab). There are quite a few that are available right from the slab yards. I have seen several striking ones recently that I would have thought would not have looked good, but it was striking. From what I mentioned earlier about a softer look and the matte vs gloss finish, the leathered (or honed for that matter) can have an enhancing sealer applied that will darken it. You may or may not want it that way so BE SURE to know what the sealer the fabricator uses or know what you want it to be, and tell them. Be very cautious on this step. Sealers are an afterthought to many fabricators and some just get on auto pilot and do what they always do, and if its different from what you want, you can get disappointed. (Just look at some recent GW threads). So be sure to know which you want. See if you can find any place that has the same stone in two different finishes. Look at the DIFFERENCES in the stone in texture, color and details. It does not matter if you like the stone or color. For just looks alone, which finish gives you the look you want? Most sealers can help with stain resistance issues (and some stones don't need sealing at all). And if you like the texture and clarity, but want it darker, an enhancing sealer can be applied. And by the way, most enhancing sealers just darken and do not add a shiny finish, do always ask them to do a small sample to show you for approval. And get that in writing too. If you're not sure if you would like it darker or you want to see how dark it would get, just wet with water. It will get that color. This is an important question and don't feel rushed. What is a little extra time in the big scheme of things? Have them wait till you do a little more research. I'm not sure if I've directly answered your question but I hope I've given you some things to check on and some information to help make your decision. Please share your progress....See MorePlease post pictures of your counter-tops
Comments (151)Love love love this topic. Your kitchens are amazing. Looking for pics of stainless; particularly of stainless with white cabinets and beadboard backsplash... Have you ever seen this combo? Any ideas would be awesome. Again truly amazing kitchens!!...See MoreSilestone counter tops for my kitchen - matte finish ?
Comments (10)Honed finishes are much more difficult to live with. Although the material itself is stain proof, the texture of the honed finish makes cleaning more difficult. It holds on to dirt in the larger pores. But what is really annoying is the fingerprints from your hand oils. Silestone quit manufacturing the honed finish once already because of the complaints. Are you sure that you're looking at current sample pieces?...See MoreCounter top install - fit and finish..........opinion sought
Comments (7)I wouldn't change it since it's so minor. As jannicone said, there's danger of something not minor happening as a result of redoing it. My Corian countertop has a similar junction, but was done differently. The counter top bullnose was not taken to the wall but changed into a straight face to meet up with the back splash and wall. For that matter, the rounded edge of the back splash was squared up to meet the counter top. But even with this, the back splash hangs over the edge very slightly....See MoreRRM1
12 years agoUser
12 years agosombreuil_mongrel
12 years agobobismyuncle
12 years agoRRM1
12 years agosombreuil_mongrel
12 years agoRRM1
12 years agolaurielou177
12 years agoRRM1
12 years ago
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