PLEASE tell me how hard are granite seams to clean...

12 years ago

I know I should have asked this before... long time ago!

My granite will have two seams, one on each side of the sink... How hard are seams to clean? Do they get crumbs and dirt like in between tiles????

I feel like canceling the whole granite fabrication! What I read in the internet is that they are terrible collectors of ugly stuff, but the sites that say that are trying to sell other solid countertop materials which do not have seams... Do you seal the seams too together with the granite?

The fabricator gave the choice to have the seams like this:

or like this:

He recommended the first picture because of symmetry, but how difficult will it be to sweep the crumbs into the sink without getting them into the seams?

Sorry for the multiple posts, DH is pressuring to just accept the layout. thank you!

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Comments (6)

azstoneconsulting
12 years ago
IF your Fabricator is a true pro, and knows how to dress the seams with a Seam Phantom or an Accu-Seam System, and he sets them using a Gorilla Grip = you will not even FEEL the seams in your countertops.

Properly dressed seams are so tight, you can't even get a gnat's whisker in the seam line, and when you run your fingers over the seam, you can't feel it either.

I Teach guys how to do this, and hopefully, your guy already knows how to do "perfect seams"........

if not..........

Ask to see an example of his work, then decide - Hopefully he's not a DIY'er turned pro, but instead, a real pro who KNOWS how to do quality seams...

HTH

kevin
kitchendreaming
Original Author
12 years ago
Kevin, thank you! And if the fabricator does not seal them correctly, can they be sealed afterwards by someone else?
Do you have a recommendation as to the direction of the seams? Parallel to each other or not?
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If the difference in color is due to the slabs having been in the sun, then won't the rest of the counter later lighten to match? It is all exposed to light now. I would worry that repolishing the tops in the shop won't produce as good a surface as they have now because the shop doesn't have the tools that are used for polishing large surfaces that they slab producer had. splais, it looks to me like your foot is still in your mouth - now you are saying that Inerseian was careless in selecting the stone? When placing templates on stone, there are a lot of things to consider - sometimes one accepts less match in one place to get a better match elsewhere or to display the part of the stone one wants in a prominent place. Ineresian's counter looks great and I can understand the choice that was made there. One leg of our L is almost as long as the length of our slabs and the other leg was about as long as the length plus width of them so the only way to do the L with only one seam was to have the seam at the sink with the lengths of the slabs at right angles - no book match possible there. Also, we wanted to position the slabs on the stone to have a match between the counters of the L's and the backsplash pieces and we needed a couple of other long pieces placed for our window sill and outside counter. We were able to position the two sides of the seam where the granite movement was swirly so the lack of a grain match doesn't stand out but there is a bit of a color shift at the seam. A few inches of not perfect match on the seam was worth it to us to not have an extra seam and to have matches the other places we wanted. We spent a few hours with the fabricator placing the template on the slabs and getting all the pieces to fit.
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drdannie
12 years ago
I have granite with seams on my outdoor countertop bar.ÃÂ It withstands weather and constant use with only the occasional cleaning. I think I had it resealed once in six years and it's still beautiful. I've never had a problem with crumbs and as Kevin, if it's done right - you don't even see the seam.ÃÂ It's not like tiles that have grout in between.ÃÂ If done correctly, even seamed granite can look seamless.ÃÂ I prefer the first layout as far as the seams are concerned.ÃÂ Unfortunately, I'm also going to have seams on my kitchen granite as well.ÃÂ I feel in love with some slabs that were on the smallish side, but decided the seams were worth it to get the look I wanted.
kitchendreaming
Original Author
12 years ago
Drdannie, thank you! I like the first layout also.
Now, if we couldn't see the seam at all, we would not be concerned about the position... you must see something...
thanks again
brianadarnell
12 years ago
KD, you should read this thread...and then hold your fabricator to it! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: info on granite
beaglesdoitbetter1
12 years ago
According to the Marble Institute of America:
"Joint (seam) widths between two stoneunits should equal 1/16" (1.5
mm), with atolerance of Ã¯Â¿Â½1/64" (Ã¯Â¿Â½0.4 mm). In such cases where a larger
joint width has been specified, the tolerance is to be Ã¯Â¿Â½25% (Ã¯Â¿Â½ Ã¯Â¿Â½)of
the nominal joint width. Joint width does not include the dimension of
an arris (a smallchamfer, approximately 1/16" x 1/16") on the stone
edge. When an arris is used, the perceived joint width may be greater
than the actual width due to the seam filler occupying the width of
the arris."

There should be no detectablelippage at the front or rear edge of the
countertop. Maximum allowable lippage at the center of the countertop
is 1/32" (0.8mm).

Visiblejoints between stone and other materials(e.g., cabinetry,
gypsum wall board) shall be1/8", with a tolerance of Ã¯Â¿Â½1/16" (Ã¯Â¿Â½1.5mm),
and filled with a soft, elastic material

PLEASE tell me how hard are granite seams to clean...

Comments (6)

azstoneconsulting

kitchendreaming
Original Author

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PLEASE tell me how hard are granite seams to clean...

Comments (6)

azstoneconsulting

kitchendreamingOriginal Author

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drdannie

kitchendreamingOriginal Author

brianadarnell

beaglesdoitbetter1

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kitchendreaming
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kitchendreaming
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