Care for slate v granite
tomalyse
15 years ago
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yelenatulip
15 years agovrjames
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Granite v. Marble
Comments (6)We have Callacatta Gold in our Summer home. It's the only counter surface in the kitchen (perimeter and peninsula). We sealed it once and there is some etching, but I only notice it in direct sunlight. Because it's our Summer place it doesn't get the year round abuse, however, when we're there it probably gets more day to day wear than our year round place. For example, there's no school so the kids are strolling in and out of the house 7 days a week and we eat most meals at home. We also entertain much more there, and have frequent overnight (if not week) guests. I've never given instructions to guests or anyone else and have had only had one issue - that was when someone left a bottle of red wine out all night. It was screwtop so I didn't even notice it had been opened. When I discovered it the next morning, I was able to get rid of it and you'd never know it happened. Also, we're going to be building a new house and my husband said he definitely wants to put in marble because he loves it so much (yay!). In discussing marble with someone they mentioned etching and I said "yes, we have some etching". DH looked at me and said "We do?". :-) Anyhow, we love it and will do it again. My kids are three and six (girl and a boy). My three year old is a complete disaster when she eats pasta with red sauce, by the way and I have never stressed over it. Now on the other hand, this house is the first place where I've had stainless appliances and they drive me crazy! I feel like I am constantly cleaning up fingerprints. So go figure? For me, marble? No hassle. Stainless fridge and dw? Drives me freaking crazy! I will do anything to have a paneled DW and fridge in our new build :-) So that's my experience and I hope it helps you and anyone else considering marble....See Moreto beat a dead horse- follow up Q on dk honed granite v. soapston
Comments (12)Hi ebse, It is hard to understand. I tried to explain this to my DH too. He did not really understand until we were at the Granite Slab place. I guess you have already visited a slab yard. The best thing to do is touch the stones, scratch, wet them, feel them and this might help you. I will give you my pros and cons and maybe this can help you. Keep in mind my pros/cons are different than others. The Pros of soapstone 1)Durable nothing can destroy it (except a chainsaw) A counter made 100 years ago can still be used today. 2) Nothing dangerous from it, no bacteria, SStone is still used in labs at MIT, Harvard Medical and countless other labs across the world. Scientist love this because it can not be damaged by chemicals nor can it damage chemicals. 3) Beautiful, amazing and unique Cons of soapstone 1) It must be oiled or it is recommended it be oiled every week for the first year. It scratches but these can be sanded out. 3) smudges appear it is a lived in look like comfortable slippers or a comfie sofa. 4) Price for some it is high for more care Pros of Honed Granite 1) Beautiful and some look like soapstone (Jet mist anyway) 2) Sealed Honed Granite is impentrable, durable and easy to care for. 3) Nothing can scratch granite except a diamond. Cons of Honed Granite 1) Honed shows more ocassional finger marks than a polished look. A honed dark color will show crumbs and have a flat finish rather than a polished clean look. 2)Imgaine paint chips. Honed looks like flat paint. If you do not like that look it is a negative. For my DH Honed granite was our choice it is cheaper than Soapstone but still looks lovely. Whatever you decide will be great. ~Boxerpups. PS. Here is TomCordova the Rock blog that might help you, it helped me to understand the differenes better. ......"Regarding Soapstone, if Martha Stuart didnt like it, I donÂt know who would. This is a very dense, non-porous stone but extremely soft. Your fingernail can scratch it. Basic Soapstone maintenance involves sanding down scratches and using mineral oil to even out the variations after sanding. If you THINK you might like Soapstone, then you donÂt. If you want a divorce, then this is a good choice. I rarely find two people in the same room that like Soapstone. Honed finished granite is problematic if not professional sealed. Granite is hard but the orthoclase minerals and the microscopic gaps between then can be somewhat porous. That issue is successfully avoided after it is professionally sealed. However, honed granites love to show smudges from wipe cleaning and thumb prints. Dark colors are worse than light ones. If you search Absolute Black Granite on my blog, you will see how much I discourage using Honed Absolute Black Granite. That being said, I do know the Virginia Black Granite very well. It is the same stone as Jet Mist. This was very popular granite for government building in the early 1900Âs. I never thought of this granite for a kitchen countertop before but it might be the perfect color for those looking for a honed black that does not create the Âflat black maintenance issues. ........." from TomCordova Rock Blog http://tomcordova.com/239/a-granite-instead-of-marble/ Here is another site that might be helpful called Soapstone 101. http://www.soapstone-co.com/whatis101.html http://www.ehow.com/how_4431088_clean-stone-countertops.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art...See MoreSlate or slate look-a-like on kitchen floor
Comments (28)Hi, I just found this thread, I don't know if you've made a decision yet but thought I'd offer my two cents. While building our home my husband and I debated heavily over real slate, he wanted it for the "look" of natural stone and I didn't want it because of the maintenance, and the problems (flaking, staining, and the variations in thickness of the tile, etc...). After a lot of serious consideration we chose to go with the real slate because it fit the style of the house. I have not regretted it. It looks great and after having moved in a year ago has been holding up well. We went with Brazilian multi color slate that I found through a local tile distributor. It was professionally installed and my tile guy used an impregnator to seal it. I believe the impregnator is available at home depot. While shopping for the slate I found a huge price difference between two local distributors for what was essentially the same thing, one offered ungauged and unsealed 16"x16" tiles for around $5.50/sf and the other offered the same size tiles but gauged and sealed for more than double the price. I opted for the ungauged and unsealed knowing my tile guy would apply sealer anyway. The tile turned out to be extremely consistent in thickness, very durable, and was easy to install. We've had no flaking as of yet. I have since learned that Brazilian multi-color slate is a favorite of architects because it is much more even and less prone to breakage than many other types. As far as cleaning, it hides the dirt very well. I've found sweeping with a soft broom the best way to keep it clean. If you are quick to clean up spills with hot water and a little dishwashing liquid it will hold up against staining however it is porous and will tend to absorb spills that are left on it. That is all part of the look and also gives it character with age. It is installed over radiant heat which is quite comfortable. We have about 500 square feet of it on our first floor, I don't find it hard on the feet at all, and I rarely wear shoes in the house. I don't know how to upload pictures to this forum but if you'd like to email me I'd be more than happy to send you some photos of it. Good luck with your decision!...See Morehelp me choose a BLACK countertop..formica v. granite
Comments (13)"Is it stupid/unclassy to install brand new cabinets and put formica on top?" I don't think so, because we built a whole new house with a grand kitchen (IMO) and most of it has laminate (island has DIY wood, and we have stainless by the rangetop). I have always had excellent experiences with laminate and with all the other expenses for the house, realized that, for me, it wasn't necessary to spend that much money on counters. Granite has just never been one of my dreams or 'must have someday' things. As soon as I, basically, gave myself permission to be happy with laminate and not worry about whether it was right or classless to put it in a nice, new kitchen, I felt much more relaxed and content. Recently my sister sent me an ad for a good price on marble, which is kind of my dream surface, but when I thought about how I can drop stuff, slide my mixer, spill things, etc. on my laminate without giving it a second thought, I couldn't seriously think of changing it. Of course, marble would need to be babied more than I think black granite or soapstone would be, but I think you know what I mean. I don't think you really need to worry about either material you're considering, but you don't need to feel you 'have' to have stone, either. If it were me, I'd choose the soapstone, because like our stainless, some wear and patina is expected in the long run, so I wouldn't worry if it got a mark in it to get, perhaps, a head-start on the 'patina.' :-)...See Moretomalyse
15 years agoneesie
15 years agoremodelfla
15 years agojanedibber
15 years agobusybme
15 years agolovemcm
15 years agojanedibber
15 years agooruboris
15 years agovrjames
15 years agojanedibber
15 years agooruboris
15 years ago
Jean Farrell
15 years agoedlakin
15 years agowe did brazilian slate countertops in our last kitchen remodel. we were there for four years with them and never had a chip or 'spall'. scratching is inevitable, but, as janedibber pointed out, the scratches aren't really all that noticeable, especially as more of them accumulate.
here are a few pictures:
i was very happy with the slate counters as they really gave us the vintage look we were going for. i mineral oiled them about once a year or so and that helped to smooth out the scratches. never sanded them. they were sealed during the initial install, but was told that they wouldn't need to be re-sealed unless we had them sanded/polished.
we opted not to do them in our current kitchen, because my wife was never really comfortable putting stuff down on the slate counters due to the scratching. she wanted something more bullet-proof, especially because we now have two kids. i would've done them again.
Cloud Swift
15 years agolovemcm
15 years agostephenson737
15 years agostephenson737
15 years agotbonneycorson_gmail_com
12 years agoSarah Sullivan
6 years ago
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