Well, I'm a realtor located in an area with a poor market and I guarantee you that any granite is going to be better than no granite. However that said, remember your buyer pool is likely very small. If you decide to put slab in as opposed to tile, that one buyer everyone is fighting for will be more attracted to your home because of the quality of your updates. Tile granite looks like a compromise and does not offer the "polished" look that slab does expecially around the edges. In the end, you may spend a little more upfront, but experience with my buyers has been they are willing to pay the extra $$ to have slab over tile or laminate in any market so in my opinion you will recoup more in costs than you think. In the end, even if you don't recoup ALL of your costs, you will sell your home FASTER...which is a big deal in this market.

I understand your concerns about over improving. We're in a simular type neighborhood, bought a fixer a couple of years ago and are now ready to install new counters. Debated on the tile granite route for a while but after seeing the final product on several jobs, we realized it just didn't have the "polished" updated look we were seeking. We finally reserved our granite last week, 2 slabs, enough for the kitchen and master bath. I believe we made the right decision even in this uncertain market. Granite is sold on tier levels, and you can always go with a lower tier, or more common type color, but best advise is to leave granite tile for use on the floors or fireplace surround.

Best of luck!

I'm not sure what kind of neighborhood your house is in, but for ME, while house-searching, when I saw granite tiles, I wondered what else the owners skimped on.
I would have rather that the owners did not waste the money on granite tiles, which I would have to rip out, even to replace with laminate, since I do not like grout/grout-lines on my countertops (thus I'm planning for a stainless steel countertop for this kitchen).

sorry if this was not helpful,
Amanda

Well, we used granite tile for backsplash on our kitchen and for the walls, backsplash and floor for our master bath. We were happy with our choice. Our upgrades helped us to sell our townhome on the very soft market last year. We've had two offers after first day (Easter!) on the market. One year later, our home selling price is the highest price in our development ever.
That said, I absolutely agree with Amanda and Patty: I would hate tiles of any kind on the kitchen countertop. Shop around, slab granite might be much cheaper than you expect. We've paid $2300 for 45 sq.f. installed, with Ogee edge and undermount sink cutout.

Kitchen backsplash (granite tile is behind the stove) and slab counter:

Master bath (two color granite tiles on the floor, backsplash and walls):

I only have it for the backsplash by my cooktop so I can't say much about actually having it as a counter surface for myself.

I would think it kind of depends on what is the "norm" in your area. If granite tile is the norm then I don't see any reason why you should feel the need to do granite slab. I visited friends in another state a couple years ago. They had just built a very nice new home in an upscale neighborhood. It had granite tile on the kitchen counters and I thought it was very nice - if there was grout the grout lines were very narrow and the color blended in with the granite. Then we went to visit someone else in a different neighborhood of nice, new upscale homes. More nice looking granite tile on the counters.

If that's kind of what your area is like I'd think granite tile would be a good choice - especially if you can do it well for less than laminate. Though I personally rather like laminate - and I'd rather have laminate than alot of granite I've seen, I do think granite tile would probably be more appealing to more buyers these days.

well, there are three new homes built recently in our neighborhood and they have put in granite tiles with no grout.

I can't stress enough that although the granite tiles are fine, the no grout part is no good. There's a better than average chance that it will cause problems down the road. If you're worried about sanitary hazards, use Spectralock for your grout. This is the one time in a house where I DO advocate the use of epoxy grout. But do NOT go groutless.

Gibby, I respect your input however you do not reflect the opinion of the masses. As a professional, I always advise homeowners in their house for the long haul to upgrade very carefully in a way that still appeals to the masses. (because we all know "sh*t happens" to change plans all the time) I especially disagree with your advise because it's specifically for a homeowner upgrading their home in preparation for sale. We're in a buyers market and because of continued changes in lending guidelines, qualified buyers are becoming a commodity. First of all, you don't want your house to be like every other house in the neighborhood because you and all the other sellers are fighting for that one qualifiying buyer's attention and fitting in with the crowd won't cut it. While you want to avoid over improving by having a lot more sf, a lavishly overdone landscape, or gourmet kitchen with high end appliances, you do want to improve "a step above" from the competition, so your house is "memorable". If sellers in the area typically upgrade with tile, why would you upgrade to match? Especially when Buyers typically do not like tile because of the grout and seams? Additionally, if by chance the buyer is ok with doing some improvements on their own, like changing the granite tile to slab, they will DEFINATELY compensate for it in their offer. That said, the reality is that many buyers are not interested in upgrading a house they just bought, so you automatically shrink the buyer pool when you cut corners in a market that is already suffering with a very limited amount of qualified buyers to begin with. As Huango also pointed out so accurately, when a seller has obviously cut corners in one area of the house, the buyer will typically wonder where else has the seller cut corners? A quick deal breaker! We just bought 72 sf of granite, enough for our kitchen as well as our master bath, it includes a 4 inch surround and 3 sinks, paid 45 p/sf (3500 total). We don't plan on sellng but if we ever have to we'd sell much faster then the 250 average DOM's (Days on Market) we're typically seeing in our area of Michigan. Best advise, find out what the current trends are in your neighborhood and do your improvements a notch (or two) better in a way that will make your house memorable to a buyer. When it's all said and done, you'll be glad you did.

I agree with Patty 100%. As a recent home buyer, I can tell you that a house with laminate or tiled counters makes a very bad impression.

Laminate screams that the house is cheap if not neglected.

I would mentally subtract a cost of replacing a tiled countertop from the price of the house.

And seeing tile without grout would make me wonder how many more unprofessional repairs were made in this house.

Phoggie, if you really can not afford 1-2K for a professionally installed granite counter, consider buying prefabricated slab and installing it. It is hard but doable. Even butcher block counter from Ikea would be better than tiled or laminate one IMHO.

Also chiming in as a recent home buyer, but with a different take -- I loathe granite, and was mentally subtracting the cost of replacing the cheap slabs most folks had thrown in to upgrade their kitchen for resale. What I think would be most attractive to a perspective buyer is a clause giving the buyer a certain amount for new countertops of their choice.

I can't think of a single new homebuyer I know who didn't want to almost immediately re-do their kitchen no matter what was in it when they purchased (and I believe this is borne out by remodel statistics). As a buyer, my question was always: rats, why did they have to do this darned granite thing -- why must I pay for someone else's taste?

This way you can appeal to a broader range of buyers with an attractive bonus for something they will likely want to do after purchase anyways, and save yourself the headache of the decision now.

I don't know that laminate necessarily indicates a cheap or neglected house. I think it all depends on where you are. Here in the Ozarks, a house that sells for 2 - 2.5x the average house price may not only have laminate counters, but also oak cabinets, and the brass pulls with white ceramic centers. I agree that having granite (at least here) would make your house more special and might move it faster, but I doubt there are any guarantees these days. I should say, though, that our market is not as bad here as in other places and some homes are on acreages, which helps bolster their value.

I have to agree with the advice that suggests you see what your competition is. Maybe contact a local realtor for their opinion. Best of luck to you!

In response to the comment regarding an allowance for counters, in some circumstances, that is a great suggestion. But once again the Realtor in me is coming out and I have to say it does raise two concerns that most people don't realize, first being that often times when an allowance is offered, it's because the seller has not had funds available to update or properly maintain the home and in our market, it would be considered to be a fixer. Secondly buyers interested in buying a "fixer" would love that because they are usually on the hunt for a "bargain" and prepared to make decisions regarding fixes or in this case upgrades. They're obviously not too intimidated by the process to tackle that option. But, you get a first time buyer, retiree or someone with a life too busy to deal with it and your screwed. Once again you've just limited your buyer pool. I can't stress enough how important it is in this market that you keep appealing to the masses as your priority so the range of buyers you can appeal to is as open as possible. I was surprised to read the previous comment regarding the buyer who didn't appreciate granite as that was a first for me personally. In my experience, I have never met anyone who didn't care for granite or, if they bought a house with granite would have regrets about it but that's just me and my experiences. In no way do I want to minimize the preferences of another contributor in this conversation. Bottom line, regardless of the medium you use sounds like most of us agree, don't go tile! Tootles!

In our DC suburb area there are lots of very expensive developments where buyers expect some trendy non-granite counters (such as concrete, soapstone, stainless steel, quartz, etc.). But we are talking about low to medium price home here, right? Nothing can be more appealing to the widest pool of buyers in this price range than granite.
Personally, as a big fan of contemporary style, I really appreciate the look of these newer counter materials... when they are new or hardly used. For our lifestyle granite is the only material that is durable enough (especially darker small grain sorts). I made my own research scratching and staining different types of counter samples :0) Granite is unbeatable. Quartz would be my second choice (still softer than granite). But again, when selling a low price home, you will have to catch the buyer's attention first on the very competitive market. Cheap slabs would do this perfectly in this price range.

As a professional, I always advise homeowners in their house for the long haul to upgrade very carefully in a way that still appeals to the masses.... First of all, you don't want your house to be like every other house in the neighborhood because you and all the other sellers are fighting for that one qualifiying buyer's attention and fitting in with the crowd won't cut it.

Which is it?

I can tell you that a house with laminate or tiled counters makes a very bad impression.

I loathe granite, and was mentally subtracting the cost of replacing the cheap slabs most folks had thrown in to upgrade their kitchen for resale.

I don't know that laminate necessarily indicates a cheap or neglected house.

phoggie, the above three quotes, all pulled out of the last few posts, should tell you something.

Bottom line, regardless of the medium you use sounds like most of us agree, don't go tile!

Ceramic tile, I'd agree with you. As for granite tile, though, the only minus I know of vs. slab is if you do alot of baking and roll your own dough. Other than that, one's every bit as good as the other, and looks just as nice asx the other.

IÂm another recent buyer that didnÂt appreciate granite when looking at houses but looked beyond that for at the quality and layout of the cabinets. What said cheap and neglected (or just plain silly) to me was a shiny new piece of stone on top of drawers that were falling apart or better yet, new, bottom of the barrel cabinets that wouldnÂt last until I got tired of the granite.

We ended up buying a house with the original (low end) 70Âs kitchen but brand spanking new, attractive, high-end laminate. I hated it then because weÂd just remodeled a kitchen and it felt like a step back but I realize now the well thought out kitchen choices definitely sold us. What that said, compared to others that were obviously prettied up for the sale, was that the home had been maintained all along and we had more trust in the things we couldnÂt see.

I seem to be in the minority but there are sooooo many other things that make or break a kitchen for me than a surface to set things on. That said, IÂd skip the tile and put in a nice butcher block or laminate with a cool looking (and functioning) sink. From what IÂve seen of the non-TKO crowd, their cutoff between trash and treasure is an undermount sink and you wonÂt be able to do that anyway.

Well here's one more point of view. If you put something in your kitchen that is out of keeping with the rest of your house, it will probably turn people off. If you have a newer house, you will probably attract people who like newer houses and dig granite. If you have an older house, you will attract people who like old houses, and if you install slabs of granite, these prospective buyers will roll their eyes at how you insensitively destroyed the kitchen.

At the moment granite is everywhere, marble is emerging as the next gotta have, soapstone is cool in a retro way, and ceramic tile is loathed. But wait -- didn't I read somewhere about people in the Napa Valley pulling out granite and installing tile?

And just one more thought while I'm at it -- granite just looks better as slabs. There is only a cost rationale and no aesthetic rationale for using granite tiles. (However, it is a good cost tradeoff IMHO). OTOH, there are some limestones and travertines that have a pattern and which actually look very good as a tiled installation -- you can really leverage the patterning to your advantage in a carefully crafted installation. I saw this done at a local tile store -- was really amazed.

So, net net, for cost reasons, think about using a surface that looks good as a tiled installation --there are several options --- or use granite as slabs.

Add me to the list of those who may not like granite slab counters just b/c they are granite! Most granite is too busy for my taste and some are downright unattractive. I would think twice about buying a house where I would have to rip out newly installed granite that was just too awful to live with! It seems like such a waste to me. The house I bought had 16 y/o laminate; a neutral color that was livable for two years and which we are now remodeling. (I wanted corian, but a fabricator screw up means I am getting quartz!) I am not a fan of tile counters b/c of the grout cleaning issue.

Kidshop, consider yourself lucky for getting quartz instead of Corian (unless you really like dull surface covered with microsratches). We have Corian in our new home (kitchen and master bath) and I HATE it. We'll replace it with granite or quartz for sure.

I am not a fan of tile counters b/c of the grout cleaning issue.

Argee. Even Spectralock grout (which we used for our granite tile installation) does not eliminate this problem completely.
I also agree that some granites are very busy. For resale, it would make sence to opt for neutral small grain types.

Phoggie,

I think real estate agents in your area might be the best source for advice relevant to your situation.

Sometimes when we spend so much time on this site, we forget that in the real world, things can be very different.

If you are correct about very few homes in your town having slab granite counters, then perhaps paying even for inexpensive (relative term) pre-fabbed counters and risking poor quality installation, may be a foolish waste of money. If the buyers in your town are not expecting granite or perhaps not even wanting it, would a mix of nice laminate and perhaps butcher block be a solution?

Bill,

With all due respect, I know from reading your posts that you're a tile man, but I'm coming from a different perspective, and this inquiry was for someone who said they are preparing to sell their home. I don't agree that granite tile even comes close to offering the look or appeal of slab granite on counters. Same goes with regular tile or laminate. Those are typically for standard "builder grade" homes. If someone just can't afford the cost of a granite slab, that's fine use a nice laminate alternative, but granite tile looks like someone had champagne taste on beer budget. Secondly, to clarify, any Realtor will tell you, regardless of how long you personally plan to stay in your home, any upgrades you venture to do should be done in a way that make sense and will appeal to the masses because anything that is done with a more personalized flair will make attracting a buyer more challenging if and/or when you have to sell.

What I think is that anyone whoÂs going to base their house purchase on granite is just going for the flash of it and they probably wonÂt care if itÂs tiles, slab or laminate that looks like granite. There are so many other good options available and people who have specific tastes and are educated will most likely be more impressed with a good layout than a poorly installed counter on top of crappy cabinets. No idea what the OP has but I donÂt think granite is the be all, end all that puts you in a class above the rest.

Not sure if this is relevant to todayÂs market but we renovated a tiny kitchen in 2004 and got pregnant with twins a month later, causing us to need a bigger house. The cabinets were good, but nothing special to look at, and we installed DIY soapstone from small slabs, which resulted in quite a few seams.

We looked at 50+ houses before finding "the one" and IÂd say 75% had granite. The only one of those that stood out to me was a comp in our neighborhood with an equally small kitchen that had been recently remodeled, though I guess they didnÂt know the beauty of mostly full extension drawers. At least they tried and it was pretty. Their open house was a week before ours and almost everything was identical including the price but I do have to say their house had more curb appeal. Nonetheless, we sold that day for almost $70,000 over the asking price and theirs was still on the market a week later. I have no doubt the soapstone seams and, heaven forbid, drop-in sink were overlooked because of attention to detail in other places.

Of the three houses we considered for ourselves, two had neat, clean kitchens with laminate counters and floor that I would have remodeled at some point and one still had all avocado appliances and original carpet throughout the house that I would have replaced before move-in. That third one was still slightly more appealing to me than granite, just for the sake of granite. LOL

Patty, may I ask what size city do you sell RE in? Our town is only about 18,000 (and mostly military, which can not afford it anyway)....very few "high-end" homes...in fact, ours is considered among them....and we are in the $370,000 range. Our home is a very well built 2001 custom built home (my DH is an architect and drew the plans, and owned a construction company that built it)....in fact, we will be the only home on the market with a 3 car garage, about 3900 SF, with hardwood floors, 7" wide cove molding through-out, solid oak doors, etc.

Our kitchen has beautiful custom made cherry cabinets....hardwood floors....but by my own chosing, white appliances (I happen not to be a SS or black appliance person). There is about 80 SF of counter-tops/island. The rest of the house has cherry cabinets also....3 1/2 bathrooms, built-in cabinets in greatroom/TV etc., 4 bedrooms, huge walk-in closets, MB with 6' jetted tub/walk-in shower, full finished walk-out basement (pool table stays). So we DO have a nice house, but there has only been 1 in this price range sold in over 2+ years....so we don't know if we can justify putting in several thousand dollars worth of granite.....and I am one that really does not care for most of it....too many patterns are far too busy for my taste. I can not see putting in far more than we an redeem. Problem is that there just aren't qualified buyers here....so why make it more expensive than it already is???

Bill~~what price range homes have you put in the granite slabs?....are the homeowners pleased with them? The three new homes in our area have them and I asked the owners and they like them. But this decision is driving me crazy~~
When we built this house, we put in marble tiles...they looked great, but etched so badly...then I put on some type of sealer that was recommended, but it has yellowed and I hate it now~~~ Maybe I just should leave it alone...but if it doesn't sell and we have to stay, I don't want it that way.

Someone showed pictures of granite tile in the shower stall...and I thought it looked great. If whoever reads this, would you post them again?

Anymore pics of your granite tile would be appreciated SO much...THANKS

phoggie-- Quite honestly, It's about split even around here with both granite slab and laminate-- right across the financial spectrum from starter homes to multimillion dollar homes. I've seen both at both extremes. However, I've also done quite a few granite tile countertops, mostly in homes in the 150- 250K range.

phoggie - here is my granite tile backsplash - chosen not because of cost but because of the visual interest created with tile vs. slab that is used on the counter in that area. Of course in my situation I made choices based on what I liked not what would appeal to the masses.

{{gwi:1589733}}

I assume the OP still wants to "hear from those who have granite tile"? DH installed granite tile in our kitchen remodel 6 years ago. I've never heard of anyone NOT using grout tho :o DH butted the tiles together but still grouted, using unsanded grout. The tiles are slightly beveled which will create a grout line. Last summer we knocked out the wall between the kitchen and old LR, adding a peninsula at the end of a run of cabinets and turned the LR into dining room. We did a rounded peninsula and chose to do slab AND were lucky enough to find a slab that matched our 6 year old tiles :) Everyone that has seen our kitchen counter thought it was slab. I know...I find it hard to believe too but apparently people don't pay that much attention :o We didn't replace the 21 year old cabs. Wish we could have but this was an "out of pocket" remodel.
Old pictures but the granite is looks the same and nary a crack in the tile or grout. With tiny grout lines, the right edging and grout that blends, you can create a very nice counter that will look like slab to most.

Thanks monica and gibby.....now that is what I was wanting to see. Looks great.

Monica, did you buy the edges or how did you do them? and what color is your tile?.....and Gibby, what are your tiles? Loved them both...and THANKS so much for showing them to me.

Anyone...if you have granite tiles, I would LOVE to see yours also.

Phoggie, I understand your concerns about over improving not only for the neighborhood but for the purpose of recouping, it's a valid concern. You didn't mention were you are from, but I'm in Oakland County Michigan where we have an over abundance of both high end and low end housing. Because of the high volume of foreclosures in this area, I do a lot of property inspections for lenders (20 or so a week) expanding over several counties and can honestly say I've never inspected a house that would be comparable to what you've described that has granite tiles. The majority of them, especially if they are newer, have a builders grade granite, corian, quartz or laminate. Corian & Quartz have not fared as well in popularity here and the majority of laminate is found in the mid range Cookie Cutter homes. Most of the higher end homes not located in the newer subdivisions have more elaborate slabs and higher end amenities.

As you can see from the dialog about your inquiry, you're obviously not going to please all the buyers out there no matter what you do. But I noticed you said you had white appliances and then offered a reason as to why. You did this because you know that Stainless Steel appeals to the masses and white appliances were just a personal choice. That is a perfect example of what I have been trying to convey so I think you see what I'm saying makes sense.

Something you should consider when making your decision is what the market activity in your specific area is like. We're at the end of summer here, the market usually slows a bit once school starts and the weather turns cold. Have you missed the peak period for your area? Because even if you don't recoup 100% of your costs, the "polished" look of any kind of slab will reflect a more cohesive package and most likely help you to sell you home quicker, which is a savings in itself. In other words, you can either pay it upfront or pay it in the end because your house has sat on the market for months.

I suggest that you talk to several realtors in your area, don't just take the word of one because everyone's experience is different. Ask about the market, have them tour your home and make suggestions of what you can do to help secure the fastest sale. At this point, I believe they will be the best resource available for you speciifically.

Good Luck and let me know if you have more quesitons!

Thanks patty~~I appreciate your info.
We live in middle of Kansas...just a small military town...there is no "peak" in the market here....maybe about 3 years ago when they "thought" the troops were coming back here...but now it is a training staion and they are not bring families.
Builders came from all over the area and built and built and now there are about 3,000 units here that are for sale...most in the $150,000-$170,000 range (military can not afford them) and they are NOT moving either...in fact, some owners have rented them out just to recoup "something" rather than having them empty. Housing is NOT good here...thus, our fear of putting any more in this house....we'll do good to get our money back out of it. We do not "have" to sell....but want to relocate...have bought a beautiful lot in another town, where taxes are about 1/3 of what they are in this county.

In another site, a writer said they had been house-hunting and found granite tiles being used in 1 Mil+ homes...sure would love to see what they look like.

alina--thanks for the photos...they really look great, but why wouldn't you use them in your kitchen on counter-tops?
What is the name of the tiles in your bathroom?...they look great!

Have you done a Google image search for granite tile counters? There seem to be a lot of examples there.

Hmmm, we have simular problems here, an over supply of "empty" new builds that people can no longer afford and they're loosing value faster than you can blink an eye. I have seen many a million dollar home, and not one had granite tile, I know I sound like a broken record, but it's true! If your market is experiencing those types of problems, and you're not in a position of being "forced" to move, I highly recommend that you sit tight until the market corrects itself. It always does even in military towns as soldiers have to come home sometime! Typically, real estate runs on a 5-7 year cycle, many are expecting the correction to last through 2009 with some good news starting at the end of next year into the beginning of 2010. In the big scheme of things that's not such a long time, and the wait could very well pay off for you. If you decide to speak with a couple of realtors, ask them to pull a market analysis of the area for you tell them you would like to see a sales history for recent sales/listings comps that are simular to your house for the past 6 mos in a radius of 2-3 miles. If your area is anything like ours, you will definately notice the gap between what properties are listed at and what they are actually selling for. The scary part is, if your in a more expensive home, you may not have had any homes sold in your price range at all during recent months which is why I suggest sitting tight if your situation allows you to. Hope this helps and doesn't just add more confusion to the process.

many are expecting the correction to last through 2009 with some good news starting at the end of next year into the beginning of 2010.

NOW you and I have some common ground. :-) I've heard alot of people saying they think we're hitting bottom right now. No way. I don't think we'll hit bottom till next summer, regardless of who's elected. After that, it'll start picking back up to normal again.

phoggie,
Here is a pic of my granite tile countertops. (Before the woodwork was all finished :-) The grout lines are very small, epoxy grout. The edges of the tiles are bullnosed by a fabricator or the tile guy. We wanted a grey granite that was similar to stones quarried in our neigborhood at the turn of the century. This stone was the closest we could find. Cost and weight in our 95 year old house were also factors in choosing them. I like them very much. HTH -Kim

There is a place in houston called floor and decor that has granite squares and the matching edges for it. You can find them on a net search. I don't know if they have any places in your area though.

Kenneth

patty~~ I have asked the realtors (we only have two)how many has been sold in this area that are in our price range...."1 in over two years"~~~NONE within the last year...so maybe sitting tight might be the best..but I am 66 and DH is 77, so time is not on our side~~This is too much house for us to take care of...I am disabled with arthritis so we need to down-size.

Bill--Do you just use the Spectralock or do you also put in colored grout?

Kim--Thanks for posting your pictures...they look very good.

Kenneth~~ I live in rural middle Kansas....where we have nothing but very small Home Depots and Lowes....not any choice here....and if you do happen to find someone, it would be so terribly expensive. I just read a post from someone in KC and they were complaining there...they need to come 2 hours west!

Oh hell. Everyone else is showing pics, I guess I should too, only I'm going to add a twist to it, giving other alternatives to granite edges. I've used three alternatives. The first, like all others in here is bullnosing and using granite skirt pieces:

Oh yeah-- don't let anyone tell you you can't undermount a sink with granite tile, either. :-)

The next is trimming the countertop with hardwood trim:

The last is using ceramic pieces called "v-cap":

All three work well, and look nice.

I absolutely agree with Bill - I've seen granite tile countertops in friends' homes and I think they look great. While I personally do prefer granite slabs, I'd certainly take a granite tile countertop over Corian, laminate or any of the other artificial surfaces (sorry if that offends anyone but it's MHO). I also believe that the kitchen countertop is not likely to be the deal breaker.

I understand, my mother is a 72 yr old widow living in California. Her house is about 3,000 sf and she also considered a move to down size because the up keep had become to encumbersom. For a number of reasons she decided the best option for her was to stay put, so instead she hired someone to come in one day per week to do the heavy cleaning. Now all she has to do is basically pickup after herself and it's worked out well for her.

Did the realtors you spoke with actually agree with your idea to upgrade the counters? Of give you any idea of what you could expect in terms of turn around if you list? Because if your market is THAT slow, you may just want to hold off upgrading and include an allowance as suggested in an earlier response.

I'm sure either way it's a frustrating position to be in and I hope whatever you decide to do brings you good results.

Bill-

So glad to read your reponse, let's hope the analysts have it write huh?

Believe it or not, I'm not going by the analysts. That's from my own observation and experience. Years ago, my father told me and my sister (who's a project manager for a commercial tile firm in Connecticut) that we need to watch the architects to forecast what we're going to be doing. Once the architects slow down, you can bet that in a year, we're going to be dead in the water, so to speak. Architects in most areas have been pretty idle now for about 6-8 months. Once the election comes and goes, I think you're going to see a newfound confidence in the economy, and the architects are going to start getting alot more work, and once that happens, it's another 6-8 months before things level out and start getting back to normal. Once the commercial construction starts picking up again, you'll start to see the residential market start to move. I've seen this happen 3 times now in the last 30 years (78, 90, and now). It won't be any different this time.

phoggie, the granite it Baltic Brown. The shading can vary. Some is more saturated than others.
DH made the edges...kinda. He cut strips to glue to the vertical edges of the counters. We had a tile shop bullnose the leading edge tiles. Because of the thickness of the built out backsplash (for travertine tile) we would have had to use an inch strip of granite in the back. I chose to lose one inch in depth so that two full 12" tiles would create the counter.
Below is a link to *macro* shots of the edging.
Monica

It just occurred to me that I forgot to include the link to the granite tile edges. Sorry

Here is a link that might be useful: Granite Tile Edge

I think we will go with the cherry wood edges...if we use the granite tiles....providing we can get them off without breaking them.

I did email my favorite realtor and ask her if she thought I needed to replace the counter-tops....here is what her response was "My honest opinion is that your home outshines EVERYTHING currently on the market in your price range. I do agree that replacing your brass in the kitchen with ORB would be a definite plus, but don't worry about replacing the brass in your bathrooms. I haven't had anyone yet that seems to have an objection to that....you have a beautiful house and it shows wonderfully."

That was a boost to me...although if we don't sell this house and I have to live here for awhile longer, I think we still might do the granite tiles. I have searched on the internet and from what I see (as well as the posts here), they look good to me....especially considering the cost of the slabs.....that would take me on a couple of nice vacations~~~and I would enjoy them more.

I've had granite tile for several years, and I really like it: it's held up very well, I still enjoy looking at it. For my own use, I feel you are getting 90% of the functionality at about 50% of the cost.

But.

I wouldn't use it as way of upgrading the kitchen of soon to be for sale house. It's a buyer's market out there, and way too many of those will see 'granite tile' and think 'tile', not granite.

Most people just don't see tile as a premium countertop material, and won't add anything to their offer for it.

My boyfriend just installed granite tiles in his kitchen. Couldn't afford to do slabs. He used volga blue granite. It is so dark, you can barely see the seams. For him it didn't make sense to redo his entire kitchen (mold problem and he replaced some cabs when he got rid of the mold). He is putting his daughter through college and just can't afford things at present. For what little he uses the kitchen, the granite tiles made sense.

Now, that said, my sister has granite tiles in her VERY expensive house in the San Diego area. Came with the house. At first I thought it was a slab until I looked closely and realized they were tiles. They bought one of the last homes in the complex and someone who had previously wanted the house put them in. I think they look very nice.

I hate for tile to get a bad rap here. While I don't like cleaning grout--although there is a zen quality about it and once you find what works, it isn't difficult--I do LOVE tile of any kind. I love going through the Walker Zanger catalog as well as the Oceanside tile one. I love looking at various handmade tiles from different countries and admiring them. I revel in the work "person"ship and uniqueness of each and every one. The Mexican saltillo tiles where dogs ran through them and left paw prints are the ones that cost the most! I LOVE tile of any kind!

I wouldn't not choose to buy a house because it had tile. I would go, oh yea! Tile, I can put my hot pots and pans on it without worrying. Function of the kitchen (and house)will win my heart every time. Trust me, that is the FIRST and last thing I look at when I buy a house.

I'm in California, so that may have something to do with my love for tile. And, in my area, tile countertops would not be a reason to turn down the house, even in this buyer's market. Location, location, location...

We had granite tiles in our townhouse - and loved them. I'm sorry I didn't take pictures. They were really easy to take care of, and the grout was a dark grey color similar to the tile color. We lived there 5 years, and they looked as good as new when we sold it.

Have you seen Spendogirl's kitchen with granite tiles and wood trim? It looks great!

No, I have not seen Spendogirl's kitchen with granite tiles and wood trim, but I would LOVE to see it. Do you happen to have her thread? THANKS, Phoggie

Here you go, another great tile job.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spendogirls DIY granite tiles

Phoggie, here is the details on how we did the countertop.

We mounted 3/4" plywood directly to cabinets, then did 1/4" backerboard.

The trick to getting the tiles flush.. is thick thick thick thinset.. then drop the tile into place then using forward and sideways pressure to get the tile to stick and to meet the next tile..

Since my dh is is a perfectionist..if the tile was not 99.9% flush with the next tile.. he took it up and started again.. I love him for his patience.. and am so thankful my countertop ended up nice and smooth and flat..

We also used unsanded grout, then applied sealer afterwards... hth..

It came out very nice, but for those interested in attempting this, use two layers of plywood-- one 3/4", and the other 1/2", and THEN either cement board or Ditra. Also, remember to take into account when you're deciding how deep to make your plywood tops, that if you're going to use a granite skirt piece, you need to add at the very least, a piece of cement board to the edge. So you need to take that into account when you're deciding just how deep to make it.

Since my dh is is a perfectionist..if the tile was not 99.9% flush with the next tile.. he took it up and started again.. I love him for his patience.. and am so thankful my countertop ended up nice and smooth and flat..

With polished stone, that's the only way to be. If the stones AREN'T that accurate, any reflection off the stone will be broken, and you'll pick it up immediately. Take a look at the second to last picture I posted above. Could you imagine what that reflection would look like if those stones WEREN'T accurate? I have to agree with you, though-- your husband did a great job. :-)

Just in case you want more examples, here's our old kitchen which had granite tile: