Dekton Trillium instead

Thank you Beverly, those do have a real natural look to them. I see they are anywhere from

$60 - $95 per sq foot. Which do you say would be an accurate cost?

I like the color combination in the first photo. I wouldn't mess with nature, so find a stone you like as it is.

Try AG&M. I wanted a grey/green granite and after scouring all the other locations, they had 5 matching slabs (I needed three). They worked with my fabricator and I just love my countertops. They had more unusual colors than all the other yards. Even my fabricator said they could not find the color I found there.
https://www.agmgranite.com/inventory/nashville/?f=granite
Keep us posted.

Is that all of the counter space? you could look into some of the exotic granites.

With your hickory cabinets, I would do a green granite.

I have an island too that I did not include, but I will...

Sorry, the green just looks grey to me. Not a fan. I really liked a Bordeaux River, but hubby did not like the purple it pulled, the photo I have included does not show it, but it did pull purple. Just like Blue Dunes...no real blue in it but ya know

I do plan on dropping the rise on the island so it is all one flat surface.

Thank you RedRyder...I think AG&M is the only stone yard I have not visited.

Why is Lapidus so hard to find? I used MSI virtual design tool to see what Lapidus would look like.

Costa Esmeralda usually reads gray/green. I don't think the above is a good example.

There are brighter greens. I also agree with too much brown.

But, if you insist, how about Baltic Brown? Or Fantasy Brown?

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This slab and half slab are called Exotic Yellow. The pattern is very different as it looks sort of boxy. Strong lines with abrupt color changes. Sorry the pic is bad. Granite is very hard to photograph.

Looks like you want something unique. Don't forget too that it will be vertical when installed.

I think you need to carry one of your cabinet doors with you when you shop. There are very few green granites out there now (according to some of the people I spoke to, including my fabricators, who sell stone). Apparently the greens coming out of the ground are not attractive to homeowners, so there's very little of it. Esmeralda is very hard to find.

I would also recommend going to MCGranite in Nashville - 500 Davidson Street. They're my fabricators and have a stone yard. They had some blues (I bought a new piece for a victorian table from them) but they were super expensive and you have a lot to cover.

I just had leathered fantasy brown installed in my log home, it is beautiful...ties together cool and warm.

Leathered Uba Tuba

Yes, MC Granite is the fabricator I will more than likely wind up using. I do wonder why some fabricators say the old countertops have to be off before measuring and some say they can measure with them on?

The leathered brown fantasy photo above is beautiful....I wonder if I should just play if safe and select something more subtle.

Yes, they only measure without a countertop. My kitchen and laundry room represented a lot of work and the measure person was here for almost 3 hours. But they also invite you to see the layout before cutting so your seams are where you want them. I had a designer helping m and she loved where they set the seams, so we were there for a short visit that morning.

Have you visited their stone yard? They seem to currently have a few stones with cream, Browns, and blues. I worked with Jon and they were extremely professionaL. Installation was perfection.

Yes, I am actually working with Claudia at the Clarksville location since that is where I live, but I have been to the Nashville stone yard. The selection is much better there and I am guessing that is where they will fabricate as well. I think the Clarksville location is just a showroom. I am glad to hear you had a good experience with them. Can you post a photo...I would love to see your kitchen.

Abby Carr, another Tennessean here, Eastern. You asked about color enhancers and the process. I'll get to that in a moment. Just wanted to tell you not to give up. Took me forever to find the slabs that made my heart sing. I saw a group of Jaguar slabs and thought them gorgeous, but they read a bit too gray overall. Each group of slabs in different, some moreso than others... I walked past 4 different groups of Sienna Bordeaux and was completely uninterested. All wrong. Then I spotted (after well over a month) another group that was entirely different - in color and movement. My heart sang : ) As you already know, don't judge with photos (I had people sending me pics every day which drove me crazy and I told them repeatedly I wouldn't make a decision based on a photo.) Just don't get discouraged, and don't rule out one type as you never know what the next group will bring.

I love leathered, and think it the perfect natural look for a log cabin. Our home is not rustic at all, but it does 'ask' for leathered as that is also a very rich look, IMO. Suits some homes, not others. Our slabs were not leathered, and we had them sent to NC to have them leathered. We were so nervous as to how they'd come out. This is what we saw when they returned:

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A closer look:

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DH and I were sick. Gray. And we could barely feel the leathered aspect, it felt more like a bad hone. I had to listen to DH tell me we should have left it polished for months (we are still working on our remodel!). But I knew a few things... one of them being the dust from leathering and the long trip covering the slabs also filled in the gorgeous leathering. The other...

Color enhancers are best suited for natural, no-sheen, honed and leathered surfaces. They bring the original color back after one application. After 2 applications they will darken the colors a bit. They are a sealant as well, so one application is all that's needed. For a polished surface, they will darken the surface, and add shine if the stone has lost some sheen, but typically you don't want to use a color enhancer on a polished surface unless you have a black granite and just want the 'wet' look. Speaking of the wet look, that depends on how and what is applied. I did our own, not the fabricators (I requested they not apply it), as I'd used color enhancers before on our outside patio and a few other areas and knew the exact look I wanted. I used Tenax Ager, which is quite wonderful. Applying is easy, and my trick to keep it from looking 'wet' was to apply it as directed, fairly heavy, wait 5 minutes, then wipe off... but I buffed off with several micro fiber cloths. No wet look for me! I wanted a very low, low sheen, and the natural beauty of the stone to come through. This is what I got (and it's back to the original color):

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Here is the sheen (top right corner). Very minimal. That's from buffing hard as I could 5 minutes after application - and I just kept buffing, going over and over it. It's not remotely 'wet'.

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Keep in mind, this is natural light, and does not read perfectly true on my camera or my monitor, but gives you a good idea. No more blues, gray in not as prominent, and it warmed it back up to what it was.

Closeup of some of the leathering:

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You can add more sealant (flat) on top of the Ager, which won't change it but will add another layer of protection, but it's not needed. BTW, 'Ager' does not mean it ages anything. I tested my test piece with everything under the sun with one coat Ager: blueberries, tomato paste, lemon, vinegar, wine, coffee, etc., - it all wiped up 24 hours later except some red curry paste, and that came up with a simple baking soda poultice.

If you cook a lot (I do), leathering does not impede this. I only saw one slab I would have refused as some 'pockets' were too deeply leathered and jagged - but it was a bad job done elsewhere and also had cracks. I made a mess of wet pasta dough the other day and it wiped right off all my 'indentations and crevices'.

Don't give up, you'll find it. If leathered doesn't appeal to you, that's perfectly fine. Color Enhancer will only darken an already polished granite - it would darken and therefore somewhat enhance some colors, but to really enhance a polished stone, it needs to have been weathered and lost some of it's sheen. Hope this helps : )

ETA: my fabricator insisted on NC for the leathering. Not TN. We could not be more pleased with the results.

Here are photos of my countertop.
MC Granite were in my house less than 2 hours to do all of it - kitchen, laundry room and an apartment kitchen’s straight countertop.

have you looked at Cosmos ?. there was another poster on here who went with it in her oak kitchen, hickory floors and did a basalt backsplash. the granite is beautiful.

It's also called Magma Gold

and you can get it leathered

Beth H.... that is some amazing stone! It's not for me but wowsers, it is eye-catching and looks gorgeous in that kitchen!

Have you looked at Typhoon Bordeaux? I have it in my master bath and love the copper tones.

Katinparadise -Yes! I found a Bordeaux River with copper and rust tones. Thought, it was

"The One". Very excited to show my husband when he got off work....he did not like it. He thought the tones were purple and red. Totally burst my bubble. Looked good with tile and cabinet I brought with me. Best experience I had with a granite supplier though...CRS Marble and Granite in Nashville were very helpful.

Color enhancers will not work on that granite they are more intended to be used on like tumbled marble, slates and such stones that are very porous.

It is very possible that Hubby is (somewhat) color-blind. A quick trip to the Ophthalmologist can determine degree and range.

I agree with the other person who said just keep looking. It took me a long time to find the granite I wanted for our kitchen counters and every slab is different. Find the slab that speaks to you. I went to multiple stone yards and went back multiple times. I was looking in the Charlotte area, but they were always getting new slabs in. I also looked so many times, that my husband just finally left the decision to me. Just saying!

Carolyn seems to be suggesting the “wear him down” method! LOL!
Unfortunately, taking the time till you find the exact right slabs can wear you down as well, but since the stone yards keep getting new ones, her advice is right. Keep going back to the best ones and have someone on the staff “on alert” for you.
Fingers crossed!

Jamie Thomas posted some photos of his log home kitchen with Leathered Fantasy Brown. I thought wow that might just work...so low and behold my preferred fabricator just posted they received LFB in stock but here it is:

It is just not a GREAT piece, in my opinion...nothing like Jamie's (a few posts up). So disappointing. I actually joke that Fantasy Brown is called that because it is a fantasy to think that is brown! It looks grey to me.

"...so low and behold my preferred fabricator just posted they received LFB in stock but here it is"

If you've only seen it in pics in texts or on you notebook or pc, and you like it, go in and see it in person. Color is rarely true on devices.

Yes, we are schlepping our cabinet door and tile down there this afternoon...hopefully they will have a more dramatic slab. I already know our tile will not go with it so I'll be back to square one on that. One step forward, one step back. Also, we really wanted an Onyx composite sink and I don't think that would look great as well.

Abby: Have you tried AGN? And Cosmos? If you keep doing the rounds, and TELL THEM what you’re looking for, they may call you when your best options come in. I know it’s tedious p, but since the countertop is an important element in the overall feel of your kitchen, waiting is much better than settling.
Yes, I think the Nashville operation of MC Granite is the main office and stone yard.

The first granite you show with the cabinet door is beautiful. If you want “color” other than natural stone color, consider a man-made solid surface material. I would not go dark nor gray for the counter with hickory cabs.

I have been to AGN and Cosmos as well as just about every stone supplier in Middle TN. I do feel like MC Granite is trying to steer me to selecting something they already have in stock.

Yes, they will do that. I was shocked when they acknowledged to me that my green slabs were nicer than anything they have, or could ever get in that color. I think they’re pretty honest but would, of course, like to sell you the slabs as well. I feel your frustration! I NEVER thought I’d find the green-grey slabs I was seeking. Don’t give up!

RedRyder, what percentage $$$ did you put down before your granite work was done? Does anyone else know what the industry standard is?

Granite is a natural product. It comes in MANY colors and combinations. Try another stone yard.
When I was redoing our kitchen, I asked my hubby if there was anything he would like to have/see in the kitchen....and he said “some green”. I decided on white cabinetry and then went shopping for granite. (In the Los Angeles area there are a vast number of stone yards. I prefer them to the usual stone and tile “stores” because they have so many more choices.). I found a light green-background granite with greens, white, gray, and a bit of black in the veining (three slabs cut sequentially). I found a cheerful light green wall paint called Lazy Caterpillar (DunnEdwards) which we used for the kitchen walls, adjacent pantry and powder room. The island is topped with a beautiful oak butcherblock counter. We now have a bright and fresh kitchen, lit all day by a skylight.

We put down 50% with the fabricator to hold the slabs that we had selected. I don't know if that is the industry standard.

I too thought 50% would be sufficient. But the best fabricator in town charges 75%...which would be fine if they guaranteed perfection. After reading all the things that could and do go wrong I would like to have the ball more in my court, so to speak, to give more incentive to the fabricator to finish the job right.

Abby: If I remember correctly, MC Granite gets the slabs from the other provider - AGM in my case - so I only knew the “price class” I was in when I chose the slabs. MC Granite asked for about 50% but they paid for the granite and then fabricated. I can search for my bill later today and give you specifics. I needed three slabs for my kitchen and laundry room, and ended up with an additional piece cut for our upstairs studio apartment. There was a lot left over from the third piece.
I also bought a different slab for a Victorian table that had a sad, cracked, stained piece of marble. That was about $500.

katinparadise Thank you, we have decided on Typhoon Bordeaux. MCGranite just measured this morning. It has been a long process. Just have to approve the templates, although I don't really have any idea if I would recognize a bad layout unless it was slap you in the face obvious.

AC inTN, I'm sure you'll love your Typhoon Bordeaux. Ours, which is Sienna Bordeaux is similar, and every day I'm thrilled with my choice. I cook a lot, so oftentimes crumbs or bits of food gets left behind during and after cleanup, and the Bordeaux's are very forgiving - hides that type of thing well. I do keep my countertops clean, but there are times... : )

On your templating, most people look to see that the veining is running in the same direction throughout the kitchen. I know it is a bit harder with the Bordeaux's, but you can see it. The only other thing that I can think of offhand, is if your seams glaringly do not match. With anything that has a lot of movement, they won't match perfectly. Our seams are at the main sink, which is apron front, so just 2 small ones behind the sink. We also have a couple behind our cooktop (our countertop depths are 27 rather than 24, without overhang added in). Still, I bought some colored pens and dotted to match, so our seams are fairly invisible. Lastly, if the slab(s) have an area you really do not like, and the templating can be reconfigured (not always an option), you can ask if it can be altered. Most templaters are good at what they do, but every once in a while you run into some that put seams in or run veining without any thought. Good luck!

I was lucky to have a designer helping me with my kitchen. However, when we met at MC Granite (at 7 am) I could clearly see where they were matching the movement of the granite at the seams. My main kitchen has 2 and it was obvious that their template crew know what they’re doing. It took 5 minutes, and only because my designer is OCD about this (in a good way). I’m so glad you found a stone you both like! Can’t wait to see it. Take photos for those of us following your journey. And then you can see if your backsplash choice still works.

Another granite-choosing suggestion....if you need more than one slab:
Select slabs with consecutive cut numbers. At the stone yard, the slabs from each source are standing together, with a sticker identifying pattern, source, and cut numbers. You want consecutive cut numbers for the closest match. (I needed three slabs since I use the same granite for the counters and backsplash, including a BIG piece for over my 60” stove area.)
A good fabricator will use cut pieces from the same slab for the backsplash and counter to be placed in the same area. Discuss it with your fabricator.

So glad you found what you wanted. We also have Typhoon Bordeaux in our kitchen and I love it!

Love Typhoon Bordeaux. I had it in my condo