Alaska White Granite Questions
Hi all! I’ve been browsing through the questions and comments about Alaska White granite and have learned a lot. We picked out a slab of Alaska White at the yard and I love it. The picture makes it look much darker gray than it appears in person. We plan to completely overhaul our kitchen. We already did the floors in a Tivoli Travertine vinyl plank, which had warmer beige and browns. Our cabinets will be painted white and antiqued with a brown glaze. Our paint color is called Plantation Tan, which I haven’t been super crazy about since it comes off kinda yellow in my opinion but it is a nice neutral color. We are also going to shiplap the ceiling and paint it bright white. Our island cabinets are white and we will likely refinish the butcher block top to a darker espresso stain, since I don’t think we can fit that on this slab of granite. Ideally I’d like for either a matte natural stone subway tile backsplash or a taupe/ grayish white arabesque tile.
I have some concerns that the yellows in our floor and paint clash too much with the cooler/ icy grays of the Alaska White. But I also wonder if the antiqued cabinets will provide enough of a ”break“ between the floors and walls to where it will all be cohesive.
A floor sample with my granite slab is pictured
Im also a little nervous about maintaining granite- a few of the Alaska White slabs at the yard had horrible rust stains. My slab is not from that bundle, but it makes me nervous that it will rust over time.
I’m also a little concerned about a lighter granite staining too easily. we have a salt and pepper granite countertop in our bathroom vanity and even though it’s sealed, it absorbs water easily and it has a stain from my husband’s beard oil or something 😕
Any tips or shared experience is appreciated!
Comments (11)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago- 4 years ago
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Granite Poll: Alaska White vs. Alaska White
Comments (25)I love stones with movement-so it would be #2 based on that..BUT, if the slabs are going to go only on the cabinets shown, then you might have to play around with layout to 'capture' the movement. You might be better off going with #1 then as it does pick up your cabinet color much more readily. cal_quail, I can't believe they are the same stones too. #2 almost looks like Bianco Romano except the local BR slabs don't have the white areas....See MoreSneak peek: Gel stained cabinets and Alaska White granite
Comments (10)Wow - great job (she says as she reconsiders her plan of replacing cathedral arch doors, painting cabinets, and installing soapstone)! Love how the colors of the granite, cabinets, and backsplash work so well together....See MoreHow dark to stain cabinets w/ Alaska White granite?
Comments (28)The Mushroom Tinted Varnish, which has a hint of ?taupe, is lovely with your countertops. It doesn't really look white. Any temptation to do uppers & lowers in that color? The Macadamia also looks nice with your stone & I would probably choose that one with the Cappacino lowers. I have true white cabinets & American Black Walnut floors. My cabinets are fine but the floors - dents galore. We are empty nesters but I'm always dropping stuff. Edit: I just read your post that you may change countertops. In that case, the Cappucino & Macadamia (lighter white). The Walnut floor is gorgeous & I would not give that up but the somewhat busy countertop, high level of variation in the walnut floors & 2 colors of cabinets could be too many things going on. Just a thought as I'm not one of those people that can visualize everything together. I have to see a picture. edited again: I keep writing Chestnut instead of Cappucino....See MoreAlaska white granite is turning tan all over. Only three months old
Comments (22)@janeen88 Very interesting. Normally we would think of iron deposits creating orange spots in granite, but In doing some Google searching, I'm seeing a lot of references to iron oxide impurities causing yellowing of natural stone especially when exposed to "weathering" which in your case could mean moisture of any kind such as if you're using anything more than a dry rag for wiping up. Steam from cooking or from a dishwasher could even play a role. As for the tan, I found one reference to white and light colored dolomites turning tan due to several mineral impurities. Your granite probably doesn't contain dolomite, but if you wanted to pursue this lead, you could probably find a university geology lab that might do some microscopic examination of a sample of granite and be able to tell you what minerals it contains that could be turning those areas tan. Here's the quote, "Dolomites are fine- to coarse-grained rocks that, in the unweathered state, are generally gray to light colored. On weathering they may become buff or tan because of impurities that commonly consist of iron within or between the dolomite crystals or of small amounts of pyrite, siderite, or marcasite." From this source: Kansas Geological Survey, The University of Kansas Houzz contains several threads with various suggestions for fixes for the iron staining. Here's one for starters with this quote: "As for iron oxides (orange rust) appearing on slabs, Naval Jelly, which is a rust remover, might work. We've used it on granite that had something steel against it that had left rust that had penetrated the surface. It's worked every time. We haven't had the issue of rust spontaneously appearing on a granite, but Naval Jelly might work." From this thread: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2544821/green-bloom-on-granite-update...See More
PRO4 years ago- 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
That was my initial fear as well, but with the break of the cabinets does it honestly even matter? I’ve seen a number of photos on Pinterest and Houzz that show kitchens with Alaska White and lighter orange/ cherry toned wood floors that I don’t think go at all if you were to hold the samples right next to each other, but the final product looks great with the cabinets providing the break.
When we first moved in I wanted to brighten everything up and have more warm neutrals. I haven’t been crazy about the paint as I mentioned, but when I look at how our decor has changed over the years with our carpet and laminate flooring and furniture, it really does pair well with grays, although I wouldn‘t think it from looking at a swatch.
here are some inspo pics that also have the black splash Im thinking of, which I think will also help the overall flow of the colors.
- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
I am not wanting to be harsh in my points below, but I am saying these things to save you a lot of money and grief.
The floors you have chosen "Tivoli Travertine vinyl plank" must govern all your choices. Every one. It is patterned, it has some colors in it that will be tough to coordinate with other choices.
Do not glaze your cabinets. While glazing is outdated by a number of years, that is one reason but not the main reason I am advising against it. I advise against it because it ends up making your cabinets look shabby. Believe me, it really does. Not worth the upcharge, and not doing your kitchen any favors.
Alaska White slabs do not look like what you have pictured. I would keep looking for another Alaska White slab - yours is muddy with barely any white. While Alaska White slabs do vary a good deal, the prominent feature of this granite is that it is called "Alaska White" for a reason, there needs to be much more amount of white. I've never seen an Alaska White slab as dark as yours, and I would take a pass on it.
Edited to add: Now that I have googled your flooring, I think Alaska White granite will be the wrong choice.
You may want to look at a quiet no-pattern Quartz counter like in this photo:
- 4 years ago
2 years ago
Skippack Tile & Stone