Hey, thanks granite girl & buehl ~ I will go check out that thread now ~ granite girl ~ just the info I was looking for ~ you said "we go as much as 10" unsupported sometimes" ~ hmmm, I haven't gone to read the thread buehl linked for me yet, but I guess I thought maybe with corian you could go 12" out before needing support ~ we are talking "projection" size & not length, yes? ~ thanks again ~

It's what I decided to buy and now I'm stuck with it. I was so careful with my decision, and tried to research and weigh my decisions and I just screwed up again. My granite is Brazilian Black or the St. Gabriel Black like at Lowes. We had already decided on soapstone and then thought that it might not be right for out home. Cost was also a factor. This granite reads very black with silver and gray flecks. I chose one slab that was very consistant. I was told that I would just need one. After he started to fabricate, my granite contractor went back and got the only other slab that "matched". I has some bigger gray flecks that stand out and look like dirt at times. There's also a green chunk in a very high profile place. There is also an area that looks like a darker black rainbow shape that catches your eye. I know that granite is natural and has things like that at times, but this is not the kind where you want movement or odd colored or odd shaped things that stand out. Also, I feel like I always have to wipe it...though I'm starting to get over that a little now. The color in my kitchen just doesn't have the intensity that it did at the granite yard. The other thing that I didn't count on was with the darkness of the granite, I need to use my undercounter lights more to see. When I do, the light not only light up what I'm doing, they reflect off of the granite and shine into my eyes. It's like a black mirror. I'd love to have a non shiny finish now. I'm working to make it better now with a nice backsplash. I know, I know...I should be grateful, but it's just not what I hoped it would be. The only time I like it is when direct sunlight from my skylight hits it. Then it's all that it was at the granite yard. We're going to work on different lighting to help bring out it's best. I really wish that I felt like you guys do about your choice. The good news is that I didn't get all new cabinets AND a countertop so my mistake is ONLY a 2,200 one...How long does granite last again????

I put Blue Eyes in the kitchen and have cheap Chinese granite countertops on my bathroom vanities, so there is granite everywhere in my home now. I personally do not like Corian or its competitors either. It looks "bathroomy" to me, I don't know why, LOL. About slamming things onto the granite and breakage, I had vitreous porcelain tile on all the countertops in my house previous to all the remodeling. That stuff is so hard! None of the 30-y.o. ugly-ass tiles were cracked or chipped. But if there was no such thing as granite countertops, I would put new tile in before I would do man-made solid-surfaces. Besides, the Blue Eyes granite and many other granites are gorgeous - full of semi-precious stone inclusions. It's my kitchen bling, my mesmerizing Precioussss. I stare at it all the time. Another forum member, JessyF has the blue macaubas like bluekitchobssessed. I spent an afternoon there this week canning fig jam with her - boy is that a gorgeous stone. So why not get a utilitarian piece of art for yourself as you are remodeling? That's the way I looked at it.

Heatheron40, very nice. I asked a question about doing a tile countertop in our guest cabin recently as I feel like the look would complement the cabin aesthetic. Also I’m dying to learn to tile and thought it would be a fun place to start as it’s not an everyday space and I could take my time. Most of the responses were against. Basically stating the grout would make me crazy. The guy at the said what you’re saying I think, he said that modern grouts are more resistant to staining and such, and also to go with a tinted grout of some sort. I love your use of pattern to give it interest and intention!