Do you have granite worktops in your kitchen? Would you recommend them?

-What are the advantages/disadvantages?Yes if you can afford them, they give the kitchen a more quality finish and expensive look. Very hard wearing too.Refurbishing kitchen with countertops is a fad these days. Not only they are affordable, but they greatly enhance the kitchen. No wonder that granite are the ones favored to do this honor. You will agree that kitchens always grab one鈥檚 attention wherever we go and granite countertops form an important aspect of kitchen d茅cor. Granite kitchen countertops give an exquisite, elegant, and classy feeling to kitchen.



Here are some of the advantages of granite:



* They are non-porous, which means the surface is scratchproof. This makes it difficult for the surface to retain dust and dirt. It is easy to clean.



* The surface is extremely solid; it is second in line after diamond for strength and hardness.



* They are more lasting than any other kitchen remodeling material.



* They are naturally resistant to heat.



* Granites can deal with natural weather conditions without any problems.



.... and it's disadvantages:



* The granite slabs are heavy in weight. The heaviness becomes more pronounced when you are using granite slabs and not granite tiles. Before you install granite slabs as kitchen countertops, make sure that the support system of cabinets and pillars are well up to the match.



* Not all granite stones are affordable. The funding factor depends on the amount you want to shell out. However, one thing is for sure that the granite countertops are cost effective, which means even if you spend a large sum of money now, you can easily recover it from the time span of its usability.
My father is a remodeling contractor, and we've installed many countertops, both granite and otherwise... if you can afford them I would definitely recommend them. They're not 'extremely' expensive, depending on what you do, but laminate countertops are cheaper.



A lot of people are leaning toward granite these days because it looks beautiful and they're extremely durable. Unlike laminate countertops, they won't bubble up if you put a hot pan on them, and they are definitely easier to clean.



The only disadvantage I can think of would be the price. And the weight for the person installing them, but that's not your problem! :)
Good morning Carnival queen,





I hope you are having a great day. I just got in from my morning walk at Venice Beach. I love to watch these high flying pelicans dive straight down into the water for a fish.



http://www.venicebeach.com/



We just finished remodeling our kitchen. I studied and researched the pros and cons of every countertop for a month before purchasing granite. The big reason was the upkeep and maintenance after you purchase your countertop.



Hopefully I can save you some time and money. We wanted to go 鈥済reen鈥?with recycled glass (third website for picture). Oh boy! These countertops weigh a ton and then some. They are beautiful, but the cost is unbelievable. I have included three (3) websites for you to review. We researched the web and drove to at least twenty locations.



http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature鈥?/a>



http://www.suite101.com/content/kitchen-鈥?/a>



http://kitchen-counter-tops.net/other-co鈥?/a>



Granite does not cost as much you think. The LABOR to install and SHAPE is the cost factor. DO NOT go to an outlet like Home Depot or Lowes. They are middlemen. The cost will be twice as high. Drive to an independent dealer鈥檚 location who sales granite. Wait there until you see some guy in a truck, who looks like an installer, picking up a piece of granite. If he is an independent installer, he can get the granite for you without going through these middlemen. In the states, we call it 鈥渦nder the table鈥? You are not breaking the law.



If you have the time, do it my way. Make sure you get references and ask how long he has been installing and shaping granite. I am very happy. The cost at Home Depot was $7,200. My way the cost was $2800 with a tip.



You and your family have a beautiful week. Peace, from Los Angeles.
yes and yes the looks and can take the heat of the pans granite start @ $40 a sq ft installed
Yes I would recommend them as they're really easy to clean and look great!
I don't, but I think it would be extremely expensive.