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Granite Countertops

cygrads

cygrads

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2007
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Altoona, IA
We are thinking about getting granite countertops for our kitchen. I was wondering if anyone has ever had granite countertops installed and who you used in the Des Moines area. Also, any drawbacks to granite countertops?

Thanks
 
cygrads said:
We are thinking about getting granite countertops for our kitchen. I was wondering if anyone has ever had granite countertops installed and who you used in the Des Moines area. Also, any drawbacks to granite countertops?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Funny you should bring this up. I was just about to post the same question only I live in the CR/Marion area. I don't mean to hijack your thread, but...

We weren't impressed with the selection or service at Home Depot. Menards doesn't carry granite, only quartz. Haven't made it over to Lowe's yet but I've hear they are the best in town. Any other places to look?
 
One major piece of advice is to, if possible, look at the actual stone that will be put into your home.

Unlike carpet or paint swatches, natural rocks can be quite variable, spatially. So, while you may like how one "color" of stone looks, the actual piece that goes into your home may have more or less of the minerals (or other attributes) that you liked in the sample piece.

As an example, my folks had a "granite" counter top put in their home, but the piece that was actually installed had far fewer garnets and deformed quartz veinlets in it than the sample piece and they were somewhat disappointed. Although, when all was said and done, it looks pretty good.

I hope this makes sense and helps!
 
I remodeled my kitchen 4 years ago and used Renaissance Marble and Granite in Urbandale. They were really good to work with and their installers did a great job. In and out and left the place cleaner than when they started. I would recommend them.

I lot of people warn of the upkeep, sealing, and worrying about water, stains, etc. with granite, but we have had our granite for 4 years and we love it. We have never sealed it or done anything different with it than you would any other countertop. The color we got is "Absolute Black" so I don't know if that makes a difference compared to lighter colors, but like I said we have never had any problems.

I also found that granite really isn't that much more expensive than the higher end laminates and solid surface tops.

Welcome to Renaissance Marble & Granite, providing countertops services in Urbandale, IA.

FYI: They let pick out your own slabs before they start on it.
 
I agree. Look at the actual stone that is going to be used. and if you need multiple pieces, get pieces from the same cut.

We looked at some places in NW Des Moines, I can't think of the names. One had stone inside which is nice for winter weather, the other was outside.

This was one of them
Renaissance Marble and Granite in Urbandale
 
ruxCYtable said:
cygrads said:
We are thinking about getting granite countertops for our kitchen. I was wondering if anyone has ever had granite countertops installed and who you used in the Des Moines area. Also, any drawbacks to granite countertops? Thanks
Click to expand...
Funny you should bring this up. I was just about to post the same question only I live in the CR/Marion area. I don't mean to hijack your thread, but...We weren't impressed with the selection or service at Home Depot. Menards doesn't carry granite, only quartz. Haven't made it over to Lowe's yet but I've hear they are the best in town. Any other places to look?
Click to expand...
I have heard great things from Elite Stone Fabricators on Lisbon. Have seen some of there tops and they look great.
 
If going with granite, I'd be leary of going to a Box store (Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, etc).
 
buf87 said:
If going with granite, I'd be leary of going to a Box store (Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, etc).
Click to expand...

I got mine through the home depot in urbandale a year or two ago since it was cheap ($50 sq/ft i think), and came with a free undermount sink at the time... supposedly the company they purchased the stone through permanently seals it so that you don't have to maintain it, but who knows.

i can't remember the name of the company that actually installed it, but they were located east of the river downtown, who also had me come down to check out the slab.

they tacked on some BS fees (long walk from the street to the kitchen + had to go up stairs... they said it was a long walk since they couldn't park in the driveway, even though they did end up parking in the driveway), but overall they did a good job.
 
cygrads said:
We are thinking about getting granite countertops for our kitchen. I was wondering if anyone has ever had granite countertops installed and who you used in the Des Moines area. Also, any drawbacks to granite countertops?

Thanks
Click to expand...

My sister-in-law works at the Tile Shop in Urbandale. As a plug to get her some business, I would check them out.
 
ruxCYtable said:
Funny you should bring this up. I was just about to post the same question only I live in the CR/Marion area. I don't mean to hijack your thread, but...

We weren't impressed with the selection or service at Home Depot. Menards doesn't carry granite, only quartz. Haven't made it over to Lowe's yet but I've hear they are the best in town. Any other places to look?
Click to expand...

In Cedar Falls, but an excellent place for countertops.

Granite Countertops and Custom Granite Fabrication | Cambrian Granite and Stone
 
Not all granite countertops are created equal. In fact some granite countertops are not even technically granite so if possible, avoid the big box stores and go to someone that understands their product.

Drawbacks to granite include it being harder, noisier, colder and less forgiving than formica if you drop something on it. If you drop a glass on it, it is more likely to break and similarly, if you nick the edge you could chip it. It can also be prone to thermal shock and cracking if you put a very hot pan on a cold stone.

If you go with a glossy stone, it can show fingerprints more easily and depending on your lighting, it can easily show streaks from cleaning.

Some granites are prone to staining and must be sealed so it's important to take home a large enough sample and torture it with wine, lemon juice, oil, heat, anything you can think of and see how it does.

If you need to put a lot of seams in, they will be more noticeable in granite than a manufactured quartz.

That being said, granite is an excellent and beautiful countertop choice, as long as you make an informed decision. We cook over 1,000 meals a year plus snacks (teenage boys need to eat!) and I love the durablilty of stone.

I put in Cambria's manufactured quartz to avoid the sealing and seams issue but it can be a lot more expensive than a regular granite. As for cleaning, I use a squeegee and microcloth to keep it shiny but my husband ignores this and just wipes away, streaks and all.
 
Seams can be an issue if you need multiple pieces of granite. Sometimes you need to purchase a little extra to avoid multiple seams.

We cook alot of pizza and put the pizza pan right on the counter from the stove and don't have any issues. They can also plug granite with filler, but it may not match perfect.
 
Radon.

Lots of debate on the topic, but worthy of consideration.


[/B]
cygrads said:
We are thinking about getting granite countertops for our kitchen. I was wondering if anyone has ever had granite countertops installed and who you used in the Des Moines area. Also, any drawbacks to granite countertops?

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
www.renaissancemarbleandgranite.com/

My uncle works there in the front office. Give them a shot, they do work with commercial, rental, and homes. Great product.
 
jtdoyle1 said:
I remodeled my kitchen 4 years ago and used Renaissance Marble and Granite in Urbandale. They were really good to work with and their installers did a great job. In and out and left the place cleaner than when they started. I would recommend them.

I lot of people warn of the upkeep, sealing, and worrying about water, stains, etc. with granite, but we have had our granite for 4 years and we love it. We have never sealed it or done anything different with it than you would any other countertop. The color we got is "Absolute Black" so I don't know if that makes a difference compared to lighter colors, but like I said we have never had any problems.

I also found that granite really isn't that much more expensive than the higher end laminates and solid surface tops.

Welcome to Renaissance Marble & Granite, providing countertops services in Urbandale, IA.

FYI: They let pick out your own slabs before they start on it.
Click to expand...

I was going to say to check them out as well. I used to work for a company in ames that bought tile from them so I have been there but did not have any experience with their installation etc.
 
We used Rowat in Des Moines for our kitchen and were very happy with the Granite and the service. I kind of got the feeling that they supply a lot of the other dealers in the area so you can cut out the middleman by going straight through them. www.rowatcutstoneandmarble.com
 
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