January 18, 2010

Installing Granite Countertops: Kitchen Remodel

We’ve been busy at work giving our kitchen a fresh new look with a makeover.  While we don’t have the budget for a full kitchen remodel, we’ve chosen a few key things to renovate in the kitchen for an upgraded look (check out our kitchen remodel plan here).  The most expensive and most impactful part of our kitchen remodel plan is new countertops.

We decided to toss our plain, boring laminate countertops and replace them with some shiny new granite countertops!  We chose granite over other materials because it’s pretty scratch resistant, durable (hot pots straight from the stove can even be placed on it), and because it provides a lot of bang for the buck.  Since we’re keeping our cabinets as-is, we needed the counters to add some visual impact to the room.

kitchen_remodel_before_photo

This is the only portion of our kitchen remodel that we’re not DIY-ing ourselves and hired a professional to do.  We began by going to a stone-yard with our hired granite guy.  There were tons of choices!
We went to a few different granite yards to look at all the possibilities.  There were a ton of different colors and patterns to choose from.   I would definitely recommend going to a granite yard to choose your countertops, rather than choosing them from a sample a contractor might bring you.  With a small sample, it’s hard to picture how a large granite slab would look in your kitchen.  Plus, in the granite yard, you choose your exact slab.  Since granite is a natural stone, no two slabs are the same so it’s best to see the exact slab you’re buying so you can ensure it doesn’t have any weird color patterns or other flaws.


choosing_granite_countertops

There are two main factors to consider when choosing granite countertops.  The first is the pattern.  Most granite pieces either have a small speckled pattern or a larger veined pattern.  We chose a large streaky pattern.

The second factor to think about when choosing granite, is the color.  Granite comes in many colors including beige, green, reddish purple, brown, and black.  Because we have light kitchen cabinets, we decided to go with a contrasting darker countertops.  And because we know we’re going to sell our house eventually, we couldn’t pick anything too wild and needed a color that would appeal to most people.  So…drumroll…we chose these black and brown granite countertops!  We love the mix of colors which will look nice next to our light cabinets and bring out the brown shades from our tile floor.

granite_kitchen_countertops

The actual granite installation was pretty quick and mess-free.  Before installing it, our granite guy came over to take measurements and made a mock-up of our existing countertops.  At this time, we chose to extend our counters to be a little longer on our peninsula and we chose an beveled edge.

About a week later, the granite guy came back to actually install the countertops.  The process was pretty quick and the results were amazing!  Instantly our kitchen went from plain to pretty!
kitchen_with_granite_countertops
kitchen_remodel_with_granite_counters

So what do you think?  Do you have granite in your home or did you choose a different material?
Of course our kitchen remodel isn’t finished yet, so stay tuned to see the backsplash we choose, paint, and finishing touches.

Post shared on DIY Day, Metamorphosis Monday, Making World Cuter, Make Your Monday, Made it Monday, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Show & Tell Wednesday.

12 comments:

Embellished Bayou said...

The countertops look great! We are wanting to replace ours soon as well, but thinking of doing concrete.

Jenny @ DIY Newlyweds said...

Wow, I've never even heard of concrete as a counter material. That sounds like a very cool choice!

Katherine @ Grass Stains said...

We chose absolute black granite countertops and have been happy with them in general, although they show EVERYTHING. Still, they're very durable. Yours look amazing! Great job.

Delightful Dwelling said...

It looks amazing! Our countertops still look like your "before" photo and I can't stand them.

Julie said...

I love the granite you picked it is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing with Made it Monday! Jules

Angie Holden said...

Love the granite! Color me jealous! We have ceramic tile and I would love to either replace them or paint them.

Tonya said...

beautiful!

vignette design said...

Your new granite countertops look fabulous. I have granite too and love them. Although, if I could I would change to Carrera Marble! Always wanting to change things! --Delores

Tiffany said...

Jealousy! Your counter tops are gorgeous! Nice job!
Thanks for sharing!
-Tiff

Maggie said...

Oh, it looks so pretty! We are getting ready for a kitchen makeover this summer and are debating about granite, concrete or butcher's block! Nice work!!

Mags

Karen at Nittany Inspirations said...

Your countertops are fabulous.

Ashley @ AshleysBusy said...

Lucky you!! The counters look fabulous!