Granite or Gran...NOT?

For the past decade, granite has been the countertop of choice for most kitchen renovations.  Having this classic stone installed in the kitchen can definitely make or break a sale of a property.

However, its popularity may be starting to wane....or is it?  Many homeowners are branching out and trying other types of stone.  I personally think granite is still the best bet price wise and hold up to heat and abuse better than other stones can.  But what is no longer popular is that moldy looking builder grade granite; seeing them makes me shudder every time.

Are you renovating your kitchen?  Here are a couple wonderful choices aside from granite.

Kitchen by Suzanne Kasler

Polished marble.  I die everytime I see this kitchen.

Kitchen by Steven Gambrel

Honed marble - This is probably what I would put in my own kitchen.

Kitchen by Phoebe Howard

Another marble kitchen.  As you can tell, I'm totally in favor of marble countertops.  They give such clean,

timeless look to any kitchen.  Granted not as practical but if you take care of it and not let spilled red wine sit overnight, I think you are okay.  Why would you not wipe up spilled red wine right away anyway?

Unknown source

Soapstone countertops are not as well known in the West Coast but they are very popular in the East Coast and especially in the New England area.  They have a greenish/grayish hue when left in its raw state and a darker slate/black color when oiled.  If you want a rustic look, this is a great stone to use.

 

This Old House

I love soapstone sinks...if I had $ 2-3K to spare for a sink.  They give such "farmhouse" effects.  You can either have them custom made along with the countertop to create a seamless look or it can be paired with other stones.  

Kitchen by Frank Roop

Look at those Ann Sacks backsplash (we'll cover backsplash in another posting!)  Anyway back to countertops...This is actually granite that looks like soapstone.

via Decorpad

This is a granite countertop that mimics the look of marble

This brings me back to granite.  There are granite slabs that look like other types of stone: marble, soapstone, limestone, etc.  This is a great way to go if you want the look of say marble but the maintenance is more than you want to consider.  So I think granite is here to stay...at least for the next decade!