Kitchen countertops

[cricket]

Thanks saintintraining, this was so informative. I have a friend that has black granite, and she loves it. No problems. Plus, the price has come down alot. I still can't afford it, but I love granite. Still my favorite will always be that terra cotta quartz counter that I seen once. Ahhhhhh. As for now I am stuck with my ugly, not matching formica. Vicki, thanks for giving me a moment to dream.

[Jean]

Vicki, I know you like things as natural as possible which is why I wonder if perhaps you could install wood or wood butcher block for your counters. You'd need to keep them well rubbed with oil (?linseed?) for water repellency.

[vicki]

Vicki, I know you like things as natural as possible which is why I wonder if perhaps you could install wood or wood butcher block for your counters. You'd need to keep them well rubbed with oil (?linseed?) for water repellency.

I did think of that, but I really want something which doesn't need much upkeep. Also, with our kitchen that would look really bad. We need something as plain as possible. We should have new cupboards but that isn't going to happen. Butcher block, I think, would be quite expensive (the main reason is the upkeep and the "look" of it).

This is one we are looking at: http://www2.dupont.com/THD_Corian/en_US ... ?color=217

I didn't realize lumber liquidators had butcher block. I might go look at them. Thanks!

Hmmm--one of the drawbacks--I'd want to make sure it was reclaimed wood, I guess.

On the other hand, there are certain drawbacks. These include:

being prone to dent marks and scratches,
requiring regular cleaning and maintenance,
high price in case of wood used other than maple and
not good for the environment if not made out of reclaimed wood

OOOOOOOOOO---love this site!!

http://countertopsguide.net/

[RobinS]

Rectified tile just basically means that they have been cooked in sheets and then cut after creating much more uniformity. Granite and porcelain are usually the only tiles rectified. I have seen granite counters laid as tiles and they are nice. My only concern, at least in my house, would be could they crack if something is dropped on them like a pan or dish because they are thinner like floor tile which can crack.

Granite doesn't have to be "cooked" since it got cooked under the surface of the earth a long time ago... It's just sawed into the right size pieces and polished.

I've never had granite tile, but my advisor has been in her house for ~8 years and it's held up pretty well, so I'm less worried about breakage than you are. (I did have ceramic tile in my old kitchen in California--we were there 12 years, and the only ones that ever cracked were the bullnose tiles that hung over the edge of the counter.)

Robin, I think you will be happy with your granite install, it looks nice.

I may not be able to do it for several years--spending all of my money on lawyer bills right now.

It is considerably cheaper than regular granite (in part because I can do it myself) so I should be able to afford it as soon as I graduate though. I'm a bit biased; I have enough geology background that I'm dying to have real rocks on my counter.

[vicki]

I've heard that in theory there is the possibility of radon existing in the granite. Any thoughts?

[saintintraining]

Oops, I meant to put that about natural stone (granite, marble, slate) not being cooked!

As for radon, what's been concluded is that we don't know for sure. It depends on who you are asking. Studies done by granite competitors say we are all at risk. Other studies show there is unlikely a big risk. What most have found is that the vast majority give off miniscule or no radon and doesn't raise indoor levels. Of the counters that did test positive, they did have high levels. That leads me to believe that there are some areas where the radon levels are high and we should be avoiding these quarries. The EPA should conduct some studies I guess. This issue crossed my mind when trying to decide. If I had chosen granite, I would be testing it for radon first if they let me. By the way, you usually go to the granite yard to select your slab and then your counters are cut from that.
I thought I remember hearing that there can be lesser quality granites and that the big box stores sell those. I'd have to look that up again though to be sure.

Wish I had a definitive answer for you on this one.

[vicki]

Oops, I meant to put that about natural stone (granite, marble, slate) not being cooked!

As for radon, what's been concluded is that we don't know for sure. It depends on who you are asking. Studies done by granite competitors say we are all at risk. Other studies show there is unlikely a big risk. What most have found is that the vast majority give off miniscule or no radon and doesn't raise indoor levels. Of the counters that did test positive, they did have high levels. That leads me to believe that there are some areas where the radon levels are high and we should be avoiding these quarries. The EPA should conduct some studies I guess. This issue crossed my mind when trying to decide. If I had chosen granite, I would be testing it for radon first if they let me. By the way, you usually go to the granite yard to select your slab and then your counters are cut from that.
I thought I remember hearing that there can be lesser quality granites and that the big box stores sell those. I'd have to look that up again though to be sure.

Wish I had a definitive answer for you on this one.

Granite is not an option for us, period. I was just curious.

[RobinS]

OK, here's the deal. In some granites, there is uranium in the crystal structure--it's filling in for other ions like aluminum and iron. (That's about as detailed as I can get without getting into the idea of solid solution, which is kinda mind-boggling.) Whether a granite has uranium in it has nothing to do with whether it is "lesser quality" or not, and everything to do with the magma from which it formed.

So uranium, as you probably already know, is radioactive. When it undergoes radioactive decay, radon is a by-product. That's where the radon comes from.

BUT.

Radon in granite countertops is unlikely to pose a significant health problem IMO, for two reasons.

First of all, there's only a small amount of uranium present in any granite, and it decays slowly--so you're not going to get a signficant production rate. (When you have uranium in the ground around you--as we do in many places here in Colorado--you can have serious radon problems, because even though uranium is still a small percentage of what's in the ground, it's a small percentage of tons and tons of soil/bedrock/you name it. A small percentage of tons is still a lot.)

And secondly, radon is a gas. It disperses into the atmosphere quickly as long as there is sufficient ventilation. (This is why radon is a problem in basements but not when you're standing outside in the middle of a field.) Kitchens tend to have fairly good ventilation--again, especially in comparison to basements.

So I would not be too concerned about radon production from granite.

[MAC]

The solution to radon is to live in such a drafty house that it can't build up! There is a huge radon problem in our valley--after all, we produced a lot of uranium over the years... My bil had to make sure he didn't bring his dosimeter to the ranch--just coming into the valley put him over his limit for working in the nuclear plant. A cheery thought... The rodeo grounds in GJ was called Uranium Downs for yeasr, until it became non-PC. It's still built on a uranium tailings pile, as is our airport.

[sandyi]

The Pioneer Woman re-did her lodge a few years ago with 6 different types of counter tops. Here is her report after a year of use including pros and cons. She used granite, stainless steel, engineered marble, butcher block, concrete, and galvanized steel.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeandgarde ... son-redux/