Granite Countertops, Installation, Photos, Colors, Cost Estimates, Granite Care
Granite Countertops
Granite Countertop Color Selection Can Be Difficult.
There are literally thousands of colors of granite to choose from, so the last thing you want to do is select your color based on 6” x6” samples you see at Home Depot or Lowes home improvement stores. Watch this video for the best way to select the color of your granite countertops.
Granite Countertop Seams Do Not Have To Be Seen
Granite Countertop Micro-Seam technology has existed for years, but very few fabricators use it because it takes more work. Nothing spoils a nice piece of granite more than an an ugly seam in the center of a long beautiful granite countertop. With proper care and skill, seams are almost invisible and can not be felt. A few companies like Counter Act Countertops in Marietta, Oklahoma apply the micro-seam process to every job they do as standard operations. The process may eventually become the granite countertop industry standard, but if you’re not getting micro-seams now, you are not getting the best solution. Not every job needs a seam, but when seams are necessary, this new technology is the best.Counter Act has fabricated and installed custom countertops and vanities in the Southern Oklahoma and Northern Texas areas for over 25 years. The reasons they have been so successful for so many years is because they strive for perfection and keep up with the latest developments such as Micro-Seam technology. Call Counter Act Countertops 580-276-2886 for the very best granite countertops, but if you are not in Counter Acts’ service area, ask you local fabricator about micro-seam technology.
Granite Countertop Trends
Today, more than ever, the trend in granite countertops is for more exotic colors and patterns. Of course there will always be a demand for basic black Uba Tuba granite, but more and more home owners and commercial properties are going for vibrant colors and patterns like Golden Ray, Delicatus and the Juparana series from Brazil. Granite countertops made of granite colors like Juparana Fantasy, Niagra Gold, Louis Blue and Kanopis set homes apart from the Uba Tuba crowd. Granite countertops speak to visitors when they walk your kitchen. So much entertaining is done in open area homes where the colorful granite counterops become the center of the conversation. Standard black granite is certainly a cut above formca or quartz countertops, but your granite selection makes a statement about who you are, and the hot new fashion from Brazil is granite countertops with lots of pattern and bright colors. See some of these beautiful granite countertop colors below and read more about them here.
Adding granite countertops ranks very close to the top of upgrades for the kitchen. Granite’s rich colors, unique patterns and strength make it an ideal choice for kitchen countertops and bath vanities, as well as other uses in the home. Granite is also extremely low maintenance, and each stone has its own mineral make up that creates beautiful colors and patterns. This site is dedicated to help answer your questions about granite countertops. Today there are more choices for kitchen countertop materials than ever before, and granite is still the most popular countertop material and the one all the other countertop materials tries to emulate. After you review all of our information about granite countertops, you may want to visit our sister site, Countertops of the Future to get information on other types of countertops now available. There are many materials to choose from. You may recognize some of the names like Zodiac, Ice Stone and Cambria. www.countertopsofthefuture.com .
Granite Tile Countertops Are Becoming More Popular
Granite Tile Countertops are becoming more popular every day for a couple of reasons - the economy for one, and there are now more resources like the internet to help you get the job done for another. Our goal is to help you find the information and resources to make the do-it-yourself granite tile countertop project as easy as possible.
Granite countertops have a distinctive appearance that can not be duplicated with engineered materials like Quartz or Formica, Granite is durable, highly heat, scratch resistant, and unmatched in beauty and value. Because of the popularity of granite countertops, they are cost effective and yield a comparatively high return on your investment. Granite countertops and vanities add style and beauty to your home, make it more valuable, and gives your kitchen it’s own personality. Whether you are remodeling building a new home, granite countertops will make a beautiful addition to your home and increase the resale value. Although there are many types of countertops to choose from, granite is still the natural stone of choice for today’s luxury living for your home or office. No synthetic material can compare to this wonderful stone in beauty or performance. More about granite countertops.
Granite Countertop Installation And Contractors
Choosing the right Granite Contractor to fabricate and install your countertops is one of the hardest choices of your granite countertop project. You want a contractor who treats every installation as it were in our own home. They should guide you through the process, and guarantee your satisfaction. Ask the granite fabricator how my years experience he has in granite fabrication, does he use modern, computer aided granite fabrication equipment, and ask for references of previous customers in the area. There are still more considerations so click here for more granite countertop installation info.
Granite Tile Countertops
Because custom granite countertops can be expensive, many home owners are interested in the do-it-yourself option of using granite tile instead of solid granite slabs to cover their countertops. This project is not too hard for the intermediate home craftsman, but it does take a good bit of prior planning and preparation to get the job completed in a short time frame. Remember, this project will require more than just grout and tile on top of the old counter. Unlike recovering the vinyl tile on your kitchen floor, installing granite tile countertops will require you to remove your old countertops, remove the sink, remove the faucets, drain pipes, and garbage disposal, disconnect and move your kitchen range and refrigerator, install a plywood and DensShield base to the top of the cabinet to glue the granite tile to, and cutting granite tiles. Then you can layout it out, glue it down and grout between the granite tiles. Needless to say, this project needs to be completed much quicker than the basement selves you started last summer. Get more info about granite tile countertops.
Granite Countertops Care
Granite is a very durable stone and for the most part is carefree, but as a natural product there are some helpful suggestions that will keep your granite looking like the day it was installed. Everyday cleaning of the granite surface should be done with simple dishwashing soaps, rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry the countertop completely using a clean dry cloth. Don’t use anything on the countertops that you would not use on your hands. Do not use vinegar or anything that may contain ammonia (e.g. Windex), bleach (e.g. Clorox), or specialty bathroom, tile or grout or cleaners that may contain acids. These chemicals could have a bleaching or etching effect on some of the minerals in the stone. There are some very good commercial products available that will really keep your granite counters looking new. For more information read about granite countertop cleaning and sealing.
There is practically no end to color selections for granite countertops. No matter what your kitchen colors or appliance colors, you can find colors that fit your granite countertop color desires. Granite countertop colors and patterns are available in very even, almost solid colors of granite, or they can vary dramatically with swirling colors, embedded crystals and wild patterns. The trend this year, according to Slabco Marble and Granite, are the granite countertops with deep swirling patterns and colors in dark to golden brown shades like he Juparana Series. Read more about Granite Countertop Colors..
Dupont, the makers of Corian solid surface countertops and Zodiaq quartz countertops is the first name in man made countertop materials. Now you can have granite countertops certified by DuPont, the name you can trust, and rest assured your granite countertops will be made of quality granite and installed by certified countertop fabricators. Nothing compares to the unique beauty of natural stone. Granite Certified by DuPont is the first and only natural stone strictly selected for quality, according to our strict 5-Point Advantage. Granite Certified by DuPont also comes in a stunning range of colors and patterns. Get the beauty of nature and peace of mind. More aboutDupont Certified Granite Countertops
Uba Tuba Granite for Countertops What is the top selling granite countertop color? It has to be UBA TUBA black granite. There are several variations of Uba Tuba black granite used for granite countertops. Uba Tuba is a black granite with silver or gold specks and some uba tuba will have a grenish cast. To give you an idea of the differences, here are a few slabs of uba tuba but you may not be able to see the differences. More on Uba Tuba
Selecting A Color For Your Granite Countertops
Granite Slabs
Granite slabs for granite countertops are imported from Asia and South America. The slabs are cut at the quarry into pieces that are about ten feet long, six feet wide and two inches thick. They are then imported by granite wholesalers and sold to granite countertop fabricators and installers. Thousands of slabs in hundreds of colors are imported weekly, so if you know where to look, you can get superb granite slabs for a competitive price. Hundreds of colors and styles of granite slabs are available for you to select from so you can get the exact color granite countertop you want for your home.
You will not see these slabs or even pictures of them at Lowes or Home Depot, but you can see them on the internet and if you live close to a wholesaler, you can usually accompany your installer to select the slabs you want. If you are too far away, the internet is the next best thing.
When I installed new granite countertops in my kitchen, I was able to visit SLABCO International Marble and Granite located in Elberton, Georgia and select the very granite slabs that were used in my kitchen. I wanted something out of the ordinary and was able to find a very unusual piece of Golden Beach granite that was cut and installed to accent the bar area of my countertops. You can find links to SLABCO and other Georgia Granite Association Members on our links page.
Granite countertops have a distinctive appearance that can not be duplicated with engineered materials like Quartz or Formica, Granite is durable, highly heat, scratch resistant, and unmatched in beauty and value. Because of the popularity of granite countertops, they are cost effective and yield a comparatively high return on your investment. Granite countertops and vanities add style and beauty to your home, make it more valuable, and gives your kitchen it’s own personality. Whether you are remodeling building a new home, granite countertops will make a beautiful addition to your home and increase the resale value. Although there are many types of countertops to choose from, granite is still the natural stone of choice for today’s luxury living for your home or office. No synthetic material can compare to this wonderful stone in beauty or performance. 
Because custom granite countertops can be expensive, many home owners are interested in the do-it-yourself option of using granite tile instead of solid granite slabs to cover their countertops. This project is not too hard for the intermediate home craftsman, but it does take a good bit of prior planning and preparation to get the job completed in a short time frame. Remember, this project will require more than just grout and tile on top of the old counter. Unlike recovering the vinyl tile on your kitchen floor, installing granite tile countertops will require you to remove your old countertops, remove the sink, remove the faucets, drain pipes, and garbage disposal, disconnect and move your kitchen range and refrigerator, install a plywood and DensShield base to the top of the cabinet to glue the granite tile to, and cutting granite tiles. Then you can layout it out, glue it down and grout between the granite tiles. Needless to say, this project needs to be completed much quicker than the basement selves you started last summer. Get more info about 
Granite is a very durable stone and for the most part is carefree, but as a natural product there are some helpful suggestions that will keep your granite looking like the day it was installed. Everyday cleaning of the granite surface should be done with simple dishwashing soaps, rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry the countertop completely using a clean dry cloth. Don’t use anything on the countertops that you would not use on your hands. Do not use vinegar or anything that may contain ammonia (e.g. Windex), bleach (e.g. Clorox), or specialty bathroom, tile or grout or cleaners that may contain acids. These chemicals could have a bleaching or etching effect on some of the minerals in the stone. There are some very good commercial products available that will really keep your granite counters looking new. 
Granite slabs for granite countertops are imported from Asia and South America. The slabs are cut at the quarry into pieces that are about ten feet long, six feet wide and two inches thick. They are then imported by granite wholesalers and sold to granite countertop fabricators and installers. Thousands of slabs in hundreds of colors are imported weekly, so if you know where to look, you can get superb granite slabs for a competitive price. Hundreds of colors and styles of granite slabs are available for you to select from so you can get the exact color granite countertop you want for your home.