Granite Worktops - Truth, Lies and misinformation

Alan_M_2

You have a PM jon.

shepad

Hi Alan

Great posts here, thank you.

I wonder if you can help me... We have a large attractive granite worktop in the bathroom of our flat that we moved into recently, measuring around 188cm wide x 57cm deep. The granite is around 2cm thick. It rests on cupboards below, and has an oval hole cut in it for a fairly small sink (width 57.3cm x depth 43.1) in the middle.

However, the sink is old and looks very small for the enormous granite surface!We would like to replace it with a larger rectangular one (80cm wide x 55 deep), but we think we would need to recut the hole in the granite to do so. Do you know if this would be possible for an expert to do in our home, rather than in his workshop?

Either way, are there any people you would recommend around south east london or nearby that might be able to do this kind of job? Any ideas on how much we should expect to pay (roughly) would also be extremely helpful...

Any advice you have would be hugely appreciated

Thanks:)

Alan_M_2

It's not a physical impossibility to do this in situ, but the mess it would create makes it prohibitive.

It would be more expensive to remove, remake and refit than simply start from scratch with a new piece and a new sink.

It's also probably more likely that you have marble over granite. but without seeing it, that's little more than an assumption.

OddjobKIA

rachelandgromit wrote: »

As an add-on to this thread, can anyone recommend any reputable granite companies?

Thanks,

Rachel

harris slate and stone

Alan_M_2

Please be aware that I can no longer answer specific questions with regard to specific personal granite installations as I have been reported for "abuse" by more than one user when answering specific questions by PM.

It's been made clear by MSE that my posts are being construed as advertising and as such it's no longer appropriate that I post.

I am open about who I am and what I do in this business, unfortunately it's this openness that appears to have caused a conflict of interest.

John_Stone

Sorry to read that Alan is prevented from saying too much on this forum - his comments have been very useful to read.

I would recommend a granite supplier I used last year - their prices may not be the cheapest but they were recommended by my architect and their prices appeared to be competitive.

Roma Marble in North London, https://www.romamarble.co.uk.

I liked them because I could go to their 'factory' and choose the slab which I think is important to do. In fact we started out with the intention of getting a conventional 'black' granite and ended up choosing something called Wild West Green, its green with red, blue, black and brown bits in it. Sounds a bit of a mess but looks fantastic. (My wife decided that she must have it as, I guess, it just happened to be the most expensive granite around). In fact it is great as it has so many inclusions and imperfections that it looks great and doesn't show the dirt at all!

Some of the granite suppliers gave a good quote and then had very long delivery times - three months in one case.

Roma gave good advice, weren't pushy and kept to their timescales - ten-plated and cut the granite and installed in around a three week period.

Total cost - about 4 m2 2,750. It felt expensive at the time but looking back on it seems good value for the money as it is going to last.

Incidentally we had considered one of those glass work surfaces. When we asked at a showroom where we could see one on show the response was that they didn't have one as they got too badly scratched.

CB1979_2

interested in this too.

have been checking ebay of all places and come across this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180437781111&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_5123wt_1165

30mm solid
2650mm X 620mm X 30mm

Premium Quality Granite Worktop

£159.99 + VAT each length

now again that seems stupidly cheap???

was very tempted to get them out as they're not based too far from me, for prices to cut & install for me.


PS how the hell does your thread go against MSE?? bloody joke!

perhaps you should've created a new account and posted under an alias, like all the self promoting fools!

Alan_M_2

CB1979 wrote: »

PS how the hell does your thread go against MSE?? bloody joke!

perhaps you should've created a new account and posted under an alias, like all the self promoting fools!

I dunno, annoying isn't it.

I could be underhand and that seems fine, but becasue I'm up front about things it's abusing the forum apparently.

If anyone can make sense of that feel free...

adsk

Alan M, I've read many of your comments on this board and it's never occured to me that you are doing self promotion or anything to drum up trade for your business. It's been very refreshing to read such informed comments. Far from trying to ban you MSE.com should be encouraging MORE experts to give impartial and expert views on these topics.

aa4466

Alan, please can I ask you a slightly different question. I am building a new house and I would like a granite (or similar) worktop. As long as I build the house right, the walls should be straight and the angles at 90 degrees so pre-produced countertops might be an option. The countertops will have several joins.

The difficulty comes in that I am in Shetland and there are no "proper" granite fitters up here. There are good joiners and kitchen fitters but no firms on the islands that specialise in fitting granite worktops. Given the point that you make about worktops varying in thickness by a couple of millimetres, do you think that I would be more likely to get a good finish if I went for a quartz top rather than granite? As these are manufactured, I presume that they are a more consistent thickness.