Best place for granite worktops please?

hethmar

When we had our kitchen fitted it was a tuff decision whether to have oak or granite work tops. The oak is the very thick stuff and looked great at first but now it gets marked all the time and we wish we had paid more and had granite. Its quite a big kitchen so an expensive job so has anyone already done all the research on suppliers please?

I know back when we were dithering over choice someone told us they had bought theirs direct from Croatia or something :eek: and had been very pleased with it. I dont know if Id be able to trust someone that far away cutting out for butler sinks and what have you but Im willing to be convinced if anyone else has done this too.

Many thanks.

claire-f_3

We recently had granite worktops done and to be honest went for the cheapest!!

We had just under 5 m squared of granite, upstands, undermount 1.5 bowl sink, hob cut out and tap hole.

We had ours done by granitefitters.co.uk who are based in Manchester but travelled down to Eastbourne to do ours in one day. One thing I would note with them is to agree every single detail up front so that there are no issues on the day, since they do not template (to keep costs down), but do not require any payment until you're happy with their work.

The other companies we got quotes from were:
Purple Granite (did nearly go with these guys)
Affordable Granite

We did also check out local companies, but unfortunately their prices were quite a lot over the online quotes (though I don't doubt they do wonderful precise work as they are more traditional).

Depends how much you're willing to go to; if you are willing to pay that bit more, go for a local stone mason

Alan_M_2

Before you pick a company, do some research and narrow down the colour of material you want.

Some suppliers are better for certain colours than others, post on here which one you're after particularly and I'll point you in the right direction.

Rule of thumb with granite is, if at all possible go an physically see the product you're buying, don't select from a sample alone, ask to view the stock that will actually be used for your installation. That one thing will remove an entire list of possible problems.

hethmar

Many thanks. Ive been looking at a website for a company called Diapol who seem to be good? I like the Baltic Brown or possibly Giallo Cecilia. Our units are all hand painted jobs in a greeny/grey colour.

Alan_M_2

Baltic Brown will be fine unless you have any huge cut outs in the stone - it's large grained natural make up makes this product a little more prone to breakage during production and fitting.

Giallo Cecilia would be a nice alternative, but with stones of this nature it's even more important to view.

Diapol are based in Estonia, that's a long drive to view the product.

DirectDebacle

hethmar wrote: »

The oak is the very thick stuff and looked great at first but now it gets marked all the time and we wish we had paid more and had granite.

In my opinion you made the correct choice in the first place and purchased, after stainless steel, probably the best material for a kitchen worktop.

One of the advantages of wood is that it is easily maintained. Instead of spending a fortune on an inferior material go back to the supplier of your oak tops and get a quote for refinishing. You have thick tops which will take a lifetime of re-sanding/finishing and your worktops will last a lifetime.

It is called maintenance.

Granite, though it can be made to look good, is inferior to wood, as a work suface in a kitchen environment.

If you do go for granite remember you could get a good price for your oak tops to help offset the cost.

hethmar

Thats kind of you. I was looking at them this morning and thought what a shame to just dump them as they were very expensive to start with. The kitchen is big and there are a several long runs of the oak and it is very thick.

Where on earth would you sell them though? An ad in the local paper wouldnt bring a good price I dont think.

Alan, I think the only big cut out in the granite would be the butler sink. The wood runs seem to go up to the range cooker so no cut out there and none else where.

Doozergirl

We've used few companies. We used Diapol first, used a couple of others for comparison and have gone back to Diapol. We were very happy the first time and are very happy again. They are so fast. This time I sent a message via the website and there was a man in my kitchen within 2 hours! You can tell they really care about getting it looking right, so even though the design of kitchen is nearly identical to another one we did, in the photos you can see where his advice made a difference. Fitted within a week and you pay nothing until it's fitted, there's very little to lose.

DirectDebacle

hethmar wrote: »

Thats kind of you. I was looking at them this morning and thought what a shame to just dump them as they were very expensive to start with. The kitchen is big and there are a several long runs of the oak and it is very thick.

Where on earth would you sell them though? An ad in the local paper wouldnt bring a good price I dont think.

Alan, I think the only big cut out in the granite would be the butler sink. The wood runs seem to go up to the range cooker so no cut out there and none else where.

Ebay with a buyer collect only.

However I think you are missing a trick. I have to declare that I am a cabinet maker by trade and therefore have a bias towards wood.

Natural materials usually go well together and granite (stone) goes particularly well with oak.

Have you considered a mix? Your oak, will over time develop a colour and character which will be unique and far more beautiful than when they were first installed. In comparison the granite will remain virtually constant in appearance and the contrast will be interesting.

Incorporating the two on one surface, for example a 20mm 450*500mm piece of granite let into the oak top would be an ideal surface for rolling pastry. Equally a quality butchers block (though beech is better than oak for this) say 75-100mm thick on top of the granite would look good. Care has to be taken when using a chopping board on granite as shocks from juicious blows with a eg a meat cleaver could cause the granite to crack.

I am sure if you thought about it you could come up with all sorts of ideas to retain the best of the practicality of the oak and the fashion requirement of granite.

Don't follow the herd and have the same surface throughout, properly set out your surfaces could be unique, stunning, practical and cost much less than you think.

hethmar

Thanks Direct. I have asked OH if the oak could be sanded again. I couldnt understand what the little black spots were that appeared in places. I thought I must have dropped hot oil on them but it does appear its water getting under the finish? I guess what would be nice would be to have the area with the butler sink in with granite as that takes a lot of water and the drainage grooves are now getting black their whole length.

On some spots, I have rubbed it down myself and then tried to recoat it but it is always clearly lighter than surrounding areas.

What should be used on the bare oak please? We were given a couple of bottles of danish oil with the work tops but I since read thats not good to use on them?

DirectDebacle

First have a read of this. You may find it useful.

http://www.hardwoodfloorstore.co.uk/worktops/worktop_care.htm

Pretty much all you need to know there. The spots are probably caused by water, metal, particularly ferrous, can cause discolouration too.

Oiling the oak is the usual treatment but oil only provides water resistance, it isn't waterproof. Once the oak has been fully treated with oil (I would use 5/6 coats, allowing each one to dry thoroughly before applying the next) it will, depending on usage require oiling (1 coat) about every 3 months or so. Areas around a sink more often.

Correct initial oiling and maintenance will prevent the problems you now have with the tops. You don't say if the spots you have sanded have come out. If not, it is possible they have gone so deep that they will never come out.

If that is the case, the good news is that on a length with no cut outs you can turn the top upside down, either end for end or edge to edge. It may require the edge to be reprofiled if they are not square edged. You will then have a brand new face, which will require oiling and probably sanding.

Unless you have some experience then I would recommend that you have the tops renovated by a professional. They would be removed in any case and it is the sort of job that can be done on site, though someone may prefer to take them back to a workshop. There are specialist companies that undertake bar top refurbishment in licensed premises. These are done on site and have to be achieved with the minimum of disruption and downtime.

Danish oil is fine. So is Teak oil (nothing to do with teak, it is just a blend of oils). My personal preference is linseed oil, raw, not boiled. I have experienced no problems with it though some do. It takes a long time to dry (24hrs before re application) but is very economical. At least half the price of other oils. You will be surprised how thirsty untreated wood is.

The lighter shades where you have re-coated is quite normal. This is because you have removed the patina, the 'character' I mentioned which has started to form, by sanding.

It is possible to stain sanded areas back to more or less match the rest of the top but is very tricky to do unless you have some skill. From a DIY point of view the best solution is to sand the whole top and start from scratch.

All sounds a lot of pallava but if you left it to a professional your only hassle would be wiping the tops with oil every 2/3 months.

What I have done when I have made bathroom cabinets and wood countertops is to treat them the following way. I use polyurethane varnish, sometimes yacht varnish. I apply 2 coats (this is to bare untreated wood) thinned to 60 white spirit/40 varnish. This very thin application penetrates deep into the wood, dries quickly and provides good protection. Re-coat with 2 coats of 40 white spirit/60 varnish. Finish with one thin coat varnish straight from the tin. Up to now I have had no complaints or call back for water ingress. Depending on usage and type of varnish this should be good for 3-5 years before a light sanding and re-application of top coat. Top coat can be matt, satin or gloss.

Two thin coats of fully diluted 60/40 varnish followed by oil may offer good protection, but I have never tried it.

I suggest you ask around as much as you can locally for advice prices. Small joinery shops, worktop suppliers, furniture restorers, kitchen suppliers, timber merchants, etc. I can only give general advice. If I were to see your tops my opinion may be that they were not as bad as you think. There is usually something you can do with wood unless it is riddled with rot or crumbling to dust.

Edit. Oils, make sure you use a foodsafe oil. Raw linseed oil definitely is but check that a blended oil is foodsafe. Any that are recommended for worktops should be (eg Danish) but check.

Same goes for any sealants fitters may use around worktops/food preparation areas.

HTH.