5 Most Common Granite Countertop Don'ts

I was inspired by this article I read recently called "10 Most Common Home Decorating Don'ts" to write my own list of don'ts pertaining to granite.

#1-Pick Out Your Exact Slab
Don't pick your granite color off of a small sample piece. Look at the entire slab. Always. Even if it's Absolute Black granite. It's natural stone, no two pieces are exactly the same! There can be color and pattern changes in even the most consistent slabs.  There can be inclusions of a different color or veining that is not common to the stone.  This all happens because it's natural stone and you won't see it until you see the entire slab.

Photo source.

#2-Look Outside the Granite Box

Don't necessarily go with granite.  Look into quartz, marble, limestone, travertine, etc.  There are a lot of different slab options out there these days.  Do your homework, find out which material would  best suit your needs.  Look at pictures of countertops in magazines and on the internet, figure out which look & color you like the best.  You may find that you like the look of quartz more than you like the look of granite.  Sometimes it's good to think outside of the granite box.

Above image is CasearStone from Vesta Marble's website.

#3- Buy What YOU Like

Don't pick out your countertops based on what is popular.  I have waaaaay too many clients ask me what is the most popular and then go with that.  Why would you buy Tropic Brown granite just because it's popular and not because it's what YOU love?  Why would you go with the Mitered Edge Detail just because that's what most people do when you really love a Full Bullnose Edge Detail?  I can not figure this one out.  Find out what you like and design your home around that.  Who cares what is popular?  That's all relative anyway.  It's your home and you should love what is in it.

Photo source.

#4- Hire Experienced Professionals

Don't hire a fabricator just because they are cheap.  Natural stone isn't the easiest material in the world to work with.  It takes experience, talent and good tools & machinery.  With the poor economy there has been an increase of guys working out of their garages and/or trucks.  They may not have a lot of experience and can really mess up your beautiful and expensive stone.  I 100% believe that the stone business is a "get what you pay for" type of industry.  If a stone shop is paying for experienced employees, worker's comp, good machinery and tools, a nice shop, good office people, etc then your countertops are obviously going to cost more money.  They are also going to look a lot better and the company is going to be in business longer to honor that warranty down the road.  If your fabricator is fabricating your entire kitchen in your driveway RUN!

Photo source.

#5- Understand How to Care For Your Stone

Don't have your granite countertops installed and then just start cleaning them with whatever cleaner you have under your sink.  Natural stone isn't hard to maintain, but you do need to do a little homework before your stone purchase.  Marble, limestone and any other calcium based stone needs to be treated & cleaned differently than granite or quartz.  If you are lucky enough to have someone else clean your home make sure they know how to maintain your stone as well.  A few minutes of homework can save a lot of money, stress and heartache in the future.

Photo: MGS by Design