Seam Shifting on Granite Countertops

I've mentioned Paramount Granite Company's blog here before, it's one of my favorite blogs to read.

Barb recently posted a great article about seam shifting. 

I was going to write my own take on it today but realized Barb said it perfectly

and I really don't have much to add. 

So with her kind permission, below is the article by Barb...

"Over the years, we have taken a number of customer service calls pertaining to uneven, or shifted granite countertop seams, which have happened over time. Unfortunately, this is an occurence that can happen that we can not control. It is often caused by house settling, or shifting and while it is common in new homes, can also occur in older homes too. According to, New Homes Experience Settling Problems, an article found on HouseTask.com, “Houses go through growing pains as humans do, and minor problems are going to come up, especially in the first year. Technically, it’s what happens when a house “settles” into its location. These problems don’t have anything to do with workmanship, or faulty materials. It’s instead the forces of Mother Nature. Simply, the earth sags or wood dries out. Houses are always expanding and contracting, but typically in the first year you will get the most amount of settlement.”

House settling, or shifting can cause a variety problems in homes including: crown molding separation; door sticking; cracks in ceilings, cracks in drywall; cracks in cement; gaps in floor boards; and granite countertop seams popping, or shifting. Most builders will warn new home owners that these things can happen, and expect to make repairs for some of the minor occurences after a years time. As for a granite seam separating, due to house shifting, it can definitely be repaired. Some fabricators will do the repair at no charge if it occurs in the first year. If additional shifting however, occurs over more time, the fabricator will most likely charge a service call fee, as the incident was not related to their workmanship from the initial installation."

Image from MGS by Design.

Slab Sunday: Golden Crystal granite

Golden Crystal is quarried in a bedrock quarry in Brazil.

The only other name for Golden Crystal I've seen is Wuhan Beige. 

Let me know if you've heard it called anything else. 

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I wouldn't think to pair it with orange walls, but I think this bathroom below is beautiful.

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  Golden Crystal varies A LOT from bundle to bundle. 

I know I've said it a million times now, but be sure to pick out your exact slabs.

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Usually when people use two different colors of granite in a kitchen they will do Absolute Black on the perimeter and then a granite with a lot of veining and movement on the island.  I like that they did the opposite in the photo below.

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The interesting thing about the gold and rust colors in granites like Golden Crystal is that it's caused by water that has penetrated into the stone through small cracks and fissures,

causing the iron oxide and other minerals to oxidize.

This takes millions of years. 

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Golden Crystal is on of my personal favorite granites in the gold/ rust family when it's the right slab.  I think I like it because of all the white.  My favorite slabs have lots of white.  I debated and debated between this and Lapidus for my own kitchen and I have to say I regret choosing Lapidus.  I like the Lapidus in my kitchen, but I like the Golden Crystal more.  The Golden Crystal in the photo below is how I like it.

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Golden Crystal is available in 2 cm and 3 cm slabs.

Something sexy just arrived.....

and his name is Golden Thunder From Down Under. 

Okay, really it's just called Golden Thunder and the slabs are from Brazil. 

Isn't it beautiful though? 

Contact us for a free bid on this granite....or anything else!

Picture from MGS by Design.

Absolute Black granite Kitchen

I really love the classic look of Absolute Black countertops on white or cream cabinets, like this job we did awhile ago.

 The Absolute Black is polished.  The edge detail is a 2 1/4" Ogee Step Half Moon.

All images from MGS by Design.

For more pictures of Absolute Black, check out our Slab Sunday about Honed Absolute Black here.

Before and After: Lapidus granite Kitchen

Here are some Before and After pictures of a kitchen we did awhile back.

Before they had white laminate.  This kitchen looks like 90% of the kitchens put in here in Utah in the late '90's early 2000's with the exception of the black appliances, most of the homes have white appliances.

After

The granite is Lapidus and the edge detail is 1 1/2" Ogee Square.  The sink is a black composite granite. 

This kitchen looks much better right?

Slab Sunday: Emperador Light marble

We've talked about Emperador Dark here on Slab Sunday, and today we're going to talk about the....should we call it cousin?, Emperador Light marble.

Emperador Light marble is quarried from a bedrock quarry near Bursa, Turkey.
A lot of people think it's quarried from the same quarry as it's cousin Emperador Dark marble, but Emperador Dark is actually quarried in Spain.

In this photo below, the Emperador Light is the accent tile on the floor.  It looks great paired with the Crema Marfil marble on the floor and countertop.

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Emperador Light is also called Light Emperador.

It's kind of hard to see, but this beautiful fireplace has Emperador Light on the face and hearth.

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Emperador Light is a very popular stone for vessel sinks.  My advice when buying a beautiful sink like the two below is to make sure your countertop is simple.  You don't want them to fight.  I'd suggest Crema Marfil marble, Durango travertine, or even Emperador Dark marble if it's a dark slab that doesn't have too much going on.

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Emperador Light is available in 2 cm and 3 cm slabs as well as tile.

FAQ Friday: Contemporary Fireplaces

I suppose this isn't technically a "frequently asked question", but it was a question I received this week from Nicole in Washington state. 
She asked for some suggestions on design and stone for a contemporary fireplace that she's trying to design for her new home.
Here are a few of my suggestions...
I love everything about this first fireplace.  I'd use the new Pure White color of CaesarStone on the top portion (that I believe is Sheetrock in this photo) and I'd use Lagos Azul limestone for the bottom portion of this fireplace.

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This next fireplace would be beautiful with Squak Mountain Stone or Black Slate.

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I think this fireplace is beautiful, but don't you think it would be even prettier with less seams?  Ya, I thought so too.  Halila limestone or Siena Silver travertine would both be great choices.

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I think this one is Durango travertine (aka: Torreon Stone) ....and really, it's just perfect.

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