Given the minimum price difference between the two, I would go with the granite. I have the solid surfacing with the seamless sink. It's easy to keep clean with Fantastik. However, I would love to have granite, both for the look of it and for the re-sale/appraised value it would add to my kitchen and home. I would then install a stainless steel undermount sink with the granite to keep the "seamless" convenience.

I am a professional interior designer, practiced in NYC and now in San Diego and I teach a class here in SD in interior design. I have used both materials. Granite is just about the same price as Corian (brand name for solid material -- color goes all the way through). The only reason to use Corian or another brand would be if you needed a special color that is not available in granite which is a natural material and therefore limited in its finishes. Granite is more durable (practically indestructible) but it is harder (things break when you drop them on it) and colder (temperature.) I personally have granite in the giallo veneziano color. Any synthetic solid surface material can discolor or scorch from heat. My students usually go with granite in the kitchen (after research) and sometimes the solid surface material in their bathrooms. I recommend that you go to a local quarry or granite/marble yard and select your granite there. They usually have installers as well and actually that is who the large retailers use anyway. You may even pay less than the large chains charge. And you will have a greater selection. Hope this helps!!

How could anyone choose plastic-looking Corian over natural, God given granite. I've seen that Black Galaxy at Home Depot and, you're right - it is stunning. I think granite is elegant and has an organic warmth that Corian can't provide.

Trivia FYI:

Elberton, Georgia: The Granite Capital of the World

They even have a museum dedicated to granite.

GPSA Glass & Pottery Sellers' Association * NAVT
Needle Arts & Vintage Textiles Board * Facebook
Group Blocked Bidders List - eBay BBL

Hi, Just saw your post and had to reply. My dh and I just put in a Blue Pearl granite counter in our kitchen and could not be happier. We bought from a fellow ebayer and saved a bunch over Home Depot even after paying for shipping, it was a few dollars a square foot cheaper and everything arrived perfect! Just my two cents, but it is so nice to live with.

Hi everyone - OP here!

Well, yesterday we had granite counters installed - the color is Black Impala, which is has a black background with grey and silver thoughout. It looks so sharp with our white cabinets.

Now that it's in, I have another question. Previously we had mauve (yuk) laminate counters and I had sage green and mauve curtains, rugs, chairpads, artwork, etc... Now that we have the blackish/grey counters, I'm at a loss as to what color rugs etc to use. I'm not a big fan of red, and I know that pink will go with grey/black, but I'm tired of the pink in the kitchen. Any decorators out there that could tell me what colors I can put in there? My favorite color is blue, but I don't know how that would look. Please help!!

Thanks,
Nancy

P.S. Jillybean, we too fell in love with the blue pearl. It was either that or the black impala. So glad you're happy with it.

Scratches on dark solid surface countertops
I'm wondering how you heal or conceal the scratches that occur in the shiny granite? Not from cutting of course, but the normal wear and tear scuffs from pans, stoneware plates and bowls etc.?

Bump, since I'm now in the granite-choosing mode!

But what about the bathroom counters? Granite as well? Or cultured marble?

What about laundry rooms?

************************************************ When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true!

Every once in a while I entertain the prospect of redoing my counters. While I really love granite,(or any other stone, for that matter) I have not heard a satisfactory answer for how you can really clean those surfaces. I like to clean with pinesol and amonia, or wipe with a bleach solution occasionally. Plain soap and water doesn't do it for me when raw chicken juice spills on the counter. Can anyone address this?

I love when informative threads such as this, re-surface!

After seeing a friend's newly remodeled kitchen last month, I fell in love with her granite counter tops. In our next home, these will be a must!

Hi,

I'm new to this board! My DH and I are getting ready to do a MAJOR overhaul in this 35 year old home we live in. I think I have the same 2 in cobalt blue tile in my kitchen that Mote has. Black grout too! If I knew how to upload a picture of it, I would!

Our kitchen island has the yuckest shade or pink Corian and we are replacing that too. Question, should we do the counter tops the same as the kitchen island for a really clean look?
Plus, does anyone know of anyone software that you can upload pictures of your home to see how the colors will look before you actually leap into a major change?
Thanks!

"Then just copy and past the middle url..."

SORRY, that made absolutely NO sense. Let me try again:

You will have to open an account with them-takes all of about 2 minutes. Once you have answered their confirmation e-mail you are all set to begin saving images. Once you have scanned a photo (I save it as a jpeg file), then go to photobucket and select browse. Then find the photo in question, hit open, and then hit enter and it will automatically be placed into your album. Then just copy the middle url (jpeg) and then just paste that url, in its entirety, onto your post. That is all there is to it.