Outdoor Granite Barbeque

Custom outdoor barbecues are a great way to enjoy afternoons with family and friends! This customer built his own barbecue area with plywood, and is planning on using stucco for the final finish. We used "Exotic Forest" granite from Brazil with a 2" apron edge. Our shop pays particular attention to detail, if you notice the lines that run vertical follow through on the horizontal plane. These details are important and add immensely to the finished product.

I find that you get what you pay for. Often the "cheaper" shops do not pay attention to these details. The "cheaper" shops also often have poor seams. I have also heard customers complain of these shops actually fabricating in their driveways. Be leery of these types of granite shops. 

Simple Yet Sleek Kitchen

Using granite in your kitchen does not have to be expensive. This is a basic color, which adds elegance and design to this vacation condo. The earth tone colors allow you to decorate with a wide range of paints or add a splash of color with towels. Using a burgundy or navy accent in this kitchen would draw a wow factor to an already sleek kitchen style. The white cabinets give a clean feel and the granite ties in the beautiful hard wood flooring. I would recommend doing a full high tile backsplash to add some pizazz, or an antique finish on the cabinet doors.

Caesar Stone Quartz!

This is fun studio kitchen! The customer chose Quartz for the benefits of low maintenance, like never having to worry about re-sealing or staining. This countertop is a chocolate truffle Caesar Stone, and turned out very modern for this beautiful condo. Notice the undermount sinks, and how the stone flows. Also, to add a little more countertop in a smaller bath, we added an 8" shelf over the toilet!

Overlay Over Existing Tops

This granite was able to be placed over the customer's existing concrete countertops. We fabricated the edge to the same width to cover the countertops, and re-used the customers existing topmount sink. The project turned out absolutely stunning!

Radius work in kitchens is absolutely beautiful! Our customers love a large edge showing the granite radius work!

This is also a great example of a kitchen that we did not have to take out the existing countertops, and just laid the new ones over the top!

Granite Fireplace Surround

 

A great way to tie in your kitchen to the living room is to do the fireplace surround in the living room in the same color as the kitchen countertops. You can also choose a different color to help accentuate that they are different rooms. Either way, granite around the fireplace is a beautiful touch to any room. Many of our customers just do the hearth, when the fireplace is elevated.

Sorry my pics are sideways, couldn't figure out how to get them rotated :)! I'll have to work on that!

2cm Granite Countertops

We have started offering 2cm granite countertops at an extremely discounted rate! These countertops are still granite, with all the benefits of granite, but the edge is 2cm rather than 3cm or a built up 4cm edge profile. One thing to be careful with, with 2cm granite, is that it cannot do the average overhangs without several good, supportive corbels.

Many customers love the new option because they want granite tops, but want to keep the look of the kitchen simple. It also is a great option in bathrooms!

Sealing Your Granite Countertops

Light and medium colored granites should be sealed yearly. We recommend that our customers pick a date, like New Years, and re-seal their countertops. This process can be quite simple, or difficult, depending on the state of your stone.

Step 1. Clean the stone with a washcloth and mild soap.
Step 2. Scrape any rough parts on the stone with a razor blade to scrape off old food, or water deposits. Be careful to not scrape parts where crystals may be loose, you don't want to scrape crystals out of the stone.
Step 3. Use acetone to wipe down the stone. Make sure you use gloves, and keep the area well ventilated.
Step 4. Use the Granite Sealer (of your choice). This should be applied in a 2' by 2' area only. Wipe the sealer on with one white cloth, and wipe the sealer off with a dry white cloth in a buffing motion until all the sealer is removed from site, and you only see a shiny top. Repeat until the whole countertop is complete.
Step 5. Let the countertops set for 6-7 hours

If you let the sealer sit too long, or you don't buff it off thoroughly, it will leave a dull finish on the stone which is VERY difficult to remove. But if you follow these steps, you should have beautiful countertops for years to come!

If you are nervous to do this yourself, you can always call us to seal your countertops for you. Sealing of countertops is generally charged per sq. ft.