Kitchen Improvement Ideas » granite

Beautiful Kitchens Start With Beautiful Countertops

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:08:45 +0000

We recently remodeled our kitchen. We live in an older home here in Atlanta, the house is in a nice neighborhood, we didn’t want to sell, but we need more room and were in desperate need of updating. The first thing we did was to take the wall out between the living room and kitchen, thus making a “great room” even though we haven’t technically added any square footage to our home, it sure feels like it. Our kitchen is roomy, with beautiful granite countertops and maple cabinets.

We had an island installed that seats six comfortably and eight if they are little people. We enjoy having our extended family over and the space for the children is great. The contractors and designers wanted me to put a sink or stove top on our large island, I am so glad I stuck to what I wanted and left it a giant slab of granite. I use this space for so many things unrelated to food preparation. It is a fantastic work space. The granite countertops make the kitchen; they are warm, spacious, shiny and beautiful. I love my new kitchen which has in turn, given me a renewed interest in cooking. It is fun to prepare food and serve it in our spacious kitchen. What I really enjoy doing is entertaining.

We have our gathering space updated, open and inviting. We do spend a lot of time in our kitchen, from after school with the kids to dinner time it seems we are all sitting around talking, making dinner, doing homework, working on projects or just hanging out snacking. It has been a wonderful utilization of money, we still don’t live in the Taj Mahal, but it doesn’t matter, our home is warm and inviting and a great place to be.

graniteandmarblesolutions ( http://www.graniteandmarblesolutions.com/ ) is one of the best granite countertops Atlanta has to offer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Coisson

Granite Bathroom Countertops – The Secret to a Classy Bathroom

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:40:15 +0000

Are you a homeowner who is sick and tired of your old boring bathroom countertops?

If you would like to upgrade it and make it more sophisticated, this is where granite bathroom countertops come into the picture.

You may wonder what makes granite the best choice for you. Here are some reasons why it outranks other materials for bathroom countertops in the market today:

• The elegant and sophisticated look it provides can make any bathroom attractive.
• It is virtually well-built which is stain and heat resistant for bathroom vanity.
• It is durable because of its supreme toughness.
• Technology makes it more affordable as granite fabricators dropped the cost to make it more competitive in the market.
• There is wide array of materials including colors and different finishes to choose from and can be altered to fit the homeowner’s desire of style.

Granite bathroom countertops are a must-have in your bathroom. Many people have them installed in their own home. You too can give your own bathroom a touch of class by using granite for your countertops. However, you have to be very wise in purchasing them. Here’s how to get your money’s worth:

• Compare prices and great deals online. Beware of cheaper advertisement and ensure the credibility of the company or check Business Bureau Rating if there are any complaints. Be careful when buying items on sale since some may have damages or are already very old.
• Consult your contractor where to buy quality granite and not those of commercial value wherein they offer lower prices in lesser quality. A reliable home depot is the best place to buy.
• Hire only experienced and skilled builders to ensure that your granite bathroom countertops are installed correctly.

Peter Neng also has some great additional advice on granite countertops cost and some info on how to choose granite countertop edges to suit your kitchen or bathroom.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Neng

Kitchen Countertop Material Selection Tips You Need to Know Before Purchase

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:03:15 +0000

Marble
Natural marble has unique and beautiful veins which make it very popular in home decor. Marble has a large selection of colors so it is easy to match with the surrounding environment. But if you look closer to the marble surface, you will find some tiny crackles which make marble products fragile after used for a period of time. Oil or dirt tend to penetrate the crackle easily which is very hard to get rid of and is a place to produce bacteria. So we suggest do not install marble in the acid and alkali environment like kitchen.

Granite
Granite features high density and hardness, wear-resistant and acid/alkali resistant, so it is an ideal material for kitchen counter tops or work tops. Dirt or chemicals are difficult to penetrate granite due to its high density and wear-resistant property. But the granite has length limit in fabrication, so it is not possible to make a kitchen countertop in one piece, which means it has seams. If the seams are not handled properly, the dirt or chemical can penetrate the seams where bacteria may produce. So we suggest to hire qualified workers to install the countertop or work top.

Stainless steel
Stainless steel kitchen countertops has a modern and fashionable look. The surface is very bright and clean-looking. There is no place on a countertop to hide bacteria, so it is the best anti-bacteria material among the six countertop material we introduce in this article. The disadvantage is that the surface of the stainless steel is easy to scratch and the scratch can not be restored. So we need to pay attention when cleaning a stainless steel countertop.

Wood
Some people like wood countertops because they are natural and have unique texture. Wood countertops are light weight and DIY friendly, so people like to do it themselves. But the wood surface is not wear-resistant and not acid/alkali resistant. The seams between each piece is difficult to control and when water get inside the wood, it will get mold and be degraded. So it is not as durable in use as other material.

Ceramic tile
Ceramic tile is a kind of man-made material, so the color, veins and patterns can be made identical. The ceramic tile is very thin and light weight comparing to natural stone tile, so we do not need to reinforce the base. The ceramic tile is durable in use and also fairly economic. But it is easy to broken when hit or putting hot or cold stuff on it. And also the seams between each tile are hard to clean.

Artificial stone
Artificial stone is made according to the property of natural stone and has become a replacement for natural stone in recent years. It has the physical property of natural stone. The veins and color of artificial stone are even more plentiful than natural stone. The artificial stone countertops can be made seamless, so it is easy to clean. The disadvantage is that it is man-made. Some people do not like man-made products, they just like something natural. If you do not care about it is natural or not, it is an ideal material for kitchen countertops.

If you need more tips or other info, please visit our website at http://www.pengstone.com.

Pengs Stone Products offers high quality natural stone countertops and artificial countertops. We are a China-base stone product supplier, we export our products to worldwide. You can buy nearly any stone products for home décor from us. We do wholesale and also we accept small orders. If you have home décor or home remodelling project, just buy from us and you can save a lot of money. You may concern about the international shipping cost would be high. Actually, the shipping cost is not as high as you think of and the overall cost will still be much lower than purchasing from your local suppliers. You don’t believe that? Just send your inquiry to us.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peng_Kevin