Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 21:09:12 -0700
From: SMS 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Kitchen countertops

Steve wrote:
> Andrew White  wrote:
>> Get a clue before you open your mouth! We had our countertops replaced
>> with granite for $3,400. And we have a lot of countertops.
> 
> What was the total square footage?

Granite is extremely cheap in some parts of the country, i.e. LA or San 
Francisco. There is a lot of granite coming in from China, and a lot of 
low cost retailers that are selling it. Stay away from designer kitchen 
stores, Expo Design Center, Lowes, or Home Depot, and find a low cost store.

When we did our bathroom showers, and wanted no tile, we looked at 
"cultured granite," and "cultured marble" which is a lot more than real 
granite. However with real granite, there would have been seams on the 
shower walls, which we didn't want, so we went with the cultured granite 
which can be made in large slabs. It's very easy to clean, and looks 
better than plastic, but it's still too artificial looking.