Granite counter tops offer an extremely attractive material for your kitchen.  Apart from that, they’re unusually sturdy and durable, likely lasting your home for many years.  Resistant to both heat and stain, they’ll require little maintenance, apart from facilitating almost every imaginable kitchen task.

With all of the benefits they bring, it’s pretty understandable why granite counter tops are so expensive.  Costing between $50 to $150 per square foot, outfitting your kitchen fixtures with these materials should prove to be a serious financial consideration.  Plenty of materials are available as an alternative to it, such as wood, but none can offer the same type of performance and decorative enhancement that it brings.

Granite counter tops come in numerous flavors – different styles, shapes, sizes, thickness and treatments.  Some units with unusual details are even imported from other countries and, as expected, would feature costs in the similarly unusual high ranges.  It’s a pretty expensive slab of rock worth every penny in its versatile range of home uses.

Getting It Cheaper

You don’t have to fork over the bulk of your renovation funds to getting a granite counter top, however.  If you’re willing to accept a little compromise, there are ways you can get units that are just as attractive and durable as a typical one, at less than the going rates.

If you’re looking at keeping your spending on the low end, do settle for a granite top with a standard design.  Even regular looking ones can prove just as decorative as their more expensive brethren, after all.  Units with a few small blemishes (ask the dealers for their piles with some scratches and dents) can get you considerable discounts as well.  Just cover any small pits with your kitchen appliances and it will look like it’s not even there.

Also, you can look for thinner slabs of granite rock.  While really thin ones will need special supports to hold fast, the extra installation costs should prove way cheaper compared to the money you’ll save from the actual counter top.  Keep in mind, too, that single solid slabs that are custom-fitted will be more expensive than smaller units that installers can put side by side like tiles.

Related posts:

1. Pricing of Granite Counter Tops
2. A Quick Fix for Old Counter Tops
3. Counter Top Options
4. Kitchen Counter Backsplash
5. Making concrete countertops

Tags: granite counter top design, granite counter tops, granite slabs

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 at 3:44 pm and is filed under Kitchens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.