Bungalow Kitchen Countertop
July 26, 2008 at 6:52 pm 9 comments
Progress continues on Projectbungalow. This week the kitchen countertops were installed.
I selected honed absolute black granite for the countertop material. Originally, I wanted to use soap stone but it’s 2-3x the price and your kitchen cabinets must be built to accommodate this material. The key difference is the plywood top needs to be inset versus on top of the cabinet structure. My cabinet maker placed the plywood on top of the cabinets. John Yeh with Colormason, my countertop installer, also told me that the cabinets have to be just about perfectly level to use soapstone. The reason being is the stone sits directly on the counters — so if you have to shim the material to create seamless joints the underside of your counter top will have gaps relative to the cabinets.
Here is a picture of the material i used — isn’t it gorgeous
I also installed a Oliveri stainless steel sink. This was a great value at roughly $900. Its heavy gauge stainless and comes with a stainless steel drain grid. Additionally the inside edges are all radius, so cleaning and maintenance will be much easier than the Blanco I was originally considering.
This part of the project including material cost about $3,700. What an improvement.
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Now I need to get started on the backsplash — I think green glass tile just might do the trick
Entry filed under: Bungalow, California Bungalow, kitchen remodel. Tags: absolute black granite, bungalow kitchen, craftsman kitchen, granite countertops, honed granite, kitchen remodel, oliveri sink.
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projectbungalow 
1.
kari | August 7, 2008 at 10:12 am
Hi! I just found your blog and we’re also restoring a bungalow in Monrovia. We’re actually working on the kitchen right now too so it’s great to have found your blog. You’re kitchen looks great so far!
2.
joseph deck | August 7, 2008 at 10:50 am
Kari isn’t it cool that you can use the web to find someone working on similar project in your same town!
3.
Heather | September 30, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Your kitchen project looks great; I particularly like the flooring. What is it?
4.
joseph deck | October 1, 2008 at 9:25 pm
it’s Forbo Linoleum. it’s not terribly expensive and if you get a good installer it only takes 1-2 days max for the installation
5.
travis | January 9, 2009 at 8:20 am
joseph
i was thinking about installing black honed granite in my house as well but read mixed reviews about stains / maintenance. if you dont mind please contact me or reply to your posting about your experience with black honed granite. thanks.
travis
6.
joseph deck | January 10, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Travis,
Honestly it’s really too soon for me to tell how it will hold up to regular household use. However, it’s a funny coincidence — last night I was out for dinner at Houston’s restaurant in Santa Monica. Their bar is honed absolute black granite and it appears to be holding up well. I can’t say how long ago their bar was installed but I would think commercial use has to be must more distressing that normal household wear and tear. That said they are obviously not using their bar for food prep which presents it’s own set of risks.
Granite and natural stone countertops can be stained. My installer suggested I apply a sealer every six months to protect the material. I also am going either find or have made a large plastic cutting board with groves at the edge to catch liquids and funnel them the sink. I think the honed granite looks fantastic. I selected it because it had a look similar to soap stone at a fraction of the cost.
Ultimately, if you use your kitchen to any extent it will show wear — I am going to try to deal with this inevitable reality this by thinking of the wear and tear as a pantina that enhances the appearance and reminds me of good times had with family and friends.
J
7.
joseph deck | January 10, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Travis,
Honestly it’s really too soon for me to tell how it will hold up to regular household use. However, it’s a funny coincidence — last night I was out for dinner at Houston’s restaurant in Santa Monica. Their bar is honed absolute black granite and it appears to be holding up well. I can’t say how long ago their bar was installed but I would think commercial use has to be must more distressing that normal household wear and tear. That said they are obviously not using their bar for food prep which presents it’s own set of risks.
Granite and natural stone countertops can be stained. My installer suggested I apply a sealer every six months to protect the material. I also am going either find or have made a large plastic cutting board with groves at the edge to catch liquids and funnel them the sink. I think the honed granite looks fantastic. I selected it because it had a look similar to soap stone at a fraction of the cost.
Ultimately, if you use your kitchen to any extent it will show wear — I am going to try to deal with this inevitable reality this by thinking of the wear and tear as a pantina that enhances the appearance and reminds me of good times had with family and friends.
J
8.
Karen | April 20, 2009 at 9:52 am
It’s a question. Is it hard to keep fingerprints off absolute black counter top? Is it easy to keep clean?
9.
joseph deck | April 21, 2009 at 7:15 am
Fingerprints do not seem to be much of an issue. The matte finish hide them very well.
I do not use my kitchen very much, but overall I would say the counters are easy to keep clean. I think water spots are a bigger concern, but I saw the same material used at Houstons restaurant in Santa Monica. I am sure they get lots of abuse and they looked fine.
J