Kitchen Counters Undergo Culture Change

[Huligar]

Homeowners Mixing It Up With Honed Granite, Manufactured Stone, Wood And Recycled Materials

By VALERIE FINHOLM
Courant Staff Writer

June 2 2006

Mixing materials, like stone and wood, is a kitchen countertop trend.

At this year's Junior League of Hartford's Show House, there was a black countertop made of honed granite, a kitchen aisle of solid cherry, and cabinets of light red birch.

Interior decorator Molly Dodd Hall of Stonington, who decorated the West Hartford show house kitchen, says the mix evokes a "homey" feeling. "It makes it feel comfortable and not so fussy," she said. She said she used honed granite - which costs two to three times as much as glossy granite - for a "subtle, sophisticated" look.

Today's upscale kitchens often feature honed granite, with its brushed matt finish, instead of the shiny granite that's still popular with many consumers, especially since granite prices came down in the last decade. "Granite for the longest time set the trend for being an upscale kitchen," said Debbie Cusano, a sales designer with Roberts Sash & Door in Newington. "Now they're striving for new and updated looks and surfaces."

Lorey Cavanaugh, owner of Kitchen & Bath Design Consultants in West Hartford and Bantam, said that, besides honed granite, some people are seeking out "boutique" granites - which come from smaller veins of stone - that can cost three to four times as much as regular granite. One such granite is "a bright lapis blue" found on the ocean floor off the coast of Argentina.

"You're not going to find that in the Home Depots," Cavanaugh said.

Manufactured stone countertops also are becoming popular, Cavanaugh said. The stones don't stain like natural stone and are consistent in color, which natural stones are not. They cost about the same price as granite and Corian, a popular countertop covering made from a combination of acrylics and polyesters.

"People either love or hate them," she said. "They attempt to make them look like granite, but it's like anything that's faux."

There is also a growing market for laminates - which still dominate the market because of their cost of about $10 a foot compared with $40 to $60 for base-grade granite. Laminates are made of paper coated to particle board, but today they come in a variety of colors, textures and patterns, including some that look like granite, marble and slate.

"I think it's a mistake to spend a ton of money on granite [countertops] and buy poor-quality cabinetry," Cavanaugh said. "You don't have to have granite to have a nice kitchen."

Cusano said some of her customers are buying laminate countertops and putting their savings into better-grade cabinets.

Another trend involves counterculture countertops made of recycled materials, ranging from beer bottles to aluminum cans.

One of these countertops, "Counterfeit," is made from recycled paper money and sold by a Minnesota company. "They were burning this money," said designer Stanley Shetka, who uses fibers in decommissioned bills as the primary ingredient in countertops he says are scratch-proof, waterproof and stain-resistant.

The countertops come in several shades of green, including one that looks like green marble and another that has pieces of paper money visible in it, he said.

"The highest demand is [countertop slabs] where you can see the money," Shetka said.

	Marble MARBLE: CHARACTERISTICS This standard includes general information on the characteristics and common uses of marble and identifies typical problems associated with the material. INTRODUCTION Marble is an extremely hard, metamorphic stone composed of calcite (CaCO3). It is formed as a result of the recrystallization of limestone under the intense pressure and heat of geologic processes. The effect of this process is the creation of a stone with a very tight crystalline structure and small but definite porosity. Because of its structure, marble can take a very high polish and is a very popular decorative stone for architectural and sculptural uses. The limited porosity of marble, especially polished marble, makes it less vulnerable to the leaching effects of water. Calcium carbonate, however, of which marble is composed, is highly susceptible to attack by acidic agents. Marble is readily dissolved by acids, even very dilute acids, however the actual results of acidic exposure will vary with the nature of the acid. Chlorides, nitrates, sulfates and other chemical compounds react differently with marble and produce various by-products, which have a wide range of solubility and impact on the durability of marble. For this reason, it is always important to determine the exact type of pollutants causing marble deterioration. Marble itself can be of two types, one composed of calcite and the other of dolomite. Dolomitic marble is much more resistant to acid attack than calcite marble. The color of marble ranges from the brilliant white of calcite to black, including blue-gray, red, yellow and green, depending upon the mineral composition. TYPICAL USES Marble has many decorative and structural uses. It is used for outdoor sculpture as well as for sculpture bases; in architecture it is used in exterior walls and veneers, flooring, decorative features, stairways and walkways. The way in which the stone is used may be a factor in limiting or controlling the severity of exposure. The use or function of the marble may also affect the feasibility of applying certain treatments, but type of use is not the primary factor in the major types of deterioration and damage to which marble is susceptible.