Kitchen Granite Designs Increase the Wow Factor

by James Mahoney

Picture your dream kitchen. It's no doubt a page out of your favorite design magazine: stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, high-end cabinets, and, of course, custom kitchen granite designs. Countertops today are one of the biggest splurges in the kitchen.

The timeless stone has become the hallmark of a high-end kitchen. With a variety of kitchen granite designs and styles available, you can create the custom kitchen of your dreams.

Creating your Perfect Kitchen Granite Designs

The first step when choosing your kitchen granite designs is deciding on the color. The color needs to compliment the cabinets and flooring, as well as the décor throughout your home. Granite comes in a number of color families, including blacks, whites, blues, coppers, greens, and reds.

In addition to the color, kitchen granite designs also vary in their pattern. While each piece is unique because granite is a naturally occurring stone, you can find it in three main categories: solid, speckled, or veined.

At many home improvement stores, you can get color chips to take home and help you decide what kitchen granite designs you prefer for your home.

Kitchen Granite Designs: Size Matters

When purchasing materials for your kitchen granite designs, keep size in mind. Traditionally, granite comes in two thicknesses - two centimeters or three centimeters. The thicker stone is more expensive, but doesn't need supports for special features, such as overhangs.

The cost of thicker granite might be worth it if your kitchen cabinets have tricky angles. In the end, a good contractor can help you decide what size granite is right for your improvement project.

Kitchen Granite Designs: It's all about the Edges

Beveled, bullnosed, eased, chiseled, ogee, dupont, waterfalled, laminated, rolled - say what? Did you realize that you can choose your custom edge for kitchen granite? Designs can match the style of your kitchen and can range from simple to complex. The edge must be chosen in the pre-fab state (i.e. before it is shipped to your home and installed). Manufacturers offer a number of custom designs that, in the end, ultimately influence price and function.

More ornate styles are obviously more expensive and harder to clean. In the end, it's about balancing beauty with functionality for your kitchen granite designs.

Don't Forget about the Kitchen Sink

When looking for and deciding on kitchen granite designs, you need to think about everything - even the kitchen sink. The design is drastically different for drop-in versus under-mount or top-mount sinks, so that is something that needs to be decided on early on. Again, this is a time when a contractor can be helpful in deciding which option is best for your home and budget. Many home improvement stores will also have experts available to talk you through this process.

While granite installation seems like a job best left to the professionals, it isn't an impossible do-it-yourself project. Measurements for kitchen granite designs need to be precise and cabinets need to be prepped with plywood prior to installation. You'll want to glue the counters down with a silicone-based caulk and fill any seams with resin and color.

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