Black Granite and taking out desk

[jandr07]

The plan is to get granite in jan. We have a desk in the kitchen. We don't need it and the plan is to have a custom cabinet made at counter height (not desk height). For resale would that be ok? Do people need a desk in the kitchen? The extra storage space the new cabinets will give will be great. We have an office in the house already.

Also I plan to get absolute black granite, paint the cabinets white and have carerra marble subway tile as the backsplash. All I keep hearing from family is black granite is such a pain to keep clean. truth??

[sjh722]

I've never had black granite so I can't comment on that, but removing the desk sounds like a good idea. I'd much rather the counter-height work space, and most kitchen desks are junk collectors.

[cajungal]

The biggest disappointment for me with our house building was that we thought we were getting regular counter-height cabinets on a small wall in the kitchen, and it ended up being a desk. Definitely go counter-height!

We had black granite in our last home, and it was easy to keep clean. Method Daily Granite worked great for us.

[thewop]

Black granite is a giant PITA to keep clean. EVERYTHING shows. We have it in our bathroom. I wish I went with something lighter, gray even. It looks really pretty when it's clean, but keeping it that way is difficult. I couldn't imagine trying to keep it looking clean in a kitchen. Yikes.

[tarheels]

I took out the lame desk in this kitchen before we moved in. I had drawers for pots built. LOVE THEM.

ETA - you can just barely see the seam where the drawers were added to the right. Running the new counters in one long piece made the area super useful. Added before photos too.







I've never had solid black granite. I had patterned black granite in the last house (I think uba tuba? I didn't put it in so I don't know for sure) and have patterned black laminate in this house. I don't think they're hard to keep clean, but I'm a super neat person to begin with and am not a messy cook. For people who always have the detritus of life out in the kitchen, I can imagine they wouldn't work. My MIL isn't the best housekeeper and black counters drive her insane.

[pickle123]

We have no problem keeping our black granite clean, mainly because we use it and wipe down all the time anyway...love it!

[jandr07]

Thanks ladies!

Here is the area I am talking about. I am going to take the desk part out. Put in a 48" cabinet. Paint the cabinets white, add crown, add granite, take the middle part of the top out and tile all that area and put it open shelving on the top inbetween the two cabinets. Hope that makes sense and hope it looks as good as I picture it looking.

[tarheels]

Those look like really nice and new cabinets. I'm all for painting ugly wood, but that's not. Your cabinets right now have a factory finish that will last for decades - paint will need to be touched up, even if you do a great job and use great products. I've painted cabinets myself, so don't think that I'm a wood lover - I just don't think those need to be painted.

[jandr07]

Dec 19, 2012 15:40:33 GMT -5 tarheels said:

Those look like really nice and new cabinets. I'm all for painting ugly wood, but that's not. Your cabinets right now have a factory finish that will last for decades - paint will need to be touched up, even if you do a great job and use great products. I've painted cabinets myself, so don't think that I'm a wood lover - I just don't think those need to be painted.

ahh you are making me second guess myself. lol.
I hate them. They are really nice cabinets by a great company and the new cabinet is coming from that same company. The house is about 12 years old. I really want to stain them a darker color but the doors are wood and the base is not so they can't be stained (i heard). I was going to have a pro paint them. It is classic 90's golden oak...

[mrs.jacinthe]

They look more like a nice maple from the photos. I like them and I think they'd look nice with a more interesting brown-ish granite.

However, if you don't like them and they don't work for you, then paint them. Living with something you hate when you have the means to change it is just silly.

[tarheels]

The doors are maple like mrs. j said, but I noticed something off about the boxes when you first posted. So are they plywood with a laminate coating? Have you talked to a pro about how paint will adhere to that? Even if he sands and primes, I don't see it lasting for the long haul...

[Deleted]

I'd rethink the paint. I have very similiar cabinets and I love them. I know they're not the popular stain right now, but bite me. The painting and subsequent touch up is not osmething I'm willing to do.

I have black counters. They show every mark and streak but I put up with it becuase I love it. Also, in a kitchen your counters get wiped down constantly anyways so it's never as bad as say in a bar area or a bathroom that may not.

[jandr07]

Dec 19, 2012 17:13:47 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

I'd rethink the paint. I have very similiar cabinets and I love them. I know they're not the popular stain right now, but bite me. The painting and subsequent touch up is not osmething I'm willing to do.

I have black counters. They show every mark and streak but I put up with it becuase I love it. Also, in a kitchen your counters get wiped down constantly anyways so it's never as bad as say in a bar area or a bathroom that may not.

Is there anyway yu could share a pic? I would love to see your kitchen

[SusanBAnthony]

I like them too! I agree that getting rid of the desk and the weird upper cabinet is a good idea. Bt I wouldn't paint those. I think they will look good at first, but crummy over time, whereas those will look good for a long time. I would just pick a granite that will look good with the wood, and with white if you want to paint them ten more years down the one. But, your kitchen, so do whatever you like!

[moolarkey]

I would remove that desk and raise the counter to the same level as the high counter shown in your pictures. One thing I hate about most newer cabinets is how shallow the upper cabinets are. My everyday dinner plates will not fit in these shallower cabinets.

[tarheels]

Dec 19, 2012 18:34:20 GMT -5 moolarkey said:

I would remove that desk and raise the counter to the same level as the high counter shown in your pictures. One thing I hate about most newer cabinets is how shallow the upper cabinets are. My everyday dinner plates will not fit in these shallower cabinets.

LOL - the cabinets aren't any shallower. Our fat American plates are bigger.

[jandr07]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it and I have a lot to think about it.
They for sure aren't maple and maybe my flash is making them look that way. I think for now I will pick a granite that will go with both this and white and will visit the topic of painting them in about 6 mths.

lol to the plates. I have HUGE plates and they fit fine but at our last place they did not which was quite annoying!

[tarheels]

If you say they're not maple, what do you think they are? They are not oak. Are you saying they aren't real wood or that you think they're something else like ash?

[monarch]

Dec 19, 2012 20:12:21 GMT -5 tarheels said:

If you say they're not maple, what do you think they are? They are not oak. Are you saying they aren't real wood or that you think they're something else like ash?

They totally look like my cabinets, which are maple. Mine are way more yellowed from the sun though. Yours look good!

[jandr07]

Dec 19, 2012 20:12:21 GMT -5 tarheels said:

If you say they're not maple, what do you think they are? They are not oak. Are you saying they aren't real wood or that you think they're something else like ash?

I concede! You were right. lol I really would have bet a ton of money they weren't! But I went to order the new cabinet last night and they are maple! Just an ugly color maple.

The doors are real wood and the sides are veneer. So now I really want to see if I can get them stained. Not sure if I can but I plan to ask around? Thoughts?

I am pretty sure I am going to just get the new cabinets. Take the top part out and try and find shelves that match the current stain and put in black pearl granite. Any thoughts on a backsplash? I really like the carerra marble subway tile

www.bumpyroadtohome.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/carrera-marble-backsplash-subway.jpg

[redheadk]

I have black pearl granite. Since it isn't solid black it doesn't seem to look as dirty/dusty as some other black granites with less variation. Hth

[seriously]

We have a small amount of black granite in our 1/2 bath and I hate it. I'm married to a neat freak who cleans all the time and we still can't keep that little vanity looking good. Spots, dust, you name it every little dot or speck of everything shows up.