Kristan,
My husband and I are remodeling our kitchen, but we don't have a great deal of money. I have heard about Granite tile for a counter top, but does it have the same durability and look of granite countertops. Also, how hard is the project and do you have any advice?
Thanks,
Michele

Hi Michele!

Here are some pros and cons...

Cons

-by going with tiles, you lose the look of what's great in a natural stone countertop, in that you don't have a long seamless expanse of slab material. People are drawn to granite as opposed to, say, tile for it's weightiness. But in a tile installation, the overall aesthetic doesn't read as substantial.
-tile installation means grout lines to keep clean.
-because tiles are thinner than slabs, they are more likely to crack or chip if something big and heavy is dropped on them or bumped against the edge.

Pros

-the tile option gives you real granite at a fraction of the cost of slab.
-tiles can be purchased and driven to your home, by you, same day, whereas slabs need to be chosen at a stone yard, fabricated offsite and then delivered to your home- which obviously takes longer and costs you money in fabrication and delivery.
-tiles can be installed by an average diyer or a general tile installer- stone fabricators cost considerably more.

To protect your longterm investment, you want to make sure that you choose something that is durable and will hold up for years, in regards to style. The trend toward what designers call "spotty" granite in a high polished finish has been pushed aside in favor of more monolithic colors, with little variation in a honed- or flat finish. I have the latter look in my home and find the simplicity of it to be the most timeless approach.

Hope this all helps!

KC