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A 'Transformed' Countertop
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This is the end result of a 'Granite Transformations' countertop job. This small cabinet to one side of the stove opening gives us a REALLY good view of how this system is installed.
As you can see this is NOT SLAB GRANITE or anything close, its only 1/4 of an inch thick. This is actually a MAN MADE product. "But, they told me its Granite." And that's true in the same way particle board is wood just like a 2 x 4 is wood.
Granite transformations buys up essentially Granite scraps and grinds then down into small pieces and then glues them back together with Epoxy, heat and pressure. That's how they're allowed to call it Granite, because yes, Ma'am, it does CONTAIN granite. This product is more a kin to SileStone or Corian that Granite slab counter top.
One of GT's sales pitches is that you don't have to seal it each year like slab granite, (Slab granite counters should be sealed once a year. It takes no more than 30 minutes, spray - mist the sealer on, and wipe it off. let it dry....) its not necessary to seal GT, because its all held together with Epoxy...
There are forward (>>) and back (<<) buttons on each slide. And if you click on the pictures more than once, you can get the original full screen pictures I uploaded.
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Is it, "looks are deceiving"? or "looks are only skin deep."?
So how do they 'transform' your existing counter tops ? As you can see they install this stuff right over-top of the existing laminate counter tops. If there is a drip edge on the front they grind that off flat. The sheets of GT can be formed to nearly unlimited lengths and widths, so they can create huge joint free countertop pieces. Including 'U's, 'L's and islands, etc.
But, 90% of the work they do has to be done with straight corners and angles.. Notice that there are no smooth curves on the front of this counter, nor in some later pictures you can see how they do sink installations as square boxes.
If the customer wants a rolled front on the counter like you would have with slab counters GT has to build up the front of that 1/4 inch thick sheet (kind of like you do for a corian top) then machine the rolled edge on it.
Yep, all of that white stuff is filler. And that much filler, anywhere makes me nervous. That white blob is NOT thin set or cement, its somewhere between the consistency of foam and joint compound.
Imagine what that extra large cast iron frying pan is going to do to that filler when it collides with the front edge of the counter..
I can almost see it now, the 10 year old decides to surprise mom on mother's day by making her breakfast and like all kids, uses the BIGGEST pan he can find. Goodbye counter top.
GT, guarantees that their product won't crack and if it does they will correct any problems that arise.
In my mind as an old schooler, that much filler.. That's a problem..
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There are reasons the word 'Filler' has bad connotations.
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Dead Air spaces are a GOOD thing ????
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Lets examine this construction for a moment.. The GT for the counter surface is installed first and runs either just short of the original laminate's back splash or, maybe thats whys there's so much filler in the front.
Then this cap looks like it gets glued or cemented on top of the old back splash.. Looks like it fits about as well as the front does...
(Sorry, my home has slab granite counters where the installers took digital pictures of my 30 year old crooked walls, the counters arrived profiled so they fit so tight they aren't even caulked to the walls.)
All of the glue, filler adhesives, etc that are used in this just looks sloppy to me IMHO.
And again, notice how the 'radius' is done on the top corner.. its NOT !! It's a 45 degree bevel, same as the front of the counter..
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If you're generally familiar with how under mount sinks are installed for slab counter tops or for corian, this might not look that unusual at first glance.
Until you study it for a second..
instead of mounting this composite sink right up under the 1/4 inch GT counter, like you would if this were corian. GT moulds in this square (again) lip that is made to LOOK like a slab countertop (when it isn't -- Don't Lie to me ! ).
The dead give away is that its SQUARE or actually rectangular. Ever notice that the sinks installed in Slab counters or corian counters have smooth rounded corners and often sweeping curves to them? As does the cut out in the counters?
Well with GT, you get... SQUARE and ONLY SQUARE.. there is no way that I can see (without adding LOTS of material) that they can do any kind of rounded corners or curves for the sink...
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This is how GT does an undermount Sink.
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Sink Install is a dead Giveaway, its GT
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Another closer shot of the sink installation. If this were a slab counter or a corian counter that square corner would not be there, it would follow the contours of the sink and the two would look much more like they blend together..
This house has very pretty counter tops installed, and the owners love them. I just want people to understand what GT REALLY is. And how comparing GT to slab granite is not even in the same ballpark.
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