This is an AMAZING product! Granite's gorgeous, so is well done concrete. They both have their problems though, problems that Granicrete solves. Whack a granite (or concrete) countertop with a hammer and you have an expensive repair job; do the same to a Granicrete countertop and you **may** have a ding in the finish... Granicrete delivers the look of granite or concrete without any of their problems. It's tough, durable, and drop-dead gorgeous. There are certified installers (like me!) scattered around the country; try the home site (granicrete.com) or one of its distributors, granicreteofthetriad.com.

Here is a link that might be useful: Granicrete of the Triad (NC)

Hmmm. Color me intrigued. I wonder what the average per square foot cost (or is it linear?) is on something like this. Does it go over your existing c-tops? What if you are getting all new c-tops? Can you take another counter material like granite, quartz, solid surface (the patterned ones) or laminate and duplicate it with Granicrete? Can sinks be undermounted with this? I have a lot of questions that the websites don't seem to address. Oh wait-- I see a couple of undermounted sinks. Now, we're cooking with gas. LOL.

Very interesting, indeed.

Note that enthusiastic Jeannie isn't a member anymore, or at least you can't access her page or join date...

Do I smell spam?

I also figured that was spam, but I did look at the product website. It does look very intriguing- I am curious how it compares to granite transformations which from the picutres I have seen (never saw it in real life) does not look so good.
At a glance, this concrete thing looks like it does rounded edges and has a better sheen.
I know nothing about cost though and guess that it is not much cheaper than granite. The only appeal is the lack of demolition which is not a joyful thing as well as the not having to use the landfill. I am curious if anyone has any experience with this(aside from the happy installer).

I went tot he website too. I was curious whether this was the stuff I saw mentioned on HGTV. The linked site mentions a Designed to Sell episode, so if it was used as part of an overall update budget of $2000 or less, it can't be that expesive (at least as a DIY thing).

What I saw on HGTV was a show about design rules from Design on a Dime. One of the guys mentioned a great new product, but not by name so I don't know if it was this or not. What he was talking about was something that came in a can -- looked like a gallon paint can, and you applied over and existing counter. They showed laminate with rounded edges, but I think said it could go over tile as well. He talked about it having the look of concrete counters at a fraction of the price.

The testimonials on the sites claim that it is so much more affordable than granite, but that is a very sweeping statement. Granite prices can get very high. Just about any c-top is going to be less expensive than an exotic granite.

Hopefully someone who has this installed in their home will chime in and give us the skinny.

I went to a Home Expo this weekend in Baton Rouge LA, and there was an exhibit. First I went to the design wall, where there were tiles of it hanging up. These looked good, and the edges were nice and straight. Then I went to the actual countertops they had set up. It sort of looked and felt like it had been wrapped in a thick plastic wrap, yet it was hard. The shine on it was almost too shiny - fake shine if you will, compared to granite.
They had two countertops set up, the edges were not totally smooth - sort of bumpy looking. I think that maybe if they are doing this tile by tile it's easy to get a smooth edge, but when having to work on an actual countertop it's not as easy to get those edges smooth?

I don't know, but I thought it looked cheesier than Formica, as "fake" granite goes. I did find out that they can do a matte or less glossy finish. The booth owner was gushing that all you have to do is attend a 2 day class to become a certified installer. Yikes! I figured no, no. This stuff is too new for me to hire someone right now. I certainly wouldn't want the same person who did these countertops doing mine. I don't want bumpy edges. I mean, I like rustic, but not that rustic.

Thanks for the first hand opinion, southernstitcher. By the way, my son just moved to Baton Rouge so I'll ask him to go see it in person for me. Thanks again and sorry this answer is so late. Jane

Jane, the company that was at the expo is housed in Lafayette, unfortunately. I called the owner and asked about the bumpy edges, and she told me that that counter at the expo was her first one -- there was a bath countertop in the exhibit (I didn't examine that one) that had a much more smooth edge due to a new process they are using now.
She did say though, that it would never be the 100% machine edged look of real granite. She also said that if I had a pieced countertop, they would not honor the lifetime warranty, as the seam could wind up showing through the granicrete. I mentioned that I would be extending my countertop after moving a fridge. I've since learned though, that my carpenter would make one large peice of counter, and not piece it.
Hope that little bit more info helps -- sorry for the delay in getting back with you!

southernstitcher, thanks so much for the update. My son wouldn't be that great at describing countertops anyway! Thanks, Janeincolorado

Haven't seen it in person yet, but am interested- especially if it is so much cheaper, as they're claiming it is. I'm somewhat skeptical of this though. Two other concerns:

1) Is this a direct sales organization? Half of their web site seems to be about the fabulous income potential of being a rep...

2)They claim that their product is "USDA certified" last I checked, USDA doesn't certify building materials. Not sure if this is simply an error/misunderstanding on their part (Just because Ty said it was USDA certified on TV, does not actually make it so) or if they're intentionally misleading consumers with this statement. Making claims that a government agency approves of or certifies your product is- at best- a dicey proposition. Any consumers or reps out there have any insight on this?

They were trying to push that stuff here in Calif, and in fact, there was an HDTV show about it. The realtor on the show even went as far sas saying, "Granite is out now" and the new thing is Granicrete or just plain dyed Concrete albeit , expensive concrete.---His remarks kinda reminded me of the first Englishman to see a Rhinoceros, Seeing same, the Englishman exclainmed, "Rhinoceros preposterous"
I have very "artistic" concrete in my garage, where my 2 dodges have leaked various liquids over the 35 years or so they have been in the garage.To Me that is the best place for "Artist" or colored concrete.!!!!!!

Gary

O.K.
I am sorry I,m late to this discussion, but I,m here now. I can,t try to respond to all the past post, but will be more than happy to respond to any further post, or questions.
I am a GRANICRETE distributor, trainer, and installer, so I have some knowledge about this subject.
By the way I haven,t drank the Granicret kool-aid.

I was thinking of installing Granicrete in my house on my living room floor. I like the look of acid stained concrete, but our slab has too many patches to do that. How much would a typical floor install cost per square foot. Can Granicrete mimic the look of acid stained concrete?

Hi - I am very interested in this product for both countertops and flooring for kitchen remodel. We already have designed concrete floor in entryway and family room, so would hope to match or have compatible flooring transition into kitchen. Being in AZ does it sun fade at all? I would like to hear from someone that has this installed, pros and cons. Thank you!

I have seen this product in the Harrisburg, PA area and found it to be very sturdy and visually appealing and to top it off Cost Effective not to mention Eco-friendly. This product is laid over existing countertops and other surfaces which means there is no cost of tearing it out and not as much trash going to our landfills. I would highly recommend it. There is a showroom in Harrisburg, PA. If anyone is interested in the location I will be happy to share it with you. I am completely pleased with the product and work done.

The post above that states the installer is key and can make it or break it is so true. We just paid $2600 and had granicrete counters put in on 4/1/09 and have mutltiple problems with the design on the 4" backsplash part. Looks like a kid took a spray can in different colors and sprayed it with some dripping down. We have other issues such as chips and others, but too much to explain. The point is, the risk of dealing with these independents is huge. We feel ripped off because we are told by 3 contractors, 2 being from granicrete that our defects can't be repaired. We were told that we should have never paid for these as that was our leverage to get the installer to rectify the problems. We are stuck and considering legal action. We also learned that the price we paid is not much less than real granite. We learned an expensive lesson!

DIY

Here is a link that might be useful: SpreadStone

So, the question is do you think that you should just do this yourself or leave it up to the pros? I mean if you spend 500 with a little knowledge of construction how difficult can it be if it's a 2 day class? Just curious if anybody on here has done it thereself vs. the "professional" installers? Thanks!

I am thinking of taking the class. But did look at the website for spreadstone and like that too? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I would be glad to discuss the Granicrete product and answer questions.
Great product, hardier than granite, cheaper in most cases.

I've used their product twice, overall we really love it. the first time we had our kitchen island done with granicrete. they did wonderful job, we had what we call the "Flinstone Edge" a rough edge but not sharp in any way. When the island was complete, it looked like a river running thru it.

The second time the workmanship was good but the professionalism was terrible. He said he would be done with both bathroom in about 3 weeks. we had the floor, walls (partially), and the ceiling over the shower done. It went from a GOTH motief from the previous owner to a traditional look, He took 3 weeks on that bath alone, then the up charges started, and he started to nickle and dime us to death. The Product is good and is durable, just make sure you get the background on the installers. I would recommend this product

What a dubious collection of mostly SPAM responses.

I had Granicrete put on my countertops about 5 years ago. The coloration is great, but the product is not what it appears. The overlay of this product around my sink is pulling away from the formica underneath it. The edges in some places is so rough you could actually scrape you skin on it. If even a speck of dust gets on it while it is drying, it will show. Now in some places it is so dull there is no shine left. I was told I had the best installer in my area. He never secured my dishwasher after he was done. I called him no less than 3 times to have him come and try to fix a couple of spots that the epoxy didn't cover. He never returned my call. I would NOT recommend this product. It was half the price of granite, but now, 5 years later I'm going to have to pay even more to pull this out and have a new countertop installed.

We had Granicrete installed in our kitchen about 2 1/2 years ago . It is the worst thing we could have ever done!! $ 2400.00 and it is crumbling around the edges, I have had to use a magic marker to fill where the edges have fallen off. The sheen has worn off so bad that I have had to used any kind of wax product I can find to just get by until we can get some new counter tops installed. Absolutely the worst and most expensive mistake we have made. NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

We had our countertop in the kitchen (large expanse) covered in Granicrete in 2009 or so. The old top was covered in a very dated formica, but it’s a very solid top and very firmly attached to the cabinets, so that would have been a massive and costly job to rip out and replace. Some 13 years later we are still very happy with the look, although the topcoat of epoxy has sustained some visible scratches. We went for an industrial concrete look, and with the color variations etc. the scratches are not very visible at all. I’m thinking a light sanding and recounting with epoxy might help rejuvenate it.
I don’t know that I would do entire walls or ceilings with it - but for a countertop it has been great.

Our entire downstairs flooring was done wiht Granicrete overlay in March 2015. We are 10 years into the floors, still as shiney and amazing as week 1! Its the first thing people see when they enter the house and its always a great conversation starter.