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essdana

solid black counter top--what material & where to find?

essdana
11 years ago

Hello, I am looking for countertop material as close to this as possible. Granite isn't an option because of the flecks; or maybe there is a granite with minimal amount of flecks that is as rich of a black as this? I actually bought the sink and would love to have the total look. This is for a bathroom.

Thanks in advance!

Here is a link that might be useful: Lacava sink set in black countertop

Comments (14)

  • msl511
    11 years ago

    Your link takes me to a sign in page for an email account.

    Have you looked at absolute black granite?

  • LE
    11 years ago

    We have black Richlite in our MBa and really like it. We were about to put it in our kitchen, but decided it might make the space too dark since the only window is on the north. Our cabinetmaker gave us a sink cutout to abuse and I used it as a cutting board, set hot pans on it, and sat it next to the sink for a while. It has held up to a lot of mistreatment and still looks amazingly good. (I didn't see the link you posted because I didn't want to sign in to a new site just for that.) in the bathroom, it doesn't take as much abuse. We have some finish to put on it, have only used it once in 4 years.

  • tricia257
    11 years ago

    I googled lacava sink and it seems to be porcelain?

    Absolute black granite is a solid black granite. (I heard that it is actually dolomite (sp?) but nevertheless they just sell it as granite. Its a very nice choice for plain black. Many quartz companies also make a plain black.
    Check out Hanstone, Silestone, and caesarstone.

  • essdana
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the quick responses! Didn't realize the link necessitated a log-in. The link below is from lacava website.

    The absolute black granite I've seen varies in its fleck level but I really like the rich deep look of this counter.

    Lori, I've looked at Richlite earlier today--the black diamond looks close; do you have that one? Not sure from the pics but it does seem to have a little variation. I've read that it gets a patina and gets paler around the sink. Has that been your experience?

    I didn't find anything in Silestone but I will check out Hanstone. I know I'm being picky but this bathroom is going to be so cool!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Lacava sink set in black countertop

  • essdana
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I think I found it!

    Reading mixed reviews on durability. It will get daily use from bed and breakfast guests using curling irons, make-up. I usually don't clean the rooms daily--it's not a hotel--so I may not catch things that sit too long on the counter. So 1) do you think this is the material and 2) for those who have it, is it durable enough for people who may not be as careful as a home owner would be?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Nocturne corian

  • JXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
    11 years ago

    That is a cool look. Cambria makes a color called Cambrian Black with only very slight speckles.

    Disneyland has Corian countertops everywhere so I would say that Corian is quite durable given the beating that those counters take.

  • zackin
    11 years ago

    My understanding is that dark colors in Corian show white underneath scratches. I don't have personal experience, but you might want to ask specifically about the Nocturne color before committing to it.

  • LE
    11 years ago

    We do have the black. I have not noticed any lightening around the sink in the bathroom. The color is very even and very matte. The scrap I've been playing with in the kitchen shows a little patina in the right light. You can see the outline of a pot lid if the angle is just so. But I've been deliberately abusing that piece! If I wanted something more bulletproof, I'd also look at the quartz options.

  • Minker
    11 years ago

    What about Tao by Silestone?

  • essdana
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback. Lori, I found a remnant that is 6ft x 3 ft; I need 4x2. I was quoted $550 plus $150 for shipping from Richmond to DC. What do you think of that price?

    Also, I did look at Tao but read some horror stories on the kitchen forum....

  • LE
    11 years ago

    We had ours installed 4 years ago. I am recalling a raw material price of 25.00 per SF, so the price you were quoted (30.00 for the 6x3) seems reasonable. Our guy was doing the whole fabrication plus cabinets plus installation, so this seller needs to make something on the material itself, plus prices may have gone up in 4 years. I don't know about shipping costs, but the stuff is pretty heavy! I was looking at ours again this morning for water spots around the sink and faucets and not seeing them. It has been a couple of years since we treated it (with something called Good Stuff) and it probably needs it again to darken it up. Here's a photo of when it was new-- this obviously isn't the sink, but it's the image I have handy.

    Here is a link that might be useful: example of our black Richlite

  • essdana
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    It's exactly what I want! Thanks Lori.

  • essdana
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Lori, what about oil/ grease marks?

  • LE
    11 years ago

    essdana, I put some olive oil on a paper towel last night and dabbed it on a couple of cornes of the sink cutout I experiment on. It didn't soak in, just sort of sat there. I let it sit there over night and this morning, I wiped it up. Because it didn't soak in, I ended up just sort of smearing it over about half of the top. Then that half actually looked better! Kind of like when I put the wood polish on only half the dining room table, the second half looks sort of "dry," if you know what I mean. This morning, I wiped down the whole surface when I did some leftover dishes-- knives and utensils with wooden handles that don't go in the D/W. It looks pretty much the same now. If you want to do your own experiments, you can get one of those small black cutting boards made by Epicurean. They are literally the same material-- the thinner thickness, I think they are scraps from the Skatelite product they make skateboard ramps from, but the same material. That way, you could test with products more likely to be abused in a bathroom, esp. of a B&B.