Project Get-Our-House-Fixed-Up-To-Sell is in full force with our kitchen remodel getting done this week! The old battered thermofoil cabinet doors and drawers are outta here and those lovely mint green formica countertops are next. We’re replacing them with an inexpensive granite and I can’t wait to see what a difference it makes!
Oh and did I mention that this entire kitchen remodel is being done start to finish in five days?? Already, the new maple cabinet doors are up and the trim around the top and bottom of the cabinetry are starting to be installed.
Since this kitchen remodel is being done on a tight budget, we’re sticking with an inexpensive entry level granite to keep the cost in check. It’s pretty crazy how much the price can go up when you jump up just a tier or two on your granite.
And while of course I would have loved to have walked straight to some drool-worthy slabs of carrara marble and slapped a “mine” label on them, sticking with an entry level granite turned out to be more doable than I had thought. After visiting a few granite yards, I narrowed my tier one granite choices down to three favorites that I think would all be great choices for a kitchen remodel on a budget.
The first of my favorites is New Caledonia (also known as Oyster Pearl) – it’s great for neutral-loving peeps like me since it includes shades of white, black, brown, and gray.
and it coordinates nicely with white cabinets:
Another great option is New Venetian Gold, which is one of the most popular granites out there.
Want to save this post?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I like how it looks with white cabinets but think it looks even better with wood-toned ones.
And finally, I really liked Black Pearl (also known as Black Uba Tuba) – it’s a black granite that has quite a bit of variation in tone throughout it, which is key for hiding the watermarks that more flat blacks can easily show.
So which granite is getting installed in my kitchen on Thursday? Black Pearl was the winner! I think it’s going to work best with the simple, clean lines of our kitchen and the adjoining family room.
Update! Our kitchen reno is done! Here’s how it turned out with our black pearl countertops:
You can get all the details on the rest of this budget-friendly kitchen remodel in my post on kitchen cabinet refacing!
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says
Oh the black is going to be stunning.
cassie @ primitive & proper says
i have always loved black granite! we got it in our old house in our bathroom and it showed every water mark and toothpaste left behind by kids, so that will probably be my last black granite experience, but when clean it sure is pretty!
Vel says
It’s so exciting! I missed out a lot of your posts, so I’ll be doing some back-reading! Good luck Kris!
Linda says
We have had the black Uba Tuba in our kitchen for a few years now and I still love it as much as the day it was installed . Our cabinets are almond color with black hardware. Good luck.
Lisa @ Shine Your Light says
So fun to see your progress! How fun to do this quick remodel (and a lot of work I’m sure!) We had Uba Tuba in our last house and really liked it. Your kitchen is going to look great when you are done with it!
Taylor Greenwalt says
What a great choice..cant wait to see it!
Carolyn says
Where did you find your granite?
Kris Jarrett says
I got it at Daltile in Cincinnati
Mimi says
Your kitchen is beautiful! I painted my cabinets white in 2016 and got black pearl granite. I love the way it looks too!
Ann says
Really need help with finding a wall color for Santa Cecilia ….non yellow cream , no tans with gold tones something new to update a bathroom, I have brown light walnut color cabinets that I want to keep. Only one window facing west over tub…. Will be putting in a claw foot tub….orb fixtures …… new tile ….can you help me with some suggestions? Or link me to some whites or creams …..house is in BM Baby Fawn. Undertones are my arch nemesis BF is the grey I can see any purple undertones….. at least yet.
Thank you for you time