Brittany Dog Mom, you made the comment below on the subway tile post:

"I have read several online articles and blogs lately about granite becoming passe, though"

I panicked a little since I am in the process of doing an update of three bathrooms and using granite in all of them. What did the blogs say is replacing the granite? Anyone else have any input on this?

I'm not BDM, but I've read the same thing about granite becoming passe. I will say personally that I wouldn't listen to or care one bit about the trends and fads and what is in and out. I would use whatever I wanted in my home on my countertops that appealed to me. My personal opinion is that granite is a natural material that will stand the test of time and will be around for along time. My husband is a developer, and we still hear....we want granite no matter what in upper end homes! So please, don't put too much credence in these articles. Most of the time, saying something is out of vogue is driven by the industry to promote other newer products. If you want something that is going to be in vogue forever, it's not going to happen because trends come and go and you'll be chasing them forever. Just use your judgement and go with what feels right for you and your home and budget. Granite will always IMO increase the value of a home because of the nature of the material. Good luck. BTW....I do not have granite in my home, so I'm not biased, and hopefully I am objective on the topic with no underlying agenda! Just thought I'd throw that out so that you know my opinion isn't based on what I have in my home and wanting to convince myself it's always going to be "in style."

There will always be people who follow trends. Granite became and many people jumped aboard the bandwagon because it was trendy. Personally I think it is a beautiful natural material. But there are a few others I personally love. For me, if it's a quality material and it works with your home and style, go for it and forget the trends (unless it's a demanded trend in your area and your selling).

The new trend in high end homes in California, where I guess many trends start, is quartz or Silestone in high end homes. Just remember, these "trends" are started by marketers who want to spend more money.

I agree about trends, I go with what I like and don't worry about it. If you tried to keep up with every trend you would never be satisfied. I love granite and just had it installed on both of my bathroom vanities. Same with the stainless steel appliances, they are in now, but in a few years white appliance may be the big thing again. I say go with what you like and can afford.

While I have no strong feelings either for or against granite I wonder if the reason it may be "falling out of favor" is the consumer's desire for something more unique. When anything becomes popular there will always be those who do not want it because they want something different and "new".

The other reason may be that while granite is a very durable material there may be some granite countertops which have been installed improperly so they have developed cracks, or they had fissures initially which have become more noticeable with time. Also I am certain there are some people who do not care for it properly which can lead others to think it is a material which may have problems for them - it can stain if not sealed. It has been popular for long enough for the downsides (there are not many) to show up.

I think it's a good lesson to realize that very little stays at the top of the trend ladder forever. However, I'm almost certain that granite will be around for a very long time.

I believe one reason it is falling out of favor in some circles is because it is not an easily renewable resource. Mining for those huge slabs of granite is quite distructive to the earth. Here is a link to a previous discussion on this subject. This is another discussion of the two on GardenWeb. And finally, here is a lot of information from Bob Vila's website on the subject.

The blogs that I had read were mostly from Realtors....They said (and you can find several articles by just doing a Google search on 'granite passe') said that granite used to be put in high end houses only. Now that the masses are using it, it's no longer that desirable. Some are saying that quartz is replacing it.

Just like the others above, reading that wouldn't affect my opinion on whether to use it or not one iota. I did face lifts in my bathrooms lats year and used Carerra marble in one, and granite in the other. I don't plan to sell my house until the time that I can no longer care for it, so anything I do is for ME, no one else.

Thank you all for your comforting words. I always get nervous when making a big investment.

We have a huge counter top (solid surface, granite) manufacturer right in our area and what he told us was that people were choosing quartz surfaces like Zodiaq or silestone over granite. It can't crack, no worries about how to clean, doesn't have to be sealed. We have Zodiaq counter tops and love them.

However, granite is so beautiful and can be so unique. The manufacturer I am speaking of has tent sales where slabs go for fractions of what it would normally cost and we sometimes go down just to look at all the beautiful stone.

We just got a huge granite slab for a desktop that was cut and polished for us for only $150. I'm talking huge enough for an executive desk.

Nothing stays in style forever (if it did -- we would all still have avocado green or coppertone appliances).

IMO, styles start in higher price homes and then they trickle down to middle class homes.

When they trickle down and are in every home -- then the high end homes have to come up with something different and the cycle begins again.

Our house is a 1920's four square and we chose white marble for our countertops because we felt it went with our old house better than marble. We do have a "professional" stove but I think stainless refrigerators are trendy and ours is white and I will replace with white. think it fits our house better.

The only time I think that you need to be "trendy" is whenever you are planning on selling within five years -- if you're not, then go with what pleases you.

Martha