Piedrafina countertop

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Irvine2Irvine

New member
I went to my first design center appointment for the Sonoma house.  They were offering a product called Piedrafina.  It's a product where they combine leftover marble with resin and create a solid surface product for countertops and shower walls.  The price was reasonable and it looks nice.

Has anyone have any experience with the product?  I am wondering if there's anything that I should consider before purchasing it.
 
Do you have something against the standard Granite?  The standard Granite over at Montecito was nice - you have four colors/choices to choose from...
 
ajw522 said:
Do you have something against the standard Granite?  The standard Granite over at Montecito was nice - you have four colors/choices to choose from...
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I am taking the standard granite for the kitchen.
The Piedrafina would be for the bathroom countertops and shower/tub surrounds.  The slabs are a lot cheaper than granite or other stones and looks fairly nice.
 
I don't have much knowledge on the material, but I actually opted for the Piedrafina in my master bathroom.  It looks really nice to me and as you said, the price was reasonable.  The good thing is you don't have to seal it like granite since it's man-made and doesn't deteriorate at a high rate like granite. 

I have standard granite in my kitchen as well.  Hope this helps.
 
scubasteve said:
I don't have much knowledge on the material, but I actually opted for the Piedrafina in my master bathroom.  It looks really nice to me and as you said, the price was reasonable.  The good thing is you don't have to seal it like granite since it's man-made and doesn't deteriorate at a high rate like granite. 

I have standard granite in my kitchen as well.  Hope this helps.
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I have been doing some research since I first posted this topic.  The Piedrafina contains 95% marble.  I actually thought the same thing as you did but the design center actually told me that's not the case.  The product care brochure states it should be sealed.
http://www.pfsurfaces.com/files/PIEDRAFINA_CARE_AND_MAINTENANCE.pdf

So, I will seal the bathroom counters and shower walls when I seal the kitchen counter top on yearly basis.
 
According to the website I read about it, you still have to seal it regularly like marble as it's still made of marble.

I'm probably going to go with man-made material like recycled glass and ceramic... greener and less maintenance.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
According to the website I read about it, you still have to seal it regularly like marble as it's still made of marble.

I'm probably going to go with man-made material like recycled glass and ceramic... greener and less maintenance.
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Do they have recycled glass or ceramic in slabs?
I hate grout lines.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
According to the website I read about it, you still have to seal it regularly like marble as it's still made of marble.

I'm probably going to go with man-made material like recycled glass and ceramic... greener and less maintenance.
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Hmm.. damn those KB Home specialists! They told me I didn't have to seal it!  I guess I have more fun time for the weekend.  =T
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Irvine2Irvine said:
Do they have recycled glass or ceramic in slabs?
I hate grout lines.
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Yes.

There's quite a few:
http://www.enviroglasproducts.com/slab.asp
http://www.icestone.biz/
http://www.vetrazzo.com/

Even cement:
http://www.urbanslabs.com

Even stuff like Quartzite or Silestone... only because you don't have to worry too much about sealing them and since they are man-made, you have more variety with size, shapes and finishes.
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Seems like they are all out of my price range since I like that the Piedrofina's price allows me to have the shower walls as slabs.  Going with recycled glass or Silestone will at least double if not triple the cost.  But, I think they definitely make good alternative for the kitchen granite counter.
 
Really? I would think the manufacturing costs for Piedro and any of the others would be the same and then the glass/manmade materials would be cheaper because they're either recycles or manufactured.

I always wonder why going green usually costs more green.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Really? I would think the manufacturing costs for Piedro and any of the others would be the same and then the glass/manmade materials would be cheaper because they're either recycles or manufactured.

I always wonder why going green usually costs more green.
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Thanks for all the links IHO.  Even if they cost more than some of the other options they DO offer alternatives in look to those cheaper options and to granite - especially for people who are worried about all that radioactive granite (or whatever that was) that was being found in people's kitchens. 

And if these gain in popularity the prices will drop, better ways to manufacture will be found, etc. Just look at how much solar panels ahve improved over the last 20 years.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Really? I would think the manufacturing costs for Piedro and any of the others would be the same and then the glass/manmade materials would be cheaper because they're either recycles or manufactured.

I always wonder why going green usually costs more green.
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I got pricing for all 4 bathroom vanity countertops, Master shower and bathtub surrounds, 2nd bathtub surround, and downstairs shower surround in slabs for less then $6K after about $2K credit for tile work.  Piedrofina is considered "recycled" because they are using the marble pieces that used to be discarded in the past.  I think they make it into a huge chunk and then cut them into slabs.  If they were molding it into individual slabs, then it would be non-porous and cost just as much as Silestone. 

 
Irvine2Irvine said:
I got pricing for all 4 bathroom vanity countertops, Master shower and bathtub surrounds, 2nd bathtub surround, and downstairs shower surround in slabs for less then $6K after about $2K credit for tile work.  Piedrofina is considered "recycled" because they are using the marble pieces that used to be discarded in the past.  I think they make it into a huge chunk and then cut them into slabs.  If they were molding it into individual slabs, then it would be non-porous and cost just as much as Silestone. 
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What was the 2K credit for?  Do they give that after you spend a certain amount on upgrades
 
nytransplant said:
Irvine2Irvine said:
I got pricing for all 4 bathroom vanity countertops, Master shower and bathtub surrounds, 2nd bathtub surround, and downstairs shower surround in slabs for less then $6K after about $2K credit for tile work.  Piedrofina is considered "recycled" because they are using the marble pieces that used to be discarded in the past.  I think they make it into a huge chunk and then cut them into slabs.  If they were molding it into individual slabs, then it would be non-porous and cost just as much as Silestone. 
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What was the 2K credit for?  Do they give that after you spend a certain amount on upgrades
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The standard is white tile surfaces.  Since they wouldn't have to hire a contractor for any tile work, they gave me some credit.
 
nytransplant said:
What was the 2K credit for?
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Usually when you upgrade, they credit you the cost for the standard installed items. For example, if you put tile or wood in an area where it's carpeted, they will credit you the cost to carpet it.

In the end, it still costs more via the builder's design center (although some things are more competitive nowadays) but you do get the convenience of not having to deal with finding a 3rd party etc etc.
 
nytransplant said:
Irvine2Irvine said:
I got pricing for all 4 bathroom vanity countertops, Master shower and bathtub surrounds, 2nd bathtub surround, and downstairs shower surround in slabs for less then $6K after about $2K credit for tile work.  Piedrofina is considered "recycled" because they are using the marble pieces that used to be discarded in the past.  I think they make it into a huge chunk and then cut them into slabs.  If they were molding it into individual slabs, then it would be non-porous and cost just as much as Silestone. 
Click to expand...

What was the 2K credit for?  Do they give that after you spend a certain amount on upgrades
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I believe the credit would be since he is upgrading, they are giving back what the standard tile would have cost, since the tile was included in the base purchase price.
 
ajw522 said:
nytransplant said:
What was the 2K credit for?  Do they give that after you spend a certain amount on upgrades
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I believe the credit would be since he is upgrading, they are giving back what the standard tile would have cost, since the tile was included in the base purchase price.
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Yes, that's exactly what it is.  I checked the paperwork again and the credit is almost $3K.  Not bad, but still a lot less than what it would have cost the builder to pay the tile contractor for parts and labor.
 
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