Home Improvement:
Granite countertop
and glass backsplash
Many years ago, we had seen a granite sample at
the ill-fated “Home Depot Expo” called “Tsoa Pearl”
It had amazing blue mica embedded in a translucent
green stone.. It was quite eye-catching. Eventually,
we tracked it down to this granite from Madagascar.
This will need to be seamed later on.
I wish I had pictures of the cool machine on a tripod
that made a 3D mapping of the kitchen layout, but I
don’t. So this is afterward when Gerrity Stone in
Woburn installed the pieces cut from two sequential
slabs of the Labradorite Blue.
We also happen to see this remnant that was done
in a “leathered” finish. The treatment involves
abrading the stone with course brushes and then
polishing the resultant bumpy surface. When you
see it, you have to touch it. You’d think it would be
hard to clean, but it’s not. Actually, it also
conveniently hides a bit of dirt between cleanings.
This is now more commonly known as “Labradorite
Blue”, “Blue Australe”, or “Labradorite Blue
Australe”. It is one of the only granites sourced from
Madagascar, and so it was not too hard to track
down.
The seaming involves vacuum clamps that grip each
side of the seam and pull it tight. Using colored
epoxy and carefully grinding / polishing the
squeeze-out, the seam comes out fairly invisible.
There will be no getting that sink out from under the
granite unless the cabinet is destroyed beneath it.
Sapele lumber pass-through sill
Glass Backsplash
