ahberden 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Hi all,Been scouting around for a dining table for the longest time... finally narrow down to 3 choices:1. $395 brown black wooden table from Ikea.2. $1800 brown black indo teak table from 1 of the shops in Furniture Mall.3. $3800 granite top, stainless steel support and legs. (My dream table )All prices excludes dining chairs....How much are you willing to pay for a dining table?How good is granite for using with granite for a table top? Pros and cons?Really headache... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oonik grl 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Initially FH and I was tinking abt 800 fr a dining set (inclusive of chairs). We were even looking at second hand items. Then, we found a nice set (to us) at Scanteak but it was over our budget (approx $1400). After thinking it over, we decided to get it due to the following reasons:(1) long lasting. my parents have a lot of Scanteak products which are still doing good till this day(2) we like the design. no point getting soemthing that wun make us feel "happy" when we see it every morning and sit on it every dinnertimeTo us, it's all about compromising all the different aspects: budget, design and usage.I dun have any granite stuff at my home so can't answer u much on the pros and cons. All the best ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JS21 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Perhaps you can try custom making your own granite dining top, if you really like granite alot. Meaning, buy a stainless steel structure with glass top, then replace the glass top with your choice table top. But make sure the structure is strong enough to hold the weight of the granite. For me, granite has a very busy look, I prefer marble tops. Btw, I read before that buying quality dining chairs is more important than an expensive dining top. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ahberden 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Perhaps you can try custom making your own granite dining top, if you really like granite alot. Meaning, buy a stainless steel structure with glass top, then replace the glass top with your choice table top. But make sure the structure is strong enough to hold the weight of the granite. For me, granite has a very busy look, I prefer marble tops. Btw, I read before that buying quality dining chairs is more important than an expensive dining top. Hmm... good idea...I have only seen white marble tops so far... and black marble ones? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jule 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Hi all,Been scouting around for a dining table for the longest time... finally narrow down to 3 choices:1. $395 brown black wooden table from Ikea.2. $1800 brown black indo teak table from 1 of the shops in Furniture Mall.3. $3800 granite top, stainless steel support and legs. (My dream table !! )All prices excludes dining chairs....How much are you willing to pay for a dining table?How good is granite for using with granite for a table top? Pros and cons?Really headache... I think for granite, there is a wide variety and origins. I know some granite is much more exp than marble. In fact, it's the nicer looking ones... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JS21 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 I've seen giallo cinesa onyx top (yellow wavy band onyx), I pretty much love the onyx look (green, honey or giallo cinesa), which is translucent and can be lit up from beneath like a lantern to give an illuminating effect. The idea and designing is the easy part, the implementation is tedious and difficult. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JS21 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 The black granites are indeed very beautiful, I was once eyeing at the blue pearl and black galaxy granite, but for health reasons, decided not to go for granite. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ahberden 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 The black granites are indeed very beautiful, I was once eyeing at the blue pearl and black galaxy granite, but for health reasons, decided not to go for granite.Can enlighten me on the health issues? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JS21 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Cos granite give off constant radon gases which is poison to our bodies. For myself, I prefer not to take the risk even though nothing bad has been officially said about granite, still you can easily google to read reports about radon in granite. Imagine putting food on radioactive granite tabletops on a daily basis and eating them thereafter...According to the marble supplier I bought from, red and black granite are the most poisonous. Ever wonder why Takashimaya is cladded in red granite slabs...there's a story to that too.On the contrary, I've read glowing health reviews about lavastones, and personally my husband placed lavastones in the plants we grow, and they're growing well now when before the leaves were always turning yellow. so I believe there's an effect (albeit positive or negative) of these stones on living things. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zirhk3355 1 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 According to the marble supplier I bought from, red and black granite are the most poisonous. Ever wonder why Takashimaya is cladded in red granite slabs...there's a story to that too.Hey, I very nosy, care to share about the red granite of taka?? Ok it will be off-topic here, so can start another thread or pm me lah! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JS21 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Err.. story not fantastic enough to start another thread lah. hehe..share share here..I heard from the marble supplier that before Taka was built, they consulted fengshui experts (as usual), who studied the history of the site and found out that it was previously a burial ground, very inauspicious for commerical buildings. so they advised the architects to use red granite in the construction of Taka to ward off the evil and bad luck. Red granite was chosen because the poison in it is able to counter the negativities of the burial ground. I actually did a google search on Taka and the burial ground truth...just for interest sake, here's what I found:Towards the later part of the 1840s, graveyards began to appear along the road. By 1846, the Chinese had a large graveyard around what is now the Mandarin Hotel and Ngee Ann City,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchard_RoadThe complex sits on land owned by the Kongsi, part of a parcel of land known as Tai Shan Ting, bounded by Orchard, Paterson and Grange roads. Tai Shan Ting was one of the several burial grounds owned and managed by the Kongsi. The cemetery was cleared in 1957 and parcels of land were leased for 99 years to Mandarin Hotel, Cathay Cineleisure Orchard and the Indonesian government (now Wisma Atria). The remaining land was acquired by the Government for a teachers' training college on Paterson Hill, MRT projects and road widening projects. A 10-storey Ngee Ann Building stood on the land for a while before it made way for the current complex. Today, the shopping complex is leased to Takashimaya and its subsidiary Toshin Development Company Limited, and its successful model has been emulated by many others in the region.http://www.ngeeann.com.sg/webtop/property.phtml Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
owm 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Wow...did not realize that using granite would be such a health hazard! Good to know about it!As for dining table, I think it is important to buy something that you really like since it is a one-off investment and most people will not look to change it over the years. I agree that the chairs will be more important Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anything 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 Hubby and I are planning to spend around $700 on a normal cellini dinning table (including 4 chairs), too little? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
applefreak 1 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 not all things should be measured by its price tagif you feel that it's good enough for you, then it's good enoughpersonally, i'd go for something that i can afford (i.e. don't have to beg borrow or steal to buy it) and i like it very muchi don't want to borrow money (loan of any kind) to buy things, but i also don't want to face something i don't like everyday :sport-smiley-018: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hongss 3 Report post Posted December 26, 2007 (edited) Yes, i agree. No point over stretch your pocket just because you want something. No problem if you can easily afford whatever price of the dining table you wanted. But personally, i would not spend over $1500 for a table inclusive of chairs. I rather spend on electronic appliances for home entertainment i.e Nice TV and game console That's just me.. not all things should be measured by its price tagif you feel that it's good enough for you, then it's good enoughpersonally, i'd go for something that i can afford (i.e. don't have to beg borrow or steal to buy it) and i like it very muchi don't want to borrow money (loan of any kind) to buy things, but i also don't want to face something i don't like everyday :deal: Edited December 26, 2007 by hongss Share this post Link to post Share on other sites