June/July 2010 - PAWPRINT PUBLISHING

NEWS
Lightweight top that ‘fits on top’ fits marine
lifestyle
A GRANITE Transformations
worktop surface, known as the
top that fits on top, is normally
associated with kitchen
makeovers on dry land.
Yet the material’s comparatively
light weight and flexibility make it
equally suitable for marine applications,
where its outstanding resistance
to stains, spills, scratches
and heat should enable the diamond-polished
finish to withstand
the toughest conditions afloat.
Retired decorator and former
deputy headteacher, John and
Joan Hodgson, chose Trend R,
Granite Transformations’ luxurious
granite mix, for the galley of the
recently-built narrowboat, the material
fitting beautifully over the
original laminate worktops. The
work was carried out quickly and
unobtrusively by Granite Transformations’
Nottinghamshire showroom,
in Newark, which also
performed a similar galley
makeover on a 60 ft yacht owned
by a retired boatbuilder, around
the same time.
“With its hi tech blend of finest
Italian granite and around 5%
polyester resin, this material is far
lighter and slimmer than granite
slab or engineered stone, yet
offers the same, if not superior,
technical performance,” says local
GT franchise owner, Ian Floyde.
“Flexing on a boat can cause
cracking, which would certainly be
a problem with natural stone, but
our material has excellent flexural
strength. There can also be a ballast
issue if there is too much
weight on one side of the boat, although
again our agglomerate is
two thirds lighter than granite
slab. There are no maintenance
problems either, with no need for
regular sealing to prevent odours
and staining.”
For John and Joan Hodgson,
their galley surfaces and splashbacks
will need to retain their
good looks for years to come, because
they have actually sold their
home and plan to live on the narrowboat
full time. After more than
20 years of canal boating, either
renting or through shared ownership,
they finally took the plunge
recently and invested in a 60 ft
long x 7 ft wide steel shell, then
had it fitted out in luxurious American
Ash, by Manchester specialists,
Crown Narrowboats.
The boat’s name is Tagine
Queen, because Joan had a penchant
for lamb tagine when visiting
a particular canalside pub and
was nicknamed that by the landlady.
She and John also had a hankering
from granite worktops in
the galley, but the cost would
have taken them over budget.
Later, however, a boatbuilder told
them about ‘the top that fits on
top’, its affordability and practicality,
so the distinctive look and appeal
of Italian granite was
suddenly feasible.
The Tagine Queen’s exterior is
painted in eau de nil and meadow
green (and regularly maintained
by ex-professional painter John),
so the worktops are in another
shade of green, Verde Olivia. Described
appropriately by the designer
as ‘resembling a mountain
stream at twilight’, it features
flecks of black and copper floating
on a bed of dark mossy greens and
complements the galley’s light ash
woodwork perfectly.
The two 8 ft x 2 ft and 5 ft x 2 ft
countertops were measured up
and templated by a GT technician,
then made off-site at the Newark
workshops, before being fitted in
less than a day, with no mess, ripping
out or disruption.
“Apart from access and a relatively
confined workspace, it was a
perfectly straightforward job,” says
Ian Floyde. “We just had to bring
the slabs in through a narrowboat
window.”
Granite Transformations
Tel 0800 822 3410
Email enquiries@
granitetransformations.co.uk
www.granitetransformations.co.uk
Page 8 Panel, Wood & Solid Surface June/July 2010