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5 Granite Countertops for your Kitchen
Granite countertops may have fallen a little our of fashion lately with the popularity of Quartz Counters but they are still a good choice for your kitchen. In the embedded Houzz post below you’ll see 5 of the more popular granite counters at the moment.
[houzz=http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/16354930/list/5-favorite-granites-for-gorgeous-kitchen-countertops w=620]
Getting Granite for Your Kitchen – Step By Step
Who to call:
If you’re remodeling your whole kitchen I hope you would call us! We’ll help you select your granite and get it installed properly as part of the entire remodel. However if you only need countertops you don’t need to get a contractor involved. There are a few approaches you can take:
Visit a cabinet shop (we love working with Cabinetry Design Studio).
They will have granite samples and can connect you with an installer. Most cabinet shops do not have large slabs for you to chose from, just samples that are 6×6 inches or 12×12 inches. Bring pictures of your kitchen so they can help you choose the right color of granite for your decor.
I find that cabinet shops are really good at helping you select a stone that it in your budget and suits your decor.
Contact an Installer directly
We only use Southern Tops for our stone counter top installs. They are meticulous and always go the extra mile to make sure the install is done right. I’ve tried other installers but have been disappointed with their results, especially with large, high volume shops like MultiStone Enterprises.
Contact an installer directly if you already know what you want. They can get the stone from their supplier and then fabricate and install it for you. An installer is not going to offer a lot of help in selecting your stone so if you need help with that visit a cabinet shop or granite showroom.
Visit a granite showroom
A granite showroom, or a tile showroom like Sellars Tile who also carry Granite, is a great way to pick out an individual slab or slabs that you really like. It can also be overwhelming. All granite is quite pretty and when you see all those slabs laid out it can be really hard to choose. You’re also more likely to choose the most expensive stone on the lot.
I find that granite shops are little less helpful than Cabinet shops when it comes to helping you select colors etc… I don’t have experience with all the granite showrooms in town though,that’s just my experience.
Both a granite showroom and a cabinet showroom can connect you with an fabricator/installer – read my special note about choosing installers below.
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The person or people who install your counter tops are the most important part of the process. The differences that make a really good install and a poor one are subtle and you might not notice them right away. I ask one question when considering an installer:
Is the person who measures the kitchen the same person who installs the stone?
If the answer to this question is no that is a deal breaker for me. Having separate people measure and install leads to communication errors and bad installations. I don’t know why so many shops continue to have a salesman or the owner measure and then have someone else fabricate and install. Installers need to see the project from day one to look for any potential issues.
I like working with independent installers who measure, fabricate and install the stone they install. The more middlemen you involve the more likely an error will be made.
What Happens After You Choose Your Stone?
Once you’ve made your granite selection there are a few things that need to be done:
- Have your countertops measured – the installer will come out and template your counter
- Installer will order your stone – It takes about a week for your stone to arrive
- Installer will fabricate your stone – this also takes a week or even two if the shop is really busy.
- Installer will install your stone – this can typically be done in a day
Expect it to take 2 -3 weeks from time of measuring to the time of you installation date.
Thank you for reading! We’d love to be a part of your next remodel. Check out our design services page
Paul McManus
Certified Residential Contractor, CRC1331326
