Did You Know – Countertops
Sneak Peek of our new granite countertops
Did you know that you can go to a countertop distributor and pick out the exact granite, marble, quartz or quartzite slabs for your new counters? We had no idea until I couldn’t find a quartz slab in town that I loved. They suggested I look on line at a distributor and they could order it for me.
After looking on line I read that we could go and tour the distributors slabs. It was an hour away but worth it to see what we were purchasing. I walked in determined to buy quartz and told her to show me what they had. I found one I liked but it didn’t make the bells and whistles go off, so I said that I was 95% sure I still wanted quartz but just for the heck of it, show me granite.
I fell in love so fast looking at all the granite countertops that I changed my mind immediately! It is amazing the beauty of the hard stone that is cut from the earth and can have all the beautiful colors and designs made by nature. Brazil supplies the majority of the world’s granite for countertops, followed by Italy, India, and China, ours came from India.
After I picked out my favorite slab, the lady asked where should she send the information to. We couldn’t buy it from the distributor so I had looked on line and saw three places in my town that was authorized to accept granite from this distributor.
I called a place 10 minutes from our house and the customer service was awful. Not returning my call or sending my estimate. When he finally got back to me, everything was extra such as making the edges smooth, sealing the granite etc.
Believe it or not, Home Depot was another place they dealt with. Although the same exact granite was a little cheaper, the reviews said their installer was horrible, an hour away, they took weeks to install and didn’t return any phone calls.
Finally I called a monument company that also installs countertops so we made an appointment. The customer service was absolutely amazing. They have been in business since before I was born! It is a local company that is family owned and I found out the owner lives right down the road from us!
I asked about sinks because I wanted a 16 gauge stainless steel sink. He said he will give me one for free. This place was $1,000 cheaper for the same exact slabs we picked out compare to the first place. They didn’t charge anything extra other than a bracket to hold the sink in. So my point is, do your homework because as bad as the service is anymore, there are still good ones out there and it may just be the little guy that has a family business.
We were asked to go back to the distributor to pick out the two slabs we wanted. I found it interesting the way they moved the slabs so below are a few pictures of the process.
The huge steel beams had a pulley system and some sort of clamp that grips the slab tightly yet it doesn’t damage the granite.
Next he used the remote control device and it leaned the granite forward.
He lifted the granite slab up into the air. We needed to have two slabs and it was necessary for us to make sure the colors matched. It was nice to be able to compare the two slabs before they were installed.
I asked the lady if they have ever dropped a slab and she said yes. She said it shatters everywhere and the workers run!
When the slabs are cut from the earth they are labeled in order A-B-C and so on. That way you get the closest color and design as possible with multiple slabs by picking the ones cut next to each other.
A template has to be made of our cabinets which is done with a laser device for a perfect fit. Then two weeks later they will install the finished countertops.
Don’t take your countertop for granted (pun intended). Look on YouTube to see how granite is removed from the earth, you will be amazed and then understand why it is so expensive. No two granite countertops are alike as they are made by nature and not by man.
http://www.InDianesKitchen.com
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Categories: Did You Know, Kitchen Remodel
We chose granite which was selected by our kitchen installer. I had no idea about what was involved so I found this post fascinating
I always thought the only choice we had was what the businesses sold and installed in the stores. I was shocked that every single business buys their slabs from the same place. I found backsplash at this distributor too, took a picture of what it was called and the number on the back. When I got home I found it on line at Home Depot and ordered it. So basically no store is unique, it all comes from the same places, they are just the middleman.
Wow, how interesting, Diane. Thanks for sharing this. You have definitely worked hard to get your new kitchen. I can’t wait to see your finished dream kitchen.
Thank you Carla! I have been designing this kitchen for just over a year. Everything has gone so well until the glitch with the cabinets.
They are going to be fabulous! 99.9% of the time local, family-owned businesses are cheaper and better.
I agree Sheree, the funny thing is, I have driven by the place my entire life. Because they have all the headstones in the yard I didn’t know they did countertops too. I saw an ad on a friends Facebook page and decided to check them out. They will have our headstone business too!
Let’s hope they have to wait many years for that business
What a nice thing to say Sheree ❤️
Granite’s better. Quartz may be pretty, but it’s brittle and can craze if too close to the hot stove. Granite is an investment that will add value to your home.
Everything happens for a reason, I was meant to have granite. They said I can put a hot pot on the granite but I don’t want to damage the finish. What d you know about that?
lasers? Who knew!
My contractor said it’s the new thing and makes it so they cut the countertop perfectly. I like that!
What an adventure and process, Diane! It it was well worth it to get exactly what you want and at a good price point. Can’t wait to see the final product!
It was fun picking out just the right one. What’s funny about this entire kitchen project is that my husband and I agree on everything we have picked out. That really made the process easy.
Very interesting, the system for handling and measuring slabs of stone.
Yes! I always thought you had to buy what the store had on their floor. To be able to tour the distributor and see all the slabs and how they moved them made the process so much fun.
Thats a beautiful piece of stone Diane. When we had our soapstone counters installed last year it was really fun. I went to the stone yard and picked out the exact slab I wanted, and they came and did the laser measuring thing. It was amazing. These huge stones just slipped into place without a crack to be found.
I can’t wait for that day (installation)!
Glad that you found a place with good customer service. I hope you love your new countertop! It makes such a difference.
Thank you so much Marie!
that’s awesome! And you are right, you always have to research and find the best fit. I love granite counter tops, I don’t have one but maybe one day !
Thank you Susan, everything happens for a reason. Had I not gone to the distributor (had no idea you could before this) then I wouldn’t have changed my mind.
I’ll have to remember this for my tombstone! Or at least some one else will have todo the thinking!
Haha I told my husband we should have ordered extra granite for our headstone! 🤣
You were lucky to find an installer and feel confident that since they’d been around and were just down the street from you, that you would be satisfied with the result. I’ll bet the last place you thought would be installing it would be a monument company.
It really was a surprise! All these years and I had no idea they did the counters. I actually saw it on FB. Even more surprising was that they live a mile down the road from us.
Facebook does come in handy sometimes doesn’t it. Funny, I just did a comment to you about making a photo book from Marge’s photos of her grandchildren.
That is how I started, one book each grandchild. Then a book for each of our vacations and so on. The books stack nicely and I don’t have to worry about losing them in cyber space. If I had a fire, God forbid, my albums are stored at the site I made them from.
Yes, that is a good idea that you can store the photos at the site … I like that too. My images are not all tweaked yet, but separated by album at Shutterfly and in my computer plus I made a flash drive as well for the safety deposit box.
OH my goodness – a lot of work to find the countertop that works. Sounds like the free sink would be a great deal along with the less expensive countertop! That was interesting how they move the slabs around and how they have to laser measure!
It was so much fun doing this part of the kitchen. We learned so much and ended up with exactly what we wanted. Better yet, we both agreed on everything we picked out. That really made the process fun!
I had good dealings but granite with Lowe’s. We have even bought some of our lawn equipment and appliances there. They seem to be more knowledgeable about stuff. I am happy for you and your new kitchen. Hope you have fun cooking 🧑🍳 in it.
We have bought almost everything at Lowes, however, our Lowes delivery/hook up people are awful. The last refrigerator we bought they didn’t know how to change the door position and said they would be back and never did. My husband and I looked up a YouTube video and did it ourselves. They delivered our washer and dryer a few months ago and went to hook up the water to the washer and broke the water valve. The only thing they are good for where I live is delivery. We just don’t have any good help where I live but I do love buying from Lowes. Thank you I can’t wait to cook on the new range!
Sorry for your experience. The people who install do not work for Lowe’s but rather put their name on a list and are called for installs. If they break something you can report that to Lowe’s and they will pay to fix it.
I enjoyed reading your tale of the top. It is exciting to finally find a piece of granite that you love and can afford!
Thank you so much! We picked up the marble backsplash, nothing was broke and they are exactly as I hoped they would be. News today was that the replacement cabinets are coming the first week of July. It’s getting real again and I’m so exciting to get things rolling.
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An amazing post and you are going to have amazing countertops in your new amazing kitchen!😀
Thank you so much Linda! My husband and I looked at this slab and we both said this is it! We have both loved the same things and have had no disagreements on what to buy. The only thing he has commented on was this. I have saved for three years and paid cash for everything. However, I went from replacing the kitchen floor to adding the living room and hall floor too. Then I wanted white baseboards as all of ours are a dark wood. So now I am having the baseboards and of course I had to get rid of the ugly brown hollow (7) doors. So in addition to the molding and solid doors I had to stop or go over budget. His complaint is that I said the walls and ceiling need painting, and new wall and ceiling lights. 🤣 To go from a country home to a modern home makes you change a lot. I have stopped but he said he knows it will bug me, and it will. So I save more and finish the job.
We always inquire with the smaller companies first when we want to buy something – from experience we have learned that they are more eager to meet potential customers’ requests. Oh Diane, I can only imagine how excited you must have been to be able to pick out your lovely granite countertops – it’s so exciting!
Yes it was so much fun. I had no idea how they processed granite so it was very educational.