most popular questions
1. We’re Keeping Our Existing Cabinets. How Long Will Our Kitchen Be Out Of Commission?
After the old countertops are removed (down to the wooden slats or plywood), we’ll install your new countertops in about two weeks. If you’d like full granite backsplashes, we’ll install the backsplashes about a week later.
In many cases, while the countertops are off, you can continue to use your old sink and stove or cook top. I can advise you about your specific kitchen.
2. We’re Getting New Cabinets. Should They Be Installed Before We Call You?
Definitely don’t wait for them to be installed. Please call us at 559-244-1013 as soon as you have your cabinet plan finalized. This will give us time to help you select your granite slabs and get you on our schedule. Then we can start as soon as your cabinets are installed. If you wait until after your cabinets are installed, it will take longer for your kitchen to be completed.
3. We’re Custom Building (Or Gutting And Moving Walls). When Should We Call You?
The best time to call us is as soon as your cabinet plans are finalized. If you prefer, I can come in earlier and work from the blueprints. We can revise as necessary after the cabinet plans are finalized.
Design idea: If you’re planning a kitchen island and don’t want any granite seams on it, design it to fit within a 9-foot by 5-foot rectangle. If you want a larger island, you can design it as a bi-level, where each portion will fit a 9x5 rectangle.
4. Should We Pick Our Granite Before We Call You?
I recommend you call us first, because I need to make sure the slabs you pick are actually workable for your project. Slab sizes vary, and we need to select slabs that are right for your needs.
We don’t just send you to the slab yard by yourself to pick granite, like every other fabricator does.
Instead, I will personally meet you at the slab yard, and you’ll choose the slabs you like. I’ll go over every slab with a fine-toothed comb. Mostly, I’ll be looking for live cracks or surface irregularities that would make them unworkable for your project.
With other fabricators, you’ll notice those flaws when they show up on your countertops. I will keep you out of trouble at the slab yard.
5. Is It Okay To Pick Our Stone From A Specimen?
Except for quartz, it’s not wise for a couple of reasons. All varieties of natural stone vary in appearance. Some vary dramatically. You want to pick the actual slabs that are going into your project. What you see is what you get. Also, it’s difficult to get a feeling for how a large expanse will look based on a small specimen.
6. What Else Should We Know When We Select Our Slabs?
You want your stone to go well with everything else within sight in your home.
If certain colors are a given, you want to choose a stone that works well with your existing colors. Unless your cabinets are white, I recommend bringing a cabinet drawer from your home to the slab yard to match with your stone. Floor samples and paint samples can also be useful. That’s the best way to be sure everything works well together. If you have any doubt about how various colors work together, I’ll contribute my expertise.
If you’re custom building or gutting your kitchen or bathroom, I recommend picking your slabs before finalizing any other colors. There is nothing worse than seeing a slab and saying, “I love it! Oops! It doesn’t go with the cabinets (or tile or paint, etc.).” Often, a minor tweak in the color of the cabinets (or tile or paint, or….) is all it will take to make your preferred stone work for you. The granite is what it is. There is practically an infinite variety of colors for everything else.