Granite/Stone counter tops

[batk30msu]

My wife and I are thinking about granite or some stone for our counter tops. This would not be a DIY and I trust in all of your opinions more than random reviews on the web.

I live in Holly Springs so if anyone in the triangle region has recently had work done and was happy with the service please let me know what company you used or if you have any recomendations

 

[MLB3164]

Check out Absolute Stone in Cary NC. I work with these guys in the multi family apartment industry and you won't find a better company for service and quality. Victor Torres is one of the owners, tell him Marty referred you. Good luck.
http://www.absolute-stone.com

 

[Rick M]

North Carolina Marble & Granite (Raleigh) did a nice job on our kitchen.

 

[chris_goris]

Brent,
I cant help you with a name of a local person but I will tell you about my experience with granite. I build a large outdoor kitchen that required 75 SF of granite. I called a few local places in the greensboro area and settled with Rocky Tops. The reason was I wasnt set on a color and they bent over backwards to help me decide. Now here is the kicker. While looking at colors , the owner, Dave, suggested I look at their scrap pieces from old jobs they had done. Well, they had the perfect color out there!. HE told me I could have the remnant for free too, just pay for fabrication. This saved me around $500 because I would've needed 2 slabs to get what I needed out of them. You may want to find a similar installer, My other thought was to have 2 contrasting colors. Something to think about.

 

[Rbohno]

I've mentioned it on other threads but it is worth repeating. Seal all natural stone including granite, orange juice, sodas, wine among many other things will acid etch granite fairly quickly without the top being sealed.

I was the factory rep for Aqu-Mix for years in Houston,Tx and when they flew me to their factory/headquarters in San Diego the training and demo's were invaluable.

 

[Hmerkle]

What about Silestone?
Since it is man-made from quartz is it still porous?

 

[chris_goris]

I've mentioned it on other threads but it is worth repeating. Seal all natural stone including granite, orange juice, sodas, wine among many other things will acid etch granite fairly quickly without the top being sealed.

I was the factory rep for Aqu-Mix for years in Houston,Tx and when they flew me to their factory/headquarters in San Diego the training and demo's were invaluable.

Mine has been outside for 3 years of parties now, had all sorts of things spilled on it and is completely exposed to all the elements and it looks like the day it was installed. It is after all supposed to be outside!.

 

[mkepke]

I'm watching the thread with interest. My wife and I are getting quotes on new stone countertops and possibly some tilework in the bathroom. We're thinking granite and soapstone in the kitchen and TBD in the bathroom.

So far have gotten quotes from Showcase Granite and Marble (near Wake Tech CC) - highly rated on Angies' List - and M. Texerira (sp) - which seems to be a fave of the DIY soapstone crowd.

I've previously had quartz countertops done by another local outfit, but they've since gone out of business. RIP.

-Mark

 

[Rbohno]

Mine has been outside for 3 years of parties now, had all sorts of things spilled on it and is completely exposed to all the elements and it looks like the day it was installed. It is after all supposed to be outside!.

I failed to see the type of flooring you have but at any rate you are very fortunate because unless it is either a manmade stone, it was sealed prior to installation or it is a type of pavers all stone and tile I have ever installed has required some type of maintenance to keep it protected.

 

[Rbohno]

Hey hank,

Sorry for the delay in response. No Silestone is not porous at all, in fact it is one the most dureable surfaces being used.

 

[chris_goris]

I failed to see the type of flooring you have but at any rate you are very fortunate because unless it is either a manmade stone, it was sealed prior to installation or it is a type of pavers all stone and tile I have ever installed has required some type of maintenance to keep it protected.

Its not flooring, its countertops on an outdoor kitchen, about 75 sq ft of it

 

[Jeff]

No experience here but I'd explore the pros and cons of the various materials used for counter tops or bathroom vanities.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/materials/granite-countertops.htm

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/1623075/list/Kitchen-Countertops-101--Choosing-a-Surface-Material

 

[MLB3164]

A few of the advantages to using a quartz or a solid surface product is the material is very consistent in color and is food safe. Most of the man made products will meet the NSF certification due to it not being a porous material. Natural stone and granite is porous by nature with some materials being more so than others. Also you will get natural color variations with any natural stone. You will typically get your best pricing on the level 1 granite materials due to the very competitive nature of the industry right now. There are many "Granite Companies" running out of the back of pickup trucks. They will bring the slabs to your house and fabricate off the tailgate. The main areas to look at in a granite company are the quality of the seams (yes you will have seams) and the consistency of the edge polish. Hope this helps.

 

[Hmerkle]

Hey hank,

Sorry for the delay in response. No Silestone is not porous at all, in fact it is one the most dureable surfaces being used.

I thought so, (1. since it is man made, and 2. made from quartz)

But when we bought the house, we learned the previous owners installed it (we like it, but knew nothing about it.)

Someone told us; "All you have to do is clean it - no real work required like granite or other surfaces!" But, I thought you can't always believe what you are told...

 

[Rbohno]

We did Astronaut Tom Hennens house( he was on space shuttle Atlantis), It was a beach front home that had over 2k feet of travertine,several bathrooms with all diiferent stonework, a shower that would hold a family, a third floor kitchen with Indian slate flooring, cantera stone columns on the first and third floor. It was a massive job, I had a 4 man crew there 6 days a week for a month.

He liked the work so much he wanted to meet my family and get aquainted so I took my wife and daughter to his home, and he gave me a space shuttle mission patch and an autographed picture (look at the verbiage on the photo).

Not trying to brag but this was probably one of the coolest and mosy intricate jobs we ever did.

 

[Graywolf]

Hey, Rich that is great stuff, I'm sure you were proud of your work, thanks for sharing.

 

[thrt15nc]

Cool cool story!!!! Good job.

Tom S

 

[Volksdad]

Very Cool! I still have this fascination with all things shuttle...child of the eighties that i am...

 

[Rbohno]

Yeah, Tom was cool as could be. I got the job through CTI (Ceramic Tile International), my sales rep called up and said he had a builder that couldn't get along with a homeowner and would I like to step in and do the tile work. I said sure not knowing who the homeowner was, heck i never turned down work. so I called the builder to get the homeowners contact info and the builder says this guys is a hard a_ _ ex-miltary/ astronaut that can't be pleased.
I was nervous as could be when I was waiting in front of Tom's house to meet him for the first time and to look at the job. He pulls up gets out of his car wearing baseball cap, t-shirt and flip-flops and says "Whats Up". We went inside his home spoke about the job, I took alot of notes and he had already made all of his product selections through CTI so I worked up a bid and I never had an issue. I did his home like I would do my own, and he was awesome to deal with. He would drop in unexpected and ask questions or make a few change orders but all in all it was like doing a job for a friend.

Living room looking toward kitchen, one of the guys working on the columns


froo kitchen looking back toward living area

obviously entry

third floor kitchen and party area

 

[batk30msu]

Any other suggestions for actual companies or installers in the triangle? I have contacted the few mentioned.


Thanks