31

Oct

How To Shop For Granite Countertops

Granite always delivers: It brings exclusivity, adds a touch of elegance, and improves the value of your home. To get the most from it, you have to buy the right one. Not sure how to go about it? Here are tips on how to shop for granite countertops:

Know what you want

You can’t buy any slab you come across—you need to know what you want and what will look the best for your home. Remember, granite comes in a wide array of colors and patterns. It also comes in plenty of edges, with the most common edges being: square, rough, bullnose, and rounded.

You also need to know the size of the countertop you need. This will require you to take a tape measure and measure the number of square feet of surface area you need. As you take the measurements, remember to include edge allowances, overhangs, backsplashes, seam allowances, and other things.

If you aren’t sure about the right countertop that will look the best for your home, get a professional’s input. The technician will even help you choose the right shape of slab, the right size, the appropriate slab thickness, and many other things.

Once you know what you want, start visiting different countertop and home improvement stores asking for quotes. Most companies will give you a free quote, and all you need is to compare the quotes and settle on the most sensible.

While the cheapest quote might be attractive, be cautious about it as the contractors might be selling substandard products.

Simultaneously, avoid extremely priced countertops as the company might be trying to rip you off.

Don’t buy the slabs countertops.

While online shopping is convenient, you shouldn’t buy the countertop slabs online. This is because a slab might be looking good in the store photos, but have a completely different look in your kitchen or bathroom, often due to lighting.

When looking to buy granite, the best way to go about it is by visiting the local showroom and physically inspecting each granite slab. Even after inspecting the slab at the store, don’t make the final commitment to buy the slab.

Take a sample of the slab to your home and see how it looks on your surfaces. If you like the look, go ahead and make the purchase.

Pay attention to the seams.

Seams make it easy to join different countertop slabs, but they can also mess with the counters’ look. If you have to use more than one slab, you have to deal with seams. The seams’ quality will vary depending on the length and width of the cabinets, the actual physical size of the slab, and access to the property.

To ensure your property doesn’t have ugly seams, work with experienced contractors who will help you minimize the number of seams in your countertops. They do this by ensuring they work with whole slabs as much as possible.

Before installing the countertops, enquire from the contractors where the seams will be located and how visible they will.  This will ensure everyone is on the same page, and there are no surprises once you have installed the countertops.

Invest in a good thickness

Thin countertop slabs are not only cheap-looking, but they also don’t hold a lot of weight. When you are at the store, always go for a thick slab. Thankfully, you can tell how thick a slab is by looking at it.

Other than thickness, also touch the slab. If it feels weak or has an abnormal texture, stay away from it.

Work with a professional

Buying the right countertops is one thing and an entire ball game to properly install the countertops. Unless you are a dab hand at DIY projects, you should let granite installers Rockville handle the installation.

As you are hiring, ensure the contractor knows geometry. This knowledge will come in handy at ensuring you have as few seams as possible. To find such a professional, take your time and ask them as many questions as possible before hiring.

After installing the countertops, remember to take good care of them. As a rule of thumb, avoid placing hot items or weighty items directly on the surfaces. You also should avoid cleaning the surfaces with vinegar and other tough products that can etch the surfaces.

17

Oct

How Do I Calculate How Much Granite Countertops I Need?

How do I calculate how much granite I need? Is a common question you will hear from homeowners looking to install granite countertops for the first time.

Granite is sold in square footage so what you need to do to determine the amount of granite you need is to find out the overall square footage of your countertop area.

How do you do this? Here is a guide on how to go about it:

How to calculate the amount of granite you need

  1. Measure the length of your countertops along the wall, taking the measurements in inches. The measurements should include the one-inch overhang for any countertop edge that isn’t against the wall.

If the counter is broken up into sections due to the presence of an oven or sink, subtract the occupied space from the overall length.

Measure the width of the countertop beginning from the wall, extending outward to the front of the countertop.

Multiply the length of the countertop by the countertop width. The resulting number is the area of the countertop in square inches.

2. Measure the height of your backsplashes. The measurement should reach from the countertop surfaces to the top of the backsplash.

Multiply the length of the countertop to the height of the backsplash to get the area of your backsplash.

Add the area of the backsplash to the area of the countertop, and the resulting number is the total amount of granite you need expressed in square inches.

3. Finally, convert these results to square feet. To do this, divide the number of square inches by 144.

If this is your first time buying the countertops, you should know that granite comes in slabs, and chances are your measurements won’t exactly match the available sizes of your granite slab.

The good thing is most countertop sellers will only charge you for the section of the slab you use.

What should you look for when buying a granite slab?

Thickness

You want a thick countertop that won’t break when you install it. Avoid the popular ¾ inch countertops as they are fragile and often require laminate edges and supports. While they are affordable to install, they don’t last long enough, and you have to replace them more often.

For best results, buy 1-inch countertops. While they will be more expensive to buy, they will give you a long service making them affordable in the long run.

Cracks and natural pits

Most hairline cracks and pits are natural and add natural beauty to your countertops, and you have nothing to worry about when you see them. Unfortunately, sometimes the cracks are too deep, which compromises the integrity of the countertops, especially if your countertops are less than 1 inch thick.

At the time of purchase, carefully go through the countertops, and if you notice an imperfection, ask the stone seller or fabricator how it affects the stone and how it can cause harm.

Seams

If you have the money, opt for seamless granite slabs as they tend to look better. While the seamed countertops look good at the time of purchase, it’s not the case five or ten years down the line.

Edges

To have an easy time installing the countertops, get a custom-designed edge that will fit your cabinet detail. Most fabricators won’t customize the edges, so you need to visit different stores and ask them whether they are willing to customize them for you.

If, on the other hand, the standard edges are okay with you, go with bevel edges.

Installing the countertops

After buying the countertops, the next step should be to install them. If you have the skills, you can install the countertops by yourself, but for best results, let experienced, and certified granite installers Rockville handle it.

You should note you have to seal the countertops at the time of installation to prevent them from staining and getting damaged. For best results, use a high-quality sealer. Most manufacturers tend to seal their countertops, and you don’t want to waste money resealing them.

Before installing the countertops, first test whether they are properly sealed. You do this by pouring water on the slabs. If the area darkens, you need to seal the surfaces.

09

Oct

Is Quartz Cheaper Than Granite Countertops?

Quartz and granite countertops are two of the most popular countertop materials. Since both are premium, high dollar materials, most homeowners can’t tell which to go for, so you will often hear them asking, is quartz cheaper than granite?

It’s hard to tell whether quartz is cheaper than granite as the price of each depends on plenty of factors such as:

Color: Rare colors will be more expensive than popular colors. For example, since granite is manufactured from natural stone, some colors will be hard to find hence more costly. Quartz is engineered so it can be made to mimic these colors, making it relatively less expensive.

Thickness: Of course, thicker slabs will be much costlier regardless of the material you are using.

Source and shipping cost: Where you are getting the materials will significantly affect the price of the countertops. For example, if getting the stones from China, they will be relatively cheaper than if getting them from Italy.

Since you have to ship both granite and quartz from overseas, their prices will be dependent on petroleum prices, tariffs, and other factors.

Installation: The final factor that will affect the cost of the countertops is their cost of installation. Some contractors will charge more than others. To avoid paying hefty amounts on your countertops, take time to research, and ensure you pay the correct amount for the pieces and their installation.

Other ways the countertops compare

Other than the cost issue, there are plenty of ways in which the countertops vary. This includes:

Composition

For those that don’t know, granite is purely natural as it comes directly from stone quarries then cut into thin slabs that are polished and fabricated into countertops.

Quartz countertops, on the other hand, are engineered stones containing large percentages of natural quartz but may also include other minerals. The slabs aren’t from quarried stone but rather from stone byproducts that are ground up and formed into slabs for countertops and other products.

Appearance

Since granite is natural, it tends to have a unique pattern and color that gives your home a unique, enticing appearance. Quartz, on the other hand, is more uniform in appearance, although you will find some pieces with unique colors and patterns, including some pieces that resemble granite in all ways.

The countertop you choose is solely dependent on your preference. If looking to give your surfaces a unique look, go with granite countertops.

Radon emissions

Although quartz is engineered, it’s good to note that it’s made from natural products (93%) with the remainder being color pigments and polymer resins that bond the materials together. Granite countertops are made from 100% stone, and they need to be quarried out of the earth.

Around 2008, there was media-induced fear regarding radon emissions from granite. Studies have shown that little or no radon is emitted from granite or engineered stone countertops, so you don’t have to worry about radiation when installing either of the countertops.

DIY installation

Unless you have a small project, you should avoid attempting to install the countertops by yourself. Both granite and quartz are extremely heavy materials and need expert skills to install them properly. If you are spending top dollar to buy high-quality materials, it doesn’t make sense risking installing the countertops and damaging them.

For proper installation and peace of mind, you won’t have to replace the pieces after a few years, let expert countertop technicians handle the installation.

Maintenance

Both granite and quartz are tough and durable materials, so there is no doubt that when you properly install them and take good care of them, they will give you a long service.

When it comes to maintenance, granite is porous, so it needs sealing to prevent it from staining. Granite also tends to have cracks and fissures that can be a source of weakness.

Quartz, on the other hand, doesn’t require any sealing, thanks to resins used in the fabrication of the slab. The material is also uniform throughout, so you don’t worry about it cracking after hiring an expensive quartz countertop installer Potomac to install the pieces.