If you have granite countertops (or anything else), where did you buy granite? Did you buy it from big chains like HD/Lowe's or anywhere else? I'm thinking of upgrading my countertops to granite. I'm trying to find out about various sources.
There are some serious counter top specialist that can do a good job at reasonable price. The big stores are a crap shoot with the quality of the installer. Some are good, but not all. You don't get to choose. I'd never consider them for a serious installation of anything.
Agreed. It seem the more layers of people between you and the fabricator / installer, the greater the chance someone is going to drop the ball. Get as close to the source as you can.
I found a small(er) stone/tile/laminate shop via the local yellow pages. Went in talked to them and looked at their products. They mostly work with contractors but were more than happy to deal with me as a homeowner with a small order.
When it came down to cutting/finishing I was able to talk with the guy who was going to do the actual labor on the slab about exact dimensions of the backsplashs, overhangs and edge profiles.
The Borg stores, at least around here (NYC), just act as resellers for local quarry stone yards. They don't private label the stuff.
As a matter of fact, that's how I found the granite for my kitchen counters. I was waiting with a friend to talk to a Home Depot "kitchen specialist", got bored and started reading a stack of outgoing customer orders sitting on the desk. I found the name and number of a quarry supplier on a few of them and visited their NJ warehouse. Got an excellent deal.
I'd go to a specialist. When I was shopping for Granite counter tops I asked a large Local Granite firm if they could get close to Home Depots pricing The salespersons comment was sure I do their Installs and will give you the price I give them. Needless to say I was surprised. It pays to ask Bob
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