Within Williamson County, a newer house in Cedar Park may have an island big enough that its top comes from two slabs.
Choosing between the stones
The first choice is natural or engineered. Granite, quartzite and marble are cut from the earth, so every slab is different and you pick the actual slab we cut. Quartz and porcelain are made to a pattern, so a sample shows you what the whole slab looks like. After that, the choice comes down to heat, care and look.
Granite is the working stone. It takes normal pan heat and resists scratches, and it needs a penetrating sealer. Quartzite looks closer to marble and is harder than granite, with the same need for sealer. Quartz asks for no sealer at all and stays clean with soap and water, but it wants a trivet under a hot pot, and it never goes outside, because sunlight yellows its resin.
Marble etches from acids and scratches more easily than the others, and it needs resealing over the years. People who choose it for a kitchen choose the patina too. Porcelain is thin, often 12 mm, and it resists heat, sun and stains. Its printed face can stop at the edge, so a mitered edge is the common fix, and it needs a solid, level base underneath.
Caring for the stone
Daily care is warm water and a mild soap. Skip bleach, vinegar and harsh solvents, which wear on sealer and dull quartz resin. Wipe oil, wine and coffee before they sit. To test the sealer on granite or quartzite, put a few drops of water on the stone: if it darkens, it is time to reseal. Lighter granites want sealer about once a year, dense dark stones less often. Marble etches from acids, so wipe lemon and wine quickly. Hard tap water leaves spots on dark polished stone, and a dry cloth after the dishes keeps them away.
How a job runs
Every job runs through the same steps with the same crew. It starts with a free estimate at the house. We look at the cabinets, the sink and the cooktop, bring samples of all five materials and give you a written price, with tear-out and the sink install as their own lines. Then you choose the stone. Granite, quartzite and marble are picked slab by slab at any stone yard in Houston or the Austin area: you send us a photo of the slab tag, and the slab is confirmed at template. Quartz and porcelain are picked from samples.
Once the cabinets are set and level, our templater comes back and records every wall, run and cutout with a digital template. Someone should be home for that visit, since seams and overhangs get settled on the spot. In our shop, we cut the slab to that template, polish the edges and cut the sink and cooktop openings.
On install day, the crew takes out the old tops and hauls them away, sets the new stone, fills the seams with color-matched epoxy, sets the sink and drills the faucet holes. Granite, quartzite and marble get their sealer before the crew leaves.
The scheduled trip
Every Austin-area visit rides the same scheduled trip from our Houston shop. Samples come to the estimate, and between trips the slab is cut to the template in that shop, so the install trip brings the finished tops, the epoxy and the sealer in one run.
Countertop repair
Not every worn top has to come out. We fill chips at edges and sink rims, rework seams that have opened, re-polish dull spots and re-seal stone whose sealer has worn thin. A loose undermount sink can be re-attached. Some damage cannot be made to disappear, and a chip in porcelain is hard to repair. The quickest way to begin is to describe the damage in the estimate form.
Where we work and how to start
Close to Cedar Park, we also work in Leander, Round Rock and Georgetown.
Ready to price new tops for a house in Cedar Park? Send the estimate form or call, and we will set a time to visit with samples.