Fulshear began as an old town on an 1824 land grant and has grown with master-planned communities from the 2000s to the 2020s, such as Cross Creek Ranch, Cross Creek West and Jordan Ranch. In a house finished within the last few years, the cabinets under the builder's counter may be new enough to take stone as they stand.
The five stones we cut
We cut and install five materials, and each one fits a different kind of kitchen. Granite is natural stone, quarried mostly in Brazil and India. It handles normal pan heat and resists scratching well, and it needs a penetrating sealer. Quartz is engineered: about 90 percent ground quartz bound with resin and pigment. It never needs sealing, and its pattern holds from one slab to the next. The resin is its weak point, since sustained heat above about 300 F, harsh solvents and direct sun all damage it, so quartz stays indoors.
Quartzite is natural stone too, quartz sandstone fused by heat and pressure. It is harder than granite, carries veining that reads like marble and needs sealing. A few stones sold as quartzite are really dolomitic marble and etch like marble, so it pays to know which kind a slab is before you buy it. Marble is the soft one. Lemon, vinegar and wine etch it, it scratches and it wears a patina over time, which is why people choose it for a vanity, a fireplace surround or a baking station, and for a kitchen when they like the patina. Porcelain comes in large, thin slabs with the pattern printed on the face. It resists heat, sun and stains, which makes it a strong choice outdoors, though a chip in porcelain is hard to repair.
Seams and overhangs
A long run or a large island can need more than one piece of stone. Where the layout allows, the seam goes at the sink or the cooktop, where a cutout already breaks the surface. We cut the joint tight in our shop and fill it on site with epoxy tinted to the stone. A seam is visible if you look closely, and a busy pattern hides it better than a quiet one. You see the seam plan at template, before anything is cut. Seating at an island needs knee room, and on 3 cm stone any overhang deeper than 10 inches gets support brackets.
From estimate to install
You will see us three times. The first visit is the free estimate. We measure enough to price the job, check the cabinets for level, look at the sink and the cooktop and bring samples, so you can see each stone in your own light. The written price lists the stone, the edges, the cutouts, tear-out and the sink install line by line.
The second visit is the template. It happens once the cabinets are set and level. Our templater records the room digitally, which catches walls that are out of square, and settles the seam placement and the overhangs with you. Nothing is cut before that. In our shop, the slab is then cut to the template, with the sink and cooktop openings cut and the edges polished.
The third visit is the install. The crew removes the old tops and takes them away, sets the stone on the cabinets, fills the seams with epoxy tinted to the stone and sets the sink. Faucet holes are drilled on site at install, where the faucet will sit. Natural stone gets sealer, and the crew cleans up before it leaves.
Replacing a builder-grade top
A house in a newer subdivision may still have the countertop the builder put in. Replacing it with stone is a straightforward job when the cabinets are staying: the old top comes off on install day, and the new stone is cut to a digital template of the existing boxes. Builder cabinets can still be out of level, so we check each run before we template.
Tear-out and haul-away
If old tops are coming off, that happens at the start of the install visit, right before the new stone goes in, and an early tear-out is available on request. The sink and the faucet are disconnected first. The crew then lifts off the old laminate, tile or stone, protects the cabinets and the floor as it works, and hauls the old material away on our truck. Tear-out is its own line on the estimate, so you can see what it costs.
Where we work and how to start
Close to Fulshear, we also work in Brookshire, Katy and Cinco Ranch.
Ready to price new tops for a house in Fulshear? Send the estimate form or call, and we will set a time to visit with samples.