A short drive from downtown, in Harris County, a kitchen in Garden Oaks may have a short tile splash from an earlier update, and taking it down leaves a strip of wall to finish.
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.
Edges and thickness
We cut ten edge profiles in our shop. Eased and beveled edges keep a clean, square line. Half bullnose and full bullnose round the front for a softer feel. Ogee and dupont add a curved, more formal shape. A chiseled edge looks rough on purpose, and a cove edge curves under the top. Mitered and laminated edges add a second strip of stone at the front, so the top reads thicker than the slab. For thickness, 3 cm is the standard for kitchens, and 2 cm is used for vanities or under a laminated edge. On 3 cm stone, an overhang deeper than 10 inches needs support brackets.
Picking the slab
Natural stone is picked in person, at any stone yard, and you send us a photo of the slab tag so the slab can be confirmed at template. Stand back first to see how the pattern moves across the whole slab, then look close at the area where the sink will go. Bring a cabinet door or a photo of the floor, since yard lighting flattens color. Yards sell granite by level, and the level reflects rarity and yield, not strength. Quartz and porcelain are chosen from samples, and every slab of a pattern matches its sample. Whatever you choose, we lay the template out on that slab so the strongest part of the pattern lands where you look most.
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.
Older houses and older cabinets
In an older house, the cabinets under the old top may no longer be level, and the walls may not be square. We check every run with a level before the template, and the digital template records the walls as they are, so the stone is cut to the room and not to a drawing. A cabinet that needs shimming or a repair should be fixed before template day, since fixing it first saves a recut.
Where we work and how to start
Other places near Garden Oaks on our list: Oak Forest, the Heights and Timbergrove.
If you are planning new countertops in Garden Oaks, send the estimate form or give us a call. We bring the samples, and you bring the questions.