In the middle ring of the metro, in Fort Bend County, a kitchen in Greatwood may carry layers from more than one update, such as tile set over an older counter.
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.
Outdoor kitchens
An outdoor counter takes full sun, heavy rain and the heat of a grill, so the stone has to handle all three. Granite, quartzite and porcelain do. Quartz does not: sunlight yellows its resin on any patio, covered or open, so we never install quartz outside. The base under an outdoor top is built by others and must be finished and level before we template. From there the job runs like a kitchen, with the grill and sink openings cut in our shop.
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.
Builders, remodelers and commercial work
We also work for builders, remodelers, designers and property managers. Builders and remodelers give us the cabinet date, and we template once the boxes are set, then schedule the install around the other trades. Designers can send drawings with the estimate request, and we check them against the real walls at template. Restaurants, bars, offices and hotels get commercial counters cut in the same shop and set by the same crew. Apartment owners doing unit turns can repeat one material and one edge profile across every unit.
Where we work and how to start
The crew that serves Greatwood also works in Riverstone, Richmond and Pecan Grove, and across the rest of Fort Bend County.
For a free in-home estimate in Greatwood, fill in the form below or call. A few photos of the counters help us come prepared.