Far from downtown Houston, in Galveston County, salt air near the water in Jamaica Beach works on cabinet hardware and boxes more than on stone.
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.
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.
Humidity, water and the coast
Humidity does not hurt stone, but it works on what sits under it: the cabinet boxes and the subtops. Near the water, we look at both before we template. If a house has been through a flood remodel, we template after the new cabinets are set, not before. Outdoor counters near the coast take salt air, full sun and storm-season rain, so they get granite, quartzite or porcelain, never quartz.
Before template day
A few decisions make template day go smoothly. The cabinets should be set, fastened and level. The sink model should be chosen and the cooktop or range model known, since their openings are cut in our shop from the template. Pick the faucet too, because it sets how many faucet holes the top needs. Decide on the overhang for any seating and on the backsplash height. Clear the counters and the sink base so the templater can reach every wall, and plan for someone to be home. A change after the template can mean a second template, so the layout is settled on the spot.
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
Beyond Jamaica Beach, our crew works across the rest of Galveston County, including Tiki Island, Hitchcock and La Marque.
The first step for a kitchen in Jamaica Beach is the free estimate. Use the form below or call us, and include photos of the room if you can.