Well out from downtown, in Galveston County, a house in San Leon may be raised off the ground, which puts a flight of stairs on the carry path for the finished tops.
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.
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.
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
Other places near San Leon on our list: Bacliff, Texas City and Kemah.
The first step for a kitchen in San Leon is the free estimate. Use the form below or call us, and include photos of the room if you can.