We serve Fairmont Park, Fairmont Park West, Sylvan Beach, Morgan's Landing and Pecan Crossing, all part of La Porte.
La Porte grew with 1970s to 1990s brick ranch homes. A brick ranch from the 1970s may still have its first cabinets, and boxes that age can hold a stone top when they are solid and level under the old counter.
What granite is and how it performs
Granite is natural igneous stone, quarried in slabs mostly in Brazil and India, with some from Norway, Italy and the United States. It handles normal pan heat, and a trivet still protects the sealer. It resists scratching well, and a knife dulls on it before it marks. What granite asks for is a penetrating sealer. We apply it at install, and lighter stones want it again about once a year, dense dark ones less often. Small natural fissures are part of the stone, not cracks.
Granite next to quartz and quartzite
Next to quartz, granite wins on heat and variety and asks for a little more upkeep. Both resist scratching well. Next to quartzite, granite costs less and reads speckled or flowing rather than marble-like, and quartzite is harder still. For an outdoor kitchen, granite beats quartz outright, because sunlight yellows quartz resin. We bring all three to the estimate so you can compare them side by side.
Where granite fits
Granite works in the kitchen, on a vanity, around a fireplace and outside. Full sun and rain do not fade it, which makes it a steady choice for an outdoor kitchen, where quartz cannot go. Kitchens use 3 cm stone. Vanities can drop to 2 cm, or use a laminated edge to look thicker. An island overhang deeper than 10 inches on 3 cm granite needs support brackets.
Sinks and cutouts in granite
Undermount sinks suit granite well, because the polished cut edge becomes part of the look. Drop-in, farmhouse and vessel sinks work too. The sink and cooktop openings are cut in our shop from the template. A cutout narrows the stone around it, so we plan the seams and the support around each opening.
Seams and edges in granite
A long run or a large island may need a seam. We place it at the sink or the cooktop where the layout allows, cut the joint tight in our shop and fill it with epoxy tinted to the stone. Speckled granite hides a seam well. A veined slab shows it more, and we match the veins across the joint where the slab allows. Up close, a seam is visible in any granite. Every one of our ten edge profiles, from eased to ogee to mitered, can be cut on granite.
What moves the price
Granite prices span a wide range because slabs do. Yards sell granite by level, and the level reflects rarity and yield, not strength, so a lower level is just as tough. After the slab come the square footage, the thickness, the edge profile and the number of cutouts. A full bullnose or a mitered edge costs more than an eased edge. Tear-out and the sink install are their own lines, and your estimate lists each one, so you can see where the money goes.
From estimate to install
You will see our crew three times. First comes the free estimate, with samples and a written price that lists the granite, the edges, the cutouts, tear-out and the sink install. You pick your granite slab at any stone yard and send us a photo of its tag, and the slab is confirmed at template. Second is the template, once the cabinets are set and level. The digital template catches walls that are out of square. Between the visits, our shop cuts the granite and its sink and cooktop openings. Third is the install: old tops out, granite in, seams filled with tinted epoxy and the sink set, with the faucet holes drilled on site at install.
Where we work and how to start
Beyond La Porte, our granite work reaches Baytown, Deer Park and Taylor Lake Village, and if granite is not the fit, we cut quartz and quartzite too.
Ready to price granite for a house in La Porte? Send the estimate form with a few photos, or call, and we will set a time to visit.