Granite Shopping

My mom is replacing the vanities and counters in her bathroom. The cabinets are underway, the faucets purchased, and she is down to choosing a granite for the countertops (both bathrooms will be identical and a future kitchen remodel will also use the same cabinetry and counters). So, we went to a granite place today and browsed the inventory.


The salesman was very nice, patient, and kinda handsome too ;)

He sure seemed to know the product. He had no fear in touching the product - I was worried those huge heavy slabs would begin to tumble like dominoes and we would be trapped!

That's a whole lotta rock! Most of it had a high gloss but there was some with what he called a honed finish where they do whatever it is they do 4 times instead of 8 to get the glossy finish. I liked the look of the honed finish but it felt so pourous I wasn't sure of the upkeep.

While we were shopping for my mom, I kept in mind that my own remodel is just around the corner. In fact, on Monday the contractor is coming to tear out the shower because we have had leakage inside the wall (probably from the window) so we were going to have to replace shower tiles but then I realized that half our bathroom would look brand new and half 1980's so we're going to go ahead and update the whole thing.

I really like this one but wouldn't you know I picked out the most expensive piece in the store?? Luckily I liked several of them and don't have to pay for the premium piece.

When we left the showroom and returned to the factory, he took us in the back where I learned the quick version of how countertops are made. First they wait till your cabinets are install. They don't use cabinet or wall measurements because nothing is perfect and granite isn't forgiving (you can't stretch it if it's off a half inch); instead, they make a template that is a perfect fit for your space. Then they place the template on a cutting surface.

Here is an example of work where they are doing what we call in quilting "fussy cutting". This means they are moving the template to choose certain areas of to cut for the most pleasant design.

This is a sink cut. They will need to polish the cut before adding the sink to the bottom (you purchase your sink with the granite)

Here they have installed something into the granite to attach the sink. Salesman said some of the large mass merchant home stores (I'll name no names) only attach with glue. These folks also add some sort of metal bands to this area for extra strengh but I missed the jest of that conversation having spyed the remenant pile ;)

Wheelbarrow of cut pieces. I immediately thought craft project! I asked what they do with these and he showed me a dumpster that is picked up by a cement company who shatters it and uses it in their concrete for strength. Or is it a concrete company using it in cement? I get those confused. The good news is that is does NOT go into the landfill.

I spied this rem that just might work. I bet I could get a good deal on it too! It looks suspiciously similar to the very expensive piece I liked (granite runs from the thirds to the seventies per square foot for the slab plus edgings, etc.)

After missing my car's 100,000 mile rollover, I just HAVE to be sure to get before and after photos of my bathroom remodel. This is the first ever remodel project ever except for small stuff like painting, wall papering, light fixture changes. Cross your fingers it all goes smoothly.