Posted: 2/11/2017 8:51:11 PM EDT
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I'll install them myself, but I'm looking for someone in the Hartford/Tolland counties that fabricates custom granite countertops. Any recommendations?
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I had Connecticut Solid surface in Plainville do my Quartz counters. I am very happy with their work.
In my place in Florida I had Lowe's do Granite. I provided Lowe's with dimensions and drawings for the counters. They delivered and installed free. I would use them again. My parents used Home Depot. They were very happy with the work. I can tell you in all three cases the installers drill the faucet holes on site and custom cut and polish the cut edge of the backsplash when they install. You may want to rethink the DIY of counter install. The stuff is HEAVY and if you crack it you own it. If they crack it they own it. I am the kind of guy who does everything by myself. I have only hired a few people in my life. |
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I can tell you in all three cases the installers drill the faucet holes on site and custom cut and polish the cut edge of the backsplash when they install. You may want to rethink the DIY of counter install. The stuff is HEAVY and if you crack it you own it. If they crack it they own it. I am the kind of guy who does everything by myself. I have only hired a few people in my life. This |
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I can tell you in all three cases the installers drill the faucet holes on site and custom cut and polish the cut edge of the backsplash when they install. You may want to rethink the DIY of counter install. The stuff is HEAVY and if you crack it you own it. If they crack it they own it. I am the kind of guy who does everything by myself. I have only hired a few people in my life. This 
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All HD and Loews does is farm out to the lowest bidder using the most common materials. That's not to say you can't get an "ok" deal there. However, there have been lots of installation issues I've been made aware of (I'm a custom cabinetmaker). My customers will invariably ask me who to go to for a quote. I tell them to do their homework and get recommendations from their family/friends. Then I'll suggest a few suppliers, depending on what materials they are precisely looking for: Granite, marble, composite, laminate, ceramic [brand new $$$], etc. etc.
There's one company I can recommend who I do business with in W. Hartford. They're located right across from the Sears "scratch & dent" warehouse on the Newington/W. Hartford border and are called "Sudbury Granite & Marble 30 Holmes Road, Newington, CT 06111 I'm not affiliated with them financially at all. I have recommended clients there with good results. They have all the equipment there to cut, polish, and edge all their slabs. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you don't do this on your own. They will come to template your countertops and cut them to custom fir your cabinets. I also have a great laminate countertop manufacturer available if you're interested. Rome www.romanpolaski.com |
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HD and Lowe's are hit or miss depending on the subcontractor. I was very happy with them in Florida. I provided them with the template and installed the cabinets myself. The installers asked me who did the cabinet install. They said they never have had such a nice easy install. Everything was level and no shims required. They guys said I made their lives so easy that they did some extra backsplash that wasn't included. This kitchen is a small galley kitchen so nothing fancy.
My home in Stafford has a custom kitchen. Being a 100 year old house nothing standard fits. We went with quartz and my wife likes it but prefers the granite we have in FL. The counters here are more complex with a slide in range vs. freestanding, a bay window and a deep "garage" for toaster oven etc. The sink cutout was done along with the ogee edge in their shop but they drilled for the faucet and soap dispenser here. They also cut the rear piece behind the stove and all the backsplash on site. They polished the cuts that were exposed. Connecticut Solid Surface did the work. I can recommend them highly. Cabinetman is the best guy to ask. This is what he does for a living so he will know the good players and the bad. If you are looking for lowest price you will have a tough time beating Lowe's or HD. We caught a New years day one day extra sale plus saved 10% additional using a Lowe's card. There was an A, B and C price range of Granite. We went with one of the A choices. They also gave a free under mount sink, sink cut and faucet drilling. In the end we paid less for Granite installed than laminate if I did the install. If you plan to stay in the house or want something more interesting than the standard stuff than use someone other than the big box stores. One last thing if you go with a dark color you will see everything. You have to be real anal about keeping it clean. The lighter colors won't look dirty even if they are. |
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Thx, Edge. I've been building custom cabinetry for 26 years now and most of them kitchens. So, I get this discussion time and time again with customers. I don't sell or make a nickle off of any countertops as I don't make them anymore. (I did make laminate back about 15 years ago but no longer because it took too much time).
The real issue with Granite or any other expensive countertop that I always discuss with my customers is how long do you plan on staying in your home? Why? Well, if you plan on a few more years, you'll never get your money back on that top. Expect to pay about $50 square foot installed plus backsplash on a good day if you want it. That's for low or mid-grade granite. Granite is divided into three catagories: low price common, mid price, exotic. There are a lot of common countertops that look good in most homes and you'll see them advertised for, say, $30 square foot installed. But, those are loss leaders in many cases. Ultimately you'll be wanting something that fits your decorating budget and color family. Great. But, go to sell that house and that dark, swirly granite countertop you love just became a liability because the new owners hates it and is going to attempt to negotiate out a new countertop in place of yours before buying. Sometimes these counters can almost be as objectionable as a swimming pool in the back yard and almost as expensive or even more expensive. So, plan on living with your countetop for a while, long enough to enjoy your decision. Concrete? Well, I've see a few installed and am not impressed unless you really like that industrial look. This product is also one that you'll either like or hate. It's a major decision and the install is tedious. Cost is also not inexpensive as you may think. Marble is something to shy away from as it will stain and just doesn't hold up as well as granite. Wood (butcher-block?) can work but there is a lot of maintenance with them as well if you cut on them. Most come with a food-grade finish on the as the top will wear and show scratches and dents over time. Also, if there is wood around the sink you're certainly guaranteed that you'll eventually have some degrading of the wood as moisture finally seeps into it around the edges of the sink area. It'll turn dark and unappealing. It can take a while but it will happen but wood is a legit alternative. Finally, there's laminate. We're not talking about your grandmothers faded blue laminate countertop with the aluminum bead between the backsplash and top. I'm talking about a material that has stood the test of time. And, regarding cost, you can put in three laminate countertops (assuming top-shelf materials) in place of one granite one. The only thing you can not have with a laminate top is an undermount sink. But there are good alternatives out there. I have a laminate top in my custom kitchen that I built for my wife 4 years ago. We had the choice of every top out there (some I haven't mentioned since they are just weird). We experimented with slate which is what our 1888 house would call for. We had a piece here for about a week and used it as a countertop to test it and ended up hating the maintenance. We looked at every alternative but finally found a simply gorgeous high-pressure laminate made by Wilsonart that has remained perfect since install it cost me 1/3 of a granite install. People who see it can not believe it's not real. The fact is that there are literally hundreds of textures and colors to pick from anymore. So, before you make your decision don't discount this one until you really explore the features available with modern laminates. They are also maintenance free. Here's one picture I selected that has the countertop predominately presented. 
You can see here what a new laminate "slate" countertop looks like. It's even better up close. Hope that helps you a bit. Feel free to pm me if you have a specific question. Rome |
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Wow, thanks for the write up Rome. That does look great, too. Perhaps I should get back to the drawing board.
Your input hits home, we anticipate being in this house for maybe 4-5 more years, tops. We are really just looking to "flip it". We've hardly been here two years and I've already replaced every window and door, all the trim, lighting fixtures, electrical switches and outlets, and countless little things like handrails etc. Next up is the 200A service upgrade and I'm going to piece together a 7kw solar array from used parts available to me at work. The bathroom is in good shape, all it needs is updated counters, and the kitchen needs an entire renovation. I'm going to tackle the bathroom next while I wait for spring to get here. I think you've convinced me to go laminate. We were a little sticker shocked at the granite prices but we have so very little counter space it seemed worth it. Perhaps we will wait for the next house though, our hopeful forever home. I'll discuss it with the fiancé when she wakes up. If I show her your picture there will be no discussion, she'll love that! I've installed laminate and granite counters before, for whatever it's worth. I won't use Lowes or HD for installs because they just sub the work out. I'd prefer to do my own homework and pick an installer myself if I go that route. I'm perfectly confident I can handle it, though. |
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This is the bathroom counter space I'm looking to re-do. I'm going to save the vanity but install wood to bring it's vto the wall and close that gap off. We want the new counter to go "to the wall" too, so it'll need back splash on three sides.
Attached File This is our fucking awful kitchen, there is NO cabinet space, the floor is retarded and everything is super dated (except the new fridge). It needs a total gut job. New tile floors, cabinets & counters. Fridge will stay there per the SO, freestanding stove/oven next to it with a microwave/hood. I'm going to delete that door and put a slider where the window is so we can get some extra cabinet and counter space where the door currently is. Lots of work but I have 4 weeks of PTO. 
Attached File Attached File |
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Cabinetman is correct. What you may think is gorgeous someone buying your house may think it is god awful.
There are also semi-solid surface laminates and solid surface stuff like Corian and Wilson art. If you want something that looks great is easy to maintain and is priced right you may find that a common color granite is the same price or less expensive than laminate. When we were shopping for a counter for our Florida townhouse we chose Lowe's because I do not know anyone down there and figured at least with a company like Lowe's they hopefully vet the sub-contactors. Also we could have some recourse because they are not fly-by-night. The Lowe's granite came sealed with a 15 year stain guarantee, free install, free sink cutout, free sink and the price worked out to just over $20/sq. ft. Our townhouse is rented for vacation renters and is 4 miles from Disney so we get a 75-80% occupancy. The granite has held up very well for the 5 years we have had it. When I remodeled the kitchen we went to buy a laminate counter top that I would install. When we got the price of laminate vs. the sale price of the granite we were shocked. Granite was within $100 of the laminate and they delivered, installed it and gave us a sink. We were pleasantly surprised. If you are not wanting to spend the money on custom cabinets but want something better than MDF stapled boxes, there are some places online that will sell knock down cabinets with the boxes made from plywood. These cost more than the big box store but less than custom cabinetry. You have to assemble and install them. Before you go this route you should have a cabinet maker come out and get a quote. EDIT: We live in Stafford. You and you SO are welcome to stop by and see our kitchen and counters. Our kitchen was a complete disaster before we reconfigured it and removed a wall and add a bay window. It might give you some ideas. |
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Thanks edge, appreciate the offer and insight.
We went and did some shopping at Lowes and HD for laminates. We're running into some sizing issues with the limited space in the bathroom cubby there. If we go laminate it appears we'll have to pull the vanity farther off the wall, which means I'll have to make a backboard for inside the vanity. The existing counter top is 18" deep and won't accommodate most any drop in sinks. Most drop ins appear to have like 2-3" or bigger lips, which will eat up the entirety of the actual counter space. Somehow on the way home we bought the new oven/stove though. 
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Thanks edge, appreciate the offer and insight. We went and did some shopping at Lowes and HD for laminates. We're running into some sizing issues with the limited space in the bathroom cubby there. If we go laminate it appears we'll have to pull the vanity farther off the wall, which means I'll have to make a backboard for inside the vanity. The existing counter top is 18" deep and won't accommodate most any drop in sinks. Most drop ins appear to have like 2-3" or bigger lips, which will eat up the entirety of the actual counter space. Somehow on the way home we bought the new oven/stove though. Have to love houses. Nothing is ever just plug-n-play. For Florida I could not buy what I needed off the shelf and custom order was crazy expensive. I ended up making my own vanity cabinet, buying raised panel doors unfinished. My wife finished everything here in CT. I drove them to FL and assembled them on site. You could always make your own custom vanity to fit the space. Then you would gain some storage and it would fit nicely. It is not hard to do. You just need a table saw. A biscuit jointer is not needed but does help. If you want help on making it I can walk you through it. |