En3D

iTrader: (12)

someone seem to know of someone on here...

need a kitchen countertop fabbed and installed. either corian, richlite, zodiac or even laminate.

if you have dealt with someone good or know someone please let me know.

TIA

Group B

iTrader: (3)

don't do corian, too fragile...

Will get you a referral later.......

En3D

iTrader: (12)

thanks...

only thing that I like about corian is the integrated sink and you can do custom things like metal rod for hot pots/pans.

joltdudeuc

iTrader: (6)

My dad has this one company do it for the houses he builds, I'll ask him when he gets home and get the info to you. They did our counters, and Aaron can vouch for quality.

I think ours are granite.

-Gagan

En3D

iTrader: (12)

my wife doesn't like granite (look) I don't like the fact that you have seal every 6 mo. or so.

thanks, contacts are good because of workmanship and a f'ing counter is so expensive.

Group B

iTrader: (3)

You only have to re-seal granite every year, btw.

I myself currently have laminate (HATE IT), and will eventually go to granite. I used to be the general manager of a granite fabrication shop, which involved selecting good material, fabricating it, and performing the installation.

richlite looks like a good material for NSF cutting boards, but not your countertops. IMHO, it looks cheap, and it will get scraped & cut up. It also needs maintenance too.

Zodiac Quartzite is a very hard material, similar to granite. I'm not sure about maintenance, though, but it looks nice, and its durable.

If all else fails, I know an EXCELLENT ceramic tile contractor, he did the floors in our house.

David

Kostamojen

iTrader: (2)

We just got a Zodiac counter top after the house fire, but we are up here in Sac so any referals might not help that much We went through a more privately owned type store rather than a lowes/home depot deal, it was a bit less money with installation included (insurance paid for it btw) Its good stuff, easy to clean and like you mentioned 0 maintenance. Also, make sure to pic a counter lip style that matches the rest of your kitchen edges... We kinda skiped that part, and could have done a better job, so ill just pass that info along to you

ldivinag

iTrader: (3)

fragile in what way?

like if you put too much weight, it will crack?

i've always wanted a solid surface countertop...

Group B

iTrader: (3)

corian will melt/burn if you leave a hot pan on it, unlike granite or quartzite, or ceramic tile for that matter.

corian scratches easily too. you can slice up fish, meat, or veggies right on your damned countertop with granite, or quartzite.

SUBYBUS

iTrader: (6)

Several years back I remodeled one of my bathrooms. Much cheaper than Home Depot.

Scan Top
2575 Middlefield Rd
Redwood City, CA 94063-2825
Phone: (650) 361-8373

En3D

iTrader: (12)

I'm concerned about the durability of richlite too. as for corian, there are pros/cons. if you are worried about burning the corian, you can have heat rods (?) built into the countertop (pretty cool, I think).

Zodiac is pretty expensive, I would say probably a little more than granite. everyone is doing granite, so prices are lowering.

subybus, thanks I am glad you used them. I saw them on Middlefied last week while driving. will call tomorrow.

shadowcat

I'm in the middle of remodelling my entire house (doing all the work myself) and am using granite on the bathroom floors and the kitchen counter. Depending on wear and use, you only have to seal every 1 - 5 years. Yes.. that's right.. one to FIVE years, depending on the sealer and the amount of wear. I did granite floor tiles for the bathroom, and will be doing full granite slab countertops in the kitchen.

Personally, I like granite better (marble is WAY too brittle, zodiac is expensive compared to granite, and I'm not happy with the corian countertop we have right now). A good granite installer will be able to custom cut and install any color granite available in a day for a full kitchen countertop, backsplash (partial or full wall), and window area. Note that this is just for the actual granite install, not the cabinet prep work, which should only take a day, and which you can do yourself.

My advice would be to find a local granite guy and have him do the cuts and installs. Find one that will charge you one price for installation, regardless of the number of holes he has to cut in the granite (i.e., holes for the top- or undermount sink, faucets, rangetop, etc.) and can get you good deals on the granite pieces. If you have the right tools and knowledge, you can do all the prep work on the cabinets to reduce your costs. I'm removing all my existing countertops and putting in the 3/4" plywood myself, and all my granite guy is doing is cutting the holes and mounting the granite slabs, and I'm saving about 60% off of what a regular installer would charge. Afterwards, I'll just seal it with a good, high quality, durable sealer and I am good for up to 5 years. Sealing granite doesn't take more than about 3 hours the first time, and maybe an hour for resealing, and that's mostly drying time.

If cost is a factor, doing a lot of the prep work yourself will save you a lot of money. I think my entire countertop, with 6" backsplash, will be something like 1300 for two large 8 foot slabs with holes for an undermount sink, 3 hole faucet, soap dispenser, and rangetop, installed in a day.

shadowcat

Group B

iTrader: (3)

One rule of granite countertops:

ALWAYS use well-braced undermount sinks, never topmount.

Topmount sinks on granite countertops are GHETTO.

Example:

Another thing: You always want to have your faucet, soap dispenser, and dishwasher vent to be mounted to the granite, not to the sink itself.

Here's an example of a vanity sink done this way:



And a kitchen sink done this way as well (albeit with slate slabs)



Make sure your granite installer polishes perfectly, with very few seams (good selection of slabs), with nice, tight, well-blended seams. And don't choose naturally brittle colors.

En3D

iTrader: (12)

Shadowcat -

I am doning most of the work myself too. the kitchen is demolished and I'm prepping electrical and plumbing right now. I just got the call that the cabinets will be ready soon.

my counter is 5x12'x25", 30sqft. the 12' run is what costs alot. 1300 is an awesome total for granite.

as for what you did, are you talking prep of the granite: cutting, sanding etc. or prep of cabinet/kitchen for granite install.