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By Stone Masters
stonemasters.ca on Toronto Countertops business
Today we will talk about how to get a Granite/Quartz countertop order done from start to finish in the Toronto Countertops business without any head aches.
Start your homework with online search for the colors and a fabricating company with favorable customer reviews, if you do not have someone to refer you to a fabricator. Check their websites, customer reviews in detail. You will get a lot of information out of your search. An organized website tells you a lot about the company as well.
For granite colors please visit the link below and make sure to pick up more than a few colors as this site displays 1,500 + granite colors and some of them might not be available in your market.
http://stone-network.com/slab_images/thumbnails.php?album=4&page=1
And also pay attention to the colors that you choose as some colors are uniform therefore no need to see the actual slab. The sample you will see at your fabricators showroom will just be fine. But if you happen to choose a color that shows a lot of variation on it, remember to make a request to your fabricator to have them make an arrangement for you to see the actual slab.
For the quartz colors please visit the three major suppliers' website. Quartz is a very uniform material therefore you do not need to see the actual slabs. What ever you see from the sample in the showroom will be what you are going to get.
http://www.caesarstone.ca/
http://www.silestoneusa.com/
http://www.hanstoneusa.com/colors/
We do not favor any one of these three major quartz supplier. We carry all three companys' products.
Once you decide on your color and which fabricator to work with based on the information you have collected online, it is time to go to see your colors in person and meet with someone from the fabricating company as well. Colors and people look different on the computer than they are in real life. In most cases you wouldn't see the person that you will be dealing with on a business website. The website might be designed very nicely but the people running that business might not give you the same impression when you meet them. Therefore it is important to see the people in person.
Before you head out to see your color and the fabricator make sure you have a simple sketch of your kitchen. Do not be afraid, this is only for reference and initial pricing purposes. The fabricating company will come and take the actual measurement of your kitchen once you place your order with them. Therefore your measurements do not have to be precise. Just measure along the back wall of your cabinets in length and width. Make a simple sketch and mark down these measurements along with where the sink, stove and fridge are and mark down any pantry if there are any that comes in contact with your countertop.
Do not walk into a fabricating company and ask them how much is this color per square foot, as this gets really frustrating for you and for the fabricator also. Countertop business is based on a material that availability and prices keep fluctuating. Therefore it is not as easy as it seems. Fabricator needs to have all the information they need in order to give you the proper quotation. Especially some jobs could be completed with a single slab but some jobs require two or in some cases three slabs. Do not expect your fabricator to give you a price for your project assuming that the job will be completed with a single slab and then later on pay for the second slab which comes as a suprise just because you didn't provide them them the proper measurements.
Once the kitchen layout plan or the simple sketch is provided to your fabricator they should be able to give you an accurate quotation in a few minutes (take this as a test wether the person you are dealing with is experienced enough or not).
If you like the price, the color and your fabricator it is time to place your order. They will write up your order with details while you are waiting with the color, material and the edge detail you have discussed with them etc. Usually fabricators take 50% deposit on the countertop orders and leave the balance for the delivery day. Once the order is placed, someone from the fabricating company will come and take the actual measurement of your cabinets. And do not forget to discuss what to do with the existing countertop if it is not a new kitchen that you are renovating. Removing the existing countertop and getting rid of it is costly and no fabricator will do this for you with no charge.
Once this is done, now you are going to have to be patient to receive your new countertop until the production is completed. This shouldn't take longer than 2 to 3 weeks. Anything longer than this is not normal, you might want to check out other companies if you are planning to get your new countertop installed earlier. Mention it to the company that you feel comfortable with that you have this special situation and need the countertops sooner. Some companies are able to make such arrangements.
Once the production is completed your fabricator will contact you a day or two before to make an appointment for installation. Installation usually completed in a couple hours.
The countertop is produced, delivered and installed with no major glitches. That means you have received a very good service. Try not to stare at the installers the whole time during the installation as you'd see all the details and there might be some that might bother you just because you saw it happening. It is always better to see the job after it is finished as you would see some of the little things that would bother you which normally you wouldn't even notice if you haven't seen them during the installation. Installers will install your countertop with your sink and seal the countertop after the installation if it is granite, quartz do not require any sealer after installation or later. This is their job description. Don't forget this is a very high labour intense production based on a natural material. Do not expect everthing to be 100% perfect just as if you are buying electronics or etc.
Congratulations on your new kitchen countertop. Make sure to talk about your fabricator to your friends, family and colleagues at work as business relies on referrals if you are happy with the service you have received from them.
Here we have tried to give you the basics of how a countertop order should be processed. We might have missed some of your questions that you might have.
Please contact us by phone : (416) 787-7866 or e-mail : info@stonemasters.ca
or visit our website at www.stonemasters.ca for further questions.
The trick is in finding the right company in this business. Remember people make the difference, so do not go for the lowest price that you have received. Go with the person that you feel more comfortable with even if you have to pay a few hundred dollars more which is not a big deal when you consider you will use that countertop for at least 20-30 years.
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