Kitchen Countertops: Choosing a Granite Slab, Part 2 of 7

By Jim Mallery
RefacingCabinet.com Columnist

Part 2 of a seven-part series, Kitchen Countertops

In Part 1, we considered a granite slab countertop to partner with your new-look kitchen cabinets. Here are nine thoughts to guide you to a finished granite slab counter.

9 Tips for Choosing Granite Slab

1. Fabricate. You'll need a fabricator for your slab--the company that will make the cutouts in the granite for the sink and cook top, and shape and edge it. They also will install it. Your area probably has large-scale fabricators--who may advertise heavily--as well as some small-scale, boutique fabricators who work with only a few projects at a time. You should talk to both. Their prices might be comparable, and the smaller fabricator actually may have a wider slab selection and be more willing to accommodate your special desires.
2. Slab spectacular. The wholesale granite warehouse is what it is all about. It can blow you away with its row after row of slab selections. Bring your color chips from your new cabinets and enjoy your experience.
3. Big time. A large-scale fabricator may advertise state-of-the-art computer-driven machinery and a warehouse full of granite slabs--but he may limit your choices only to the slabs he carries and not let you pick from the wider selection at the warehouse.
4. Small time. Your boutique fabricator will have you tour the warehouse, where you can see everything, unlike your big-time fabricator's slab yard. You pick your dream slab, and they fabricate it.
5. Be picky. All slabs are not created equal. You may love your mother-in-law's Copper Canyon granite, but other Copper Canyon slabs might be as blah as beige on beige. Make sure you personally pick the slab for your countertop.
6. Pattern. A slab is usually about 8.5 feet by 4.5 feet. A good fabricator will work with you on placing the countertop template on the slab to make the most dramatic use of the patterns in the granite slab. Some fabricators won't want to slow down their process by having you come to their shop to consult, but make sure you can approve the template placement.
7. Edge. You can choose from squared, bull-nose (rounded) or half bull-nose, and ogee (wavy) edge. The bull-nose is safer. The squared-edge looks cheaper and the corner chips more easily. The ogee also is much more prone to chipping and costs considerably more.
8. Maximize. If you are buying a slab, then you own it. You might have enough extra granite for a hearth or mantel for your fireplace, or for a table. Fabricators charge you for the cutting and edging, so negotiate a good deal on fabricating the leftovers.
9. Mix it up. If you have both an island and countertops that need granite, you might consider mixing granite patterns. Find an exotic, showy--and perhaps expensive--granite for the island, and a calmer--and perhaps less costly--granite for the counters. A full kitchen of the exotic granite might be too much and too expensive, but a splash of it on the island with sedate counters might work just fine.

Now you know all about granite slab countertops. Part 3 and subsequent articles examine other options.

 

 

 

About The Author

Jim Mallery, a semi-retired journalist and onetime registered contractor, has extensive experience remodeling, repairing and rebuilding homes.