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lkalzamora100

countertop sticker shock

10 years ago

Warning I am mostly ranting in this post but I would like some help.

So I have started on the countertop hunt. I was hoping to decide on a stone fairly soon so I can finalize the color paint for my cabinet doors. I was dreaming of marble or light granite. Knowing that the lighter stones will likely be more expensive I was thinking that I will end up with just the island in a light stone and the perimeter in a darker (cheaper) stone.

So last weekend I spoke with a popular fabricator in my area (Northern Virginia) and picked out some slabs for pricing. Wow was I in for a shock. Although I new it would be expensive, I had them price what I would consider to be an ultimate dream countertop, Calacatta Gold. I was surprised that it was $220 a square foot installed for about $15,000 for my kitchen (68 square feet with sink cutouts and simple edge). So even my compromise of using it on the island at $220/sq ft isn't going to happen. Not with the certainty of etching.

I also had them price out Black Pearl which I thought might be a level 1 or 2 granite based upon my reading of these forums. Turns out its is a level 4 at this fabricator. Definitely better than the Calacatta Gold but still pricey. Carrera was also a level 4.

So I was wondering if anyone could help steer me into the right direction. I don't think I could live with etching if I am spending that kind of money. I would like a lighter granite but not speckled. I have not liked the marble like quartz that I have seen so far.

Should I be looking at different fabricators or just adjust my expectations for living in a high cost of living area.

Comments (16)

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    http://eurostonecraft.com/granite-remnants-va-dc-md

    http://www.graniteandmarbleremnants.com/granite-marble-quartz-stone-remnants.html/

    But I have to say that these prices seem mighty high, even for NoVa.

    IKEA has quartz starting at 49.00 installed.

  • 10 years ago

    Yes I expected high but not that high. Do you think it is the fabricator's pricing that is the issue. I had them price a similar stone from two yards and they gave me the same pricing for both.

  • 10 years ago

    I would try getting quotes from at least 2 other fabricators. Of course, expensive stones will remain expensive fairly consistently regardless of the fabricator but there is variation in pricing between fabricators. It's not a consumer friendly process to get multiple bids, but it is worth the effort.


    Calacatta is always expensive. In my area (also an expensive market), the fabricator wanted 80 per sq ft for remnant stone, plus the cost of fabrication.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    North of the Distinct, up here in Baltimore, I just had ceasarstone quartz put in for $69 a square foot. I bought it via Ikea. $69 is their "level 2" pricing; the highest price bracket is $89, and that is the bracket into which all their marble-looking quartz options are placed. Ikea's selection of ceasarstone is limited, you will only have access to standard size slabs, and buying from Ikea boxes you into employing whatever one fabricator they've signed a contract with. But it might be worth a look, especially if you keep getting quotes for twice as much.

    I was rather worried about the fabrication company we were set up with. They catagorically wouldn't offer options some other fabricators would - for example, this company will only do negative reveals for sinks. But ... the installation looks pretty good. I think I'm happy with it. (No VA probably has another company servicing it, however.)

  • 10 years ago

    Definitely get another quote. Maybe two more. That way you can compare.

    When I was quoted Cambria it just wasn't in my budget but I was NOT going to settle for anything less than white quartz so I searched high and low, calling local stone yards and found a remnant piece of quartz for much cheaper. The stone yard I visited had LOTS of choices, including granites.... If you're going to use different slabs (for perimeter and island) then you might find some remnants for less that fit your space. And you might think of remnants as small left over pieces, but the stone yard I visited here in the Midwest had lots of large slabs leftover. Keep in mind, sometimes people need two or three slabs for their space but only end up using a small portion of the last slab, leaving lots left over.

  • 10 years ago

    Also check Home Depot - they have marble (not calacutta gold) but they also have quartz. Second the IKEA. I also think that the IKEA folks in the DC area MAY have even had Vermont Marble as an option.... That seems crazy high - esp in an ultracompetitive area like granite (but - as always - do see finished installations.... check references)


  • 10 years ago

    I second the Home Depot idea.

    I also wanted white, speckled or blobs of grey were cheap. :0)

  • 10 years ago

    Maybe start a thread asking for fabricator in the DC metro area. IKEA College Park used to have granite, marble, Silestone, Caesarstone (much more than what they had on display in the showroom), but they now seem to only offer quartz and solid surface.

  • 10 years ago

    I wanted a whiter granite too. Most I saw did not look quite right with my flooring or cabinets unit I found what is called Ibiza or Mirabeles granite. It took quite a search and I did find one that is more white/cream than brown/gold. I also found that most of the granite yards I went to told me that they would price match any granite I found (per square foot) I am in the southern most part of PA and looked at several yards around Baltimore. Get more quotes and keep your options open. I have found most of the whiter granites in this area are under 100.00 per square foot. I paid 75.00 per square foot. The price matching helped bring it down slightly as did the fact that I purchased my own sink off of ebay and was open to an install date.

    The granite looks beautiful and install went well. It helped that the installers stated that my GChad one of the best and most level cabinet installs he had seen in a long time and the fact that the walls were almost completely square. The counter installers said that having the cabinets installed right makes the biggest difference in how the countertop install goes.

  • 10 years ago

    Check out richstone granite in chantilly. They will send you to cosmos slab yard across the street. I found their pricing very reasonable.

  • 10 years ago

    I also fell in love with Calacatta, and I was also quoted over 200 a sq ft. So I went with quartz. Cambria Brittanicca for perimeter, and Cambria Ella for my island. It came in at 74 a sq ft with installation.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Also, check out some of the sites in the threads below. The threads are 8 years old, so there may have been changes, but at least it gives you other options:

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2572448/dc-md-folks-your-favorite-granite-yard?n=9

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2477891/suburban-maryland-granite-yards-fabricators?n=20

    .

  • 10 years ago

    I got very reasonable granite prices from this place in N. VA. Adeo Granite 202-340-8800. I didn't use him in the end because I went with Quartz. I was happy with my Quartz fabricator too who also carried granite and marble. They were Creative In Counters, Mt. Airy, MD but they go to N. VA. They were good and reasonable as well.

  • 10 years ago

    Yes, that price seems high, are your counters standard depth? Will the slabs get two rows out of them? He must have thought he had a live one....get other prices and do not mention the $220 per square foot as some one is sure to beat it at $180 and the real price should be closer to $100 give or take...