Are you ready for new Natural Stone Countertops?

www.stonexp.com  2010-08-28 10:40:22  Popularity Index:0  Source:Internet

Nothing can help freshen up an older home, or help in the sale of a property or inspire your kitchen workspace, like a new or remodeled kitchen with granite (Natural Stone) countertops. Remodeling your kitchen with Granite Countertops can be an incredibly exciting adventure, but with it can come a lot of stress, and complication! Although there will always be some things to worry about, it is possible to eliminate much of stress with a solid planning.

Kitchen remodeling can be a huge project. Here at EonStone we are going to concentrate only on Natural Stone countertops and Bathroom Vanities.

After you decision is made to remodel, upgrade your kitchen, bathroom with natural stone the rest of the process can  broken down in some simple steps:

Removing old countertops: If you remodeling existing kitchen, you probably have all ready some kind of countertops (wood, laminate, tile…), which, most likely, will have to be removed. Removing old countertops is not a hard task, more challenging task could be to prepare the surface for new countertops. Surface needs to be sturdy enough and provide enough support surfaces for the new stone. It is also very important to have the surface leveled. Some contractors (fabricators) may refuse to install countertops if the cabinets are not leveled and strong enough to support new stone countertops.
Selecting Natural Stone: Selecting the right material for your countertops. Is vital to your satisfaction with the whole kitchen remodel. The color and texture and appearance of the counters create one of the boldest visual statements in the kitchen, along with the cabinets and appliance selections. Perhaps even more important; the counters are the scene of most of the work that is performed in the kitchen and must be able to withstand whatever you and your family dish out, without requiring excessive care to maintain countertop visual appeal. 
 
Selecting Sinks: Most homeowners will install new sinks when they upgrade or remodel their kitchens and bathrooms with natural stone.  Commonly there are two types of sinks used with granite countertops, referred to as: drop-in and under mount sinks. Sinks may be stainless steel, composite, or a number of other materials.  When choosing a sink, it is very important to make sure that the sink will fit in the cabinet in which it is to be mounted. Keep in mind that the cabinet must always be wider than the sink. There also must be room available for the faucet of your choice and any other accessories you may choose.  Before your new countertops can be fabricated, fabricator need to know what kind of sinks you going to use. Some bathroom sinks are glued to the bottom of the stone, what is usually done at fabrication facility, before installation.

Cook tops: If a cook top will be mounted on the granite, make sure that there is enough room inside the cabinet to hold the top, and any pop-up vents that will be installed with it. Fabricators will have to know the shape and dimensions of your cook top at the time of making temples.The best is, to have cook top at the site so fabricator can look at it.

Fabrication and Finish: Countertop fabrication costs can extensively affect the final price. In general, the more complex the shape of the countertops (project) and particularly the shape of the finished edges, the higher the price will be. Fortunately, a single thickness plain polished edge makes an excellent appearance and most customers choose this standard, especially when using the 3 cm (1.18") thickness. Occasionally, a customer will want a custom edge pattern, possibly to match the edge to detailing on the cabinetry, which can be done. But keep in mind, that if the fabricator has to buy custom cutting bits (tooling), countertop fabrication cost will be higher.