Hi again! I'm going to share with you a brief (for me) outline of what happens, start to finish, when you replace your countertops. I believe this is a fairly common sequence followed by granite companies  everywhere, but that's just a guess. We put this together as the least complicated, least intrusive path for our clients. Feel free to make suggestions if it seems something else might work better! We're all ears.  The times listed here are approximate and may vary depending on the season.

1. Introductory Q&A – Tell us about your needs and what you envision!  This is typically when you visit the showroom for the first time.
2. On-site Measurements – 15-30 minutes in your existing kitchen or calculating from your cabinet plans
3. Preliminary Estimate – within 24 hours of measurements, delivered by email
4. On-site Template – 30-60 minutes with our lead fabricator
   1. Converse with your Fabricator – finalize the details
   2. Make sink, edge and overhang choices
   3. Deposit for stone plus 75% of labor is due at this visit
5. Stone delivery – varies by supplier, but typically takes:
   1. Marble Quality – 1-2 days
   2. Cambria and Wilsonart – 3-10 days
   3. Cosentino – 3-7 days
   4. GK Granite – 3-7 days
   5. Omicron - 2-6 days
   6. Gaia Stone Gallery - 1-3 days
6. Layout, Client Packet and Contract Signing at the Showroom – 30-60 minutes in person or email approval and signing if needed
7. Stone cutting – typically 1-2 day process
8. Fabrication – typically 1-2 day process
9. Old countertop tear-out and removal (if included) – typically 2-5 hours depending on size, scheduled the day before installation
10. Installation of new countertops – typically 2-4 hours depending on size
11. Follow-up Instructions – 30-45 minutes, at the end of the installation
    1. Care and cleaning
    2. Sealer information and warranty, if applicable
    3. Q&A – Ask us anything! What did we forget to mention?
    4. Final walk-through, “after-photos” and Final Payment 

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Hi there! One of the most frequent comments we hear when meeting clients for the first time goes something like this: "I don't know where to start. I'm not sure how to do this!" I get it. Buying new countertops is pretty overwhelming. You face two significantly frightening obstacles - first, the selection and characteristics of your stone selection, and second, the fear that somehow, in some way, the company you choose to make and install  your stone is going to let you down or take advantage of you.   

Both fears are real and both are intimidating.  I'm going to try to chip away at both of these, one blog at a time, and hope that you'll find some nugget of comfort in the information shared here.  Whether you choose Spartan or someone else, I hope you'll find it helpful to read about some of our experiences and see exactly how we do things in our company.

We're the good guys.

The company you choose should  ask about how you use your countertops before you start the stone selection process. Different stones have different properties, and the way you use your kitchen will help determine which stone is best for you. The first thing we do here at Spartan is listen, really listen, to how you use your countertops and what you imagine the new tops will be like.

Some people want a beautiful kitchen but seldom cook. Some people cook frequently...in the microwave! And yet others, like myself, prepare "real" meals daily and loooove to bake!  For the seldom-used showplace, quartz may be absolutely perfect!  It doesn't stain - yay!  For the microwave fan, I'd go with any natural stone.  It'll be fine!  For the chef/baker, I'd recommend granite or quartzite - definitely NOT quartz, which will burn. I know, because a few years ago there was an incident in our showroom with a particularly hot flan. Left a  delightful round burn mark that couldn't be removed. Great flan, horrible reminder to use a trivet on quartz.

At Spartan, we don't mark up the stone. This means we do not have a vested interest in selling you something from a particular company. We can and do install all types of stone from lots of suppliers - what matters to us is that it meets your needs and you absolutely LOVE it.  Consider how you use your kitchen and let that be a guide for choosing your perfect stone. I'll post tomorrow about the characteristics of each, but this at least will get you thinking!

Rock on!