Choosing a Granite Worktop Company

Choosing a granite company depends a lot on the granite required, what the granite is to be used for plus the location, timescales involved and what other work is being carried out.

Complete new kitchen If you are purchasing granite kitchen worktops to go with new kitchen units you are getting through a large company it is possible that the kitchen supplier has their own granite worktop provider and they probably will not be very happy if you say you are getting the granite elsewhere, because they will want to make their mark up on the granite in addition to the kitchen units. They will possibly make it difficult for you to buy the granite yourself by refusing to return after fitting the units to reconnect services and connect the plumbing for the sink. However if you are making a large enough saving on the granite it may well be worthwhile to get a corgi registered installer to come and do the final connections rather than using the kitchen fitters again.

Replacement worktops only If you are only replacing worktops and plan to keep your existing kitchen units it is worth using a granite company with a very quick turn round time to minimise the time you will be without the full use of the kitchen. Traditional granite installers need 10-12 days to cut & polish the granite, however some cheaper companies send the granite to Europe to get the worktops made and then brought back into the UK, as using foreign labour is cheaper but this means a turn around time of up to 3 weeks. If you find the right company it is possible to get the granite cut, polished and installed in around 2-3 working days.

If you are having building work done where there is will be a carpenter on site, it might be that you can further reduce your costs by getting the carpenter make the templates for granite worktops for kitchens/bathrooms, vanity units, hearths & plinths and bars.

Also ask your builder if they have any experience of installing granite, as of he does and has the right equipment it could be a cheaper option to just use the granite company on a supply only basis. For this the builder/carpenter would need to create the templates with accurate measurements and also collect the granite. However one thing to bear in mind is that the granite is very heavy and also relatively fragile whilst in transit, so if the builder breaks a worktop while loading it or whilst installing it, it will be down to you rather than the granite company for a replacement at additional cost.

Make sure you are able to view the actual final granite, especially if you are trying to match it to the colour scheme of your new kitchen, because the samples you may have been sent can vary a lot from the batch of granite that you finally purchase.