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MeredithMan · 08-15-2017, 08:36 AM

We put in a new kitchen and bathrooms in our primary home a couple years ago. Worked with a local kitchen/bath contractor. While he had the small granite samples in his office, the absolute best advice he gave us was to go to his granite yard subcontractor and pick out the exact slab we wanted. What we found is that the color palette in the sample could be VASTLY different than what was in the slab itself. Note that this is with natural granite.

The other advice he gave us is that different granites come in different slab lengths. So, depending on whether or not you want seams in your countertops, that may guide you into what color & slab you pick.

The other advantage of going to the granite yard was that we were able to pick out remnants for our bathroom vanity counters, saving a lot of $$

As for quartz vs granite, we did consider quartz as it was less money, but it felt very plastic-like and cheap. It also does not have the same high-heat tolerance that granite does, (taking hot pans out of the oven or off of the stove....) Certainly nothing wrong with quartz, but it wasn't for us.

Anyway, bottom line is that I would recommend finding a local kitchen/bath contractor who is knowledgeable, reputable, and will let you go to his granite yard. Home Depot/Lowes, etc, will not do this.

08-15-2017, 08:36 AM	#12
MeredithMan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Bedford, NH; Meredith, NH Posts: 864 Thanks: 233 Thanked 768 Times in 302 Posts	Granite... We put in a new kitchen and bathrooms in our primary home a couple years ago. Worked with a local kitchen/bath contractor. While he had the small granite samples in his office, the absolute best advice he gave us was to go to his granite yard subcontractor and pick out the exact slab we wanted. What we found is that the color palette in the sample could be VASTLY different than what was in the slab itself. Note that this is with natural granite. The other advice he gave us is that different granites come in different slab lengths. So, depending on whether or not you want seams in your countertops, that may guide you into what color & slab you pick. The other advantage of going to the granite yard was that we were able to pick out remnants for our bathroom vanity counters, saving a lot of $$ As for quartz vs granite, we did consider quartz as it was less money, but it felt very plastic-like and cheap. It also does not have the same high-heat tolerance that granite does, (taking hot pans out of the oven or off of the stove....) Certainly nothing wrong with quartz, but it wasn't for us. Anyway, bottom line is that I would recommend finding a local kitchen/bath contractor who is knowledgeable, reputable, and will let you go to his granite yard. Home Depot/Lowes, etc, will not do this.