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ORDERING AND INSTALLING CUSTOM COUNTERTOPS

  
STEP 1:  Plan your countertop purchase

   

Design:  What kind of stone will you use?  What kind of edges do you prefer? 

  • Our website page on Specifying Custom Stone Countertops has a list of the decisions you'll need to make for your countertops and things to know about each.
  • Need more help? Call Chris, our Countertop Design Specialist at 206-669-8547. She knows countertops!
  • Tour some of the slab showrooms listed here, all are open to the public. Give Chris a call before you go, she can direct you to the best sources for your preference and can sometimes arrange to meet you there. 
 
     

 

Contractor vs. DIY:  If you're doing major construction you probably want to have a contractor, but if the project is small or  you're only replacing countertops, you may have a choice.

Can you do the preparation yourself or is smarter to hire a contractor?  Review the information in  What do contractors need to know about preparing for stone countertops? .  The article can help you determine if you have the tools, the expertise and the time to do the work yourself.  If you're in doubt, we advise hiring the contractor, he'll save costly mistakes.  We can give you names of some good ones if you need them. 

Self-contracting?  Let us know up front if you've decided this is the way to go, we'll try extra hard to make sure you have access to the information & support you'll need to coordinate our work with your other contractors.

Hiring a General Contractor?   You can still hire us as the contractor for the stonework part of your job.

         Many General Contractors prefer to stay out of this important part of the job by encouraging their clients to contract directly with a fabricator of the client's own choosing. It's a process that works well because he gets to focus on other parts of the project and  the client saves money.

 

    
     

Contact us as early in your project as possible!  Our work gets done after the cabinets are permanently installed and before the plumber trims out the faucets. Waiting too long can preclude some design and material choices you might want to make and can cause delays when you're ready to move in.

  • GET SOME PRICES.  As soon as you know your design and have some idea about specification detail options & an estimated schedule.  Send us a Request for Proposal
  • WE'LL HELP WITH DECISIONS.  Take samples of your cabinets to the slab showrooms and make your final stone selection, we'll meet you there if you like. If you're comparing options, ask us to price all of them out so you can consider cost in your decision-making. Call and talk with us if you have questions or want some suggestions
  • WORK ORDER.  Once you've made all your design decisions we'll send a Work Order showing a detailed description of the scope and specifications of your project and the cost. We'll ask you to review it & pay a deposit if you wish to proceed.  
 
STEP 2:  Schedule production
   
  • PAY A 50% DEPOSIT.  Send the deposit when all your decisions are made and you're ready to move into our production schedule. We accept payment by check or credit card.
  • ESTABLISH A SCHEDULE. We'll schedule a time to template based on the time you expect the cabinets to be completely installed. Unless your cabinets are already installed, this will be a tentative date and we'll ask you to keep us informed of any changes.
  • INSTALLATION GUIDELINES. We'll send a one-page 'Guide to Stonework Installation'  so you know what to expect and what you & your contractor must do to prepare for our work.
  
STEP 3:  Install your new countertops!
   
  • TEMPLATING.  The stone for your countertops will be cut using templates we'll make after the cabinets have been permanently installed. Once the templates are created, you'll have to schedule all changes to the area after your countertops are installed.  Appliance garages and backsplashes are two common examples, ask Matt when he comes to template if you have any questions.
  • INSTALLATION.  Fabrication will take one to three weeks after templating, we'll probably be able to give you an installation date when we come to template.  Expect us to spend one day at the jobsite installing your countertops, more or less depending on the size of the job.
  • FINISHING.  Most jobs can be completely installed and finished in just two visits, but some require a third trip to the jobsite for finishing touches or installation of parts that had to wait until the epoxy set. 
 		  

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Nuance Stoneworks, Inc.  Seattle, WA  206-669-8547  chris at nuancestoneworks.com