Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Tips To Find Granite Bids

Getting the right bids for your granite flooring can be very useful to decide over the budget. However, this can be a bit tricky and if you consider certain factors, the chances are that the bids may well turn into a guess. So, here are few tips that will make your bid a realistic one.

Thickness is a factor that you should consider while deciding over the budget of it. Normally, tiles with thickness ranging from 1 to ¼ inches are used. But there are other variants as well. The thinner ones are used in laundry rooms and bathroom vanity.

The price of the granite countertops depends largely on the quality of the tiles. Thus, tiles with identical thickness may have different pricings because of their quality. The quality has a strong relation with the looks of the slabs. Certainly, you don’t want a slab that has some awkward textures. The opportunity to watch the slabs and lay out the project before the installation should also be included in your bids.

Edge detail is yet another factor that influences the pricing of the granite tiles. Generally, the 1-4 edge details are available in the companies. However, you should get the price of the different edge details that you like and include it.

The sealers that are used to keep the looks of the granite intact can be of different qualities and that can influence the budget as well. Many companies offer sealers that will not last for more than a couple of years. On the other hand, there are companies that will offer you sealants that will last for more than 15 years. Obviously, it is better to opt for this later option. However, if accompany is unable to provide that, you should ask for a free sealing service for lifetime.

The backsplash is important for the looks of the granite countertops. This is where the granite meets the wall. You should include this separately in your budget, since many companies do that.

Granite is a heavy and tough stone. Cutting it out is not an easy task anyway. This is why the companies charge the cost of cut outs. So, if you are looking for sink, faucets, cook tops or any other product that needs holes, you should include the charge of the cut-outs in your budget.

Now, it is time for delivery. However, in this stage, you have to pay for the delivery, sales tax and installation charge. The professionals are absolutely essential if you are looking for a big installation. However, a single piece of granite can be installed by the homeowner.

If you are replacing an old countertop with the granite countertop, the older one can be sold to the installers. You should talk with them about it and this should be included in the bid as well.

Warranty is another factor that you should consider minutely. There are companies that offer warranty on the granite, installation and sealing. Naturally, they are the better options.

Most importantly, you must gather proper information about the prices to get the correct bid. Once you get a few of them, you can compare them and get a clear idea about the true cost.

No comments:

Post a Comment