Installation Of Granite Countertops: Things You Should Know When Hiring A Contractor

Granite has become the foremost choice among natural stones for folks who are renovating, remodeling or setting-up new kitchen interiors. However, not many of them are well-acquainted with the very basic of granite installation, i.e. employing the services of contractors/fabricators that is crucial to ensure that the money invested in purchasing and establishing granite-centered kitchen interiors is fully realized. In fact, a wrongly installed granite countertop can lead to surmounting bills with the passage of time and repeated expenditures on repairs and maintenance issues that could have been avoided if the countertop was installed in a professional manner.

Getting Started With Granite Countertop Installation: Seeking a Contractor — for starters, granite countertops should not be installed with a view of making some quick savings, as it is only proficient professionals who are adept at handling such complex installation projects, i.e. choose and appoint a proficient contractor for the installation process. You could employ the services of independent contractors that are listed in the yellow pages or those that are provided by the vendor from whom you sourced your granite countertop. In either of the scenarios, some basic facts need to be established to ensure a trouble-free installation process:

· Establishing Quality of Services — before you confirm a contractor, it is recommended to seek the profile, photographs or any kind of records of the kind of projects that he or the firm he represents has carried out before. In fact, you can demand for such information and professional contractors would be happy to furnish such information.
· Personalization Issues — many folks might want to get their countertops installed in some very specific manner and this should be clearly explained. Your contractor should be able to understand these demands and give you the assurance that he will be able to carry out the kind of personal touches you want to your countertop.
· Equipment & Materials — along with the countertops, granite slabs may be needed to create the kind of granite ambience you want in your kitchen. The cutting of granite slabs needs diamond-tipped saws and your installation contractor should be able to source these and let you know if there are any extra charges for using such tools. Similarly, there are different granite installation techniques and each of them includes different methods of reducing the appearance of seams or creating smoother outlines and if this would need extra materials, your contractor should be able to list them.
· Additional Installation Expenses — sometimes, the installation of granite countertop is preceded by mounting metal rods or pieces of plywood that are often added to the kitchen cabinetry. This helps in establishing a strong endoskeleton that can support the countertop and ensure a lifetime of assured usage without any worries. Similarly, additional changes might have to be carried around the sink or the hob. These expenses are often not mentioned at the time of giving you a price estimate. Thus, when your contractor gives you the Supply Cost Breakdown for the granite countertop installation, he should give an estimation of the fundamentally needed, ‘could-be-needed’ and contingency supplies.
· Planning the Installation Project — many contractors are unable to plan the entire installation process and often ignore minor details like the presence of electrical sockets and taps that need to be considered when providing cost/supplies/damages estimate.