Price for granite fabrication? (rental, countertops, appliances)

[DetroitN8V]

Anyone have an idea of a fair price per sq ft for granite fabrication? I'm talking just the labor side and not the material. I have a price on the material but I think the fabricator may be overcharging me on the fabrication. Thanks!

[Jkgourmet]

Depends on some factors that you haven't included including (but not limited to)

What kind of edge did you chose?
Drop in sink or under counter sink?
How many seams?

Your BEST bet is to get two more fabricators with good references to give you quotes. My experience is that the quality of the fabricator is secondary to the price, unless it's in a rental or for a flip. Quality fabrication costs more than the material, in most cases.

[DetroitN8V]

I understand. I was hoping for somewhat of a ballpark.

What kind of edge did you chose?
Eased
Drop in sink or under counter sink?
Undemount
How many seams?
As few as possible?

[azdr0710]

very personal opinion here, but I think granite countertops, especially that highly mottled variety, are rapidly going the way of avocado shag carpet and harvest gold appliances....I realize many people have spent thousands on this stuff in the past several years, but it has become so ubiquitous as to be a bit of a cliche....realtors have told me they wonder what the next "granite and stainless steel" fad will be....

alternatives you may want to consider for a counter are stainless steel (like in industrial kitchens - very retro and timeless), concrete, quartz, good ol' Formica (great value and durability), or other synthetic "stones".....try to keep it low-key and not flashy

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

very personal opinion here, but I think granite countertops, especially that highly mottled variety, are rapidly going the way of avocado shag carpet and harvest gold appliances....I realize many people have spent thousands on this stuff in the past several years, but it has become so ubiquitous as to be a bit of a cliche....realtors have told me they wonder what the next "granite and stainless steel" fad will be....

alternatives you may want to consider for a counter are stainless steel (like in industrial kitchens - very retro and timeless), concrete, quartz, good ol' Formica (great value and durability), or other synthetic "stones".....try to keep it low-key and not flashy

I completely agree. I actually do not like granite and most looks very dated. We're looking for something very specific, like a carrara marble-like white granite or quartzite. There are some very nice quartz products (man-made as opposed to the actual stone, quartzite), but they're almost twice the price as granite.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

I completely agree. I actually do not like granite and most looks very dated. We're looking for something very specific, like a carrara marble-like white granite or quartzite. There are some very nice quartz products (man-made as opposed to the actual stone, quartzite), but they're almost twice the price as granite.

Avoid the common types of granite like ubatuba, Baltic brown, etc and things won't look outdated. The quartz products are priced in the middle of the granite range. For me, I like the more spendy granite's that have a lot of "movement". Quartz has zero movement so I am not a fan. Quartz IMHO will be outdated. So I think the fad is cheap granite (not interesting natural granite).

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

Avoid the common types of granite like ubatuba, Baltic brown, etc and things won't look outdated. The quartz products are priced in the middle of the granite range. For me, I like the more spendy granite's that have a lot of "movement". Quartz has zero movement so I am not a fan. Quartz IMHO will be outdated. So I think the fad is cheap granite (not interesting natural granite).

Some quartz has artificial movement. Here's Cambria Torquay in a bathroom:

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Some quartz has artificial movement. Here's Cambria Torquay in a bathroom:

I stand corrected. I know the CFO of Cambria (MN company). Nice guy...

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Some quartz has artificial movement. Here's Cambria Torquay in a bathroom:

We are doing a kitchen remodel and are considering Cambria Torquay. Do you know of any place that has it on display, i.e. an actual counter as opposed to a 12 inch square?

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

We are doing a kitchen remodel and are considering Cambria Torquay. Do you know of any place that has it on display, i.e. an actual counter as opposed to a 12 inch square?

No, sorry I don't. All I've seen are the small squares. I am going a different route because all of the dealers seemed a little slimy. None of them seemed to have their own fabricators and it seemed like a secondary product offering that none of them were too knowledgeable about. I like how white it is and sometimes I thought it looked great. Other times, it looked like plastic to me.