Many people looking to get stone installed in their kitchen or bathroom, often wonder how long and it will take before they have their new countertops installed. If you’re among those who want to know how long it takes to install granite countertops, let me be the one to break the general process down for you.
Step 1) Estimates
The first thing most stone companies will do is give you an estimate, this shouldn’t take longer than half an hour(for an average job). A company representative will head out to your property, measure all countertops, and give you a rough estimate according to the total square feet, stone desired, and other specs. After the estimate is in your hands, the total time the job will take depends on how quick you can get back to the company with a confirmation.
Step 2) Templates
Assuming that you decided to go ahead with the estimated price, the next two steps are also quick and easy. After confirming the estimated price, a company representative should be back at the property to make accurate templates of your new countertops. This is done to ensure that your stone is cut precisely, so it will fit well upon installation. Templating shouldn’t take more than an hour for an average sized kitchen, and it is recommended that you clear the top of your countertops for ease of measuring while templating. After templating it is time for you to choose your stone!
Step 3) Choosing Stone
This step can be carried out in one of three ways:
- You can schedule a visit to the stone yard with a company representative. This can be very exciting for a first time buyer, and is recommended if you feel you’d like to pick out the perfect slab yourself.
- A company representative can email you pictures of the slabs available at the stone yard. You would then choose amongst the slabs yourself. Choosing your slab in this manner can quicken the process as a whole, as it avoids having to schedule a time out to browse for slabs.
- You can choose your slab from the samples provided by the company. This is the quickest way to get your granite installed. But it does come with its cons. For one you won’t be seeing the exact slab your countertops are going to be cut out of. Yes, the company will purchase the same kind of granite as the sample you chose, but let’s not forget stone can vary in shades.
After choosing your stone comes the lengthy part. Fabrication.
Step 4) Fabrication
By now it’s been anywhere from 2-4 days from the time you confirmed your estimate, you’ve chosen your slab, and are awaiting your installation date. What’s happening now is that the company is fabricating your new kitchen. Here at Economic Granite we like to give customers a hands on approach to fabrication, we keep customers up to date on how their work is coming along, and often send pictures of their granite being cut, polished, etc. Fabrication can take anywhere from one to two weeks, this is due to the fact that companies usually have large amounts of work to complete before finally moving on to your job.
Step 5) Installation
Installing your new kitchen usually takes an average of 5 hours, this includes tear out and trash disposal. A company representative will set up a date for your install in advance, when your kitchen has been fabricated. It is recommended that you clear the top of your old countertops, and cover things inside your countertops with towels, as it can be a bit dusty at times. After installation, all that’s left is to enjoy your new masterpiece!
After all is said and done, a new kitchen can take anywhere from two to two and a half weeks, from the date of confirmation of your estimate. After years of experience we’ve optimized our own installation process to under a week, you can learn more about it here. If you ask me it is totally worth the wait, let us not forget the beauty that natural stone can bring to your home for the years to come.