Cheap Countertops – we’ll show you why not!

Materials

1. Laminate

Laminate countertops used to be popular among homeowners but their time has passed now and they have gone out of style over the years.

It’s not only their style that couldn’t keep up the times and trends, but also their lack of function: they are easy to scratch and stains/burns are highly visible.

Besides its sensitiveness, laminate is also not sanitary: the humidity gets underneath the layer of laminate and creates mold which is also unhealthy for you and your family.

Another let-down of laminate is that it doesn’t add any value to your home – and why would you spend money on something for your house that will not hold value in the future?

2. Cheap granite and quartz

It’s great that you want something more durable than laminate and it’s perfectly understandable that you have a budget at the same time, just don’t let yourself be fooled by cheaper granite options.

Cheaper is not always better, especially in the case of stone countertops – here is why.

Granite is mined in large blocks from which the manufacturer cuts their slabs – this is important to know to understand the difference between the qualities of granite slabs.

Granite is mined in large blocks and then cut in to 2cm or 3cm thick slabs. 

Within that block there will be high quality slabs and lower quality slabs.

Slabs are considered lower when they have cracks, pits, large blotches, etc. 

When purchasing, granite suppliers can choose from the various qualities of slabs from the quarry and there is no surprise that the lower the quality the slab, the lower the cost.

Granite slabs having less shine is a sign that the quarry is using lower quality machinery and pads to cut down on costs.  That being said, shine also depends in the actual stone, some stone shine more than others.

Just like with granite, cheaper quartz slabs should raise also raise questions.

With quartz countertops being man-made, the percentage of actual quartz in the countertop says a lot about the quality of the material.

Cheaper quartz countertops, for the most part, have less natural quartz in them.

While it is difficult to see the quality difference for a customer based on the countertop’s color and look, we’ll show you the list of signs you should be looking out for when purchasing countertops in the next section.

Reviews, manufacturers

One way to ensure you are getting a quality product is to do some research about the shop or fabricator you’re going to.

Reviews can tell you a lot about a particular company: if you see a lot of customers unsatisfied with a fabricators work, check how they handle complaints as it also says a lot about their approach to their customers.

The best case scenario when visiting a company is that you get to see the slabs they are working from - if that doesn’t happen, you definitely have the right to be suspicious.

Even if you don’t know too much about stones, there are a few signs of the quality of the slab you should have your eyes on.

Here is a list of things that can help you:

• natural fissures on granite are fine but if there are actual cracks walk away
• no resin protection means the material will be easier to stain
• when checking the slab closely, you should look for an even shine throughout the slab

If you are still unsure or haven’t seen any signals of bad quality, ask about their suppliers.

When it comes to manmade quartz, if you hear names like Silestone, Pompeii, Cambria and Ceasarstone, you’re in good hands.

Bad quality is not always the cheapest

So far, we have showed you how lower-priced countertops should be suspicious but there is something else we have to talk about.

While their prices can be telling, sometimes bad quality slabs are not always the cheapest.

Confusing, right?

Good quality countertops can be produced for lower prices with high-production saws but these are only achievable for those companies that do volumes of the same product.

Their capacity of big volumes results in faster manufacturing that ends up taking away from the initial price.

This is why it’s important to know about the company you might be about to seal the deal with, and educate yourself on the topic.

But the question remains: why would waste your money on products you cannot be sure that are good quality?

Zsolt Granite Corporation offers only premium quality slabs for your kitchen and bathroom vanity countertops.

Furthermore, we also have a square foot program for all our in-stock slabs in which you only pay for the material that’s used for your countertops and not for the entire slab!

For more information, call us on 407-871-3708 or send us an email to info@zsoltgranitecorporation.com!