Suggestions for granite counter tops

[mikeandnancy1112]

Does anyone know of an independent person who installs granite counter tops?

[playgolf06]

I highly recommend Duncan Stone. I believe they are in Tavares. They did a great job for us and had a reasonable price.

[beachx4me]

Duncan did ours too, the owner was there also working during installation. They did a beautiful job. And they don't ask for a cent until they are finished and you are happy.

[mrbgull]

I've heard good things about Duncan Stone . I also agree with the Burns assessment

[Mallory]

Pick out your granite at the yard on Rolling Acres. Designer-level houses are usually 3 or 4 slabs if you are also doing the bathrooms. Then call Duncan Stone in Tavares or take a run down there. Phone is 352-343-7504. You'll probably talk with Mike Sirasky first. He'll walk you through the process.

We are extremely satisfied with their high quality work.

[Codysmom]

Duncan Stone for sure!

[cwo4mat]

Another vote for Duncan Stone!!!

[tomwed]

I have laminate, and I'll admit; sometimes I take it for granite.

[azniv]

I visited former neighbors who moved to a brand new home in a brand new village. I saw some obvious things that were not right about their kitchen granite counter tops - the cut-out at the sink had a big and uneven overhang, and the seam at the sink was uneven (one side higher than the other). Being a good friend, I mentioned it, knowing that they were still in The Villages one-year warranty period. She explained that it was not under The Villages warranty - they did not like the laminate counters that came with the new house and (based on all the great reviews on TOTV) had called Duncan Stone. Ty Duncan, the owner, came and made the template. They chose their granite slabs at the Rolling Acres site, and contracted with Duncan Stone. The work was done, they paid, and did a close inspection over the next few days (a liquid sealer had been applied and they couldn't touch it until the next day). She even showed me where they "patched" a gap with a small piece of granite. They called and Ty Duncan came and inspected. He told them that it was all within "industry standards". She said he filled the uneven seam (which is now even more obvious as the fill-material is shiny and bridges the top of the two edges - not just down inside the seam). That was it. He said there was nothing else he could do. Knowing basic geometry, it's easy to see that the angled corner seam was not cut properly (and/or not templated properly) which necessitated the patch.
So sad that my friends are unhappy - the granite they selected is beautiful, but the manufacture and installation are a disappointment. Seeing their kitchen, I would not use Duncan, even though he is recommended by many others on TOTV.

[Psychohillbilly]

I had HC Granite do my kitchen. I got the Black Galaxy and love it. Very reasonable price and great people. Highly recommend...they have a lot of pictures of THEIR work on their Facebook, very impressive.
https://www.facebook.com/HcGranite/timeline

[John_W]

Everyone seems to be recommending Duncan Stone. I remember two years ago when we looked into the process, ARS Granite of Fruitland Park had several great reviews, use the search feature at the top of the page.

We visited ARS along with a couple of others. If I remember correctly, they were charging installed price of $42, $52 and $62 a sq ft for the three different levels of granite. That was cheaper than the others that were asking $45, $55 and $65 a sq ft. They also had a nice single basin stainless steel sink for $300, that we liked. They are close by, they have some granite slabs on site, or you can go to the Universal Granite yard on Rolling Acres Rd. Here's their website.

ARS Granite and Marble (http://www.arsgranite.com/)

We haven't installed the granite yet, because we first wanted white cabinets. Our kitchen is small, only 10' X 10' in a courtyard villa and was almost new. We required 68 sq ft and with a sink and faucet we were looking at about $3500 to $4500 depending on the level of granite. So we first had Remington Kitchens of Leesburg reface our cabinets. After that was completed, our formica counters looked much nicer. So instead of spending $3500 on granite countertops, we spent about $4500 on plantation shutters on four windows, a backsplash in the kitchen, hand pulls on the cabinets and wood floors in the kitchen, foyer and dining room.

Our kitchen before:

https://imageshack.com/i/j1kitchenffj

Our kitchen after refacing, backsplash, hand pulls, plantation shutters, wood floors:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/600x520q90/59/39775170.jpg (http://imageshack.com/f/1n39775170j)

[Mary Lou]

John W - your kitchen looks great. I love a white kitchen. Did you compare prices before going with Remington or where they recommended? Did they actually reface or replace the doors?

[John_W]

John W - your kitchen looks great. I love a white kitchen. Did you compare prices before going with Remington or where they recommended? Did they actually reface or replace the doors?

No, we didn't shop around. I had been reading TOTV for a couple of years and made a mental note that Remington specialized in refacing. They came right out and gave us a estimate that was really the final price.

This was in March of 2013, at the time they had two (1) man crews that did the refacing. One fellow came to our place and removed all the doors and drawl fronts, and placed white formica over the base cabinets and took the old doors and drawl fronts away. That was day one. The next day he brought in new white doors with new hinges and drawl fronts and finished the job including the crown molding and hand pulls. He finished up in two days, and they charged $4800 including the crown molding and hand pulls. We could of had the cabinets painted white for about $1,000 from Investment Painters. I decided I rather have a new veneer and not worry about paint chipping or getting old looking. These are termafoil cabinets, like the TV installs. That's basically wood with white plastic melted onto the veneer. They also offered real wood painted white, which is what we had up north. The real wood looks nice but you do see the seams where as the thermafoil is solid white.

[kmf2298]

We just had Wildwood Kitchen and Bath do our granite countertops and are very pleased the the work. They did.

[DangeloInspections]

Whoever you use, make sure you raise the electrical boxes up about an inch or so. Doing this makes the notch they need to cut for the receptacles cut from the TOP and NOT the bottom, thus giving you a continuous seam between the counter and the backsplash.

The better aftermarket installers do this.

Frank

[DangeloInspections]

Frank, I'm not getting it. What do you mean? My granite will be installed within the next two weeks.

On the kitchens where you have a raised "bar" around the sink area, the receptacles and the switch for the lights above and the switch for the disposal are very close to the countertop itself. They cannot be centered because it is almost impossible to cut a 2.5 inch high rectangle in the middle of a 4" backsplash. So, they cut a notch from the bottom.

When you then spill anything on the counter the water can flow down the notch and down into the wall. IF after they remove the existing laminate countertop they raise these electrical boxes about an inch or so, the granite backsplash notch can be cut from the top. This gives you a continuous seam that is caulked below the receptacles for a much better look.

During warranty inspections homes who have the granite installed with the lower receptacles I write this up and have the Electricians caulk a clear silicone "dam" behind the plates so no water can get down into the wall. This does not need to be done if the receptacle boxes are raised before the backsplash is cut.

This can not be done in the bathrooms usually because of the exposed top of the backsplash, but it can be done in the kitchens.

I hope I am explaining this well....if not I could post a picture, as I write this up all the time.

Frank

[MoeVonB61]

We used Wildwood Kitchen and Bath for our 10 foot bathroom vanity granite and custom rectangle sinks. They did an outstanding job from START TO FINISH, showed up when they said they would and followed through on everything. Great Job!
For our kitchen countertops, we are using Formica Carrera marble design with bullnose end as we plan on refacing/replacing cabinets in about 6 years (had cabinets painted by Investment for now). Burns had the BEST pricing on granite....I will report on the install process........Better pricing than Duncan..

[DangeloInspections]

I think I follow you but mine appear to be centered.

Yes, yours currently are because they are still laminate countertops. The granite will be thicker, so if you leave the boxes as they are the granite backsplash will be notched on the BOTTOM, thus needing caulk. If after they rip out the laminate countertops you raise the electrical boxes up an inch or so, the granite notch will be on the top, the better looking, safer method. Just tell the installers to raise the boxes up a bit and make the granite notch cut from the top. The better installers do this and will know what you are saying. Hope this helps! Frank