Few people actually know what questions to ask before buying a new granite countertop. A tradesperson would shop for new granite countertops with a different list of expectations. Most home owners only ask two questions. What colors do you have and what price group is it in. If that’s all you do to pick out your crafts people, then you’ll get what you pay for.

Do you stock raw materials or do you buy them from somebody else? It doesn’t make a difference which way this is answered, but it should be on your list of questions. If it’s anything that’s in stock, you’re probably going to get a better bargain, because the fabricator got a quantity bargain.

Does this type of natural stone stain easily? Once again, I would deal with whatever the answer might be. Be prepared for the average designer not to know the answer. Pour water on the granite. If it’s soaks up liquid in less than 5 minutes, it’s going to need a bunch of water-proofing.

Does this natural stone etch with acid? If you’re designer in fact knows the answer of this, buy from them! After you’ve gotten the types down to the top two or three, find out if they’ll knock samples off. Put some lemon juice on the samples. Most granite don’t have enough calcite in it to be damaged, but if it does you’d better know beforehand.

Is this genuinely top caliber stone? Don’t inquire, just inspect. Slabs of granite aren’t perfect, nor are they intended to be . Are you looking at a plethora of challenges or just a few? Were big air pockets filled with restoration plastic? Is the shop planning on just cutting it to size, or are they planning to repair anything? How problematic is this stone to work with?

Do they cut this type of stone a lot? Do they physically have scraps or samples to prove they have fabricated it?

What kind of tools are you going to use, and who’s going to employ them? You can get top quality work from two guys and some hand tools; if they know what they’re doing. Gadgets are nice, but it’s the employees that use them that will determine how the job turns out. The people involved are more important that the cost of the tools.

What kind of turn around time are they comfortable with? Some shops need 12 days from template, other need 3. Rushing through the job is never a good idea. Do you want it done right, or do you want it done right now?

What’s the warranty like: If it’s more than 12 months, what’s actually covered?

What’s their grade with the Better Business Bureau? Great to know.

Can you get the crane and actually put the precise slabs you inspected away so they’re still here 3 weeks from now? It’s usual for the stone shop to say that you’ll get some of the slabs from the same block or batch. It might be important for you to get the actual ones inspected.

Have they lost any good technicians lately, where did they go?

How many technical teams are there? Maybe you should ask for one gang over of another.

Would they be open to 10% in barter? Look around, everybody’s got something they can swap.

Who manages the problem installs: Meet them before the project starts. What’s their goal for turn around time for service or restoration?

Do you service customers who bought elsewhere and fix their shoddy installs? Who’s the best at restoration

Many of the quality stone shops in their never ending quest for higher quality have joined industry trade associations like the Marble Institute of America (MIA), and the Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA). Small shops like granite San Diego, granite MN , or granite MD are frequently the ones that are leading the industry through innovation and higher quality standards, and deserve your consideration alongside the bigger players.

If other clients asked these types of questions, it would be a win-win for both the tradesman and the consumer. Expectations would be set more realistically, and consumer satisfaction would surge. There’s also more than a few granite shops that would close down if they were asked all these questions up front.

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