Project FAQ

From the day you decide to renovate your countertops to the day you're cooking at a finished counter, expect 12 to 16 weeks if you're coordinating with other work like backsplash or cabinet refinishing. The countertop fabrication itself takes 6 to 10 weeks, but the prep work before that—measuring, templating, ordering—adds time on the front end. On our kitchen, we weren't realistic about contractor schedules and ended up with a 14-week timeline. The bathroom, where we built backward from the delivery date, finished in 12 weeks. Neither of us would recommend trying to rush it—rushing is how templating mistakes happen, and one mistake can add 8 weeks to your timeline while a replacement slab gets fabricated.

There's a real difference, but not in the way marketing usually frames it. Granite is a natural stone that needs sealing every year or two. Quartz is engineered stone that's mostly ground natural stone held together with resin, so it never needs sealing. Granite looks different every time—veining is completely random. Quartz has more consistent patterning, which some people love and others find sterile. Cost is actually comparable now; we paid about the same per square foot for either one. The honest answer is that both materials work beautifully if you pick one for reasons that match your actual life. We chose granite for the kitchen because we like the natural variation and didn't mind the sealing routine. For the bathroom, we went quartz because a smaller space made the sealing less of a hassle equation. Pick based on what you actually want to look at and what maintenance routine you'll actually do, not on what someone tells you is "better."

Yes, it matters more than most people realize. The edge profile affects how your countertop coordinates with your backsplash, how it handles spills (some profiles shed water toward the counter, others toward the floor), and whether seams are visible from certain angles. A bullnose edge is forgiving and versatile. A waterfall edge on an island looks intentional and catches fewer spills. A beveled edge hides backsplash joints beautifully. An ogee edge is decorative and works well with traditional cabinets. We chose different profiles for our kitchen and bathroom based on our cabinet styles and tile choices, and both decisions paid off when it came time to install backsplash. Don't just pick the picture you like best—ask your fabricator which profile coordinates with your other material choices.

The template work and templating visit absolutely require a professional—this is not a DIY phase. The actual installation can theoretically be a DIY job if you're experienced with heavy materials and precise measurements, but the financial risk is enormous. A countertop costs between $3,000 and $12,000 for a kitchen, and a single installation mistake costs hundreds to thousands to fix. Templating is where most mistakes happen, and templating is a professional service for a reason. We watched professionals do our bathroom installation and it took them six hours for a space that would have taken us three days and probably resulted in damage. Pay for professional installation. Your money is better spent there than on rental tools and YouTube tutorials.