New York Granite Countertops: The Stone Counter of Choice

For many homeowners in New York, granite counters are the lynchpin of their kitchen remodel. And for good reason: kitchen counters greatly affect the efficiency of your kitchen activity, the look of your kitchen decorating, and provides auxiliary storage for smaller or decorative kitchen items. Often, the mounting distaste for an older, laminate counter is a central motivator for undertaking a kitchen remodel in the first place. From the five boroughs to the Jersey Shore and throughout the greater New York-area, ServiceMagic has helped homeowners with their granite counters, kitchen remodels, and all their home improvement needs.

New York Granite Countertop Installation
Installing a granite countertop is a more involved process than most homeowners realize and bears little resemblance to the square samples you see to demonstrate the color and grain of the stone. First, the granite must be quarried. Knowing how the granite was excavated from the Earth is an importance piece of your countertop. Granite from the top of the quarry may lack sufficient hardness that results from the pressure of the Earth; in large slabs, this lack of hardness can translate into an inferior product.

From the quarry, granite slabs are shipped to various distributors. From these distributors, the granite is purchased for individual countertops. Before it's delivered to your home to be installed, the slab you choose goes to a granite fabricator who fashions the granite into the exact specifications of your kitchen counter. This fabricator or a separate installation contractor will then install it in your kitchen. Rather than the material, this process accounts for the relatively high cost of a natural stone counter.

New York Granite Countertop Costs
The most commonly asked questions about any home improvement project typically focus on cost. Unfortunately, it's notoriously difficult to say how much a granite counter will run you without talking to a contractor. Nationwide, our data indicates that the average cost of granite countertop is just shy of $5,000, although the average is slightly higher for kitchen counters and lower for bathroom counters due to the difference in size of these settings. New York granite counters costing $12,000 or more are not unheard of, but most of the projects we see range somewhere between $1,500 and $7,000.

To keep your price as low as possible, there are a few things you should recognize. First, granite that must be transported long distances will carry a much higher price tag; choosing stone that is quarried closer to where you live will typically result in a lower cost to you (and, for the environmentally conscious consumer, reduce the energy expended in obtaining your new counter, as well). Next, remember that some New York granite counters are priced lower because they are pulled from the top of the quarry; while some higher quarried granite is not as stable in larger slabs, smaller installations may be able to make use of these pieces without sacrificing performance. Last, but certainly not least, like every other material, some varieties of granite are priced high because of they are trendy; opting for a less popular variety may lead to a better price, and could give your home a unique look that won't be as quick to go out of style.

Finding a New York Granite Counter Contractor
The size and density of the Big Apple means you won't have any trouble finding a countertop or kitchen remodeling contractor. Unfortunately, it does mean that you'll have an intimidating number of options. It can be difficult to tell the difference between exemplary, typical, and shady contractors. Cold-calling from the phonebook is a particularly dicey move. The necessary information is out there to make a wise hiring decision, but ServiceMagic streamlines all these informative tools in one convenient source. Each and every one of our contractors is put through a rigorous ten-step screening process. In addition, we provide homeowners with online customer ratings and reviews. Not only will this allow you to see what other homeowners have thought about their experience with individual contractors, it provides a powerful motivating tool for contractors to exceed your expectations.

Other New York Stone Countertops
As a countertop, granite has an exemplary reputation that is well-earned, but it's not necessarily the end-all, be-all of stone countertops. Quartz, for example, is a harder, stronger stone counter than granite. The one performance drawback to quartz, however, is that the crystals in a quartz countertop can fuse with prolonged exposure to high heat. That said, neither stone is particularly susceptible to damage. You should be able to put a pot of boiling water or similarly heated item on a quartz countertop for several seconds and you can still use a granite counter to chop vegetables without fear of damage (to anything but your cutlery, that is). Likewise, other stone countertops, such as marble, slate, sandstone, soapstone, among others, may not have equivalent performance to these granite or quartz, but will still survive any normal kitchen activity and use. Unless you have need for a high-performance counter, the biggest factor in choosing a stone counter may be the grain and color of the stone.

Stone Tile Counters
If you're on a budget, slab stones of any variety can be cost prohibitive. Instead of installing solid slab granite counters, New York homeowners can save themselves a bundle by opting for granite or other natural stone tiles. Stone tiles look great and perform in much the same manner as their slab counterparts. The only thing you have to worry about with tile is the grout in between the individual pieces, which must be sealed and maintained to keep its appearance and integrity. While dealing with grout is a bit of a pain, going this route will significantly reduce the cost of your new counters. As an added bonus, if one or two tiles get burned or chipped, you'll only have to replace those tiles rather than an entire slab!

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