“The bitter taste of poor quality lingers far longer than the initial sweetness of a cheap price.”
You will wake up to your kitchen and bathroom countertops every day, usually to start your day. Make it right. We continually aspire to be the value proposition for hard surfaces. These questions will help you know what to look for in a countertops company when all you have is a price quote to compare:
- Is the countertop fabricator qualified to perform the work?
If another company is offering you prices that seem too good to be true, it probably is. Some companies skip the cost of insurance to offer lower prices, or are not qualified to be performing the level of contracting services required by Virginia law. If an injury occurs at your residence, you can be personally liable for any damage or injury that may occur in your home during the course of contracting.Capitol Granite is fully licensed (Class A #2705 137158A), insured and bonded, providing you peace of mind for the ‘tough’ questions before hiring a contractor. - Who will be in my home and can I trust them?
Many discount fabricators offering too-good-to-be-true pricing force you to take that risk by using unknown subcontractors, general day laborers, or employees who are not background checked for installation work. Often the homeowner cannot communicate with the installation crew about their needs/desires during the tear-out and reconstruction of their kitchen or bath.Capitol Granite spares no expense and takes no risks:- All members of all crews pass an extensive background check
- All members of all crews are subjected to random drug-testing
- All members of all crews speak English – so you can communicate easily
- All crews are direct employees – no subcontractors or laborers in your home installing countertops.
- What is the fabricator’s reputation?
Capitol Granite has installed more than 20,000 projects over the past decade in the Central Virginia area. Every customer generates our reputation for quality and service through word of mouth; our strongest sales tool. We are also one of a handful of fabricators in Virginia who hold the designation of “Marble Institute of America Accredited Fabricator”; an arduous process of demonstrating quality, service, and safety through documented processes and results. Please see our customer testimonials on Facebook. Other rewards/notables include:- “Fabricator of the Year” for Stone World magazine, 2008
- A+ BBB rating
- Parade of Homes multiple “Gold Winner” kitchen awards.
- Does the fabricator have a yard for you to choose and approve slabs?
Many fabricators will send their clients to their supplier for selection of material. We believe that an educated customer is a good customer. At Capitol Granite, we stock the most popular colors and hand-select the material for quality, stability, pattern, color variation, size and other considerations. Part of the selections is an education in materials. We are also capable of answering the ‘cost’ questions regarding different materials that the supplier will intentionally avoid. Capitol Granite’s Richmond facility maintains all stock, and has a tremendous list of partials for that small project! - How do you do a slab layout?
We are a full digital shop, unlike most others. Conventional wisdom has hard templates laid on top of the material, leaving you to visualize the finished product, especially where seams come together. At Capitol Granite, we photograph each slab and render over your electronic templates of your project. As a result, you have the opportunity to approve the slab layout before we ever prepare it to be cut. - Does the fabricator use a CNC machine for the most precise and smooth edges or do they fabricate by hand?
Some fabricators cut costs by cutting the countertops by hand. This results in unsightly wavy edges that do not match the luster and generally have imprecise dimensions.All of our cuts are made with the most modern, state-of-the-art Saw/Jet, and profiled by CNC equipment for smooth edges perfectly contoured arches and sink cutouts every time. - How does the fabricator attach the dishwasher? Some fabricators make this the homeowner responsibility, and others who perform the work are using a hammer drill or simply glue to hold the dishwasher in place. At Capitol Granite, we will mechanically attach a customer dishwasher to the underside of the stone utilizing an embedded flush wood strip (set at the factory), facilitating a wood screw anchor.
Capitol Granite has taken the time to ensure the best possible experience for our customers.
When you visit any our Richmond or Williamsburg showrooms, which are all open to the public, you can take your pick from any of our high quality stone slabs. We encourage you to inspect our previous work, work in progress in the shop, and review our customer testimonials.
After you choose your slabs, we will give you the opportunity to approve your exact slab layout. While this may not be necessary with unpatterned material, it is highly suggested for veined or irregular patterned slab.
When it is time for your new countertops to be installed, we schedule the installation for your convenience, send only screened employees to your home, and are fully insured to protect you from liability.
Our customer feedback speaks for itself. Contact us today or come by one of our showrooms to get started.
