Unique Backsplash

It is so fun to do different backsplashes! This customer wanted the backsplash to resemble the beautiful mountain view out of their windows! They even custom painted their outlet covers to match the color of stone. Turned out fabulous country :)

Here in Southern Utah we have a lot of plateaus, which also make a very fun backsplash to mimic!

Doing the windowsill in the granite is also a nice touch, it ties in with the stone, and give a better shelf to decorate with!

Always be creative, and enjoy your countertops! Granite is awesome because it is custom :)

Caesar Stone Quartz!

This is fun studio kitchen! The customer chose Quartz for the benefits of low maintenance, like never having to worry about re-sealing or staining. This countertop is a chocolate truffle Caesar Stone, and turned out very modern for this beautiful condo. Notice the undermount sinks, and how the stone flows. Also, to add a little more countertop in a smaller bath, we added an 8" shelf over the toilet!

Granite Fireplace Surround

 

A great way to tie in your kitchen to the living room is to do the fireplace surround in the living room in the same color as the kitchen countertops. You can also choose a different color to help accentuate that they are different rooms. Either way, granite around the fireplace is a beautiful touch to any room. Many of our customers just do the hearth, when the fireplace is elevated.

Sorry my pics are sideways, couldn't figure out how to get them rotated :)! I'll have to work on that!

2cm Granite Countertops

We have started offering 2cm granite countertops at an extremely discounted rate! These countertops are still granite, with all the benefits of granite, but the edge is 2cm rather than 3cm or a built up 4cm edge profile. One thing to be careful with, with 2cm granite, is that it cannot do the average overhangs without several good, supportive corbels.

Many customers love the new option because they want granite tops, but want to keep the look of the kitchen simple. It also is a great option in bathrooms!

Granite for your Kitchen!

 A trend I have been noticing is people putting granite or quartz of different colors in the kitchen. For instance, the stone on the outer walls of the kitchen may all be in a solid stone color, and the island in an exotic granite or marble. This is a fun new look, and allows the customer to be very creative! I am just cutting the stone for my showroom, and will be utilizing this fun trend. Using a dark brown Cambria Quartz, and beautiful Lapidus granite for the island. When doing this, you can also use different edge profiles.

The above picture shows a lapidus island, similar to the one I will be putting in the showroom, but the other countertops for this trend would be in a solid dark chocolate quartz to tie in the chocolate of the island.

Stay tuned for pictures of the new showroom stone next week!

Granite and Quartz Radius Work

Granite and Quartz can be made into a radius with a lot of effort and patience. The crew just completed an amazing reception desk in Chestnut Quartz, with Smoky Quartz Zodiaq  columns. I wanted to share some images of the process and final project! Really beautiful desk! More gradual radius work with a 3cm or 4 cm edge can be cut into a solid radius, but when the profile is thicker than 4cm, sections must be made, glued, and polished together.

Copper Sinks with Granite Countertops

Rainforest Brown Marble with Antique Copper Sink

More and more popular are undermount copper sinks with granite countertops. Copper bowls can be found for vanity sinks and kitchen sinks. Full copper tubs make a nice addition to copper bowls in a vanity. We use Smithy's copper sinks. They are affordable and beautiful, and come in both antique and brush finish. This picture is the antique finish, the brush looks more bronze.

Copper sinks can also be topmount or vessel in style, but our most popular is the undermount sink for ease of cleaning and sleek look.

Granite or Tile Backsplash

Customers are often concerned about whether to use a granite or a tile backsplash. Both look great, but it is often a difficult decision. I like to have customers consider a few items when deciding this;
1. What is their budget
2. What is the color scheme they are imagining
3. Will the area receive a lot of overspray?

First, budget. Doing a full high backsplash is absolutely beautiful. Each outlet can be cutout and then the cover plate painted to match the color of the stone (look at the picture included). This is beautiful, but expensive. Often the backsplash will cost as much as the countertop. Realize that the wall is generally 18" to the upper cabinet, and the countertop is 24", not a large difference in square footage. Plus you have to pay for each outlet cutout. Using a 4" or a 6" backsplash can still put the granite on the wall, but be much more affordable.

Mountain scape backsplash with painted outlets

Second, color scheme. Do you want the granite everywhere, or do you want to accent with a tile backsplash. Often when we do a quartz countertop in a solid color the customer does an extravagent tile backsplash that brings a new fun twist to the kitchen. These backsplashes often use glass and copper tiles in the splash.

4" backsplash and paint

Last, think of cleanliness. Granite is going to be easier to clean then a lot of grout lines in a tile splash. If the overspray is going to be a problem consider full high granite, or at minimum a 6" backsplash with an easy to clean paint above it.

Budget Bathroom Remodel

Sometimes a great way to change the look of the home, for a less expensive price, is to remodel the bathroom. When it comes to the granite, quartz, or marble, most often a remnant can be found to put on the counter top. Choosing a remnant often gives the customer a more expensive stone, for a lower price. Most granite shops sell the remnants at reduced prices.

Some of my customers that are particularly handy will install the counter top themselves. We can template and fabricate the top, we even have the sink adhered to the stone, and the customer can pick up the top and backsplash with some silicone and put the job in themselves saving even a little more.

If you do not want to install the top, we have installers available to install. Also, bathrooms are often smaller and can be fit into an otherwise busy schedule, allowing the customer to not wait as long to get their project completed.

Cleaning Granite and Quartz

Granite and Quartz are fairly easy to keep clean. I recommend using a mild dish soap, put a little on your cloth, wipe the countertops, and then go back with a rinsed cloth. Do not use soaps with citrus as it can strip the sealer off the tops. If you want some added shine, there are several products sold over the counter. Make sure the product says safe for granite and marble. One I really like is "Method", I have found it at Target stores. This product will safely shine your tops.

If your tops are getting dull, try using a strait edge blade to scrape off the water deposits and soap scum, then clean and shine. If it is granite, you may need to re-seal depending on the color and sealer that was originally used on your stone.

Budget Kitchen Remodel

I love before and after photos, but can't get my guys  to remember to take enough of them :)!

Home remodel is a huge part of our business, and it is my favorite! It is so fun to go into a home and change the kitchen and baths to modernize the home, or just to change it up!

One option when remodeling the kitchen is to simply change the countertops. This kitchen had a white solid surface countertop, and we changed it to a beautiful Juparana Bordeaux Granite countertop. This customer kept her original cabinets, floor, and even her sink! She was able to save thousands and still dramatically change the look and feel of her kitchen! She is very happy with the end result.

This can be done in baths as well, where granite remnants can be used saving money on stone, and re-using sinks and faucets save hundreds of dollars.

This small re-model takes less money, less time, and less stress. We took out her old countertops, installed the new ones, and even hired the plumber to re-hook up the plumbing! The install only took one day, so she was only without the kitchen for 1 day!

Large remodels are also fun, but they take more money, time and planning. If you have a budget, but want to make a dramatic change, countertops are a great way to do this! It also has been shown to increase the value of the home when changing laminate or solid surface counters to Granite, Marble, or Quartz.

Cutting on Granite

Many clients ask me if it is okay to cut on granite. Granite is very hard, and will not scratch when using it to cut on. However, it will dull your knives. I have a drawer full of dull knives from being a little lazy and not getting out the cutting board, but my granite looks fantastic! In fact, the fabricators use razor blades to clean off the excess glue and debris on the stone from fabrication.
Marble, however, does scratch. Not only does marble scratch, but it will etch if bowls or cups are left on the surface for an extended period of time. I love the look of marble, but I would not put it in my kitchen because the upkeep is much more difficult with marble.
Quartz is also fine to cut on, and will have the same effect the granite has, which is to dull your knives, but not scratch the surface :)

Outdoor Kitchens

This is a spectacular outdoor kitchen that we just finished in Hurricane, Utah! This kitchen was done in 2cm Red Dragon with a 4cm chiseled edge. We custom built the kitchen to encircle the metal posts that hold the ceiling structure in place. Two highbars allow for friends and family to eat right where you are cooking and enjoy the atmosphere. This is a covered area, completely outdoor. The customer has added a spectacular outdoor theater close to the barbecue area. Also, a full bathroom is available in a room right off the covered barbecue area. The bath is adorned in travertine tiles floor to ceiling, with granite countertops. This outdoor kitchen area is made with the ease of entertaining many guests in a comfortable outdoor setting.

Choosing the Right Color!?

How to choose the right color is so important when remodeling kitchens and baths. With hundreds of colors to choose from, this can be a very stressful and daunting task! I want to share a few ways that I help my customers choose the color that is right for them. For this blogs sake, we will focus on the color of kitchen countertop.

First, look at your area and envision the shade: light, dark, or medium. This is a good first step. If you have light counters and want a dramatic change, you may want to switch to dark. If the room is small and not many windows, you may want to brighten the area with light cabinets. Look at the lighting, consider adding under-cabinet lighting if you do not have it. All these items can help you decide if a light or dark shade will look best in your kitchen.

Next, take a cabinet door with you shopping! And, if possible, also grab a piece of your flooring if you have an extra. When you are at the granite store and looking at all the slabs, it is very difficult to picture this in your home. It is extremely helpful to bring a piece of your kitchen with you and see how it looks with the stone. If you want to bring a paint sample you could .... but I don't find matching the paint as important. My reason is that paint is cheaper, and most people change the paint color several times before replacing the counter, cabinets, or floor. Therefore, paint can be changed simply and easily, and it is more important that you get the granite you want and if needed, change the paint color to enhance the stone!

Now that you are looking at colors that you like, you may consider price between your 3 favorite colors. Price is important, but realize that you could potentially have this stone in your home for the life of the home. A common question that I ask when it comes to price, is what is this home for. If it is a vacation home, or a home that you are preparing to sell, I have some fabulous basic colors that are inexpensive and often increase the value of the home. If it is a vacation home, and money matters, I may recommend a medium priced stone. However, if it is your home that you live in and you do not plan on moving soon, I recommend getting the stone you want, and cut costs elsewhere. Realize, as a granite fabricator, my money is made on the fabrication, and not on the stone, so whether the customer buys an inexpensive stone, or an expensive stone, I make the same amount of money. It is just so important to me that when the product is finished, the customer is happy. If they scrimp on the stone, when they were in love with another color, they almost always regret the decision.

Some last things to consider would be what you want to accent the stone with. For instance, if you love to accent in red, you may want Typhoon Bordeaux, which has light red veining that would be a lot of fun to decorate and bring red accents out!

Typhoon Bordeaux

Exotic Forest

Green Eucalypto

Typhoon Bordeaux

Lapidus

Tan Brown

Also, remember that a very dark stone will show dust and dirt easier than a light stone. But if you love dark stone, don't let this scare you away, as it is very easy to keep your stone clean :)

These are some colors of stone that are in our slab yard today :)

Quartz vs. Granite

A question I often see repeated is what is the difference between quartz and granite?

Let me preface by saying that I do not prefer one over the other, they both are great, it depends on the customers needs.

That being said ... Quartz countertops are comprised primarily of quartz. They are man made and come in a large variety of colors. Quartz has several benefits such as that it does not need to be sealed, and it comes in a very uniform pattern. Both granite and quartz are very hard surfaces, which does not scratch or stain easily.

I have heard from several customers and reps that Quartz does not stain ... We have had quartz stain, but have been able to get the stains out with some hard work and diligence :)

Rain Forest Brown Marble

Chestnut Zodiaq Quartz

My personal opinion on Quartz vs. Granite is to look at the colors and what you want in the home. Granite has natural movements, veining, and variation to the stone, and comes in a wide variety of colors. Quartz, in general, is a very uniform pattern that also comes in many different colors. If you want a look of solid surface, with benefits of granite, Quartz is the product for you! If you want movement, natural stone, and variation, Granite is the product for you!


If price is an issue, Granite has a few basic colors such as Amorello Ornamental, Venetian Gold, and Tan Brown, that are the most economical. Quartz is affordable, but is a little more expensive then these basic granite colors. However, the pricing is generally in-line with the more exotic granite colors.

Fun Job showing Bright Quartz Colors

This stone is One-Quartz Mango and Fresh Linen 

We provide many options in both Granite and Quartz. Our Quartz manufacturers are Caesar Stone, Zodiaz, Cambria, Hanstone, One-Quartz, and Silestone. Granite can be found at our location, and at Contempo Tile and Dal-Tile in St. George. All these vendors are great, and I have not seen a benefit in one over the other.

Granite, Marble, Quartz or Travertine Countertops

Stone Solutions has been successfully serving the home building industry for more than two decades. The principles of Stone Solutions strength is our ability to provide the highest quality whether it be an installation in a new home or office, or in helping you create a dream kitchen or bathroom. By continuing to grow learn, and perfect, we are always an innovator in providing solutions for your project.

We specialize in Granite, Quartz, Travertine, and Marble.

Please come visit our Show Room and Slab Yard for all of your Natural Stone Countertop Needs!

Fax a drawing of your project to 435-635-7863 for a free estimate!
Please be sure to give us a way to contact you for any questions we may have.

Stone Solutions
875 W. State St.
Hurricane, UT

435-635-7866