You know the drill: You’re planning the kitchen or bathroom of your dreams, so you start shopping for ideas. Before too long, you have your heart set on a particular type of granite or quartz. Perhaps these countertops are from a supplier recommended to you by your family and friends—maybe even our company, Arch City Granite & Marble. With your dream countertop picked out, you proceed with the project, choosing all of the rest of the materials.
That’s when trouble strikes. As the quotes start rolling in, you realize that the cost of your project is well beyond your budget, so instead of moving forward, you put off your remodeling plans for later, or you look for someone else that can offer you a similar, but lower quality product for a lower price.
It’s something that we see all the time. Homeowners who have never before looked at granite countertops choose the most beautiful granite slabs in their favorite colors, but they have no inkling of what it will cost. Once they get to see the price, sticker shock sets in, and the unhappy homeowners take their business elsewhere in search of a less expensive countertop.
This all too common wish list mistake can seriously limit your options when it comes to granite countertops. Before you start shopping for your new countertops, it’s important to learn a little bit about granite and how to purchase it. We’ll show you how to shop for granite countertops so that you can find a beautiful countertop that fits within your budget.
Learning How Granite Colors are priced
There are all kinds of variables that affect the prices of different varieties of granite. Granite colors are of those variables. You don’t need to become an expert on the subject, but it does help to learn a little bit about the way colors affect the price of granite before you choose one slab over another.
For instance, let’s say that you’re looking for a granite countertop with a blue color. You’ll find several different options, including Blue Bahia, which is quarried in Brazil. Once you see the prices, however, you’ll find that Blue Bahia granite is the most expensive blue granite we offer. On the lower end of the price range, you’ll find Sapphire Blue, which comes from India. This variety of granite might serve your purposes wonderfully, while saving you lots of money over the Blue Bahia.
There are also blues with mid-range prices, such as Brass Blue and New Azul Aran. If you ask for a quote on Brass Blue granite versus Blue Bahia, you’ll find that even between the mid-range and high-end prices, there is a humongous difference in cost.
It’s not just blue granite that comes with such a large difference in price. Homeowners shopping for white and gray granite will find that these colors come with a pretty wide price range, too. Cheaper colors include things like White Mist or Luna Pearl, while colors like Monte Cristo and Sea Pearl are at the upper end of the price range for white and gray granite.
The smart way to shop for granite is to learn about the prices before you choose a color, not after. Once you know which varieties fall in different price ranges, you’ll have a set of practical expectations, which makes it less likely that you’ll choose a type of granite that is well out of your price range.
How Edge Finishing Affects Costs
Another major factor in the cost of your granite countertop will be the way that you have the edges finished. In fact, depending on the edge profile, you could see a huge difference in prices. The price tends to go up with complexity, which means that a simple Straight Edge finish is likely to be the most cost effective option. On the other end of the price range, edge finishes like a double-thick stacked edge with the Ogee edge over the Full Bullnose edge will cost you substantially more.
What this means is that not only do you have to keep color in mind as you’re choosing a countertop, but also the edge finish you desire. If it’s more important that you have an elegantly shaped edge, then you may find it wise to choose less expensive granite varieties so that the total cost of your countertop fits within your budget.
In short, if you want to avoid a wish list mistake—and if you’d rather not suffer from sticker shock—then your best option is to learn everything you can about the way granite is priced before you start choosing colors and edge finishes. Once you have a set of practical expectations in place, you’ll be able to choose the granite you want, and you’ll be able to select a high-quality fabricator, all while keeping your costs affordable.