Are you in the middle of planning your kitchen renovation? Before you even start to knock down the walls, you need to work out the future floorplan and select all the final finishes, including your granite countertops. But before you head down to The Countertop Shop to select the perfect piece of stone, you will need to choose the rest of your finishes.
Bring It With Because You Can’t Take the Selected Slab Home
Why is the granite the last part of your design to be nailed down? Unlike the rest of your finishes, there are no portable samples. It also represents possibly the largest part of your design budget. Most customers select their granite counters like they do a piece of art. You must stand back from the 5-foot X 10-foot block and take in the color, speckles, finish, and veining. All those tiny variations will be part of your kitchen.
Even if you pick up a tile of sample stone from one of those giant DIY stores, it will not reflect the true appearance of the unique slab that will be custom cut for your project. Using the misleading sample to find the right cabinets and backsplash could be a frustrating and futile process.
Discover a Collection of Other Possible Finishes in the Showroom
Even though you will look at a giant slab and compare it to handheld samples of your other features, you will not be shopping in a total vacuum. Our showroom features a variety of life-sized combinations of popular granite counters, cabinetry, flooring, and lighting fixtures as part of our permanent displays. Check out the latest in cabinet hardware, undermount sinks, faucets, and other finishing touches. The displays serve as inspiration or to complete your shopping list.
Which Samples Should You Bring to the Countertop Shop?
You may wish to create a design book or project bag that can become part of your home improvement shopping kit. Mark each sample with its intended use and placement in the complete design.
Sample of Your Cabinet Base
This sample should be two to three inches square and include your chosen finish. Saying you will have brown cabinets is not enough. The grain may appear gray or red. The subtle variations in a granite slab can complement or clash with those small details.
Sample of Flooring
Your cabinets and floors are the largest part of the room’s canvas alongside your counters. Just like the cabinet base, your sample should be an exact match to the final product. Think about adding a grout sample if it will provide contrast over a one-color tile floor.
Sample of Wall Color and/or Backsplash
While your backsplash or paint may not take up a huge part of your overall kitchen design, they will be located right next to your granite countertop. A busy mosaic backsplash could clash with a lively and bold counter. You may wish to bring a variety of these samples with you as they can be finalized even after your counter installation.
Other Unique Pieces
See the entire vision come to life! If you have found the perfect knobs, pulls, blinds, curtains, or even oven mitts, bring them to the showroom. Lay down all the samples and take the entire image into account when making that final stone selection.
If you live in the Greater Toledo area, you can find a huge selection of stunning granite slabs on display at The Countertop Shop showroom located in Monclova.