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granite transformations

316K views 241 replies 111 participants last post by  n88740 
#1 ·
Granite Transformations??

Im new to this forum so i just wanted to take a 2nd to say hello. just bought a condo back in april. im a DIY'er so im looking forward to a lot of helpful advice from this site!

Has anyone had any experience with Granite Transformations? the product they sell is 95% granite mixed w/ a polymer that is formed into 1/4 inch thick slabs. these are then installed directly over top of your existing counter tops. no demolition. has anyone used this company before or know someone who has? I tried searching online for consumer reviews but was unable to find anything.

thanks in advance for any help you may give!
 
#5 ·
Im new to this forum so i just wanted to take a 2nd to say hello. just bought a condo back in april. im a DIY'er so im looking forward to a lot of helpful advice from this site!

Has anyone had any experience with Granite Transformations? the product they sell is 95% granite mixed w/ a polymer that is formed into 1/4 inch thick slabs. these are then installed directly over top of your existing counter tops. no demolition. has anyone used this company before or know someone who has? I tried searching online for consumer reviews but was unable to find anything.

thanks in advance for any help you may give!
I do not have any experience with that company that you specifically asked abut. However, I have seen some counter products produced in a simliar fashion and have been very impressed with the whole look...very nice.
Sounds like you have not physically seen their product?

Only thing I could suggest is: If they are not in the area, call and ask for a sample to be sent to you. Ask for some testimonials or other references.....
 
#6 ·
Over-priced estimate

I think the estimate is overpriced. You could replace your existing countertops with concrete countertops for a fraction of the price. You would probably spend $400-$500 if you custom fabricated concrete countertops. Concrete is just as durable as granite, when polished it can look like granite and best of all, it's a hot new trend in kitchen remodeling.
 
#7 ·
They came out to the house and gave a little presentation and brought some samples, the wife really fell in love w/ one of the colors they have.

when they were at the house they offered some consumer reviews, but i was looking for something other then propaganda.

i just really dont want to get hosed here. i really dont know much about counter top materials and cost.
 
#9 ·
Did you buy Granite Transformations?

They came out to the house and gave a little presentation and brought some samples, the wife really fell in love w/ one of the colors they have.

when they were at the house they offered some consumer reviews, but i was looking for something other then propaganda.

i just really dont want to get hosed here. i really dont know much about counter top materials and cost.

I also am impressed with this product. My quote is for $5900 for about 40 square feet of counter and windowsills covered as well as backsplash all the way up to cabinets. I've spoken with several customers who all love it and invited me to see their kitchens. I saw the product in their showroom. If you bought it, are you happy.

thanks,
Andrea
 
#8 ·
This is the time to learn. Go to any place that sells granite countertops with a diagram of your set up. I'm sure you can find the same granite style that was shown to you. They should be able to quote you a ball park price right there.
The quote was very high unless you picked out some exotic stone, like Baja Blue.
Ron
 
#11 ·
In this small set of pictures, those with a counter top are from Granite Transformations. I have a close up of the color we chose so you can see what it "really" looks like.

Many said here that it's "just like" granite...and with all due respect it isn't. I have granite in the bathrooms, and it behaves differently. Liquids don't leave any marks on the surface, temporary or permanent. The element of having virtually no maintenance was highly appealing to us. It's easy to clean, and it has the look we like.

We had a very positive experience with our install, and wouldn't go any other way. The guys from the company were well prepared, professional, and a pleasure to work with.

Rip
 
#12 ·
Price comparison

I'm getting close to signing the order. I had a quote for just the granite slabs which did not include installation, sink, plumber or electrician and it was $5600. Granite Transformations was $5900 and included everything. I'm getting one more quote from Costco countertops, but no one else does the OVER the countertop installation. That's the part I like the best. I'll write back if I do it.
 
#13 ·
Salesman just left

I just had a salesman in from GT and his quote was over $6000 and then came down to $5100 if I bought today. I have no experience with countertops other than the WilsonArt that is in my kitchen for 11 years.
I thought it was high, and need to do some homework on prices.
 
#15 ·
While I cant speak for national prices on granite, I think for any of the previous posters who live in Jersey (esp Mt Laurel) you can get actual slab granite counters for $50-60 sq ft installed. There are several places in South Philly that do this, and I know they work in Jersey too. They typically install your undermount sink too in that cost, if you provide the sink

So I am not sure why you would spend the same amount per square foot for "Granite Transformations" or whatever it is called when you could get real granite for the same price.

Just my opinion
 
#17 ·
Yes I used Granite Transformations

In fact, they just finished today and the plumber is here now putting in the faucets. The kitchen was finished about 4 weeks ago and looks gorgeous and I love the granite-silicon sink. It always looks beautiful. If I can take some pictures, I'll try to find a way to send them in. I used the Seattle office and they were great. There were a couple of color issues and they replaced the counter before it was even installed and on the same day no less. I'm VERY happy. If you are in Seattle, you are welcome to see my kitchen.
Andrea
 
#19 ·
It didn't involve my range which is on an island, but they did have a plumber they work with and the sink was included. I was also able to hire the plumber to swap out all my electircal outlets to black. Evidently he is really an electrician who also does plumbing. His name is Larry and you could ask him about your stove...I would bet he could do it. Where do you live in Seattle? Yes they did it all in one day. I did my kitchen, fireplace surround and 2 bathrooms. He did all my sinks and electricity and if VERY reasonable. Good luck, Andrea
 
#20 ·
I have seen their work firsthand here in Arizona and I have since recommended them to customers who were looking to sell their homes and who had wellworn thick tiled countertops in their kitchens. With a minimum of fuss and a minimum of disruption, the entire look of the kitchens changed dramatically. Nice edges, tight seams, very good craftsmanship and workmanship. All without the demolition and construction aspect that removing those old tiled countertops would have involved. Those who have used Granite Transformations upon my recommendation were delighted, including one customer who had the work done in her newly purchased home and I was impressed with the results of those jobs. In spite of the price tag, I feel it MAY be one good way to achieve a new look and feel without several weeks of homelife disruption, a dusty mess and the lack of a working kitchen for the duration. It's all relevant to one's expectations vis-a-vis working budget.
 
#21 ·
Granite Transformations

I had granite countertops installed from Grantie Transformations about a year ago and I absolutely love them!! They were great and my kitchen is beautiful, we couldn't possibly be more satisfied. For my kitchen and two bathrooms and an undermount sink it was $5600. I did quite a bit of shopping around before purchasing them because my sister has the "real" granite in her house and has had numerous problems. For one, some olive oil got spilled on her counter and it left a bad stain that she hasn't been able to get out. Her experiences really opened my eyes to how porous granite actually is, so I began pricing stones that were less porous like silestone and they were quite a bit more than my quote from Granite Transformations. I was happy to get such a high quality product with a lifetime warranty, no mess, no demolition and no sealing and waxing. Also, I would definitely say there is a great reason to pay nearly the same as the "real" thing for a non-porous stone that is made from natural granite. You get the beautiful look without the maintenance and mess! My sister is probably about to re-do her kitchen with Granite Transformations as well because she is tired of the maintenace and problems.

My husband and I would recommend them to anyone and I believe my sister would too, even versus the real thing..

Hope this helps and good luck with whatever you choose!!
 
#22 ·
conc & granite aren't,,,

competitors in the sense that homeowners quickly separate themselves,,, having made granite c-tops 30 yrs ago, the only thing that's chang'd is more finishing equipment, MANY more quarries & stone, & LOTS of new experts in the trade,,, i can make conc c-tops as that's part of our work,,, i like soapstone, tho,,, go figger.

btw, i don't know anyone selling conc c-tops for less than $75 sf,,, yes, you can bld 'em yourselves,,, we regularly see those who do come into forums asking ?'s AFTER they tried :eek:
 
#23 ·
We had

Granite Trans redo our kitchen about 2 years ago. Though I love my new kitchen, I would be really careful about who does the installtion. That was my only complaint. The people who ran the "franchise" here in Bakersfield, CA were the worst people to work with. They ignored the problems we had with the installtion so we basically gave up trying to get them to respond. You might want to read my post on Angie's List about them. Love the product, hate the installers.
 
#24 ·
I would agree

The installation is the most important part. I really lucked out in that my local Seattle shop was extremely honest. There were actually 2 mistakes made, one in the cutting and 2 in the color matching although the same color, the dye lot was off. In both instances, they totally redid the template in the same day! Everything looks beautiful and I love it.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Granite Transformations

I Love love love my new Granite Transformation and I love love love the company that did it. They were wonderful to work with and they worked clean and they were polite and I can not say enough good about this company.

In this day and age with lack of customer service, they top the charts and they deliver a nice product that you do not have to worry about like real granite. No sealing and care just clean and use a polish.

There is minimal demolition because we had wood bibs so those needed to be removed and I had ordered rounded edges and I have a bar that comes down to a counter top and they had never done rounded edges there but they tried and it came out beautiful. They are very willing to make you happy. I had a lot of counter top and a bar area and a wet bar and another brand new counter top we were adding and they did it all with back splashes that went to the cabinets and it was $10,000. I had other quotes and they were in the ball park and I chose them because of the attitude and there lack of making my life difficult while they worked in my kitchen and they were done in two days, yes I said 2 days. They came one day to template the house and then they came back in had the work done in 2 days. Another reason to go with them. When they say they are going to be there, they are. Find a contractor that will do that.

My best advice. Go with Granite Transformations

This advertisement was not paid by Granite Transformations but by little ole me in Sunny California.

Cheryl Davis-Holman
A happy customer
 
#26 ·
Happy to have found this Granite Transformations thread: we are looking into replacing the countertops in our kitchen and have settled on using an engineered / quartz product of some type (no granite). Granite Transformations TrendStone seems to be popular in my the neighborhood with a seemingly reputable local installer / dealer. It looks nice, essentially like the full 3cm thick quartz products like Zodiaq / Silestone / Viatera, etc. Two things that are bothering me about the product:

1) When they fabricate the overlay, there is a small seam at the 90 degree angle at the edge of the countertop where the two pieces meet at a right angle. My neighbors have black, and you can't see it, but in the earth-tones we're considering, it seems to show up. I'm not worried about the seal itself, but I noticed it right away in the showroom and the samples I saw. Everyone else seems to downplay it.

2) The Granite Transformation overlay is essentially 20% as thick as the typical quartz surface. I know the original, 13-year old countertops are sitting there reinforcing it, but it still seems less robust.

Price: Essentially the same between the G.T. and quartz. The Granite Transformations price with install and undermount sink is about $90 / sq. ft. I found a DuPont Zodiaq color I like and Lowes will do the install with undermount sink for about $95 / sq. ft.

Compared to a full quartz replacement, what are the benefits of the Granite Transformations? Is it just the fact that you don't have to tear up your kitchen to get it? Maybe I'm a little more tolerant of a brief period of kitchen chaos than others. If I go with the quartz product, I'm planning to do the demo myself on the countertops, so there's a little extra work there for me (but Lowes would do the demo for only $8 sq. ft.)

Thanks for any advice.
 
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