Countertop restoration projects are some of the most exciting and, at the same time, the most stressful times. People usually dream of having a spectacular and highly functional kitchen at the end of a countertop restoration. They spend a significant amount of time, money, and energy. However, quite a lot of them cannot get even close to the kitchen design their dreams. While some people can get what they want after having really hard times, only a few people can have their desired kitchens with little or no trouble. But why do things happen this way? Is it just a matter of chance? How can a countertop installation turn into a nightmare though it was a nice dream a few days ago?
At this point, knowing the potential problems of countertops and countertop installation is of key importance. Countertop restoration always needs your desire, money, and motivation, but it also needs the expertise of your contractor on the other side. If you want to minimize the trouble on the way to getting a countertop restoration, it is very important for you to be aware of the potential countertop installation problems and some service and product standards.
In this post, we have listed 8 details that you should ask from your installer. They are the basic quality standards that you should expect from a good installer. If you can tick each of the following criteria for a contractor, you can feel more comfortable with your countertop restoration.
Catching up with the Latest Trends
Fashion changes fast and people don’t want to fall behind it. Although it is often regarded as a matter of choice in many fields of life, when it comes to marble countertop restoration or granite countertop restoration, it is even a necessity. Most of the time, a new trend means new technology and it brings you certain aesthetic and functional advantages aside from the feeling of being “just trendy”. Many people decide to change their old countertop as they think it is out of date. Thus, an installer following the latest technology and design will give you a higher customer satisfaction comparing to the old hat others.
Wide Selection
A normal user gets a countertop restoration once or only a few times in a lifetime. Therefore, these very rare moments of life should be fulfilled properly. Especially those people who care about the life quality at home will want to consider as many options as possible when it comes to countertop restoration. Kitchen countertop installers should provide a broad range of alternatives. The options shouldn’t be limited to color or texture only. In fact, there are many regular home users who don’t know the difference between a marble, granite, or quartz countertop. That’s why, there should be selections of countertop materials with clear explanations of the differences among each other, as well. Also, some companies offer certain types of products at one place while offering some other at some other location. However, it is always better for a client to see and touch as many products as possible at a single place without visiting many showrooms around.
High-Quality Products
As mentioned above, a countertop restoration doesn’t happen very often. Once you get it done, you want to use it for long years with no problem. This is only possible with high-quality products. High-quality products might sound more expensive at first, but they offer longer durability, they will easily pay off in a few years’ time. Lower quality products might get you into trouble starting from projection days of the installation process, and you might feel the same pain each day passing. No one would like to be regretful about a countertop restoration for a few dollars less. Also, many installers deliver better work quality with less effort when they use higher quality materials and products. This might sound that it is out of your concern as the client, but it is your house and your kitchen in the end. Therefore, you should consider the significance of high-quality products multifacetedly. As a normal user, you may not know much about high-quality products or brands, but you can easily search on the net or ask the contractors about them. For example, for countertop products, MSI, Cambria, and Silestone are some of the most qualified brands that you can start with. There may be some other alternatives around you depending on your budget, need, or location. A good installer is supposed to tell you about all these quality issues and brands in a transparent way so that you can have the best countertop restoration possible.
Fast Turnaround Time
Everyone wants to have a countertop restoration without any problem. A wide range of options and high-quality products are what you usually expect from a good installer, but how about the timing? As agreed by many people, restoration or any kind of construction work at home is a great pain for family members. Construction creates a great deal of inconvenience at homes such as noise, dust, or spoilt daily routine activities; also, the same problems might occur to your neighbors as well. This would affect your relations with the people in your neighborhood. Therefore, a good installer should provide you with effective use of time. The sooner, the better. Although it is not easy to estimate the length of time before the project phase and the exact turnaround time usually depends on the load of work in your house, 3-5 days are not enough for a decent countertop restoration in most cases. However, if this painful process lasts for more than a week, it can be devastating for your peace at home. So, you should definitely ask about the turnaround time before signing a contract. You can also give yourself a deadline (i.e: the work shall finish in 7 working days following the contract) for the work and you can seek the installers accordingly.
Instant and Long-Term Problem Solving
No matter how hard you try to find the perfect installer, bear in mind that you or the working team in your house may face a problem at any rate during a countertop restoration. Of course, a good installer will minimize the possibility of experiencing a problem thanks to the high-quality materials, well-equipped team, vast experience, and top-ranking expertise. However, a better installer should be proactive and have an excellent problem-solving mechanism since potential problems cannot be fully eliminated for sure. When you go around the installers for your countertop restoration, most of them will claim that they will do a flawless job, and thus you will not have an idea of their problem-solving skills in the interview. However, you should explicitly ask questions about their approach to the problems. The problems might be instant problems that occur during the installation; or long-term problems which occur in a certain time following the installation. You can consider this point as a matter of guarantee. Countertop cracks, stone piece mismatch, or seams on the countertop might be some examples of those potential problems.
Clean Workmanship
The first impression told to be very important, how about the last impression? In a countertop restoration or any other construction work in your house, clean workmanship is of great importance. Imagine a countertop restoration that meets your expectations at the beginning in terms of quality and aesthetics, but you still do not feel fully satisfied at the end of the work. Something is irritating you, but you can’t define it. It is probably the mess that the working team has left behind. Many people ignore it, or they cannot complain about it especially after good construction work at home. However, as a client, you should always demand clean workmanship regardless of the quality of the work done in your house. It is your house, your kitchen, and your money. A good installer will provide you with clean workmanship besides quality, punctuality, and other virtues.
Extensive Experience
As in many other walks of life, experience is the key to more satisfactory results in countertop restoration. Whether a marble countertop installation or a granite installation, a good installer is supposed to have a robust experience in countertop restoration. In fact, it is not only about the number of years since their foundation. A vast experience should have a wide spectrum and considerable deepness. Therefore, a good installer is supposed to be experienced in all the steps from countertop fabrication to countertop installation and maintenance. If you want to have a countertop restoration, you can seek installers that are both producers and installers at the same time. This might be a signal that your installer has a wider knowledge about the stones and their construction.
Easy Communication
Each detail to be considered in countertop restoration are worth considering. However, communication is the channel all those details are delivered. Therefore, communication between the client and the installer is highly important. Poor communication might spoil the promotion of the positive aspects of an installer and you might cross it out, which means a great loss for you and the installer. The advantages of smooth communication are not limited to installer selection, but it is also a real game-changer during the countertop restoration at home. You might have already experienced that the more you discuss issues and challenges comfortably, the higher efficiency and performance you get from the people around you. Also, when the challenges are addressed sooner, the possibility of problem-solving increases remarkably. This very fundamental life experience is no different when it comes to countertop restoration. Therefore, you should try to be a third eye in your interview with the installer and evaluate the quality of your communication. It is one of the most promising details to have your dream kitchen in a smooth way.
To Conclude…
As you see, a spotless countertop installation is not an easy task, but still possible though. Reading through this guide, you can get the most of your countertop restoration in the smoothest way possible.
