granite, marble, quartz and corian

[SarahM777]

Hi this is a new thread, not advertising or mentioning companies, just info. I had a chance to look at actual costs of work surfaces going direct to stone merchants (no names mentioned!). Basically a polished 3mx2m slab is 35, to 120. Ask them for a good cutter and they send it and you add on 200 for cutting and polising edges and adding sink/cooker upstands, edges. Tjhe cutter sends to you. (check they can deliver!) A local guy can fit it. Forget 2.5k charges! its such a saving to cut out agents.
For glass splashbacks go direct again to glass fabricators. I am not mentioning names but a real cost is 30 a cooker splashback, 250 a whole kitchen wall area in toughened glass.
corian is about 30 a sink, plus 300 to 500 a whole kitchen. look for a corian fabricator, not an agent.
Add 150-200 a guy to fit it at home. total 500- 800!! No way 2.2 or 2.5k..... Think, a slab of granite etc is just stone, polished, not something worth over 2grand.
I was astounded at the cost saving going direct.
And I wanted to pass this on as I hate companies overcharging!

It's finding the supplier and ensuring quality that's a problem. Plus measuring it right. Your post assumes that stone merchant with recommend a cutter and you can source someone to fit it. All of which you achieve in the time frame of also fitting kitchen. Fine if you can afford to wait whilst you get work surfaces but not great if you want it all in and done so you have a useable kitchen quickly.

In terms of quality, the merchants are usually happy to receive visits to book specific slabs, as each is different. Eg River white, etc.... However, the lead time is about 3 weeks from stone merchant to cutting to delivery. But you are right many kitchen companies insist the buyer uses their surface companies. There are some independent guys, but its worth looking at and seeing if it can fit in a schedule, or if just upgrading its no problem. Especially as the savings are so huge.

SarahM777 - Are you saying anyone is capable of carrying out a worktop template? have you tried lifting a 2.5 * 0.6m piece of granite? Do you think 1 person can move this slab leave along lifting it into place? Are you seriously saying people capable of lifting these slabs and fitting them properly are sitting around waiting for your call?

If your answer to any of these is yes, you are seriously deluded.

Call around good fabricators and see if they cant find good people at decent wages. The answer is no. A good templater isnt cheap and digital template machines cost about £15k.

So ultimately you get what you pay for. If you want a badly fabricated worktop thats fine, but please dont mislead by saying companies overcharge.