The Stone Granite is quarried in many countries around the world. There are over 800 different colors of granite available in the world market today. Generally the granite is cut at the quarry to slab dimensions of around 68 inches in width, 115 inches in length and either 3 centimeters (1.25 inches) or 2 centimeters (0.75 inches) in thickness. The thickness is standard, however, the other dimensions width and length will vary depending upon conditions at the quarry that dictate the dimensions that can be used. When a stone supplier orders slabs, the dimensions other than thickness are always a variable. See the section on Stone Education for more details.

While Premier Surfaces has an amazing and sizable collection of colors and natural stones in stock, you may also find the need to visit a Stone Supplier for additional options. Stone Suppliers are companies who directly import ocean containers of granite slabs. They do not sell directly to the public and cannot quote pricing. They sell slabs to stone fabricators, such as Premier Surfaces.

The colors available in a market are dependent upon the selections made by the Stone Supplier. The Stone Supplier keeps close track of the types of colors that are selling in the local market and buys accordingly. Premier Surfaces works with all of the major Stone Suppliers in the Southeast.

Premier Surfaces maintains one of the largest inventories of popular colors, but we sometimes will advise customers to visit the warehouses of a Stone Supplier to view an even wider range of colors and variations in veining. There is a close working relationship between the Stone Supplier and the Fabricator. The relationship is similar to a new car dealership and the carmaker. Each has a job to do to meet the needs of the customer and they work closely together to assure success as measured by customer satisfaction.

We have displayed a large range of colors on this website but not all of those colors are available at any given time in the marketplace. You may also view available colors by visiting the Stone Suppliers websites.

Here are some popular Stone Supplier's website links:

www.levantinausa.com
www.stoneconnection.com
www.tritonstone.com
www.glmarble.com
www.msistone.com
www.daltile.com
www.agmimports.com

Premier Surfaces is a Stone Fabricator. The Stone Fabricator serves as the primary contact when selecting your stone, and they will be responsible for assuring that the stone is fabricated, or cut, and installed correctly. We, at Premier Surfaces, are always ready to assist you in selecting the perfect stone for your vision and we take every precaution to make sure your project and your experience at Premier is flawless.

We encourage you to review the important tips on the "Pre-Purchase Checklist" when making the significant decision on who to choose to fabricate your stone. Purchasing custom granite countertops is a smart investment and you want to make sure you can trust your fabricator and that you are 100% comfortable with their processes and business practices. Our customers tell us that we are "the smart choice".

We?ll review all the characteristics and details regarding your stone, and inspect it to ensure it is of the highest quality.

We invite you to visit one of our showrooms and we welcome the opportunity to transform your slab of granite into exceptional custom granite counters that will last forever and exceed your expectations.

Premier Surfaces will guide you through your entire process. The first step for most customers is to get an idea of the scope and cost of the project. There are two ways in which this can be handled. A very preliminary idea can be had by filling out the "Request for Quote" form on the website and either faxing or emailing it to us.

This procedure will give you an estimated, but not final, cost of the project. Once you receive the estimate and want to continue, or if you already know that you want to begin the process, Premier Surfaces will assign a Project Manager (PM) to your particular project. The PM will be your primary contact with Premier Surfaces for all issues, concerns, decisions and support. This keeps you from having to contact multiple departments to find or submit information regarding any aspect of your project.

Your PM will arrange to have a Detail completed for your project. The purpose of the Detail is to gather all of the information necessary to develop an accurate cost estimate for your project. An experienced, qualified technician will come to your home to make accurate measurements of the square footage of the countertops and the linear footage of edges. Other information will be gathered that will include items such as: granite color, edge profiles, corner treatments, sink type and edge reveal, the number of faucet holes, range type, backsplash dimensions and any information on special requests that you may have for your job.

The technician can also give you some idea regarding potential placement of seams, if necessary. The technician will inform you about all aspects of installing granite or other stones in your home. A cost estimate for the project will then be submitted to you for the project and for your approval to continue to the next stage, the Template.

Often the Detail and the Template are completed at the same time if the customer is certain about continuing with the installation. A trained, qualified and experienced technician who knows all of the issues surrounding installation of granite or other stones will conduct the template stage. Premier Surfaces uses either a plastic sheeting material or a digital imaging device to model the surfaces of your project.

The Templater will create a template, or pattern of your cabinets, which will be used to cut your stone. A typical template takes between 4-6 hours.

It is highly recommended that the existing countertop be removed prior to templating the surfaces. The reason for this is that walls and cabinet tops are variable in dimension and often not straight and true, even though they appear to be. A minor variation can create unacceptable gaps in the fit of the granite to the countertops. To avoid this situation we prefer to remove the existing tops prior to templating.

The technician will also advise you as to potential needs for seams and where they should be placed from both an aesthetic and functional aspect. Other items that will be reviewed include the access to the room where the granite will be placed (Granite can weigh up to 29 pounds per square foot making it extremely difficult to maneuver a large piece into a tight space), making certain the sink you select will fit into your cabinet base, checking the desired position of the faucets to determine if there is sufficient space for the faucet to fully operate (this can be an issue sometimes when a granite backsplash of 1.25 inches thick is added to the wall behind the faucets) and if there are special considerations that an installer must be made aware of in your home. The cabinet base will also be checked to make certain it is level.

Premier Surfaces technicians are experts at granite, but be advised that they are not certified or insured to do cabinetry, plumbing or electrical work. Prior to countertop removal the water supply to faucets must be turned off and any electric or gas supply to cook tops must also be disconnected. Care must be taken in turning the water supply off as the valves that control the water flow to the faucets are not used very frequently and they could leak after the faucets have been removed.

The selection of your stone should ideally be made before the Detail stage. Your PM will work with you on the stone selection. It is very important to personally view the stones you will be using for your project. Photographs of stones and small samples of stones are not sufficient to make a final decision. Granite is a natural product and as such has tremendous variations that cannot be captured in a photograph or even a small sample. Premier Surfaces keeps a large inventory of the most popular colors and some more rare stones. Your PM can also advise you as to which Stone Supplier you could visit to see a wider selection of the particular color you are seeking. When you select the stone at Premier Surfaces we will place a hold tag on your selection and enter the information into our project tracking system.

If you select the stone at a Stone Supplier, advise them that Premier Surfaces will be the fabricator give them all of the necessary information including the name of a designer or home remodeler if you have contracted with one for this project. The Stone Supplier will then advise our purchasing department that they have slabs on hold for your project and will give us the slab identification numbers. Once you have authorized the project the Stone Supplier will deliver the slabs to our location for fabrication.

Premier Surfaces strongly recommends that you visit our fabrication shop to lay out your templates on the granite you have selected. Each stone, regardless of the color, will have a surface with many variations in color and graining. By personally laying out your templates you get to select what part of the stone is to be included in your countertop surfaces. This process is critical when the project includes seams for a color that has a high degree of graining or movement in the stone. When there is a high degree of movement in a stone it is sometimes necessary to purchase an additional slab in order to match the graining at the seam. We cannot make this decision for you since it involves personal taste. The sinks to be used for your project should be given to the technician at the time of template or arrangements will need to be made to have the sink delivered to our location. The sink is needed to ensure an accurate cut of the opening in the countertop for the sink, and fabrication will not begin without it.

Premier Surfaces takes a great deal of pride in the skill and professionalism of our fabricators. We have true artisans who take pride in the work they do in providing our customers with the fit and finish that is the best in the industry. Fabrication begins once we have all of the signed papers for the job, the stone is selected and delivered, templates are laid out and a firm installation date is set. State of the art equipment is used to fabricate every piece of stone installed by Premier Surfaces.

Your Project Manager will work closely with you to confirm a time that is convenient for your installation. The average installation takes about four hours. Please review the section Pre-Installation Check List for more details on how to prepare for the installation.

The installation is normally completed by a two-person crew consisting of the Lead Installer and Installer. On projects that involve very large pieces, difficult access to the room or a combination of the two, an additional crew may be needed; your PM will advise you if this is the case. To become an installer for Premier Surfaces, completion of an extensive documented training program is required, which includes all aspects of not only installation, but fabrication of the stone as well. To become a Lead Installer, additional training is required in understanding and responding to our customers' expectations.

Exceeding customers' expectations is the primary goal at Premier Surfaces. Installers, while skilled in granite installation, are limited by insurance and licensing requirements to what they can do on the jobsite. They will not be able to perform any electrical, plumbing or cabinetry work. Your PM can make recommendations on qualified tradesman that can assist with these issues. Your PM will work with you to confirm a time that is convenient for you for your installation. The average installation time is four hours. Please review the section Pre Installation Check List for more details on how to prepare for the installation.

If you have selected a drop-in cook top, the cutout for this type of unit will need to be done on location, on the cabinet base. The reason for this is that the edges in front and back of the cook top are too narrow to permit transportation and handling of the granite without cracking at those narrow points. The cutting process will generate a significant amount of dust. The installers will do all they can to minimize the inconvenience, however, there will be a large quantity of dust generated. See the section Pre Installation check List for more details.

Premier Surfaces maintains one of the quickest turn around times in the industry. We understand the inconvenience of being without countertops for an extended period of time. In normal conditions our turn around time will be five to seven business days beginning from the time all information is received. The information includes: purchase order signed; sink selected and available at Premier Surfaces; faucet spread finalized; edge profiles selected; granite or other stone selected, templates completed and if desired templates laid out on the selected stone.