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 75 inches in width, 110 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.

The Stone Supplier
The Stone Supplier, like those listed in our section "Stone Suppliers," take on the responsibility of exporting the slabs directly from the quarries and in full container loads. It may take as long as three months from the time an order is placed until it is delivered to the stone supplier. Due to the time lag between order and delivery and large minimum order quantities, custom orders for specific colors are a rarity.

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. The Stone Supplier warehouses huge quantities of stones and supports independent fabricators, such as Premier Surfaces, by giving quick delivery of material. Premier Surfaces works with all of the major Stone Suppliers in the North Georgia market place. Premier Surfaces, by working closely with the Stone Suppliers, knows the various colors that each supplier has in inventory.

It is essential for Premier Surfaces to keep this close relationship so that we can advise our customers where to go to see a particular color or variation in stone. 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 Atlanta market. You may also view available colors by visiting the Stone Suppliers website. If you see a color you like we can tell you if it is available and if not what colors may be similar in character.

Premier Surfaces maintains a large inventory of popular colors but we often will advise customers to visit the display rooms of the Stone Supplier to view a 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.

The Fabricator (Premier Surfaces)
The Fabricator is the primary contact for the customer in selecting the right stone for the job and assuring that it is installed according to their desires. We at Premier Surfaces are always ready to assist you in selecting the right product for your project. Our new showroom is open to everyone and we welcome the opportunity to talk to you about your desires for new countertops or vanities and to explain all the details regarding granite, marble or other stone surfaces you may be considering.

The Project Manager
Premier Surfaces will guide you through the 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 Project Manager (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.

The Detail
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 as to 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.

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.

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 20 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 expert at granite but be advised that they are not certified or insured to do cabinetry, plumbing or electrical work. Prior to the countertop tear out 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 may leak after the faucets have been removed.

Stone Selection
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.

Template Layout
Premier Surfaces strongly recommends that you visit our fabrication shop to layout 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 and vanity 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 such as a Santa Cecilia. 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 made to have the sink delivered to our location. The sink is needed to assure an accurate cut of the opening in the countertop for the sink.

Fabrication
Premier Surfaces takes a great deal of pride in the skill and professionalism of our fabricators. We have true artisans who take a great deal of 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 selected, and delivered, templates laid out and a firm installation date set. State of the art equipment is used to fabricate every piece of stone installed by Premier Surfaces.

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 requires completion of an extensive documented training program that includes all aspects of not only installation but also fabrication of the stone. To become a lead installer additional training is needed in how to understand and respond to our customer's expectations.

Exceeding customer's 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 our scheduler 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 cook top, the cutout for this type of unit will have to be done in place.

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 this but thee will be a large quantity of dust generated. See the section Pre Installation check List for more details.

Timing
Premier Surfaces maintains one of the quickest turn around times in the industry. We know 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.

back to top