Countertop made from remnant slab?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
Topic Author
Wading Ashore
Posts: 556
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:23 pm

Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by Wading Ashore »

One of the home improvement sites suggested buying a remnant slab from a quarry or fabricator as a more economical way of replacing a countertop than going through a retail home store. I found a site that lists locations offering remnants, and is searchable by color, manufacturer, material and size. Was curious to know if any Bogleheads have gone this route, and if so, would they recommend it? Thanks.
Jack shall have Jill, nought shall go ill; the man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.
donall
Posts: 1079
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 6:45 am

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by donall »

I think most of the cost of a countertop is the labor.
User avatar
walkabout
Posts: 891
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 8:28 am
Location: Northern Alabama

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by walkabout »

We remodeled a bathroom recently and used granite on a single sink vanity. Since the quantity of granite was small, our contractor had us look at remnants rather than full slabs. The selection was not huge, but we found one that we liked. I didn't really compare the price of doing it that way vs buying the "perfect" granite slab and cutting off only what was needed for our vanity, but I have to believe that going the remnant route was cheaper.

If you are covering a larger area, such as a double sink bathroom vanity, a large island, or several kitchen counter tops, it seems like it would be more difficult to find a remnant that is big enough.
Rupert
Posts: 4122
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2012 12:01 pm

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by Rupert »

If you go with remnants, you're probably going to have more seams in your countertop. How noticeable those seams are will depend on the configuration of your particular countertop and the type of stone you choose. I would recommend choosing a product with a more consistent color/pattern if you go the remnant route. Also, over time, as your house settles unevenly, the seams can slip or buckle and leave you with an uneven surface. So the fewer seams the better. Take accurate measurements and a sketch of your kitchen with you when you go look at the remnant slabs. Ask the fabricator how/if they can cut the remnants to minimize the number of seams before you choose a product. And don't choose a product over the internet. Go look at the particular slab(s) you are buying.
User avatar
Hayden
Posts: 1533
Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:13 pm

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by Hayden »

We did this. We went to a granite facility that had a huge quantity of remnants. We were surprised at how large the remnant pieces were. We were also surprised at what a large selection of different granites they had. They had a shockingly big selection to choose from.

We found a single piece that met our needs, in exactly the granite that we wanted. I don't recall the cost, but I remember thinking that it was unbelievably cheap -- lower cost than any other alternative.
Topic Author
Wading Ashore
Posts: 556
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:23 pm

Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by Wading Ashore »

Very interesting, Hayden. Did you have the granite facility install it for you as well?
Jack shall have Jill, nought shall go ill; the man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.
TheGreyingDuke
Posts: 2219
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:34 am

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by TheGreyingDuke »

I live near Barre, VT, a traditional granite quarrying area, mostly grey tombstones and building facades. As a result, there are many skilled granite artisans in the area that import granite from all over the world and finish to customers' specs.

We were doing a small counter top, about 8 square feet and it cost us $200 for the piece, the finishing, and a cutout for a high power wok burner. They came and installed it as well. It was some Brazilian granite but all the remnants were priced about the same and some of the pieces were quite large.
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." H.G. Wells
SamB
Posts: 826
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 3:17 pm

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by SamB »

We just remodeled our kitchen and bathrooms. The granite/marble dealer had plenty of remnants. However, these pieces were initially waste from the fabrication of the kitchen counter tops. However, even though they were smaller pieces they worked fine for bathroom vanities, unless you had a very large surface.

The dealer was happy to sell these at a discount because he had recovered his money from the larger pieces used in the initial fabrication.

I would not want to use remnants for a large kitchen counter top because of the additional seams and matching problems.

As far as dealing with Home Depot is concerned, if you are doing a pull and replace, it might be a feasible approach. If you are doing a complete rip out, down to the studs and subfloor in order to fix piping and electrical problems or to bring your renovated space up to code, then I would hire a general contractor. Make sure it is someone you want to live with if you go this route, because you will be living inside a construction site.
User avatar
Mrs.Feeley
Posts: 830
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 1:52 am

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by Mrs.Feeley »

A friend bought some remnants from a quarry for use in bathroom vanity tops. One thing she discovered after she bought them was that the measurements listed on the slabs were inaccurate. One remnant ended up a few inches too short for the vanity top. Her advice is to measure remnants carefully before you buy. My advice is to measure the remnant with the same tape measure that you use to measure the space, as I've found slight measuring differences between different tapes.
SamB
Posts: 826
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 3:17 pm

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by SamB »

Mrs.Feeley wrote:A friend bought some remnants from a quarry for use in bathroom vanity tops. One thing she discovered after she bought them was that the measurements listed on the slabs were inaccurate. One remnant ended up a few inches too short for the vanity top. Her advice is to measure remnants carefully before you buy. My advice is to measure the remnant with the same tape measure that you use to measure the space, as I've found slight measuring differences between different tapes.
The remnants I am referring to were pieces that needed to be cut for the final counter top plus the back splashes. We never intended to select a remnant that would not need to be fabricated to precisely fit the vanity.
cleosdad
Posts: 310
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:32 am
Location: Littleton Co

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by cleosdad »

Wading Ashore wrote:Very interesting, Hayden. Did you have the granite facility install it for you as well?
We used the same place H.D. uses here in Denver. We took our measurements and picked out a remnant. They came and used a laser to confirm the size. They also sold sinks so we had them install everything but the faucets. Much cheaper than H.D. and it looks great.
bungalow10
Posts: 2311
Joined: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:28 am
Location: Chicago North Shore

Re: Countertop made from remnant slab?

Post by bungalow10 »

donall wrote:I think most of the cost of a countertop is the labor.
+1

We put in soapstone and the slab was reasonable, it was the measuring, template, cutting, installing that was expensive.
An elephant for a dime is only a good deal if you need an elephant and have a dime.
Post Reply