The typical homeowner does a kitchen renovation once or, occasionally, twice in a lifetime, so we sometimes find ourselves helping homeowners understand what the right timeframe is to choose their countertop stone for their home.
Are You Ready to Choose?
The usual order for a kitchen renovation begins with designing the space, then choosing cabinets, flooring and tile, and then appliances. Then, when you are approximately a month ahead of your countertop installation, you should be choosing your stone. This doesn’t mean you can’t visit our showrooms before then. You are welcome to visit at any time and as many times as you wish during the process.
The four week window will allow you to make an informed decision about what is available. Our inventory changes weekly and every slab of natural stone is unique when it comes out of the quarry. So, in order to choose the exact stone for your countertop, you should be selecting your slab(s) in the recommended time window. For larger kitchens, you may need more than one slab so you can finalize your stone selection and choose the actual slabs that will be used for your project.
Placing a Hold
When you have completed your research (e.g., granite vs. quartzite vs. quartz) and narrowed your colors and tones to coordinate with your cabinets and flooring, you are likely ready to make your actual slab decision! This is an exciting time to visit one of our showrooms and make your final stone and design selection.
If you have explored our website and found some slabs you’d like to see more closely, you can call us in advance and let us know so we can have the slabs ready for you to view them. This way you can see the colors and veining detail up close. And, if you’d like, our customer service reps can also point out the nuances across the slabs as you view them.
Once you choose the slab(s) you prefer, our customer service representative will put it on a seven day hold. They will then contact your fabricator to let them know what material you have chosen. The fabricator provides Boston Granite Exchange with a purchase order and we arrange for the slabs to be transferred to the stone fabricator. If you do not have a fabricator, we can assist you in finding one.
What If the Slab(s) Are Already on Hold?
This happens frequently and should not be a source of concern or stress. If the stone you want has been put on hold, our customer service team will check our inventory in our other showroom. We will also reach out to the fabricator and their customer to see if they still want the slab(s). Often, we are able to make on-hold slabs available so give us a day or two to work our customer service magic!
It’s important to note that, “Hold doesn’t mean sold.” If neither of these options is successful, we can review upcoming shipments to see if we are expecting arrival of that stone soon. We receive new inventory weekly.
We’ll Work Hard to Get You the Stone You Love
We pride ourselves on service; it’s what makes Boston Granite Exchange stand out from other stone importers and wholesalers. We’ll go the extra mile. Whatever stage your project is, we invite you to visit one of our showrooms in West Bridgewater or Haverhill, MA. If you are nearing that four-week window, plan a visit and come see – in person – the many beautiful options in natural stone or quartz for your kitchen countertops.
No appointment is needed and we’d love to see you.
We’re confident you are going to find beautiful slabs perfect for your project.