countertops quotes - Home Depot vs local? (floor, vinyl, granite)

[ADVentive]

I have chosen the countertops that I like (Silestone Giallo Nova) and put it out to bid with 6 companies, including Home Depot and local guys. It is really surprising how different the quotes are coming back. Home Depot is by far the cheapest so far at ~$3600. The next closest is $4600, and they go up to $6600 (and that one doesn't even include tear out or plumbing, which HD does).

So I'm wondering, is this because Home Depot can get the tops for so much less with volume purchasing? Or is it because they have an inferior product? HD says that it is because they are running two specials that I qualify for: a color upgrade, and a free sink.

I did notice that the Home Depot quote says 2cm stone, while the others generally list 3cm stone. Does this account for the difference in price, and does it reflect quality or just preference? HD also says that they should be able to do it with no seams (but no guarantee), while some of the others have specified where the seams will be in their quote.

Going into this, I expected the local guys to come in cheaper because you cut out the middleman, but so far it doesn't look true at all. Is there any reason that I should *not* go with HD on this?

[rrtechno]

Keep in mind that a 3 cm thick top is nearly the same thickness as a traditional kitchen countertop. 3 is 50% thicker than 2. The 2 cm is the thickness that, in our part of the country, is used more for vanity tops. So, first of all, you have 50% more material in the 3 cm quartz. ($3600 + 50% = $5400, although part of the difference is in fabrication costs.) That being said, without knowing your layout, it is impossible to determine if it can be done without seams.

My first thought though would be to throw out the 2 cm option, unless your main concern is price.

[Electrician4you]

I'm remodeling a rental and I went with HD cabinets, granite and free under mount sink. They weren't the cheapest either. The main concern is your cabinets need to be set perfect level or the stone guys will walk because your counter will crack if its set on uneven surface.
I use Lowes and HD because their prices aren't outrageous. Usually the box stores have tiers. So you're not getting a inferior product, but you may only get a choice of only two or three colors or styles/bullnose for that price. If you want x color x thickness x edging the price goes up. HD or lowes don't really do any of the work. They use subcontractors for installs.

Are you comparing EXACT materials, edging and thicknesses? HD probably came in with their entry level stuff and the other guys went a bit thicker which accounts for the higher cost. I would ask HD to increase the thickness to 3cm so you're comparing apples to apples. If its gonna crack its gonna crack regardless if its 2 or 3 cm.

[ADVentive]

I asked for quotes on Silestone in the particular color Giallo Nova. I did not specify 2cm or 3cm for the quote because I did not know that these were even options. HD considers this a "level D" color, but is running a promotion for a color upgrade, so I get it at "level C" pricing. Some of the other guys I talked to had this color as a "level E". I just noticed that some of the quotes specified 3cm, while HD specified 2cm (some did not specify this at all). Most of them will only give me an eased edge as standard and will charge for other edges, though one place had several edge options as standard.

Our largest length is 111 inches, and HD said that the slab comes slightly longer than that, hence no seams. However, the next closest guy said that there would be seams because that way he would only have to buy one jumbo slab and could cut it up and it would all fit, so he wouldn't need two slabs. If he had to buy 2 slabs, then it would cost a lot more.

[Ted Bear]

There are a host of issues involved here.

First, make sure you are getting 'like for like' comparisons.

Second, know going in that you can buy from fine craftsman, pay up, and probably get superior workmanship. And you can buy from HD, and get what you get. The HD job probably won't be the worst, but it certainly will be 'average'. That might mean seam quality, edging, backlash, sealant, and other fine details like sink mount--under? Drop in?--are not spectacular.

After you get everyone on the same plane, go out and look at the work these guys have done. No references, unhappy customers, or low quality work means no contract from you.

At the end of the day a lot depends on how 'fussy' your tastes are. If ANY small little defects are unacceptable (a lot of granite counters have tiny chips here and there due a lot to imperfections in the stone--it is after all, a natural materials subject to nature's whims) then you are going to pay more. Guys who cut there stone with a hand grinder are going to be a lot less costly than guys who cut it with a computer guided saw on a large layout table. And the workmanship will show right away. It just depends in large part on you, your preferences, and your budget.

Do you want to buy your fine jewelry at Wal-Mart, or Tiffany? But you don't want to pay Tiffany prices for Wal-Mart quality either.

(BTW, I had a kitchen torn out because the stone was chipped and the seams looked poor. It turns out in addition to the craftsman, the stone had been left outside for a winter of freezing and thawing, thus weakening the stone (who knew?) and making it prone to degradation. Every time they cut it, the edges crumbled.)

[ADVentive]

So, I talked to HD about the 2cm vs 3cm, and they were able to quote me for the 3cm as well so that I can choose what I want. It's only $380 more total for the 3cm, so they still come out as the cheapest quote either way. She said they only get a few people per year who go for the 3cm though, and they almost always sell the 2cm. She said that they could do the 3cm though, if that's what I want, but it will take an extra week to get it because it would be a special order for them.

They said that if I don't want a seam in my L, that I could pay the extra square footage for the whole square that they would cut the L out of. She said it would only be about $300 more. She said that if it were her, she would go for the 2cm and spend the money to have no seams instead.

I would say I expect to be in this house another 2-5 years, so it's not my forever house. My next one prob will be. So I am prob not going to be as fussy about it as I will be next time. So I am leaning towards going with HD. Now I still have to decide if I want to pay extra for 3cm and/or no seams.

[Sunbather]

I personally prefer 2cm thickness for quartz counters, but I like a little more contemporary kitchens and it tends to look good in there. Either 2cm (with a substrate typically) or 3cm work - it's more of a preference thing. Neither is really "better", although 2cm actually has more advantages over 3cm believe it or not.

[fleck]

Keep on eye on H Depot if that is who you choose - they did our tile floor, leaving a large straight cut to rethread vinyl plumbing through the floor instead of cutting a simply circle. Very prominent.