Granite: How to Maximize your Investment

It’s no surprise that granite countertops are one of the most valuable things you can install to increase your home’s value. Yet since it’s something most homeowners do only a few times in their lifetime, the process may be a bit daunting. So how do you ensure that you maximize the return on your investment? Marco Pereira, owner of Pacific Shore Stones, has two key pieces of advice – 1) select the right stone and 2) pay attention to the installation. Pacific Shore Stones is a distributor of granite, marble and other natural stones. They control the process from start to finish, from partnerships with quarries to factories overseas and several warehouses in the United States. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, they know what is required to purchase, install and deliver the highest quality granite to their customers.

Select the Right Stone

Granite is often the centerpiece of the kitchen. Given this starring role in family gatherings and entertaining, choosing the right stone is the most critical step in the process. Working with your local granite distributor, bringing in samples to visualize the finished look and purchasing a quality stone are all critical components of this process.

The first step is familiarizing yourself with the granite process. Go to a warehouse, look at the wide variety of slabs and price ranges available and see what will work best for you. “It’s important for people to come to the warehouse and see the actual slabs (usually 6 feet tall by 10 feet long).” No small sample of granite will give you the full effect or show you the variety that your stone may have. “At Pacific Shore Stones, we work with each person who walks through the door to understand their style and budget to show them the stones that may best meet their needs”, says Pereira. He also recommends that “since granite is often the focal point of the kitchen, it’s best to bring in cabinet and flooring samples to visualize how the entire kitchen will look”.Another key recommendation? Quality matters. People shopping for natural stone often underestimate the differences in quality among slabs and warehouses. Be sure to work with a reputable supplier, and ask about how much of the “processing” of the slabs they do themselves. “The most efficient way we’ve found to reduce the chances of having slabs with pits, fissures or other imperfections is to select our own blocks straight at the quarries and controlling the processing from start to finish,” notes Pereira. “Owning our own quarries and manufacturing facilities also allow us to provide builders/developers with larger quantities of a particular color for bigger projects,” says the owner of Pacific Shore Stones. As a direct importer and distributor with 8 branches in the U.S., Marco Pereira personally travels to the quarries and manufacturing facilities in places like Brazil and Italy, bringing the journey to you.

Not all installation is created equal

Safeguarding your granite investment doesn’t end with selecting the perfect stone. Installation is critical to ensuring it looks as beautiful in your home as you’ve envisioned it. Find a fabricator that you feel comfortable with, somebody that will take the time to truly understand your needs and not just treat your project as “just another job”. Pereira also recommends that homeowners or builders take time discussing with their fabricator how they would like to lay out the granite in the kitchen. “Especially with exotic granite – stones with movement, veining and different shades throughout the slab – it’s critical to understand what will be laid out where,” notes Pereira. “Granite is at its best when we take its natural flow into consideration when cutting the slabs into countertops,” he recommends. Many times our customers select their slabs with a vision of a particular portion of the slab, such as a unique vein, being the center of their island or bar top. Our sales staff at all our locations, are trained to assist the customer in envisioning their layout on the slabs. They also spend as much time as needed in personally selecting each slab with the customer or fabricator. We try to make each visit to any of our Pacific Shore Stones locations a unique experience.