Q:
Can I cut on granite or will it scratch?
A: You can cut on granite as much as you want and
it will NOT scratch, however it will dull your knives! The ONLY things
that can scratch Granite is Granite on Granite or Diamond! It is the
biggest cutting board you will ever
buy! You can also place hot pans and dishes straight out of the oven
directly on it. It is the most amazing countertop out these if you
are a True cook.
Q: Some one told me that I should only use
Windex to clean my granite is this true? Do you sell Granite Cleaner?
A: Thank you for contacting us, firstly you should
not use Windex on your countertops at all. You should use a gentle
cleanser to clean any type of natural surface. We sell Granite Cleanser
and would be happy to ship this
out to you.
Q: My kitchen will be ready in six months
can I select my slab now?
A: You are welcome to view slabs whenever you choose,
however if you project is that far in the future you will not be able
to tag slabs at that time. Once you get approximately 2-4 weeks away
from your cabinets being set you can tag slabs.
Q: I want to do a honed absolute black granite
in my Kitchen on the perimeter and white carrara marble on my island.
Can you tell me is this a good idea? I have two small children and
we cook alot. I have heard some good and some bad things about my
selection and I would like an experts opinion?
A: From a design point of view your kitchen will
look lovely if you do this combination of mixing textures and colors.
However from a countertop view point you are heading into a dangerous
zone! Lets start with your absolute black honed counter first; the
shine you see on a normal granite is it's first protective layer.
For example imagine taking a brand new car taking all the paint off
and then letting it be outside in normal weather conditions? What
do you think would happen to your new car? Right it would rust and
not last very long! It is the same with honed granites, they look
great in the pages of the designer magazines but realistically if
you have two small children and you actually cook this is probably
not the best countertop choice for you because they can easily stain
and can be a lot of hard work to keep clean.
Okay now on to your white carrara marble center island. Again probably
not the best choice if you have little children and you want to cook
a lot, the marble is a lot softer and more prone to damage.
All this being said if you absolutely must have this counter top we
can provide it for you and we will use the best sealer the industry
has to try to minimize these issues. We want you to know everything
there is to know
about your countertop choice before you buy! We want you to be happy
forever. Good Luck let us know if you require further information.
Q: What happens if I do not like anything
in your selection?
A: Our stock changes so quickly that I am sure you
will find something you love! If however there is nothing that you
like you are welcome to select a granite from a local supplier that
we will purchase for you and fabricate. However because we have not
imported this stone we reserve the right to refuse the slab upon arrival
to Artelye if we feel the stone does not stand up to our high standards
of first choice stone. Remember we do not want to put anything in
your kitchen that we would not put in our own. Please feel free to
visit us whenever you would like to view our huge selection.
Q: I have a very small kitchen in
Washington D.C. do I have to buy the whole slab for my small kitchen?
Other fabricators I have talked to said I need to purchase the whole
slab and I do not want to have to do this?
A: No of course not! We are not like MOST fabricators,
we charge you for the material used in your kitchen. We are a direct
importer of thousands and thousands of slabs per year. We need the
remaining part of your slab so why should you pay for it? If you pick
an 'In Stock' granite from our warehouse you will not incur any additional
charges for wastage. Good Luck.
Q: How many seams will I have in
my countertop? Why do I need seams?
A: Seams are necessary to complete your kitchen
countertop. Granite comes in numerous sizes and for the larger kitchens
that are popular today it is physically impossible to carry or complete
an entire kitchen out of one slab of granite.
We appreciate your desire to have minimal seams and will do our
absolute best to give you your desires. We are happy to meet with
you before your granite goes into production to discuss seam location.
Also try to be available on the day of templating so you can discuss
your concerns whilst the templater is in your house.
Q: Can I select my actual slab?
A: This will depend on your granite selection.
If you choose a stone that is VERY consisitent e.g. Uba Tuba all
the slabs have the exact same colorings, therefore actual slab selection
is not required. So what we do is have you tag the block and you
will receive a slab from the block. If you choose a slab that has
a lot of movement e.g. Juparana Florenzia from the Artelye Exotic
Collection, then absolutely you should come in to hand select your
actual slab.
Q: Why should I choose Artelye over
another fabricator? There cannot be any differences? Granite is
Granite?
A: Artelye stands behing every countertop we custom
craft. We take pride in its creation and enjoy you the customer
to have as much input into the process as possible, if you should
desire. We cut very large pieces and this allows for minimal seams.
We DO NOT use WAX on our edges as this is a easy short cut that
other fabricators do to cut costs. We want you to be happy with
your countertop forever! Unfortunately Granite is not the same,
within granite there are commercial grades and then first choice.
Artelye only uses first choice and strive to put granite into the
homes across America that we put into our personal homes. Quality,
Craftsmanship & Service are the corner stone of our business and
we uphold these beliefs everyday. We understand that we might not
be the cheapest Granite Fabricator on the block but we do not want
to be, because that would mean we are cutting costs and providing
stone that is not up to Artelye's high standards. Good Luck with
your countertop fabricator selection, we are happy to advise on
any part of countertops even if you do not use us to fabricate your
custom crafted counters.
Q: How quickly can I get my countertop?
A: This is a great question, it all depends upon
the size of your kitchen and the material you select. If you select
an in stock material we can have it templated and installed within
7-10 business days. If you are in a hurry we can usually create
a quicker turnaround time but these will be judged on a case by
case basis. It is worth the wait to have an Artelye Custom Crafted
Countertop! Good Luck.
Q: Do you give a time frame for arrival or do I have to
stay home all day to wait for you to arrive?
A: Yes! We give you a 2 hour window of time for
arrival from our crews. If you supply us with a cell number or alternate
number we are happy to give you a 1 hour/ 30 mins phone call to
advise of our arrival time. We apprecaite that your time is precious!
Q: I have heard that I do not have
to seal Quartz Materials? Is this correct? Do I have to seal Granite?
A: Yes you are correct, you do not need to seal
Quartz materials. Yes, you do need to seal granite countertops.
PLEASE do not let this put you off using Granite in your countertops
though as we seal the countertop as part of your purchase. It will
need to be sealed 12 months later and then 12 months after that
and it is done for LIFE. You are able to purchase sealer directly
from us and this can easily be done yourself.
Q: Can you fix granite that has
a chunk broken off?
A: We would be happy to take a look at a digital
picture of your problem area on your granite. Many factors will
enter into the equation can it be fixed or not. Most chips are easily
taken care of. We do charge for this service and recommed you follow
it up with our five star sealing process.
Q:How many colors of Granite do
you carry in your inventory?
A: Thank you for your great question, we currently
have over 100+ colors of INSTOCK granite.
Q: What is the difference between granite and man made stones?
A: Granite is 100% natural coming from mother nature
and the man made materials e.g. Quartz Materials are partly crushed
natural material combined with resin and colors then mixed into
blocks and cut in a similar manner that granite is. So one is completely
natural and one is part natural.
Granite can have lots of different colors in one slab whereas the
man made material tend to be very consistent.
Good Luck picking your new countertop!
Q: Do you sell Cabinets?
A: No we do not sell cabinets, but based upon your
location we would be happy to provide you with a list of local cabinet
designers that Artelye is proud to work alongside.
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