# OKCpedia > Businesses & Employers >  Granite counters?

## JohnDenver

Any of you guys have experiences (good or bad) with local granite merchants? I need to get moving on this task, but I am new to the area and don't know who to trust or where to look. 

Much appreciated.

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## PennyQuilts

Good luck.  I can't help you because we are going with a solid surface when we remodel (soon, yeah!).  Granite is a little more particular on the upkeep and we've been happier with a solid surface, before.  But granite looks really beautiful.

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## bluedogok

F A Highley Co. - They are on NW 39th just west of Portland.

My parents neighbor just had some done recently, he is an exacting perfectionist and was very happy with their work. His main complaint of others is they wanted to put seams in the countertop where he didn't want them but Highley was willing to do the countertops the way he wanted.

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## JohnDenver

> Good luck.  I can't help you because we are going with a solid surface when we remodel (soon, yeah!).  Granite is a little more particular on the upkeep and we've been happier with a solid surface, before.  But granite looks really beautiful.


What is the down side of granite upkeep? I have only read of durable it is... Currently I have Corian counters and I hate them with a passion. They have a strange/fine texture that traps dust/dirt particles and I can't seem to keep them clean. Is Corian the type of solid surface you are talking about?

I contemplated cement, but it is labor intensive. 

Thanks bluedogok... I will give them a call.

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## benman

The only real hassle upkeap of granite is having to eventually get it re-sealed, but thats years down the road. Just keep it clean as you would any surface. I have heard a few granite guys say to not even buy the special granite cleaner and just mix up some ivory soap and water in a spray bottle.
As for where to buy it... well it takes a lot of searching around for what you want and for what price. Just talk to as many as you can and remember they always have room for negotiating.

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## PennyQuilts

> What is the down side of granite upkeep? I have only read of durable it is... Currently I have Corian counters and I hate them with a passion. They have a strange/fine texture that traps dust/dirt particles and I can't seem to keep them clean. Is Corian the type of solid surface you are talking about?
> 
> I contemplated cement, but it is labor intensive. 
> 
> Thanks bluedogok... I will give them a call.


It is probably no big deal but you are supposed to reseal granite, annually.  I doubt that is any big deal but I know me - and I will probably not follow through or think about it two years down the line.  I know it is gorgeous and I've also heard it is super durable.  I've had corian and my experience was good.  We had a matt finish.  Our neighbors had a semi gloss (or maybe a gloss) and I think there's looked great but it took more effort to keep up.  

I also like the look of the cement.  We are probably going to go with corian if we can't find a solid surface we like better, this time.  We had "flint" at our old house but are leaning towards macadem, this time.  The house, now, has small one inch tiles on the counter.  Ugh!  Talk about not being able to keep clean!

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## bluedogok

When we build our new house we are going with concrete or Caesarstone Quartz. Our current house has 4" ceramic tile, we will not be doing that. I got some large porcelain tile samples for my wife to do her cookie stuff on (rolling out dough) and my dad made some wood frames for them to stabilze them on the counters.

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## Platemaker

Willis Granite for sure.

http://www.willisgranite.com/

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## swilki

You should check out www.kbgraniteokc.com

They have some great specials. Can't be beat.

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## Stinger

I used Wholesale Granite in Blanchard, OK.  They were considerably less than the other bids I received.  

They told me to clean with windex, then when it drys to use pledge.  It keeps them clean and shiney.

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## realtorchris

I love Wholesale Granite in Blanchard also, you drive out there, ride around in a golf cart, the lady knocks off samples with a sledge hammer and you go home.  You schedule a measure, they send someone, next day you get a price quote.  Within a short amount of time it is installed beautifully.  I had a small seam that became unlevel, I called they were out the next day and repaired for no charge. Great customer service!!!

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## JohnDenver

I went out there this past weekend and liked what I saw. The price they quoted me was below what I had seen elsewhere... I have high hopes it goes smoothly. 

Thanks for jogging my memory Whole Granite. I heard their commercials on the radio last year a TON, but wasn't ready to pull the trigger. I had forgot all about it until I read it here.

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## redrunner

Rod Neal, Discount Granite Today in Oklahoma City, OK  Found this link for granite countertops in OKC.  They look pretty inexpensive at $34/s.f. installed.  Don't know how legit this business is since it doesn't look like it's a brick & mortar store.  For those that used Wholesale Granite do you recall what the starting price per s.f. was?

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## Insider

I am actually in the process of building a home with UBuildIt and am looking at Granite for my new home. 

I called Wholesale Granite yesterday and they are not priced as low as I thought they would be. Level 1 granite started at $36 a square foot for 2cm granite and $41 a square foot for 3cm granite. A sink cutout were $200 for an undermount sink and $50 for a drop-in sink. A cook top cutout was $50. One edge for free (square edge), all others extra.

Northwest Builders Supply has an amazing selection of granite starting at $43.99 for 3cm level 1 granite. Sink cutout and sink are included. Cooktop cutout included. Bumpouts included. Free installation. Two different edges for free (square edge and bullnose), all others extra.

KB Granite starts at $40 a square foot for level 1 granite. They have a large selection of remnants (some as big as 9 feet by 2 feet) for $30 a square foot (no matter what the granite color). One cutout for free and others are $50 each (but he stressed this can be negotiated). Six edges for free. VERY nice people on the phone.

Another location I have found is Phoenix Fabrication (405-202-6951). They are located at 109 NE 40th Street. Their granite also starts around $40 for a level 1 granite and goes up from there. They handle a large amount of commercial and residential orders and they also have a large amount of remnants on site. 

Are there any other places for nice, yet attractively priced granite around? I have 140 square feet of possible granite (plus window sills) in my home. So I am definately looking for a good deal!

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## bluedogok

If I was doing a more traditional home rather than my more commercial/modern design style I would use a quartz product like CaeserStone or SileStone. I know that we spec it much more often in granite in both the traditional (like law firms) and modern (game studios) office finish-outs that we do. I think it is pretty price comparable, you might look at it as an option.

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## CuatrodeMayo

> Willis Granite for sure.
> 
> Willis Granite Products - Granite memorials and monuments with award-winning design. > Home


The benefit of Willis is that they not a dealer but a quarry.  They supply Oklahoma Red granite from the SW part of the state.  I haven't found anybody else that does.

The downside is the price.  For whatever reason, local Oklahoma granite countertops are considerably more expensive than the imported (from other states) type.

My next countertop will be concrete.  I am finishing up a project that includes a 3" thick black top and it is dead sexy.

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## PennyQuilts

> my next countertop will be concrete.  I am finishing up a project that includes a 3" thick black top and it is dead sexy.


pictures!

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## buylow

WarHall Designs

joe penhall is a great guy.

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## kelly73099

We used Natural Wonders out of Tuttle - it was a very simple job so I don't know how they would be at the more complicated stuff, but we were very happy with them. They sent me to the same granite yard that everyone else used, but I was able to get an exceptional exotic for the cost of the more common patterns, like ubatuba, from other places in OKC. They also had a much larger selection of edges for no extra cost.

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## TStheThird

Looking to install granite counter tops. Does anyone have recommendations as to the best places here in OKC? Looking for both quality installation and competitive pricing. Thanks in advance.

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## RealJimbo

Call Ron McKenzie at 361-0284.  Great craftsman.

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## Corndog1

Glad i didnt read the company Fossil Granite in Edmond.  We used them, they are great salesmen, but they suck at granite.  After 2 days of work and then about 30 days of no returned calls or returning to my job.  I had to hire another contractor to do the job.  I did the wrong thing by paying them when it was close to finished.  Needless to say after they cut electric lines, tore up sheet rock that wasnt even on either or those walls, busted tiles in the floor on the other side of the room, and left me with no water to either my kitchen sink or bathroom sink im not upset they never returned.  Would have been nice to have had some of the cash back.  They are crooks, shouldnt have ever trusted a guy with a Longhorns license plate in Oklahoma.

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## gsan

> Glad i didnt read the company Fossil Granite in Edmond.  We used them, they are great salesmen, but they suck at granite.  After 2 days of work and then about 30 days of no returned calls or returning to my job.  I had to hire another contractor to do the job.  I did the wrong thing by paying them when it was close to finished.  Needless to say after they cut electric lines, tore up sheet rock that wasnt even on either or those walls, busted tiles in the floor on the other side of the room, and left me with no water to either my kitchen sink or bathroom sink im not upset they never returned.  Would have been nice to have had some of the cash back.  They are crooks, shouldnt have ever trusted a guy with a Longhorns license plate in Oklahoma.


I agree! We had a terrible experience with Fossil Rock and Stone. They are crooks! Do not use them and tell others not to use them. They should not be allowed to run a business.

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## BBatesokc

We redid our kitchen ourself not too long ago. Wanted granite countertops but didn't want to pay the price because we won't' be in our home forever. We decided on granite tiles and did the countertops ourselves (probably 14' run , lengthwise) and edged it with travertine 90-degree corners. Looks great and if there is ever an issue you just have to pop out a tile and replace it. Did the whole thing for about $1,000 and a weekend.

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## Pete

Regarding the maintenance of granite, I put in my kitchen about 8 years ago and it still looks like new and there is almost zero upkeep required.

Every couple of months or so I spray it with Granite Gold or something similar; it helps keep it sealed but also makes it look extra nice.  It's like using Pledge on your wood furniture; no more trouble than that and you'll want to do it anyway because it looks so good.

I can't imagine anything that would be less trouble.  And I have never tired of the natural look of stone.  I like some of the solid surface stuff but it's just too uniform for my tastes.

And really, concrete and solid surface are about the same price so other than just wanting something somewhat unique, I can't think of a reason not to go with granite.

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## td25er

Quartz looks virtually identical to granite and is zero maintenance.

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## TAlan CB

> Quartz looks virtually identical to granite and is zero maintenance.


Quartz does not look like most granites.  Be warned, if you have a light colored quartz, don't set a hot kettle or pan on it, there is a polymer that binds the quartz that will burn and leave a scorch mark on it - and it can not be removed.  There is a huge variety of granite types, quartz fabricators  are doing their best in mimicking granite, and recently they have had more success.  Look into a granite top, you will see that it has more visual depth than any quartz.  

Though I prefer granite, if I were to purchase a new residence with a quartz top in the kitchen, I would not be disappointed.  But, I am aware of the "scorching issue" with quartz (which does happen most often above 300 degrees F. - depending on manafacturer).   The real  opportunity with quartz is to have colors similar to solid surfaces (like Corian) with the performance of granite.  Quartz does require cleaning - make sure you do not use windex or anything similar.  Use a granite cleaner or liquid dishwashing soap and hot water.  Repeated use of an alcohol or vinegar base cleaner can chemically etch the polymer coating used in  quartz.  The result would be a "cloudy" appearance over time - kind of like a plastic windshield that has been exposed to the elements to long.

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## TAlan CB

Great idea.  Did you grout (sounds like you did not) because the weakness of any "tiled" counter top is the grout lines - very easily stained, hard to clean.  I often recommended using granite tiles with no grout - obvious a good base and frame are needed.  Sounds like you solved that issue.

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## BBatesokc

> Great idea.  Did you grout (sounds like you did not) because the weakness of any "tiled" counter top is the grout lines - very easily stained, hard to clean.  I often recommended using granite tiles with no grout - obvious a good base and frame are needed.  Sounds like you solved that issue.


Used a very small grout line with dark grout. Been in place for as couple of years with zero issues. The only reason we did a grout line was because we bought deeply discounted granite tiles from a supplier and he could not guarantee exact uniformity. We figure a little grout line would give some wiggle room. However, there was no need as they all measured pretty spot on. The travertine 90-degree edges though really made it look nice. The edges were designed for doorways, but we simply trimmed them for counters and they looked great. However, they were far more expensive than the granite was - but worth it.

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## Garin

Friends granite out off Banner Road.

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