Remodel Progress: Marble Counter vs Porcelain Slabs

Kitchen installation is still weeks away but nothing beats advanced preparation when dealing in a business that fluctuates so much in material, labor, cost and availability. The goal right now is to have the kitchen and bathroom counters installed as soon as possible after the kitchen installation, like, 2 days after [!!] – so selecting the counter top material, reserving it and getting quotes is of the essence.

Typically you will not get the exact price of granite/ marble installation until your granite guy measures the counter out in the actual space. In this case the kitchen and master bath sinks.

However I wanted a quote asap so we sketched out the dimensions of how we expect the marble to be done; two kitchen counters with joints for the sink (unless they can do a cutout) and joints for the cook top. The master bath is a smaller vanity space but will need 2 cut outs for the under mount sinks, a backsplash and overhang, as well as 3 panels that will run up the wall on either sides of the mirrors.

I gave , and went over, these sketches to a granite/ marble guy referred by the contractor in order to get a quote soon. I then sought out an alternative to marble, out of curiosity. Porcelain slabs that are, exquisitely, made to look like the pricer marbles on the market. We are talking calcutta gold, onyx etc.. These porcelain are cheaper and stronger than their high end counter parts.

Photos below of our original sketches, picking out marble onsite and viewing the porcelain marble alternatives.