Material Selection
You are invited to our showroom to select your material and allocate your slabs and our expert sales team will guide you through the different options that are most suited to you. Once your material has been selected we will book in your template. If you choose a varied or patterned material, we can also offer the service of printing out exact vinyl templates of your worktops, once your template has been taken. They can then be placed and arranged on the slab to incorporate the exact areas of the slab you prefer.
Templating
To make certain that we produce the best quality product, we use the latest laser technology to create an accurate template of your worktop. Our experienced template team will talk you through the exact specification and raise any issues with the design that will affect the installation. They will also advise of anything that you or your kitchen fitter will need to do before we make our next visit for the installation.
We ask that all units are fixed in place and the appliances are on site at the time of the template.
Prior to manufacture we will send you a copy of our manufacture specification for your approval.
Fabrication
Once the template has been taken and slabs have been allocated, the manufacturing process can begin. Slabs are collected from the stock yard and loaded on to the saw beds for quality inspection. Once checked, the slabs are then cut to size. We only use most advanced CNC technology to fabricate your worksurface, capable of creating the most complex of shapes and profiles to the highest quality, which are then hand finished and checked for accuracy by qualified stone masons. Once the manufacturing process is complete, the granite* worktops are treated with Dry Treat sealer, then the finished product receives a quality control inspection before leaving the premises to ensure compatibility and specification compliance. After these checks, the worktops are carefully loaded on to one of our vans ready for the installation.
During fabrication, a lot of water is used as a lubricant; Stone Connection is aware of being environmentally friendly and we use a state of the art water filtration system to recycle water that is used in the manufacturing process.
*Granite and natural stones such as marble and limestone are sealed with Dry Treat in our workshop.
Installation
Our skilled installation team takes the upmost care to install your work surfaces professionally and efficiently. The appliance apertures are checked on installation to ensure a perfect fit and joints are filled with a colour match resin compound to give a superior finish. We take pride in our workmanship and ensure that your kitchen is cleared of any debris created by the installers. You then will be given one of our free care and maintenance kits which includes a cleaning spray and information about your new worktop.
FAQs
Granite is an igneous rock that is formed over millions of years under the Earth’s crust. During its formation magma, which is rich in various minerals, cools down beneath the surface of the Earth which creates large crystal formations that can be seen with the naked eye. This process is what produces the variety of colours, veining and textures that gives you the virtually unlimited choice for your kitchen work surfaces. As granite is a 100% natural product that we source from every corner of the world, you are able to take a piece of nature’s fingerprint and display its stunning appearance within your own home.
You can find more information on our Granite page
Quartz is made using ground natural quartz granules that are then combined with resin, polymers and pigments to create a variety of colours and patterns. The mixture is then ‘baked’ in a large oven which solidifies the different elements to create a solid slab of material; this process ensures consistency of the finished product. However, as it contains natural quartz, it can still have some slight variation in colour.
Both granite and quartz are very durable but not indestructible and need to be handled with care.
Granite is very hard-wearing, but certain colours are more hard-wearing than others depending on the crystal formation within the material. We do seal all our granites with Dry Treat before they leave the factory however we advise that all spillages are cleaned up straight away to avoid any damage to the granite – the following especially: acidic liquids such as lemon/orange juice, wine, vinegar, abrasive cleaners and any oils. Although heat resistant, any sudden change in temperature can result in thermal shock and damage the granite so we advise that a trivet is always used. Chopping directly on to granite can damage the surface, so it is advised a chopping board is used.
Quartz is man-made and also very hard-wearing and does not need to be sealed as it is a non-penetrable surface. This makes it very stain resistant, but we still advise that all spillages are cleaned up straight away, the following especially: acidic liquids such as lemon/orange juice, wine, vinegar, and abrasive cleaners. We advise that trivets are used on quartz surfaces as, although they are heat resistant, the resin in the make-up of the quartz slab can scorch and etch the surface. Generally, quartz is scratch resistant but not 100% scratch proof, so we would advise chopping boards are used.
Taking good care of your worktops is key to maintaining the brand new look.
We recommend that our care kit spray (supplied free of charge with any worktop purchase) is used on a daily basis applied with a clean cloth. Please avoid using any abrasive cleaners as they can damage the stone.
You can email us your kitchen plan here: sales@stoneconnection.co.uk
Alternatively, you can give us a call on 01904 405 405 or pop in and visit us at the showroom.
It completely depends on the material that is chosen as each stone is priced individually and falls into different price bands within the granite and quartz brackets. One of our sales team will be more than happy to discuss the different price groups with you and help you choose the right product for your budget.
Your template can be booked once your kitchen fitter has given you a date for the fitting of your kitchen. All base units need to be fixed in place and the appliances available on site at the time of the template. Dates can be moved as required but please give us as much notice as possible to avoid disappointment. If you are purely replacing your work surfaces it is imperative that your existing worktops are removed before we template to ensure we can take accurate measurements and assess the suitability of your units.
Generally the lead time between template and installation is 7-10 days however this can increase depending on material availability.
A free care kit is provided with each of our work surfaces, which contains our granite and quartz spray that needs to be applied with a clean cloth on a daily basis to maintain the polished surface.
Uplifted my kitchen, great choice friendly reliable staff throughout and fantastic end product! Will certainly be using you again.
A massive thank you for the marvellous granite and great fitting service, the finished worktop looks fantastic in place.
I have nothing but praise for Stone Connection – good value for money and excellent service, they were extremely attentive to my needs at all times from the office staff to the guys who came out to measure up and install the worktop. I am more than happy to recommend them to anyone.
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