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Granite Questions
General Business
Pricing
Quality
Scope of Projects
1.
Why granite? Should I consider corian or silestone instead?
No. Corian and silestones are imitations of granite. Granite
is a natural stone, while corian and silestones are man-made.
Some silestone and corian salespeople discourage customers
from getting granite claiming that the granite needs to
be sealed frequently. This is untrue! Good quality granite
does not need to be sealed more than once every three to
five years and it takes less than ten minutes to reseal
an average size kitchen. Moreover, most expensive houses
have granite not silestone or corian.
2. What is the optimum thickness
for granite countertops?
An optimal thickness for kitchen granite countertops is
3/4”. Since granite is a heavy material (12 lbs/sq.
ft), thicker granite should be avoided as it puts tremendous
amounts of stress on your cabinets. For a thicker appearance,
a double edge treatment, such as double bullnose edging
is recommended. This makes granite appear 1-1/2” thick
without adding additional stress on your cabinets.
3. What is the best edging and
why?
The best edge treatment, which is also the most widely used,
is double bullnose edging. In addition to having an aesthetic
appeal, this edging is the safest around young children
and is unlikely to chip.
4. Is the edging done by machines?
No. All edging is carefully hand-carved by highly trained
professionals under the supervision of the Trans Atlantic
staff.
5. Do you seal your granite?
Trans Atlantic seals the granite at our associate’s
factories overseas under direct supervision of Trans Atlantic’s
Vice President of Quality Control. In addition to this,
we re-seal the granite once it is installed in your home.
6. How often do I need to seal
granite?
Good quality granite does not need to be sealed more than
once every three to five years.
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7.
Are you a member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
Yes, we have been a member of BBB since 2004 and have no
customer complaints to-date.
8. What are your business hours?
Our showroom is opened Monday through Friday from 10 AM
to 5 PM. Trans Atlantic Granites understands that some customers
may not have time to visit us during normal business hours;
therefore, we frequently open our showroom by appointment
after hours or on weekends. Please do not hesitate to call
us if you cannot visit us during normal business hours.
9. Do I need to make an appointment
with you before going to your showroom?
Trans Atlantic management tries to pay personal attention
to each and every customer. If you wish to deal only with
a head manager, it is advised that you call and make an
appointment.
10. Once I place an order, how
long will it take to get a job done?
Trans Atlantic Granites has several installing subcontractors
who exclusively work for them. Normally, we can schedule
a job within a week. Emergency work can be scheduled immediately
at no additional cost to the customer.
11. Normally, how much time does
it take to complete a job?
Most jobs can be completed within 2-3 days. Some smaller
kitchens/vanities can be completed in a day.
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12.
Do you accept credit cards?
Yes, we take all major credit cards. However, the estimates
given are for payments by checks only. If you decide to
pay with a credit card, you should add 3% to the bid given
to you in order to cover additional credit card charges.
13. Do you have a price guarantee?
Yes! Trans Atlantic Granites proudly considers itself to
be the supplier of the HIGHEST quality granites at the
LOWEST prices in Houston Metropolitan Area. Trans Atlantic
guarantees that if you have a written bid for similar
work less than a Trans Atlantic Granites bid, then Trans
Atlantic will beat that bid by 5%...no questions asked.
14. What do I do to get an estimate?
Trans Atlantic Granites provides free in-home estimates
for customers living within a 50-mile radius from our showroom,
which is located in the Houston Galleria Area. However,
it is highly recommended that the customer first visits
the company showroom and selects their preferred stone from
the slabs displayed in order to obtain an accurate estimate.
15. When placing an order, do I
have to buy the entire slab of granite?
No. Unlike most of our competitors, we charge our customers
only for the actual granite square footage installed in
their home.
16. OK. Do I have to use the same
color granite throughout my house?
No, with Trans Atlantic Granites you can choose different
color granite slabs for different areas of your house without
incurring any additional costs.
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17.
How does Trans Atlantic Granites control the quality of
its products?
The quality control starts right at the quarries where the
granite blocks are mined and continues through the slicing,
grinding, and polishing of slabs. Trans Atlantic’s
overseas staff supervises each step of this process. All
granite which does not meet our highest standards for the
uniformity of color, texture, and/or contains any other
anomalies is rejected before shipping to the United States.
18. How do I know that I am buying
high quality granite?
High quality granite should not show the pattern found on
the front in areas that have not been polished, such as
the back of the slab or on the sides. The polished side
should be uniform and not have flake-like textures.
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19.
Do you supply granite work beyond Houston?
Yes. If feasible, Trans Atlantic Granites will send its
installers to the site; otherwise, we can ship custom made
pieces to fit your plan, which can then be fitted by local
installers.
20. Do you provide granite to commercial/custom
builders?
Trans Atlantic Granites provides turnkey granite projects
to commercial establishments, residential customers, and
custom builders. In fact, we are the preferred supplier
of granite products to the members of DirectBuy in the Houston
Metropolitan Area. Also, we supply granite to the customers
of the Owner Builder Network.
21. Do you do anything other than
countertops?
Yes, Trans Atlantic Granites does all jobs that require
granite slabs, such as fireplaces, wet bars, backsplashes,
etc.
22. Do you
do backsplashes in kitchen?
Yes, Trans Atlantic Granites does backsplashes using granite
slabs, which gives the kitchen a very rich look. However,
if you have a large backsplash, it may be more economical
to have it done in tile. We do not do tile work.
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