Bespoke Kitchen Worktops: Off-piste granite and quartz worktops
Who wants bespoke kitchen worktops?! Many of our customers choose from our stock stones for their kitchen worktops. We hold a reasonable range of both granite and quartz for kitchen countertops, and we feel that for many kitchens our stock materials will fit the bill. Favourites like Black Galaxy Granite or Silestone Blanco Stellar are constant big sellers and we are able to offer them at a really reasonable price.
Black Pearl Granite – another perennial favourite from our stock –
smart in many kitchen designs, practical, beautiful and amazingly economical
Quarella Blanco Paloma – a classic stock stone
But not every customer wants a standard, stock worktop. There is a massive range of solid stone countertop materials now available, and no worktop fabricator like ourselves can possible hold stock of more than a tiny proportion. All kitchen worktop companies tend to keep to the ever-popular looks in what they stock – middle-of-the-road, black natural stones, white and grey and marbled quartz, and so on.
We hold samples of many more stones than we are able to hold in stock, especially in quartz, where we try to have samples of the entire ranges of six or more major manufacturers. It is easy for people who visit us to compare quartz from all these companies, and we aim to be aware of new products so as to guide you through the jungle of what is available. We even take photographs entirely to help you compare similar products from different sources – and many of them will be non-stock, or bespoke.
A typical comparative image of samples – done to help a customer who was comparing ‘concrete-look’ Dekton and Quartz materials
A lovely slab of Paisley Cream Granite – bought especially for a customer
We tend to use the word “bespoke” when we buy material especially for a single installation. This may not be the best word, given that all of our work is bespoke in the usual sense of the word – everything we do is made to order, and fitted according to the individual customer’s kitchen and specifications. But we have never found a better single word to describe the additional specialness of buying a stone for you, and so the word has stuck. We use it in our quotation letters and our terms and conditions, and it makes a difference at point of order from us.
Bespoke Kitchen Worktops: The difference to our pricing
Choosing a stone that we don’t hold in stock need not be very expensive, but it does tend to work out a bit pricier than using a stock quartz or granite. This is for several reasons…
1 Wholesale Price: Most stock stones are relatively economical in the first place. Some bespoke stones can be very expensive – Taj Mahal like this Sensa slab from Cosentino may cost us over £2000 per slab.
Reputable wholesalers like Gerald Culliford of Kingston will give you a heads up if you are looking at a very expensive material for your bespoke kitchen worktops, but they won’t discuss price with you in detail.Â
2 The Bulk-Buy advantage: What we stock, we buy in bulk. That immediately attracts additional discounts to what may already be relatively inexpensive materials. These slabs of Affordable White quartz are enough to make a lot of kitchen worktops, and at a great price!
3 Wastage: When we buy slabs for an individual customer, we obviously need to buy enough. This job, last year, needed two slabs. The first, shown here, is well-used…
… but over half of the second slab is actually left over. In a stock material, that wouldn’t matter, but in a bespoke job, the customer must cover the basic cost, though we make no profit on wastage. It is these waste pieces that are sold off in our perpetual bin-end sale and end up as bathroom tops and hearths…
The images here are from a programme called Smart2Dcutting which helps us to plan slab usage for your kitchen.
Sometimes a bespoke job uses a relatively economical stone, or we are able to do a good deal AND the kitchen comes really neatly out of the slab(s) – and then this route can be ultra-affordable. But you have to get lucky… 🙂
When customers go for bespoke kitchen worktops, we generally ask for a larger deposit at point of order. This is understandable, I’m sure, and is spelled out in our Terms and Conditions.
Bespoke Kitchen Worktops: A world of beauty
Champagne Gold Granite
Even with the handicap on price, many of our customers choose to go down the bespoke kitchen worktops route, and we are intensely proud of the results, which often feature unique and stunning stones. Here are just some of them…
Granite: Arctic Cream in Oxted; Cosmic White in Redhill; Azul Platino in East Grinstead; Paisley Gold at Betchworth, Reigate; Silver Cloud at West Clandon, Guildford; Lemon Spice in Teddington, and Labrador Antique in Horley.
Quartz: Cambria Brittanicca in the depths of Hampshire; Classic Quartz Marbre Carrara in the heart of Westminster;Â Silestone Calacatta Gold in Oxted; Radianz Mirama Bronze in Horsted Keynes
Dekton: Trilium in Horsham
Ultimately, when it comes to bespoke kitchen worktops, our offering is as good as the quartz manufacturers and wholesale granite suppliers who serve us, enabling us to serve you. Very often our customers looking for something special visit one of our regular suppliers to see the range available and get some pointers. Gerald Culliford at Kingston is a favourite, with their huge range of stunning natural stones. Read about them in our blog last year, or visit their website.
The yard at Gerald Culliford
We are Affordable Granite, the leading installer of granite and quartz bespoke kitchen worktops in Surrey, Sussex and across the South East. For samples, quotes and any questions connected with any aspect of worktop installation or kitchen design, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01293 863992 or by email on sales@affordablegranite.co.uk/ .
