HONEST VALUE
THE STONE SHOP INSTALLS GRANITE & QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS IN DES MOINES
At The Stone Shop we take pride in our reputation for doing incredible work at a fair price.
We will help you with your design and material selection ensuring you choose the right stone for you project.
We understand that working closely with you from the beginning will create granite countertops that will set the tone of your home for years to come.
We are here to help.
We also install quartz countertops in Des Moines....."
QUESTIONS
GRANITE
MARBLE
QUARTZ
RENOVATING
REMNANTS
SEALING
QUALITY
Granite is normally a coarse grained igneous rock that is comprised of quartz, feldspars and micas. The quartz will be be the lighter color minerals with the remaining consisting of feldspars and muscovite. The dark minerals are hornblende or biotite. Granite is by far the most common rock found in the outer crust of the planet. Granite is formed by the cooling of magma in the ground.
Granite Countertops are made from the most beautiful material in the world.
What is granite?
Granite blocks at a factory outside Vitoria Brazil
What is Marble?
Marble is metamorphosed sedimentary carbonate rock. Limestone or dolomite (carbonate rocks) are the typical base minerals. The recrystallization of the carbonate minerals result in Marble.
Often, the original structure of the carbonate rocks are modified during the metamorphism to render the marble unrecognizable from its original state. The swirling and veins in marble often result from mineral impurities which are in layers in the original limestone or dolomite.
A small stone quarry in Italy producing slabs for marble countertops
As the name implies it is a countertop product that is made of quartz and resins.
One major advantage of Quartz is the slabs come in a large range of consistent colors which do not occur naturally in nature. Recently, slabs have been created that look like natural stone.
Quartz is an easy product to live with and a great choice for countertops in your kitchen. We look forward to working with you on your next project.
What is Quartz?
Quartz is also know as engineered stone.
Renovating can be Easy & Fun
Renovating your countertops can be a major undertaking, at Apex you can be assured that our service and craftsmanship will make replacing the countertops easy and fun.
Pick a stone that works with your decor and let us do the rest, our digital templating technology ensures a perfect fit even in older homes with out of square or bowed walls.
You are in good hands with our dedicated team of in-house installers.
Our installers can remove and dispose of your countertops!
Yes, we have one of the largest inventory of granite remnants around! We also have remnants and half slabs of engineered stone, marble, limestone, onyx and of course granite and many other types of stone remnants.
Stop by and see if we have the stone you want!
Do you have remnants?
We stock many remnants for you to use on smaller projects.
In most cases the answer is never.....or years and years after it is installed. Sealers are solids that have been emulsified in a solvent. They are designed to penetrate the stone taking the solids with them. When the solvent evaporates, the molecules lock into the stone and seal it. Combine one good coat of a quality sealer (which we will do for you in our shop) with the resin applied by the factory you will have a very stain resistant top that will be virtually maintenance free. Rarely, if ever will you need to seal granite that has been resined and properly sealed.
Over time, in the unlikely you do see some water absorb into the stone simply reseal. We can help you if your countertops need to be resealed.
How often should I seal my countertops?
Does the price of the stone effect the "quality" of it?
Often people make the mistake of assuming that if it is more expensive then the slab is better quality. Often in our industry stone cost has more to do with availability, competitive quarries...in other words; Does color come from multiple locations creating a price competitive market? So the simple answer is: No....the cost has nothing to do with the structural quality. The more complex answer is Yes.
For example; Santa Cecilia Granite is available from many sources so the base price of the granite is fairly low. In that group there is First Choice Material, which is has nicest even looking coloring and movement. Then there is Second Choice Material, this will look close to first choice but have minor color variations which make it slightly less expensive then the first choice. The final classification is Commercial Grade Material, this class of stone will have things that make it look less then desirable, spots/eggs of color that do not match the “Norm” for that material. This is the lowest cost.
These ratings are subjective and have to do with what the granite looks like. At the end of the day all three classification will perform perfectly for your countertops, but the “quality” is based on the normally based on the subjective appearance, not the ability of the stone to perform well as a countertop material.
EXPLORE
TEL 515.257.6265
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