Slab granite has become so affordable and it’s still a stylish choice for our Phoenix kitchens & baths. The secret however to making your investment work in the bathroom is this: you can’t put a pretty granite over short, old cabinets and expect it to pop. If the cabinets are in good shape but just need to be painted or stained, it’s well worth that nominal investment (of painting/refinishing them) and raising the height of them before investing in a new countertop. This is also true if you’re looking to spruce up your house before you list it, you’ll get the money out of this investment if you do it the right way.
I’ve done this before with old cabinets, painted them and added tumbled tile to the top and sides to build up the height, but this time I tried it with slab granite in a rental property I recently purchased. Because my granite fabricator was so affordable I was able to not only re-do the kitchen but both bathrooms as well. After one contractor sanded & painted the cabinets I asked the granite fabricator to build a frame around the top of each set of bathroom cabinets before installing the granite. Then he wrapped the frame in what would have otherwise been scraps of granite destined for the boneyard. This raised the cabinet height by over 4 inches and the total cost to do the kitchen and bathroom counters (which also included the stainless kitchen sink and all four bathroom sinks) was $3,075. And I LOVE the big stainless sink he got for the kitchen! There are several levels of granite to choose from so prices may vary based on what you choose but this gives you a good frame of reference on cost.
Four of my clients have gone on to use William (granite contact) since seeing this project and all are very pleased with him. I’ve also included photos from one of those clients who had two of their bathrooms re-done. In their case the cabinets were in great condition so they merely added the granite and under mount sinks. I really like the edge they chose for their granite, much dressier than the edge I chose for my investment property.
Here are a few pics. If you’re a local and want my guys number let me know, he’s great.
Do you have details on how the frame was constructed i.e. materials other than granite? Do you have pictures of the frame before the top piece of granite was installed? Love it!
The frame was constructed of regular 2″x4″ wood that my granite installer fabricated on site. I don’t have a photo of the building of them in process but I do have a before picture. I’ll add it to the post.
This is exactly what I need to do in my upstairs bath! I don’t see the ‘before’ pic of the cabinet. Can you post one? Does the width of the granite wrap extend beyond the cabinet? In other words, do the cabinet and granite wrap butt up against each other? I’m trying to picture how the frame would look on top of the cabinet and how the granite would wrap around it. Did the contractor glue it on? Is the wrap piece thinner? Thank you for your response!
Hi Lisa,
There is actually a before shot of the cabinet, it’s the first pic on the post. Hopefully it’s showing up. The width of the granite wrap does extend a bit beyond the cabinet, maybe 1/4″ to 1/2″, not much. I’m not sure how he secured it, probably with a construction grade granite adhesive. The wrap piece is not thinner, it was leftover from the top of it, he just cut it to fit to create the wrap. I hope that helps!
I live in the area and would like his name. Thank you much!
Looks great, by the way!
Hi Cindy,
Please send me an email at jill@tukeehomes.com and I’ll give you his contact info. Thanks!