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renosarefun

Granite, Quartz, Slab Wholesaler Locations

renosarefun
9 years ago

I'm looking for locations that sell slabs in the Greater Toronto Ontario area, specifically the Mississauga, Brampton area but will travel somewhat if it's worth while.

The locations I'm looking for are ones that will work with the homeowner as I don't have a designer and don't even have a fabricator or kitchen installer as I'm doing my own install. Hopefully you can recommend ones that offer a large selection at the best value which I know is sometimes hard to find. I've already done a google search and visited several wholesalers but wasn't successful as some didn't want to work with me, didn't offer pricing, didn't have much selection, didn't offer discounts so I'm asking for recommendations.

It's for a u-shaped kitchen and we'll need approximately 40 sq. ft. and looking for unique designs

My budget was originally $3000.00 but in doing some research it would appear after cutting out for the sink, faucet, adding a ogee edge profile and installation, I'm going to have to increase my budget.

Thanks

Comments (13)

  • live_wire_oak
    9 years ago

    Wholesalers will not work directly with homeowners, or they wouldn't be wholesalers. They would be retailers. They will only work with fabricators and dealers for liability reasons. A slab of granite can weigh upwards of 1200 pounds, and needs thousands to hundreds of thousands in $$$ specialty equipment to handle and transport and fabricate. Not at all homeowner friendly!

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 years ago

    Renosarefun:

    What you're missing is the economy of scale. Your little $3,000.00 purchase takes as much time as the $50,000.00 per-month purchase of a wholesaler's regular fabricator customer.

    If he wholesales to you, he's not making enough money to make it worth his while. If he raises his price to do so, he's retailing. He's not going to give you the time of day and I can't say I blame him.

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    Hopefully you'll find someone in your metropolitan area who will work out. Currently I'm doing a guest bath remodel and am dealing with a marble vanity top all on my own. Yes, it's way smaller and less complicated than a U-shaped kitchen. However, the stone yard is also a fabricator. They mark their stones with two square foot prices, the lower one is if they also do the fabrication. They will do it all and they're working with just little ole me. If contractors (i.e., wholesale) people get a better deal, that's fine. If I had my contractor do all the legwork for me, I'd have to pay for it anyway.

    Again, apples and oranges, since my example is a simple rectangle with a sink cutout, no seams. But I would you'd have a lot more options in your area than I do.

  • renosarefun
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    First off thanks for the replies, maybe I worded it wrong, I'm looking for locations that have slabs on site and can recommend or do the fabricating themselves.

    I'm requesting this so that my wife can see the slab herself, have a larger variety to choose from and possibly eliminate the middleman.

  • kevdp4
    9 years ago

    I don't know how far they are from you but The Top Shop in London Ontario can take care of you.

  • ontariomom
    9 years ago

    In Guelph Ontario, we have Granite WX and Stone Innovations. Cambria in Toronto and in Cambridge Ontario will sell directly to a client. (they deal with their Quartz). The Toronto Cambria showroom has many of their full slabs on display and the Cambridge store (called My Counter top shop) only has the small quartz samples (around 12" square). All of these places have no problem selling to an Owner Builder, but certainly they offer better pricing for regular repeat builders. They all so their own fabrication and install (not sure about installing your own). Stone Innovations is small but maybe they try harder to be price competitive (they don't have that many slabs on sight but I have heard good things about their work). Olympic Tile in Mississauga I believe deals with granite in your area -- not sure how much business they do with owner-builders though.

    Carol

  • renosarefun
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    keydp4:

    Thanks for the reply;

    London is approximately a 3.5 hr return drive, I'd have to wonder if it's worth the drive. Have you personally dealt with them and what was your experience?

    OntarioMom

    I've heard of Granite WX, I believe they just changed locations. Last time I purchased from Olympia Tile they were still at the old location down the street and didn't have any slabs on site, has that changed?

    I'm building my own cabinets and doing the complete install but I'd prefer to let the pros do the fab and install of the granite or quartz that we purchase. Do you have any personal preference in the list of dealers you've mentioned and do you have any personal experience will any?

    Thanks again for the long list, I'd like to narrow it down to a select few if possible.

  • ontariomom
    9 years ago

    Renosarefun,

    We are getting quotes for our kitchen and baths from both Granite WX and Stone Innovations. Granite WX has a good reputation, but not always bottom pricing (yes they have a new location). Stone Innovation is newer, but I have a friend who used them and was very satisfied. I heard another good recommendation from a contractor that dealt with Stone Innovations. I am less familiar with Olympic. We went to their tile store. I thought they had a slab store close by with slabs available for viewing (pretty sure I saw the second store when we were in the tile store) We are doing quartz, so I am less familiar with Olympic tile as I believe they deal with granite.

    Are you wanting granite, quartz or another counter material?

    We are doing RTA cabinets, but will also have the professionals handle the counters.

    Carol

  • renosarefun
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the reply OntarioMom;

    Please let me know how you make out with the two companies in terms of customer service and your quotes. If I understand correctly, both companies have slabs and do the fabricating/installation as well. Look forward to your reply.

  • ontariomom
    9 years ago

    Renosarefun,

    Our quotes for Granite WX and Stone Innovations are very similar. However, our order is a for a whole house of counters with a very large kitchen so we got a bit of a volume discount from Granite WX. If you can find a remnant piece you like that will be the way to save money. Stone Innovations has several options for granite remnants. Granite WX has some quartz remnants but they go very, very quickly. Granite WX also has granite remnants, but I find them hard to view (perhaps always an issue with quantities of heavy stone). If you are looking for a big showroom with more slabs Granite WX is the better place between the two. For a smaller order (i.e. one kitchen) you will likely do better price wise with Stone Innovations (but they don't have a big showroom -- they are a smaller operation). They are both geographically located close by one another, not too far from the 401 so you could go to both locations.

    On the other hand, I imagine there are better options in the bigger, more populated Mississauga than little old Guelph. I am not familiar with the Mississauga offerings.

    Good luck

    Carol

  • renosarefun
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    OntarioMom:

    Thanks once again for the reply. My wife and I first went to Stone Innovations and talked to the nice lady at the counter, she was very helpful and eventually showed us the dozen slabs they had in the back but recommended other slab locations. She answered all our questions and invited us to have them give us an estimate when we found the granite/quartz we choose.

    We then drove to Granite Worx where we spoke to Rob and toured the dozens of slabs they had and again we were asked to allow them to be there fabricator by giving us an estimate. We were told that type of granite we looked at which had blotches were a grade four to five and would cost approximately $70-$80.00 per sq. ft installed. We didn't find anything we liked there so we went to our last slab place.

    One the way home we stopped off at MSI International and had to sign in and were led to the slab area. They don't fabricate but did mention it would take approximately 1/2 hr to tour the 4 rows of 3 cm granite rows. In a matter of 10 minutes were were ready to leave as there was nothing that caught our eye. There is no pricing on any slab, only grading which I'll assume the fabricator then prices out our requirements.

    Next week we'll try, HillTop,and Interstone.

  • ontariomom
    9 years ago

    Great start. Did you look at the quartz samples at Granite WX, or only the granite? I do believe that Stone Innovations will bring in any granite that you find and still be price competitive (or so they claim and so I have been told by a customer of theirs). Are you going to try Olympic's granite slab place (assuming that is what I saw close to the tile place)?

    Carol

  • renosarefun
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Morning OntarioMom:

    The only samples that Rob at Granite WX showed us were the smaller samples on the board and none seem to match our sample, not sure if there were Quartz Slabs.

    As it stands, we would be interested in getting quotes from Granite WX and Stone Innovations as they're the only two fabricators we've talked to.

    If you have the time we'll check out Olympia Tile which is located in Toronto.

    Please keep me updated on your progress Carol.

    Frank

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