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Friday, April 23, 2010

DIY Granite Mini Slabs + Undermount Sink

My dream was to have Granite Slab in my kitchen. But after receiving a couple quotes of $4,000 for my kitchen, I quickly decided to go another route. I didn't have to have granite, I was open to other countertop solutions. But I quickly realized that, yet again, doing it ourselves would give us the biggest bang for our buck (not to mention thousands of dollars saved in our pockets).

I was introduced to "Mini Slabs" by my husband's Aunt and Uncle. They have a store called Interiors Plus Flooring and I was sold the minute I saw the granite. They are 18x26 inch tiles and range from $50-$55/tile. Average $15/sq ft! A STEAL!
** Mini slabs, at the moment, come in limited style choices. But in the end they had what I was looking for and it was worth it to me!
Credit: Oregon Tile and Marble
The "Mini Slabs" are made to cover your average length countertop, with 1 inch extra to cut and bring to the front edge to finish. Grout lines are minimal which gives it more of an appearance of slab. You can't beat that!

Because we saved so much money going with the min slabs, we decided to have Crowley's Tile Edging bullnose all the edges to give it that finished, slab look, and fulfill my dream of having an undermount sink!
TIP: My husband has never in his life installed granite before. He watched hundreds of Youtube videos (just look up "installing granite countertops" or anything along those lines). It does help to be handy and you must be very precise and accurate in your measuring. I am just glad I didn't have to do it, it looked HARD!
Installing the Undermount Sink:

This is how we picked up the tiles, before my husband cut them
Crowley's made the cut-out for the sink and this is how we picked it up (above). It was up to us to cut the tiles and install.
After my husband cut the tiles. It is now looking more like a sink!

Cut the plywood and drop the sink in. We are almost there!
You can't forget to cut the holes for the sink and soap.
Install the plumbing. My husbands LEAST favorite job.
After installing the granite top it's held down by these bad boys.
I can't forget to mention we put weights on top of the countertops to hold the granite down and make it level.


TIP: We put the tiles right on top of 1 layer of Plywood. We opted against the Hardiboard (after it was installed, then we had to tear it off) because the plywood + hardiboard would have been too thick and the 1 inch edge of granite would not have covered it. We also found if we did hardiboard that our stove would not raise high enough and it wouldn't have fit!

See the weights on the left? Gotta keep the countertop level somehow!
Tip: Use Silicone for installing the granite edge.
VIOLA!! The finished product (please ignore our unfinished backsplash):

Here is a shot of the corners with the bullnosed edge. Definantly the way to go!
This is 2 mini slabs next to the stove. Look at the bullnose again, so pretty
Grout lines are minimal and hide VERY well. I don't even notice them.
This is our island. I bet you can't even tell me how many tiles are on here. (4 tiles)


Project Facts:
  • Granite (including Bullnose edge and Undermount Sink)- $1600
  • Labor- FREE
  • Granite: Gialla Santa Cecilia
  • Grout: Non-sanded "Light Smoke"
Total Cost of Granite Countertops: $1600

Linking to:
DIY Day @ ASPTL
The Girl Creative

81 comments:

  1. You sold me on granite mini-slabs! I've been wanting to do granite countertops in my kitchen and this is much more affordable and looks just as good. You're kitchen is looking awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  2. We built our house a few years ago along with some spec homes and we used the mini slabs in all of the homes so that we could put granite in them. I love our countertops and the seams don't bother me at all. I can't believe you guys installed it yourselves though, we definitely had the subs do that. Looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, you're amazing! I have never even heard of these mini slabs! Could have used this info a few months ago. lol It looks AMAZING! Can't wait to see the next step! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. that looks amazing! I can't believe you did that on your own! That is perfect! What did you use to cut it with?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey that is lovely. very nicely shaped. Granite counter are lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That looks amazing! I'm definitely going to check out the mini slabs! Thanks so much for the info!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes, a wonderful alternative to slab. It looks great, and just think, everytime you look at it you can smile thinking of all the money you saved! Janell

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow. It looks awesome. You totally got an expensive look with a less expensive idea. I need to check out the rest of your blog. I am very impressed.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That looks great! I wish we would have known about the mini slabs - we just finished a complete DIY granite tile kitchen countertop, too (you can check it out on our blog). The mini-slabs look like it would've made it alot easier (and less grout lines), but then again it looks like they were a little more expensive? How much did the sink cutout cost you, if you don't mind me asking? Just curious. :) We went with the hardibacker ontop of the plywood, so we do have a thicker countertop and 2" edge tiles. I like how yours looks more like a slab because of the 1" edge tiles, though - so pretty! You guys did a great job! And isn't it incredible how DIY saves so much money?! Love it!

    ~Chelsea

    ReplyDelete
  10. Granite Countertop create a very durable. Granite is an excellent choice for countertops. Granite is available in polished and matte finishes. While granite may be more expensive than some other materials, its longevity adds immeasurable value.

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  11. Gargantuans news! Thanks for keep me notify. I am delighted that you have put on sight.

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  12. I can see that you have a very busy day. But the result of all your hard work is so amazing. Your project is so good. Your kitchen looks more beautiful know.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You can get these minislabs already profiled and with sinkholes at www.ezgranite.com delivered to your door.

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  14. Yes EZgranite.com Wow new Mini slab system less seams and you don't have to glue the front edge. You should check them out. Shipping to you for flat $95 with liftgate.

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  15. Yeah, definitely the next thing to consider after purchasing your granite countertop is what edge you would like it to have. I can see you you have some exquisite Anaheim Granite there in your pics.

    Yeah definitely after polishing find out if your stone needs to be sealed or not different types of granites will need to be sealed and some not especially depending on the region of origin of the stone.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have never heard of these. Will be looking into. Your kitchen (home!) is stunning. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I was told that this is tile. You can get 1/2" 4ft sections at a place in Kitchener. not sure where else. Mini slabs are larger pieces than tile but this is also a great option if you want to do it yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Those cabinets and counter tops look great!!! I may have to try that on my counter tops. It looks so easy after watching what you did there.

    Granite Countertops

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  19. After reading about your project I looked into places that granite mini-slabs were available for my own project. I found www.rockbottomtileandstone.com which seemed to offer the largest selection I could find of the 18x26 size. They also shipped direct to my door which was extremely convenient. Their a great place to start when looking at this product.

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  20. Looking amazing.Thank you very much share beautiful post with us.

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  21. Thanks, you guys that is a great explanation. keep up the good work in oyur granite blog.
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  68. you should try diygranite.com ask them for the Mini large slab system less seams and the edge is on it .

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  72. For those planning to so this make sure you pick out your mini slabs, ours in the same color had big tiger stripes in it and it varies from more white color to more yellow, also make sure to match up the varying colors for the front of your edges and the top with similar granite markings and color. hindsight:)

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  74. I used EZgranite.com they now have a new Mini large slab system come in size of 30-48 inch long less seams and you don't have to glue the front edge. You should check them out. Shipping to you for flat $95 with liftgate. The granite comes in fullround bullnose edge profile. You dont use grout. They use seaming material like the professionals it gives more values to your home. Call them and mention you want the mini large slabs. Did I mention they also can do all the cuts for you ready to install.

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