Q - I’ve heard that marble is really weak and is easily scratched is this true?
A- Yes and no. Marble is considered the weakest of all of our materials in terms of composition (weaker limestone type rock) but it is still incredibly durable if used in the right applications. For instance a bathroom with marble won’t show wear and tear like a kitchen would. Marble wall cladding is a popular usage too. Also there are processes to make the marble honed which will make all scratching irrelevant. Scratching and wear down is more noticeable in marble because often times they are polished (shiny) and very white which lends to showing scratches easier. There are however stronger marbles that are infused with more crystalline, quartz-like minerals that can withstand all applications.
Q- How do I protect my marble and granite once it’s installed?
A- Sealer. Sealers come in many different variations, so we recommend an “oil and water repellant” penetrating sealer. Sealer is a chemical compound that is applied to all surfaces of the stone where water and oil may come in contact with it. Sealer creates a hydrophobic barrier that repels water and oil ensuring that neither seeps into the rock surface. Generally sealer should be applied yearly. There is also a 10 year sealer that gives you the flexibility of not having to be reapplied yearly. Ask us about the sealers we offer.
Q- What’s your turn around time?
A- Ten days. We are currently at a 10 business day turn-around time which is lower than any other major competitor. Also we can template the same day, or next day once you select your granite, ensuring the quickest possible turn-around time.
Q- What’s included in my quote
A- We give you an exact price out the door, in an easy to understand quote that will include the cost of the material, installation, and fabrication. We have standard edge detail options included at no cost, and top-mount sink cut outs are free.
Q- What’s the hardest part of the process?
A- Choosing a color is the hardest part, everything else is easy. We give you pricing and work directly with the public so no more waiting around for someone to get back to you days after you’ve come in to look at slabs. When we get the color selected and the specifications right we send you a quote, then once we receive your deposit we begin templates the same day or next day. Then your template goes to our fabrication shop and undergoes a 10 day turn-around time resulting with your job finished and installed within 2 weeks or less from placing a deposit.
Stone Gallery not only sells the nicest stones in Tampa, marble, granite and quartz, but has the abosolute best fabricators and workers. They came to the house with everything cut, and installed the entire job in under 2 hours. The workers were amazing, knowledgable and very friendly. I highly recommend Classic Stone Gallery to anyone. I would like to add that we accidently ever so slightly chiped the marble. I called Classic Stone Gallery, They sent out 2 technicians the very next day and repaired the chip. It is impossible to see where the chip is now. They did not even charge me a penny. I cannot say enough good things about them. Not to mention there staff and sales people are great. You never feel any pressure to buy, they only offer an extreme amount of knowledge about the product when you talk to the sales people. I worked with Rose. She is super knowledgable and very sweet.
We love our new granite from Classic Stone Gallery. It adds so much character to the three bathrooms we upgraded that our only regret was not doing it sooner. The organization is ethical and corrected all concerns to my satisfaction. Installation was sooner than the quoted timing and the price was fair. I highly recommend Classic Stone Gallery if you are considering new granite!
Highly Recommend! Classic Stone Gallery has been a pleasure to work with! We remodeled 3 kitchens over the last 9 months and Classic Stone Gallery did a great job on all three. They were honest, clear about timelines, attentive to details, and they handled issues quickly. Their stone selection provided many different choices and they took the time to instruct on the proper way to care for the new counters. We look forward to working with Classic Stone Gallery in the future !