Questions we are asked before a worktop
Countertops are the one kitchen element quoted in three different units, which makes them unusually hard to compare. These are the questions worth answering first. See also granite prices converted and all four materials compared.
- What do countertops cost in Kenya?
- Granite KES 2,500–6,000 per square foot installed, about 27,000–65,000 per square metre. Quartz 3,500–7,000 per sq ft, with branded lines at 31,900–48,720 per m². Marble is priced per slab. Terrazzo is quoted per run because it is cast in place.
- Why do Kenyan countertop quotes disagree so much?
- Units. Sellers quote per square foot, per running foot and per slab, frequently without saying which. A figure with no unit is not a price. Ask "per what?" and ask for the measured area, and the comparison becomes straightforward.
- How do I calculate my own area?
- Length × depth in metres gives square metres; multiply by 10.76 for square feet. A 3-metre run at standard 600mm depth is 1.8 m², about 19 sq ft. At the bottom of the granite band that is roughly KES 48,000, which is a useful sanity check.
- Is a slab price the same as a worktop price?
- No, and confusing the two explains most apparently unbelievable quotes. A local slab starts around KES 7,500 and imported around 10,500, but that is raw stone. Templating, cutting, edge profiling, cutouts, polishing, transport and fitting are the rest, and usually the larger part.
- Granite, quartz, marble or terrazzo?
- Granite for heat and value. Quartz where you want a colour nature does not make, or nobody will reseal. Marble in a bathroom, or in a kitchen only if you accept etching. Terrazzo for a seamless island of any length. The comparison page judges all four on heat, acid, hard water and sun.
- Does marble really etch?
- Yes, and sealing does not prevent it. Acid (lemon, vinegar, wine, tomato) reacts with the calcium carbonate and dulls the surface. Sealing reduces staining, which is a different problem. Honed marble hides etching far better than polished, and etch marks can be polished out.
- How often should granite be resealed?
- Annually in a working kitchen, and more often around a sink on hard borehole water. Test it yourself: leave a few drops of water for fifteen minutes, and if the stone darkens where they sat, it needs sealing. Quartz never does.
- When do you template?
- After the base units are installed and levelled, never before and never from a kitchen drawing. Stone has no tolerance, a few millimetres out leaves a permanent gap or a rocking top. Anyone offering to template earlier is guessing.
- Where will the seams go?
- Never across a sink or hob cutout, never at a narrow point, and where possible aligned with a unit division. We show you the seam plan on the slab before cutting so you have seen the veining either side and agreed it.
- Should I choose the actual slab?
- On granite and marble, always. Two slabs of the same named stone can differ noticeably in tone, grain and veining. The website photograph is one slab and yours is another. On quartz it does not matter. Consistency is the point of it.
- Can you repair a chipped or stained worktop?
- Usually. Chips fill and polish back, etch marks polish out, stains draw out with a poultice rather than scrubbing, and dull worn tops repolish in place. Replacing a worktop over one chip is an expensive way to solve a morning's work.
- How long does it take?
- Usually two to three weeks from templating to installation, and templating can only happen once the units are in. Worktops are the last major element in a kitchen, which is worth allowing for in the overall programme rather than discovering at the end of it.
Send us the run lengths
Run lengths and depth in metres is enough for a rate. We will convert it to square feet, apply the band and give you a range, then take you to the yard to choose the actual slab.
Templated after your units are level · seams placed by agreement · sealed before we leave site