Rocksolid Granite – Reface Your Kitchen and Bath Counters with a Look and Feel of Real Granite

When we moved to our former home in Antioch, California, we knew there were a lot of things we needed to do to get it up to our standards. We bought the place because it has a lovely in-ground pool, as well as a good cul-de-sac location; the square footage was very desirable as well. We had done a lot of things to that house in the three years that we have lived there. One of the projects we knew we had to tackle was the kitchen. Aside from the commercial grade Thermador built-in 6-burner cook top and cabinets that can stay, everything else had to be replaced. The kitchen counters were made of white builder tiles; some of them were chipped and cracked. The other appliances also had to be replaced; the standard white double oven and built-in dishwasher had seen better days. Furthermore, the former owners took their refrigerator, so we had to buy a new one.

Since kitchen renovations can be very costly, the first thing we did was buy a refrigerator. We then painted the walls and removed the lacy curtains that hung above the kitchen sink. For half a year we lived with the kitchen counters as is. This was a major dilemma. I would love to have granite counters, however; I also knew that replacing the counters can be very expensive. I have researched for a few months, and then one day after doing our groceries, I picked up a free design ideas publication where I found a company called Granite transformations that advertised about a product called Rocksolid Granit�. Apparently these are countertops that look and feel like granite counters that you can lay on top of your existing counters with no need for a demolition. I have never heard of this product before so I decided to visit their website. Realizing that it may be the answer to our kitchen renovation dilemma, my husband and I made an appointment with one of their consultants covering our area to stop by and do a demo on their products and do an estimate.

The consultant came and he showed us a demo on how they will install the product, he also brought some samples with him with the finishes that we can choose from. Touching the sample and looking at the finish we were impressed. Imported from Italy, Rocksolid GranitâÂ?¢ combines some of the world’s finest natural stone, granite and quartz with technology to produce a brilliantly engineered stone. The consultant also further explained that Rocksolid GranitâÂ?¢ is flexible, resistant to wear and to chemical agents, light weight, non absorbent and frost resistant and is heat, stain, and scratch resistant making it the perfect surface for kitchen counters. Aside from kitchen counters and backsplashes, they can also be used for bathroom vanities, shower walls, tub surrounds, fireplace surrounds, traditional flooring.

Reading through the specs and as stated on their website- Rocksolid Granitâ�¢, which can be used over many new or existing surfaces, can be installed directly on top of your existing countertops and floors. The flexibility and lightweight nature of Rocksolid Granitâ�¢ enables quick and easy installation and can be fitted to curved surfaces up to a 30 inch radius. Manufactured using approximately 95% natural stone combined with a specially formulated polymer in slab sizes of 121�¼ inches X 49 inches and a �¼ inch in thickness, Rocksolid Granitâ�¢ will accommodate many architectural and commercial applications.

I have to say, we were sold, especially after the consultant showed that dropping a bowling ball on top of the product doesn’t break it. I do not think real granite would have survived that!

He left us with several samples to choose from after doing some measurements. The estimate was very reasonable, for the size of the areas to cover, including the island, back splash and granite composite sink, our estimate included tax and labor. We were told that is a third of what we would have paid for real high quality granite, and after talking to several granite companies, I believed that to be true.

That night my husband and I looked at the samples again and picked the finish called Tropico. It is a blend of dark and light browns, with black. We called the Granite Transformation office the next day and made an appointment to go to their warehouse to choose the edges design, as well as sink. There we were showed how the counters were being fabricated. They do most of the work in their warehouse so none of the mess is done in our home. They explained to us that on the installation day, the product will come ready for them to install. They have approximated that it would take them 4-6 weeks to fabricate due to a huge demand of the product among the other bedroom communities in our county. It will then take 1 to 2 days to install onsite, laying and gluing the product over the existing counters. Since there is no demolition involved, there will be no mess.

We were pleasantly surprised that the counters we ordered finished in 4 weeks; they called us for the 2 day installation confirmation. When the installers came, we were pleased at how fast and efficient they worked. Majority of the work was done on the first day, with only one corner and the huge back splash by the cook top left to be installed the next day. The next day came and it only took them less than a couple of hours to complete everything and make sure everything is in place. They even installed our new kitchen faucet for us. They then advised us not to put anything on top of the new counters until the glue settles so that they will dry evenly. We can use them the next day. They also gave us some pointers on how to maintain the counters.

We have lived with these new counters for 2 �½ years without any problems at all. Everyone who came to visit was thinking we had pure granite counters. After 3 years of living there, we finally put up the house for sale; the buyers were drawn to the kitchen, and had commented they loved out counters the most.

I give this product a five star all the way. In our new home, we called the same company, but they were not covering our areas and there was nobody who covers our areas yet, so we got ourselves pure granite slabs instead. They were our first choice, but due to their restrictions to their coverage areas only as specified under their contract, they cannot do our kitchen counters at our new place. If you are thinking of renovating your kitchen and you want another counter option with lesser time and better value, go to their website by visiting www.granitetransformations.com to find more about this product, check the locations first if they can cover your area of residence. You will be amazed that they also have other products available like the Cristallino and Mosaics, that are equally attractive and resilient as Rocksolid Granit�.