Key attributes of granite are:

• Provides an extremely durable and scratch-resistant surface.
• There are hundreds of patterns and colors to choose from.
• Every block of granite that is mined is unique.
• Granite countertops last forever.
• Granite surfaces are completely heat resistant.
• Staining a granite surface is highly unlikely. Permanent staining is impossible.
• Granite is easily kept clean and sterile.
• Nearly impossible to scratch. The only surface harder is diamond. In the unlikely event that granite is scratched, it is entirely repairable.

Be forewarned: There is no shortage of FALSE information available about using granite in residential and commercial projects. The Europa staff is of the belief that no material matches natural stone in terms of value and beauty. We promise, however, to speak openly and honestly with you about your material selection.

Review Europa Stone's gallery page on this website. You can also obtain samples from your fabricator. If necessary, Europa can provide you with a sample.

You can visit Europa Stone in order to select your stone type at any point in your project. In terms of selecting your specific slabs or tiles, we can reserve your choice for 10 days. That means that your fabricator must take possession of the stone by the end of that hold period.

Wholesale distributors often carry 10 times the amount of inventory a fabricator carries. Much of your fabricator's inventory was sourced previously from a distributor like Europa Stone. The costs and man-hours associated with warehousing and with import management are better shouldered by distributors than by fabricators. We allow the fabricator community to focus on their core competencies: cutting and installing.

Levels refer to stone prices. The two main components of price are: availability and quality. Availability is simply how abundant the supply of that particular stone is in the market. Quality is based on how true the colors and pattern are to that particular stone type (like judging a pedigree). Quality also speaks to the finish of the stone and to its structural integrity.

All over the world. Europa Stone sources its stone from North America, Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia.

Names change because of language barriers and also because certain businesses in the industry attempt to label a stone type as their "exclusive" stone. Europa Stone Distributors will work with you to eliminate any confusion in this area. We can speak to most of the aliases that are being used for the hundreds of different stones being mined around the world.

Seal the countertops every 1-2 years, polish the countertops on a monthly basis (similar to waxing a car), and use soap and water or a professional natural stone cleaner for daily use. Do not use abrasive materials or cleaners that contain ammonia to clean granite countertops.

Granite is extremely scratch and stain resistant, however, should your countertops become blemished in any way, consult a professional for the proper remedy.

Lots refer to groups of slabs taken from a single block of stone. These slabs are typically identical in appearance. Different lots of the same stone type, however, do vary somewhat in color and pattern as they represent different blocks of stone harvested from different parts of a quarry at different times of the year. Bundles is a term used to describe quantity. Usually there are about 7 slabs to one bundle.

Most customers do already have a fabricator contracted before visiting Europa Stone, however this is not a requirement.

We work with hundreds of fabricators. It is not our place to recommend any single fabricator over another.

Appointments are only required if we need to move a slab for you.

Yes. Millions of dollars worth of construction and thousands of watts of lighting guarantee this.

We deliver anywhere.

There is a nominal charge for any long-haul deliveries - more than 150 miles. Local deliveries carry no additional charge.

We sell tiles to anyone, including homeowners.

You can only buy tiles directly. Otherwise, a homeowner can only purchase from us through a fabricator.

We can lend our expertise to help you/your client select which stones should be used in a given project, bearing in mind important criteria such as cost, structural integrity, and project timelines.

Mainly color, pattern, use for the stone, quality, and price.

Your fabricator will price the project for you. Europa Stone only quotes materials pricing to its own direct customers - fabricators. These sorts of channel arrangements are common across most industries. AT&T, for instance, buys Cisco routers directly from Cisco at wholesale prices and packages them into their solutions for their own residential and commercial customers. Same concept.

Europa Stone is charged with providing quality material that passes our stringent quality standards. Once the end-customer and the fabricator have signed off on our materials the onus is not on Europa Stone to ensure successful installation and maintenance.

The benefits of choosing natural stone - particularly granite - are addressed above. There are those customers, however, who should consider only synthetic alternatives for their project. This type of customer is one who values consistency of pattern and consistency of color FAR above all other considerations. Mother Nature is not a cookie-cutter type of manufacturer. We feel this is a great attribute, but not everyone agrees.

We have not seen any competitor who can beat us on our combination of friendly customer service, high quality inventory, top notch facility, and fair prices. If you do shop around, just please bear those four critical components in mind and we are sure the best choice will be clearly evident.

We ask that at least one week be allowed for delivery in order to help us maintain a delivery schedule that is reliable and efficient.

Ask your fabricator.

We can speak to you informally on design matters, based on our years of experience. A professional designer should be contracted should you require extensive consulting in this arena. We are happy to work with any designer that a client has hired.

It takes approximately 4 weeks from the day we order stone until the day we store it in our warehouse.