Taj Mahal - I think it's ''the one''

11 years ago

I saw Madre Perla a couple of weeks ago and it's the first thing I've seen that I really love. The problem was it was a grayish greenish color, which was beautiful, but doesn't go with the colors in my house. I walked into a granite place today and right when you walk in the door was this gorgeous slab of Taj Mahal. I knew it was "the one". It obviously was "the one" for several other people, because they had six slabs and all six had a hold on it. The guy told me one woman put a hold on it and then went home and told her best friend about it. The best friend came in and loved it just as much and decided she had to have it also, so she put a hold on it. Then there was a 3rd person that put a hold on it. He told me to find a fabricator and then check back when I'm ready to install to see if they're still on hold, because sometimes people change their mind, so I'm trying to track one down now. I just hope I can afford it now that I've decided it's "the one".

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Comments (28)

a2gemini
11 years ago
Lick that beautiful slab!
Awesome!
Laura517
11 years ago
It's gorgeous! Good luck getting the slab.
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Hi Jules, We ended up using Amber Tours, based in Delhi, and they were excellent. I basically planned the itinerary, and the hotels, but they had someone with us every moment we were in India. A local guide, our driver and his assistant. It was better than 5 star service. Exceeded my expectations (as did the entire trip). I don't usually like or want my hand held, but India may not be a good DIY destination especially with a family and if one likes creature comforts. You of course balance creature comforts against "authentic" experiences, but I felt pleased with the balance for us. I chose them over Greaves because they are based in India. The pricing was very similar (no bargains anywhere for sure). We flew into and out of Mumbai, but only to get free flights (for five people in flat beds over spring break, not easy). The only way I could use my frequent flyer miles was by taking that route, so that was pretty compelling (the seats would have cost 10-12k each). I would not suggest Mumbai otherwise. I didn't go to Delhi because I had been on business before and I generally didn't want big cities. But at least Delhi makes sense geographically if you want to see Agra and Rajasthan. Once I get over the jet lag, I am tempted to go back. We didn't see the Himalayas, or the South at all (many recommend river cruises in Kerala). We were not interested in any safari-type destinations, BTDT, but many seem to like those too. Our itinerary within India was: Mumbai, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaiselmer, Jaipur, Alwar, Agra, Varanasi We stayed at a the Oberoi Mumbai, Oberoi, Udaivilas, Umaid Bhiwan Palace, The Serai, Oberoi Rajvilas, Amanbagh, Oberoi Amarvial and the Nadesar Palace. As far as itineraries go, Mumbai is interesting but I wouldn't have gone there if we hadn't landed there. I would also take Jaiselmer and Varanasi off the itinerary, and maybe even Alwar (where the Aman is). The rest of the cities are musts, and we loved visiting them. India is such a beautiful place. Mumbai is mostly just a big modern city. There were some interesting temples, the market, the laundry, a house where Ghandi lived, but .. ehh. Jaiselmer had intrigued me for the sand dune camel rides and the 14th century fort, near the Pakistan border. The fort was kind of honky tonk, plus you will see soooo many forts. The camel rides were fun, but you can do those elsewhere, and people say the dunes are even better outside Jodhpur. The best thing about it was the hotel, where we stayed in luxury tents that were fab. we had never done the luxe tent before and I thought the kids would love it; they did. But it is a long way to go! We rented a plane to get us from Jaisemler because otherwise it was 10hr on the road. Not worth it. Alwar is where the Aman is. And not a whole lot else. There is a fort and a temple, like just about everywhere, and the property is gorgeous, just a show stopper ... but TBVH I don't think it is worth a detour in the context of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to India. We had a wonderful stay at the Aman (big fan of the brand) but the Oberois "-vilas" brand is every bit as good as Aman, if not better (heresy!). I do not think it is hyperbole to declare Oberoi -vilas the best hotel brand in the world. Since the Aman is out of the way, I would take it off the list, if that allowed me to visit say, the Himalayas, or Kerala. We knew Varanasi was a "challenging" place to take a family. I'm glad I went but not sure I would recommend it, esp, since, like Jaiselmer, it is out of the way. It is a crazy circus of a place, like Time Sq New Years eve and Coney Island, times ten, with lots of cows, bulls, dogs, incessant horns, rickshaws, tuks tuks, and motorcycles thrown in, and incredible layers of dirt and stench and the infrastructure of a war zone. It was important to me to visit the Ganges, even if it would probably be a Superfund site here at home. I think we will always remember it, I will say that. Some people think it is the most important site in India. Maybe if you are very spiritual (certainly if one is devout Hindu). I thought the Aarti ceremony with fire was interesting but not worth the trip itself. The cremations are interesting but I didn't feel it was a terribly moving expereince, YMMV. The holy men, covered in white ash and dredlocks and wearing loincloths, seemed like something out of a NatGeo film. As far as hotels, they were superb. I would make only one change. In Jodhpur, everyone favors the Umaid Palace. Look at the room photos online. For some reason it makes me think of 70s Moscow. I found it depressing. The common areas are TDF and it is cool that the Mararaja lives there, but I would choose the hip Raas downtown. We lunched there. In Varanasi, another former palace, the Nadesar was cool (Reza Pahlavi slept in our room once -- sp?) but a tad rundown. That said, it is the best in Varanasi. The service and food (both Western and Indian) at all of these hotels was more than 5 star. But, as you know, the prices are Western. I was told even domestic travellers pay those prices, and I can believe it; there is tremendous wealth there alongside the poverty. Eye-popping wealth. We took Ciproflaxin with us and ate everything, including foods offered to us by locals in a few cases. Three of us got sick over out trip but within hours the Cipro cured it, and we all just took one each day from then on. I was very surprised at the quality and hipness of the Western fare, we also tried a lot of Indian dishes, did a cooking demo, and gained new favorites. The people are very warm, and it seemed, genuine. They truly seem to have a light, as corny as that sounds. We drove for hours through many small towns, deserts and farms and saw shepherds and farmers and women in saris carrying things on their head. They wave and smile and say hello. We saw very very little begging, and at no time did we ever see anyone who appeared malnourished, to my great surprise. I was told that Rajasthan, where most of our touring was, is one of the wealthier states. Flights within India were fine (usually only one class of service), but Air India is just ok where as Indigo is a great airline (seems identical to Jetblue). HTH! I will post pictures soon but I still have a laptop issue with Iphoto and it is a long saga to fix.
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I hope to get some input re Taj Mahal costs!
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Comments (43)
I’m honestly not entirely sure how they calculate their sf or prices….all I know is that for roughly 63 sf we are paying a bit under $13000, perimeter counters only (we have an L-shaped kitchen, plus another small piece next to the fridge, which will be our breakfast station); the 63”x90” island top will be walnut (the cost per sf is about the same). We at first wanted to do a 4” backsplash between the countertop and the windows, but just that alone would have added another $2600, so we dropped that idea. This fabricator “doesn’t charge for unused pieces” of the slabs, you “only pay for what you actually use”, but you know that there’s no way we don’t get charged for unused pieces, even though we don’t own them once we’re done….this is why the cost/sf is so high. We’ve made peace with the cost, and if all comes out well we’ll be happy. Obviously, we’d rather pay your prices, but it is what it is….I do wish I knew how much MSI is actually charging for the slab, if we were to buy it directly from them, but that’s not how they do it, and we won’t ever know. ☹️
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Taj Mahal or Quartz? That is the Question...
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I needed about 94 sq. ft. For the kitchen only. I would have had to buy 3 slabs. The bill after fabrication was a little over $17k. But, that would have included a lot of wasted material that I was paying for, too. I decided against the Taj Mahal. I went with a level 3 granite, Istanbul. Because I selected the lesser expensive granite, I was able to have enough material left over to do the laundry room counters, too. That project ended up being 112 sq. ft. Doing the math, the Taj Mahal would have cost around $180 per sq. ft. and no laundry counters. The Istanbul granite cost me $80 per sq. ft. and I got an additional 18.50 sq. ft. of laundry room, too. Essentially, it's more than twice as much for the Taj Mahal as the Level III Istanbul. I could have purchased a MSI quartz for the same price as the Istanbul granite. I decided to try to stay within my budget and get other upgrades, such as better appliances, nicer lighting fixtures and hardware with all the extra money I saved by being flexible in my choice.
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tricia257
11 years ago
My two cents--Taj Mahal quartzite was one of the prettiest things Ive seen for a counter. Wouldn't work for me color-wise but so beautiful!
ratrem
11 years ago
we love our taj mahal countertop and it's been bullet proof so far. That is a gorgeous slab too!
firstmmo
11 years ago
So pretty! I love ratrem's kitchen, so I think you can't go wrong! I have found that often people put holds on these slabs and are "holding" them even though they aren't ready to pruchase. Keep putting pressure on the slabyard to call all of these holds...I had the same situation happen once and when I handed over my credit card and showed them I was ready to buy, they pulled the hold tags off all the "maybes" that were more than a few weeks old.

Your slab is delicious!!!
wags848
11 years ago
Love it! Getting ready to replace our Formica & had quartzite & marble on the list of options. I will hunt for Taj Mahal. It is stunning. Very natural & organic looking, and not too busy/loud.
Good luck getting your slab! If you don't get it this round, at least you know what you want & can hunt for it.
Molly Phillips
11 years ago
LOVE it! Hope you get it and we can all drool over your beautiful counters. Taj Mahal was my favorite when I looked at quartzite as well. Sadly, it wasn't in our budget so I will live vicariously through you. :)
msrose
Original Author
11 years ago
I didn't ask the guy, but what does putting a hold on it really mean? Do they have to actually put some money down and do they lose the money if they change their mind? The guy did tell me if I got ready for one of the slabs, he would call the people and find out if they really wanted it, so it's good to know I could put a little pressure and possibly get one. Of course, I still have to get a quote, which worries me. The up side is I have a small kitchen.
ratrem
11 years ago
Usually no money is placed down when a slab is on hold and the "buyers" have a set amount of time to give the deposit to the fabricator and secure the slab. The slab then goes to the fabricator until needed. At least this has been my experience with the large wholesale lots.

All of the Taj Mahal was on "hold" to when I was trying to purchase but a few days later some slabs opened up. I didn't hesitate even though we were a few months away from it being installed. My fabricator was more than happy to store it for me until we were ready.
msrose
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, ratrem! Do you remember how much yours was per s.f.?
Kate618
11 years ago
LOVE!!! We went with madre perla but taj mahal was very similar
camphappy
11 years ago
I really liked the MP quartzite but wanted more browns and beiges. Taj Mahal works perfect in our kitchen. And like ratrem says, it's bulletproof.
msrose
Original Author
11 years ago
Oh, I thought I had seen all the pictures of Taj Mahal and MP on here, but I haven't seen yours, camphappy. My cabinets are similar to the color of yours, so that helps to see. Although, I really think it would go with any color of cabinet. Do you have a backsplash anywhere in the kitchen? Do you remember how much you paid per s.f. I know it's going to vary by area, but I just want to see how the quote I get compares to others.

Kate618 - I don't think I've seen your MP. Do you have a picture? If I were building a house and starting from scratch, I would go with MP, but since my house is full of warm colors, TM is a much better fit for me.

I'm making a list of what I should ask the guy and I only have two questions so far. Where will the seams be and how will they handle the area behind my stove since it's a really skinny strip. Anything else I should ask?

This post was edited by msrose on Sun, Jan 27, 13 at 10:21
msrose
Original Author
11 years ago
One more question for camphappy and ratrem - Is your edge a standard straight edge or is there a bevel to it? I think I want something very simple.
ratrem
11 years ago
we did an eased edge. In our area the Taj Mahal is up to $86/sq. ft. before fabrication, 3cm slabs. When we bought it is was $60/ sq. ft. not including fabrication. We lucked out because we found a huge slab that was big enough to do our entire kitchen plus a bath vanity. Any other slab that we were interested that was cheaper per sq/ft we would have needed two slabs.
SaraKat
11 years ago
Beautiful!
camphappy
11 years ago
Hi rose, our Taj Mahal was $41/sq' non fabricated. (I live in the SF Bay Area). Most granite sold around here is 2 cm which would make the granite less expensive. With 2 cm stones many/most people have the edges laminated to increase the thickness of the edge. Ours is a crescent edge. It has a very slight roundness to it.
firstmmo
11 years ago
Here is some Taj Mahal in the San Fran bay area. I think it's quite pretty and am considering it for our master bath.
sedona_heaven
11 years ago
SF people can you give stone yard recommendations?
auroraborelis
11 years ago
Where did you find that Taj Mahal with a leather finish?
camphappy
11 years ago
That leather finish is from Da Vinci in San Carlos, CA. They had the best selection when I was looking last summer and it looks like they still do. Pietra Fina in Hayward also had some nice slabs as well as other quartzites.
auroraborelis
11 years ago
Thanks!
msrose
Original Author
11 years ago
Oh! I haven't seen it around here in the leather finish.

I just got a price from one quy and he said it's $79.50. I'm waiting to hear from another guy to see if their prices are the same. The granite place gave me three business cards and said they were their top three customers? Is that enough to go on? Just makes me nervous. I know I could ask for references and call them, but you know they're not going to give me the name of an unhappy customer, so what good does that really do me.
msrose
Original Author
11 years ago
Ok, the first guy told me $79.50 s.f for the granite and the 2nd guy told me $124 s.f installed. Assuming he's charging 79.50 like the first guy that means it would be $44.50 s.f. for installation. Does that sound about right?
msrose
Original Author
11 years ago
Well, it's official...I'm getting my Taj Mahal! The original slab that I posted above is still on hold along with the 5 behind it. They got a new shipment in and they went just as fast. Luckily, the granite guy called when he was here and had them put a slab on hold for me. When I went down to look at it three days later they only had one slab available. They said they've never seen any granite sell like this one. The only problem with my slab is it has this awful deep rust colored streak across the top corner. It's a larger than normal slab, so I'm hoping they can work around it.
susanlynn2012
10 years ago
Msrose, I found your post about selecting the Taj Mahal granite. I love your counters! Thanks for letting me know what they are called.
susanlynn2012
9 years ago
I found this post! I knew I loved Msrose's counters and now I know what they are called. Isn't this Taj Mahal Quartzite and not Granite? I saw the picture when you chose your new tile floors and I loved your counters that may work with my tile. How are you liking your counters?
houston70sranch
9 years ago
Does anyone know of a granite that looks somewhat similar? We love the warm, creamy look of Taj Mahal but oh! the price....

Taj Mahal - I think it's ''the one''

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