we called a kitchen and bath place for recommendations on installers.. They were very helpful.

The problem I have with HD is the installers (at least here) are independent contractors , so who knows what you'll get.

Do post this at the kitchen forum. For anything you can think of, there are at least a dozen folks there who have done it or at least researched it!

I used them to install our bathroom Corian counters with no problems. Having them install a bathroom floor, however, was a disaster! It all depends on who they contract it out to.

Hi, Patty cakes. Say - did you post a question about flooring on a DIY forum on the net? I just got off researching outside GC and saw a patty cakes - it was from an old post, and I thought it would be great to ask a specific question of that patty cakes.

Anyways - I just used HD for their specially sealed granite countertops, and I have to say - they are working very hard to maintain quality control these days - online customer satisfaction surveys and managers onsite and follow-up calls. I love their granite - they were very helpful and courteous - from the sales people to customer service to the installing company to the HD site manager. So - I have only myself to blame that I did not notice a major problem with the countertop cut prior to signing off - or that they had scratched an upper cabinet. I had had an extension of the counter into the living room, and because the trim was off, I failed to recognize that it was not a symmetrical cut until too late. Since I signed off as soon as they had completed the job, I can't get the time of day from the fabricators they contracted with. I haven't followed up with HD yet.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Yes, go with HD if you like what you're seeing - but insist they leave the sign off sheet for you to mail in. (You can tell them my story.) They may balk, but stonewall (no pun intended). Offer to bring out the cots n blankets :-). Or else ask them to leave the room and give you time to examine it thoroughly.

You'll be sorry. I've had home depot out to my house 5 times for the same job (install of french doors to a back patio off my kitchen) and they still haven't gotten it right. Home Depot is getting no more of my money, and I'll tell anyone who will listen to never go there either.

And I'm not that crazy about Lowe's either, but for now I'll still go there for things.

I purchased granite countertops in 2001 from HD. The price was good ($45/sq ft installed). I had to pay the full amount when I ordered which I would never do with a small business. They told me upfront that they couldn't guarantee the installation date.

When the fabricator came to measure, they said they were way behind. That didn't bother me too much, as I was refinishing my cabinets before the countertop installation. It was 6 months before the granite was installed, but they did a great job and I'm still thrilled with it. They did scratch an upper cabinet while installing the granite, but I couldn't complain. That granite is HEAVY and I felt for the guys who had to lug it into place. The scratch wasn't a result of carelessness -- it was unfortunate (especially after I'd worked so hard refinishing), but stuff happens, and I can live with it.

The quality of the installation depends upon the contractor selected by HD. That can be a crapshoot. I also think that you have to have reasonable expectations.

We had our granite countertops installed this past Tuesday. We looked at home depot, but ended up purchasing/installing from a local store at a much better price.

My story is sort of reversed. I used a local shop INSTEAD of HD and totally regret it. The order took over 8 weeks despite a promise of 3 days. It was more expensive than HD for the same product. They actually overcharged my credit card on the remaining from deposit. Next time I will just use HD. I should have known when I walked into the place and it had no A/C turned on even though it was there and about 100 degrees out.

I actually saw my slab of granite, where I doubt one would at HD. Don't get me wrong I shop a lot at HD, and they have been good to deal with for the most part.

Maybe, buy the countertops at HD but use somebody else to install? With HD's buying power, I would think HD would have some of the most competitive prices for countertops.

Another reason why I went with a store vice home depot, was that Home depot was just the middle man. One was actually dealing with another company. So HD doesnt do it for free, so there has to be a mark up somewhere on prices. Their prices were not bad, but not near as good as what I ended up with. And I think it varied from HD to HD. Soem have graet employess, while others are subpar.

Good experience. The company that actually installed the counters told me that they could not give as good a price as I got from HD.

It has been my finding and the findings of others that I know that the HD contractors' prices are many times that of contractors not affiliated with HD. One exceptions would be flooring through their Expo branded stores.

I found that not to be true with countertops. The year previous I had a countertop installed by a local business and all the bids I got were higher than what I got for a very similar installation from HD. With the last countertop, I got several bids, all higher than HD.
I do like to try to support local businesses when possible, and will often pay a bit more to do so - but there's a point when the financial burden is too high.
(Plus, the local company that installed for HD had to be making enough moeny to make it worth it to them.)

We had HD install Corian countertops (integrated sink) in our kitchen. Good installation, done in a timely fashion, at a very good price. The sales people were very knowledgable and the installers were very professional. No complaints here.

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