It's hard to give advice sometimes on granite names because the same stone can be called different things at different yards.

go to this site and read his "homeowners checklist" on granite. it will give you some valuable information on what to look for. also if you read posts on granite color, or search say cherry cabinets, you will see other posts and hear his suggestions for granite colors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rock Blog

Can you bring a cabinet door with you? I think it is imperative to be able to see how various granites play off of your cabinet stain. The salespeople who work at most yards can be a great help in suggesting various granites because of the selections made by clients who have a similar stained cabinet. Take a digital camera and take lots of pictures. If you do find one you like and put down a deposit, make sure you take a picture of stone's i.d. number (usually written on the slab's end).

Take the layout of your kitchen showing where the counter tops will be with the measurements and all cut-outs noted (sink, faucet, cook top, electrical outlets, etc.). Then you can give this to them and they should be able to give you a price (if they will also be fabricating and if not, will let you know how many slabs you will need). This will also be useful if you have an "L" shaped counter top and if the granite has a lot of movement how it would look when fabricated.

If you have one, take a fan deck for the paint manufacturer you will be using. If you have an idea of the color for the walls you can then see if it will go with your granite selection(s). Or you could look at the colors you are thinking about and see how they would go with the stone.

Have fun!

Also bring a large notepad to takes info down as you go through to indicate favorites. Also had to use my notepad to write down the name of the stone and hold it up while I took the picture (some of the warehouses didn't have the name of the stone posted in a viewable location)

I'd also bring all other elements with you cabinet sample, paint colors (as the previous responsers stated), & floor tile.

Do you have a budget number that you can provide so that they don't steer you towards something that you shouldn't even look at??? In my area only the fabricator can give exact cost, but the warehouses could at least give me a range or level of cost.

Have fun. I loved looking at slabs :)

Dinajo,

Bring a Camera
Large bottle of water (For you to drink and rest with),
a friend, husband or relative who adores
you. Leave kids or small people at home!
Notepad and pencil
a flashlight to scope the slab.

Since your not sure of your paint,
What about your curtain fabric, or dish towels you love?
Even a favorite dish with the colors you might have
in your kitchen.

and lastly and this is really important.
An excited optimistic attitude that you will find your dream stone.

Best of luck, post photos when you are done.
~boxerpups

also go back and read buehl's thread on Stone Information & Advice (Checklist). great stuff there.

Remember that THIS phase of what you're doing - should be FUN!!!

Others have given great advice on this - I'd only add these coments:

IF you are replacing your existing countertops with Granite - make a drawing
of your countertops - wherever there'll be Granite (does NOT have to be to scale)
Measure each dimension and round up to the nearest inch.

Bring that drawing along - I'd hate to have you "hear the angels sing" on a slab
that's 63" x 110" that you'd want to use for an island that's 48" x 120"....
Does that make sense? Most guy's "stone stretchers" are down right now...
global parts shortage or something like that... ;-)

Bring a drawer front or a cabinet door to compare up against the slab

Bring your digital camera and take lots of pics - IF you find "the one" -
take pics of the whole slab and the serial numbers on the end of the slab....
This will come in handy when the slab gets delivered and you want to make SURE
that the slab you fell in love with is the same one the makes it to your home...

Remember.... this should be FUN..........

HTH

kevin

We also drove a long way to a granite yard- more than 2.5 hrs. You've gotten lots of good advice so far. One thing that helped the stress factor for us was admitting to ourselves that it would take two trips down to pick and finalize the purchase. No sense trying to trick yourself into thinking you'll be able to do it all in one trip.

Definitely bring your camara and a cabinet door. Once you've narrowed it down to a few options, get samples of those slabs! Bring the samples home, look at them in your kitchen, and then stain test them. After that, choose the one that fits your lifestyle and looks great in your kitchen.

Definitely take samples of whatever you have from your kitchen (cabinets, flooring, backsplash). It sounds like what you want is a cream/white/lighter colored granite with little movement. I also had a definite idea on what I wanted and found it pretty easy to just walk up and down the aisles, narrowing down what I liked. I don't think you'll find a huge variety in that range. Figure out how many slabs you'll need before you go. Take lots of photos. Ask for a sample (most yards will break off a chunk for you). If you've narrowed it down to a 2-3 types, but don't want to decide, you might want to pick out specific slabs of each so you don't need to go back. Also, I'd ask your fabricator if he can get you better pricing, rather than put down a deposit. I saved 35% because my fabricator just gave me his price. The fabricator calls the yard, asks what his price is, tells you, and then you pay that price directly to the yard.