I am totally with you on your wish for something simple. I have just recently started shopping for quartz after months of granite shopping.

One price range I was given by a fabricator was $42-$72. I saw some Silestone on sale at Home Depot for $35 installed. I will let you know what I find out as I narrow down my choices.

Why don't you see what you like and price it out? Maybe if you can find two or three you love, then you can select one based on price. I think first and foremost, you really have to be happy with your choice.

It is unlikely you will find something that inexpensive because you don't have the option to use remnants due to the size of the top.

Make sure you get the final fabricated, installed including tax and all options before you figure square foot price. The initial square foot price usually does not include things like edge upgrades, undermount sinks and basic necessities needed for every job.

Andy

aloha2009 where are you? Hawaii?

Odie girl, what silestone did you see for $35 at HD.

I was at HD and saw one I liked and the sales person said with the discounts they would bring it from $64 down to $56 (don't know if she was calculating it correctly though). HD isn't typically the cheapest place to get kitchen materials so I figured someone could direct me where to start my search in Colorado.

It was Silestone Mahogany. Not everyone's favorite but it could work for me.

There might have been one more on sale but I can't remember. I am in metro Atlanta. I will check for you tomorrow.

Me again. Okay, I called HD and they have 3 Silestone colors on sale for $35 installed. (I guess ''installed'' is probably subject to interpretation). They are Mahogany, Blanco City and RainForest.

Alpino White is also on ''sale'' but for $59. Good thing I don't need white.

I think the sale was good until mid June????

That should be their "installed" price, but they will charge extra for more than one cutout, plus don't forget any edge you want will be extra, I think. I originally got a quote for Silestone from HD, so it's still kind of fresh in my memory.

Why don't you just comparitive shop at local counter suppliers. We found that the install cost more than the material for a little sink cabibet that had to have the sink and faucet holes cut out. It was the quartz that is the only one made in the US. The install for a cabinet about 26" x 40" was a thousand dollars.

I called HD too and they said their price here is $50 so Odie you are getting quite the price!

I also found out I would have to have a seam on my large island. Does anyone have a picture of a seam on light colored silestone?

Darn it! I am sorry aloha2009. Have you looked at any other brands? I am leaning toward Cambria (maybe until I see the price) but I have looked at Hanstone, Caesarstone, Silestone (of course), Dupont Zodiaq and LG Viatera. Maybe there are deals near you in other brands.

Odie thanks for the info. I now at least know what a good price is.

Nerdy, it's hard to believe that quartz can be so expensive sometimes. It doesn't seem to have any rhyme nor reason as far as the pricing goes.

I am about to install Blanco River (Silestone) which I think is price range D out of A-E & it is $42/SF installed + $150 for a cut & polish for the sink. I would suggest staying away from the big name stores & calling around to some of the smaller outfits. For Silestone especially, I have found the smaller places to be less expensive (although that HD sale sounds really good!). On a slightly different note, a few years ago I had a chocolate brown quartz (CeasarStone, I think) put in my bathroom for $60/SF. Glad I waited til now to do the kitchen as the price really has come down.

Good Luck!

Quartz is a rather expensive option but nice. I would lean Cambria or Silestone. Both have a large presence. Also you can look at Samsung brand B grade material which is hardly different than A grade and at a good discount.

aloha2009, i went to foreign web sites to see what other Quartz counter manufacturers were listed on those sites. Then, I tracked down the web sites of those unknown quartz manufacturers. I researched the quartz manufacturing process. Once I was satisfied that the material was essentially all good, no matter who manufactured it, I began hunting up distributors of these unknown quartzes. That brought me into contact with many distributors. Then I did what kaismom did. Some of them told me to take a hike. Some of them kept on dropping the price of everything including the edging and installation costs. I got a lot of counter and a good job, for a fair price. I hope you do too.

Davidrol, you really did your homework and it sounds like it paid off. I was completely in the dark as to how to go about it, but now I've got solid direction.

It definately sounds like the price has come down and things are much more negotiable.

On a side note do any of you have a seam that you can show me on a light quartz countertop. I was told the max length is 8' and I need 10'.

No seam to show you, and no quartz either.

My suggestion is to shop your kitchen layout with fabricators. The one I'm using gave me a list of the cheapest stones, natural and man-made, at several of the big stone yard nearest me. And they gave me a price for those cheap ones for the number of square feet and cut-outs I need. I wouldn't have had a clue otherwise what costs what. Then I looked at stones and they quoted me prices for each of the stones I was considering. It seems to me like you're flailing around in the dark when you need to find someone locally who can help you with prices.

On a car, tires are important because that is where all the theorizing meets reality.

There comes a time when you have to go find the person who will charge you all the other costs in addition to the materials cost.

Mid-day yesterday I asked about your geographical location. This is a hint. You might received tips based on where you are.

Let the rubber meet the road.