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Thanks for your reply. So now I wanna go for black galaxy granite to avoid any potential problem. I'm inclined to use Closetrobe for their professional layout, but my husband doesn't want it, because he claims he doesn't want to do business with dishonest people. It's true that the sales woman did a small trick on us in order to attract us back to her. That day when we walked in by accidence, we were not only impressed by their showroom but also by the price she gave. She told us the price of Caesarstone quartz is $130/sqf. There is no misunderstanding about that, cuz I was pointing the Caesarstone top and also asked her the prices of other colors by pointing the samples on the Caesarstone pamphlet. I also said Caeserstone quartz not others'. Later when we were back to her, she claimed she meant iquartz. She also gave a very low price for the sliding door we want to install in the kitchen area to attract my husband, though I knew they were not talking about the same thing in the first place. But I didn't bother to clarify, as she didn't work that day and had appointments. So we only had a few quick exchanges. Later, we found the sliding door price was even much higher than that quoted by my contractor (though it may be understandable. So even I use them, I will not ask them to install the door which is way too expensive）. I think she did a small trick a salesperson may do to the customers, but in general, I'm ok with that. Not big deal. But my husband has objection to this kind of practice and claims if she's dishonest in the first place and you have to worry about her work in the whole process. Any advice? Thanks!

Have you decided what material to use for your kitchen top? I'm going to use granite. But not sure if I should buy from the seller directly and also don't know which brand is better to buy from.

Even if I do more homework about granite, I can do nothing about the actual granite I can buy. They don't allow buyers to select the granite slabs, but only be shown the display pieces. When the actual granite is carried to my doorstep and if I don't agree with them about the quality, I'm afraid it's hard to reject them, as they will, as you said, claim their product is good. So how can I supervise the quality of granite? Do you have any insights? Thanks a lot! My husband's preference is Indian Black granite to Black Galaxy. I have no preference though. Today I read this link in which it says some black granite is dyed deep dark. It makes me feel even harder to make a decision. This link is from Dupont official website so I believe it's true. http://www2.dupont.com/Stone_Tech_Professional/en_US/using_the_products/technical%20documents/important_info_black_granite.html

Thanks for your reply. Yeah, I haven't communicated with my contractor about the kitchen outsourcing, but the kitchen worktop. Then I wanted to install quartz, and he never did that before, so he could not get a good price at all. He suggested me to find someone else to install the quartz top and he's quite ok with that. Do you have any recommendations about where to buy high quality granite tops? Because I also have the worry if he would like to coordinate the sub-con. My husband and I both work, so we want to be hassle free. Thanks again!

Hi folks, I'm a newbie here. I'll start to reno my 5-room HDB resale flat this month soon, which is my first flat. I can't quite decide about my kitchen renovation, so I'd like to seek your precious advice to help me make a decision. There are three choices I'm facing: 1. Use my contractor who is doing the whole flat for me. His quotation for the kitchen is $100/sqf for the kitchen cabinets and $150/sqf for Indian Granite for kitchen worktops. Soft closing mechanism for all swing doors and extra charges are needed for soft-closing drawers. Hinges are imported from Mainland China and Taiwan. NO GST. 2. Outsource my kitchen to Closetrobe. I walked in Closetrobe showroom in Unos one day by accidence and was impressed by their work and hence asked for their quotation. They quote me as follows: $120/sqf for the cabinets and $120/sqf for Indian granite. Soft closing mechanism for all swing doors and 2 drawers. Including 2 Blum hinges. Other hinges are Excel's. We can require the number of drawers as we like. I also feel the cabinet plywood is also a little thicker. They use 7-layer solid plywood for the door and 6-layer for the frame(? not sure though); and my contractor offers 6-layer for the door and 5-layer for the frame. With GST. 3. Use my contractor to do the kitchen cabinets but buy granite from Granite Stores. Ocean Granites sells black galaxy or Indian black granite at $90/sqf. The above three quotations about granite all include installation, back-splash and edge treatment of 20mm granite. They can provide samples but we cannot self select granite slabs. My plight is should I outsource my kitchen to Closetrobe for their supposedly better craftsmanship. And also about granite. They all claim their granite is imported from India. But even from Indian, the quality can vary. How can I make sure the quality of the actual granite I bought is the same as that of the display piece? Then I can only count on their reputation and conscience. Please give me your advice generously. Have anyone used Ocean Granites? Do you have other recommendations about granite worktops? Thanks a lot!