Countertop Installation in El Paso

Done right the first time. Our own El Paso crew handles fabrication and installation — no subcontractors. Family-owned since 1985. Call (915) 345-3774 for a free estimate.

Signs Your Countertops Need to Be Replaced

Imagine walking into your kitchen one morning to find a chip running along the edge by the sink. Maybe the scarlet chile sauce from Thanksgiving just won't wash out. Whatever the case, you've seen it. You know it's time.

El Paso has trusted us since 1985, and we hear the same stories from our neighbors over and over again. People hold off on replacing their worn-out kitchen counters because they aren't 100% sure the issue is "serious enough" to warrant action. Here is the thing: If it bothers you to look at them every single day, that is absolutely a good enough reason to have them replaced!

However, there are definitely clear-cut signs of damage that should be addressed:

• Cracks and chips that trap dirt and bacteria, despite your best efforts to scrub them clean
• Burn marks or heat damage that refuses to fade
• Seams that separate or that lift off the edges
• Stains that have soaked into the stone or laminate that never go away
• Any kind of warping, or soft spots, especially around the sink hole

In nine out of ten cases, the homeowner already has a pretty good idea. They just need someone to verify it for them. That is exactly what we do here in our showroom on Gateway Blvd E. We look at some pictures, ask a few clarifying questions, and give you our straightforward opinion!

The El Paso climate is something else. Our dry heat and abundant sunshine can degrade or discolor certain countertop materials, particularly older laminates and low-grade stone. This is common in homes on the Eastside and near Cielo Vista. A countertop that looked fine five years ago can go downhill quickly once the surface seal is compromised.

Additionally, many of our clients aren't aware that if you are planning to put your house on the market soon, worn-down outdated countertops can lower your asking price. According to the National Association of Realtors, kitchen remodels are consistently among the top home upgrades for return on investment. A new countertop can completely change the look and feel of a kitchen!

So, if you are constantly around cracks or hiding stains with a cutting board, don't wait for a big piece to break free! That hairline crack near the faucet will only get bigger over time.

Picking the Right Countertop Material for El Paso Homes

Your countertop material has to endure El Paso. That is a tall order considering we see over 300 days of sunshine a year. We have installed and fabricated countertops for almost 40 years throughout the Borderland region, and our clients know we see all kinds of results, kitchens with south-facing windows in areas such as Kern Place can become extremely hot. Certain materials handle this far better than others, and we have seen the results after decades of experience throughout the El Paso region.

So, what is the best way to make a decision? The first thing you should consider is how you utilize your kitchen every day.

If you cook frequently and you put your counters through the ringer, granite and quartz countertops will be your best bet. Granite will stand up to extreme heat; you will never have to hesitate to set a hot pan on the surface.

Quartz doesn't need to be sealed and holds up very well to coffee, wine, or red chile. We import our granite from Brazil and have you choose directly from a range of stone that we have personally inspected for color and durability. Marble is a different story. It's stunning. However, because marble is softer and more porous, it requires a certain kind of attention and care from homeowners. We install marble in lots of El Paso bathrooms and vanities, where it won't be subjected to as much punishment as a kitchen countertop. That's where its beauty truly stands out.

There are a few things we always mention to our customers who come into our showroom on Gateway Blvd E: quartzite gives you the appearance of marble but is more durable against scratching; Dekton handles UV exposure without fading, a real advantage in our desert climate; darker-colored stone heats up around the edges and near windows, and slab color plays a role; and finally, the cut edge you choose and the thickness of your countertop affect performance near sinks. Most customers come in to our showroom thinking they want one type of countertop material and leave preferring something entirely different. That's a good thing, because it means they saw, touched, and weighed their options. It means they brought up samples home to compare against their cabinet colors, and asked questions. That's one of the reasons why we keep full slabs of countertops on display in our showroom. You can't always tell from photos on our website if a certain quartzite slab will be the right fit for you, or how certain granite veins will reflect the light in your space. COMAF is an El Paso shop owned by a local family since 1985, and we truly believe that decisions are best made on-site and in person.

What Installation Entails

People typically imagine we show up, wheel in a slab and set it on top of a row of cabinets. It is a little more complicated than that. We have been fabricating and installing countertops in El Paso for homeowners since 1985. No matter what project we have undertaken, the steps have been the same and include the following:

• Protecting your home. After we arrive at your El Paso home, we protect the floor and lay the path from your door to the kitchen or bathroom we will be working in. The slab will be heavy, so we plan out the route before it leaves the truck.
• Removing the old countertops. We disconnect the water supply lines and plumbing and pull out the countertop to prepare the space underneath. If anything needs to be leveled or shimmed out, we'll do it.
• The slabs fit first. Once the stones are in the home and set on the cabinets without adhesive, we check that the seams line up well, that they fit tight, and that we have cutouts in place where the sink and stovetop sit.
• Fixing it into place. When we are satisfied with how the seams line up, we glue the stone onto the cabinets, join the seams with color-matched epoxy, and then seal the countertop. This process varies by material.
• Reconnect and clean up. We put the plumbing back, we clean every single surface, we take all of the packaging away, and we walk you through your new countertops.

Normally the install takes a couple of hours for a typical kitchen, but L-shaped jobs or bigger kitchens that have multiple seams could take a little longer, and we'll let you know that before we set up your install date.

The most common question we get on install day is about the seams. Will I see a seam? We position seams at the least noticeable spot, usually near the sink or a natural break in the layout. By the time the epoxy cures, most homeowners can't find the seam unless we point it out.

One thing that sets us apart from many countertop installers is that we are both the fabricator and the installer. All of your countertop fabrication and installation will be completed by our own team, not by subcontractors. Our team at the shop on Gateway Blvd E cuts your stone and our installers are on their way directly there to your house. This matters a lot because when there are adjustments needed to the stone during the installation, we are the ones that make the decision right there on your install day.

We have installed countertops all over the Valley, including many times in Montecillo, but if you are in the area of Montecillo or Kern Place, chances are your house is one of the older homes in which nothing is perfectly square. We know how to template your stone so we account for that and your finished countertop looks good as new.

How to Prepare Your Home Before Installation Day

Most people have no idea how much we appreciate it when homeowners do a few things the night before our team gets there. We've been doing this in El Paso since 1985, and the jobs that go fastest are always the ones where the homeowner took 20 minutes to get things ready.

If you want your countertop installation to go as smoothly and quickly as possible, please prepare your home by doing the following things:

• Remove all things from your countertops: appliances, dish racks, knife blocks, etc.
• Empty the cabinets under your countertop. We need clear access underneath. Put your dishes somewhere else so they stay safe.
• Disconnect your sink and cooktop if you're comfortable doing so. If not, just let us know ahead of time and we'll handle it.
• Clear a path from your front door to the room where the countertop will be installed. We can work around things, but a clear path is best.
• Make sure someone over 18 is home throughout the time we are there. We may have questions, and any cuts made on-site need a homeowner's go-ahead.

Many times, the biggest delay we see on any day of install is a hallway or stairwell that is not clear, or a sink or cooktop that hasn't been turned off or removed. This is more prevalent in older homes like homes in Kern Place and homes in the Sunset Heights area. We will always measure all doorways when we are templating, but there is always some additional room if you can make the space as clear as possible for our arrival.

Also, remember to keep your pets out of the way. Pets should be secured in a room where our team cannot get to them in case we are carrying slabs of stone into the home. Our equipment creates quite a bit of noise and stone dust settles in the air, so keep any anxious pets away from the area.

And in the Borderland area, if you're having countertops installed this summer, leave your home's air conditioning running while we work. Stone is prone to expanding and contracting with temperature fluctuations, so we need a consistent indoor environment to guarantee the seams cure properly. A too-hot house could cause the adhesive to dry unevenly.

If you have questions about any of this, come by our showroom on Gateway Blvd E or give us a call at (915) 345-3774. We'll talk you through the process so you know what to expect. Our family-owned team does this every single day, so nothing catches us off guard.

We Don't Leave Until Your Countertops Look Right

We won't leave your home until you're pleased with our installation. We mean it, really! That's why we've been doing this since 1985.

After our team completes the job, we'll walk you through every detail right next to your home. We want you to touch the surface, feel the seams, and inspect the edges along the sides of your sink and cooktop. Your eye will pick up anything wrong since you live in the home. Whether it's the kitchen or your bathroom, we want you to tell us if something looks off before we leave with a tool.

This is what we'll inspect together as we do a final walkthrough:

• The seams' locations and how close the joints are to each other, especially on longer runs of granite or quartz.
• If your chosen edge profile matches that of what we showed you at our showroom on Gateway Blvd E.
• If the entire countertop spans level.
• If the countertops properly fit your sink, faucet, and cooktop openings.
• If your backsplash is lined up correctly and there is even caulk where it connects with the wall.

Sometimes, we can fix it right there. 9 out of 10 times, everything checks out. However, homes in El Paso often have characteristics, like a home close to Kern Place being not square to the foundation. Consequently, we make sure the stone is level where it meets those spots. If anything needs fixing, we will do so immediately.

We also confirm the sink drain, faucets, and cooktops are easy to hook up again. We create our countertops by doing the template onsite, then fabricating to your custom measurements. This ensures that once you drop the sink, it fits. Period.

Another piece of advice we give homeowners in the Borderland region is to inspect your countertops in natural sunlight before accepting the finish. The sunlight from a window can give a different perspective of your countertop's look. Our granite comes directly from Brazil, meaning our countertops have natural veining that can appear differently when lit by artificial light versus natural sunlight. This gives you the opportunity to appreciate your beautiful granite or quartz piece in natural lighting.

Are you not sure if it all worked out three days later? Give us a call at (915) 345-3774. We are a family-owned shop that actually answers our phone. We'll stand behind our work every time we've cut a slab of stone for a customer.

Explore related services: Countertop Fabrication · Kitchen Countertops · Bathroom Countertops · All Countertop Materials

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about countertop installation services in El Paso

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