Hold Onto Your Shorts: How To Save Big On Quartz!

Today we’re sharing how we saved thousands of dollars on our quartz countertops—not only for our kitchen remodel (with two large islands), but also two of our bathroom remodels! We’ll also share our EXACT quartz countertops cost and answer “How much do quartz countertops cost?”

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If you’re comparing, opting for any countertop material other than laminate is going to feel more expensive by that comparison, especially if it’s for a big project like your kitchen or bathroom.

(And yes, I couldn’t resist rhyming shorts with quartz in the title! ?)

SAVING ON QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS

From One Room to Three: How We Maximized Our Quartz Slabs

We estimated that we’d need three quartz slabs for our kitchen remodel (which has double islands and thus required more solid slabs to avoid joints). However, we realized we’d still have quite a bit of quartz left over.

And if you want a beautiful and functional kitchen, you need this!

Boom! The solution? Matt used his Superhero Engineering Brain to calculate how to cut every single piece of quartz for our kitchen from the three slabs. He also figured out how to maximize and place these cuts so that we’d have significant quartz pieces leftover.

These leftover pieces were the exact measurements we needed for:

1. Our quartz countertop for our downstairs guest bathroom.
2. Our quartz countertop for our girls’ bathroom double sink vanity.

SAVING ON QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS

Lay Out Your Quartz Slabs Wisely

Our quartz countertop slabs (read all about the exact color we chose) measured 131"x63".

Step #1: Lay Out Your Largest Pieces First

For us, this meant our two island countertops for our kitchen’s double islands, plus our sink area countertop (which extended underneath our hidden appliance cabinets).

You can use whatever program works best for you to do this (even if it’s just a piece of paper and a ruler), but Matt chose to use Excel as it was the easiest way for him. This was even faster than doing it in AutoCad because it was easier to visualize each of the small cuts this way. Also, everyone has Excel, making it easy to share with the fabricator.

The only downside for me was that quartz slabs didn’t come in the 147" length I needed for one solid piece of countertop around our sink and under our appliance cabinets. So instead of cutting our sink slab into two equal pieces, we opted to create the largest piece possible (see below) so there wouldn’t be any grout lines around the sink area and added the smaller section to the right under our right appliance cabinet.

(Now, whether our fabricator chose to follow directions or not is another story! ?)

Step #2: Add Your Counter Edges and Backsplashes Next to the Countertop Pieces

While you might think the next step would be to fit in the next-largest pieces of quartz, that’s not entirely correct. We actually recommend that once you get your major countertop pieces laid out, you lay out the edges next to those pieces in your layout.

This will help maximize the remaining portions of your slabs, as your countertop edges will usually be the same length as your countertop pieces (see below for “Island 1” plus “Island 1 Edge”).

By the way, if you’re new here, you should know that Matt and I created 2+ kitchen guides (from design to remodels to kitchen organization) to help you get the kitchen you’ve always wanted from start to finish! You can find our Kitchen Design Guides here!

Step #3: Fit in Your Medium, Small, and Other Miscellaneous Pieces

Now, with the remaining room in your quartz slab layouts, you can fit in the rest of your medium and small pieces.

For example, you can see that we fit in pieces for the solid backsplash above our stove. As a side note: I had initially planned to have solid sidesplashes covering the walls on either side of the stove for easy wipe-down, but once the installers put them up, I decided it was just too much quartz on the walls for me! So I had them leave just the backsplash and we used the cut side pieces for another project and gave one to a friend who needed a small bathroom countertop in her ADU build. Share the quartz love, people! ?

PS: We even used a leftover quartz piece for the shower threshold in our downstairs bathroom remodel!

It’s basically an adult form of Tetris.

(Matt had no idea that all his childhood years of playing Tetris were preparing him for JUST this moment, but I know! ? God knew my Designer brain would start to explode if I had to do this kind of finagling, and Matt enjoys doing it, so we’re the ideal match for these projects!)

This, dear readers, is one way to save big-time on quartz countertops! Instead of having to buy pieces later on for our bathroom remodels, we thought ahead of what else we’d need in the future and essentially got them for free!

Join our Insider’s List and get our FREE Design Guide!

If you can do this too, you can save thousands of dollars! (If you need help with anything from space planning to saving money on your home projects, we’re currently booked through but we offer these Design Services, often saving people like you $30-60,000 on average. No exaggeration. Contractors and “kitchen designers” really do try to take advantage of people, so we’re here to help keep it real.)

QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS cost

How Much Do Quartz Countertops Cost?

Quartz slab cost: $20.25 per square foot. So total cost for the slabs (131"x63", or 57.3 sq ft per slab) was $3,483 for 3 slabs, or $1,161 per slab.

Fabrication and installation cost: $39.50 per square foot. So total labor was $5,490.50 for 139 sq. ft. of counter (including our custom drain grooves!).

TOTAL COST per square foot of our quartz countertops: $59.75

If you’ve researched quartz slab and installation costs, you’ll recognize the amazing deal we got on both our slabs and our installation! (The average can cost anywhere from $70-150 per square foot!)

QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS cost

Which Quartz Countertops Do You Have?

We chose the LG Viatera Cirrus and go into full detail on that HERE!

If you’ve missed seeing all our “beauty shots” of our kitchen remodel with our white quartz countertops, you can view those here!

sailquartz supply professional and honest service.

QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS cost

More Tips to Save Money on Your Quartz Countertop Costs!

In addition to the above, other tips are:

1. Shop around! And not only for your quartz countertops, but also for the fabricator/installer! Don’t be tempted to skimp on a cheap installer—if they make a mistake, you want someone who will fix the problem.
2. Look for remnants if you only need a small amount.
3. Find out about warranties before you buy.

Need immediate kitchen help? Get our Kitchen Design Bundle!

HOW TO USE QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS

What Else Should I Keep in Mind for My Quartz Countertops?

We even used a big chunk of our white quartz countertop material for our low-maintenance solid backsplash, but more on that in our “21 Genius Kitchen Organization Hacks!

Next

See all our kitchen shortcuts & time-savers here!

Or you might enjoy:

• How to save money on your kitchen remodel!
• Why kitchen drawers are 27x better than cabinets!
• Ready to tackle your kitchen renovation? If so, you need THIS!

Our complete list of every single home project is viewable here!

If you’d like our help RIGHT NOW on your next project check out our design plans & guides!

The most important aspect of any kitchen remodel is sticking to the budget. Following it loosely throughout the renovation may leave you scrambling for extra funds to get everything on your wishlist—which isn’t a position you want to find yourself in! To help you avoid running into any issues with your countertops budget, we’ve put together a guide to quartz countertops costs so you can have peace of mind throughout the entire remodeling process.

The Cost of Quartz Countertops

When pricing out quartz countertops for your kitchen renovation project, you need to factor in the quality of quartz you’re planning on purchasing and how much of it you’ll need. On average, quartz countertops cost around $70 to $80 per square foot, not including installation. However, this price point can vary drastically depending on the quality, grade, and depth of the quartz. Here are the average quartz countertop prices you can expect:

Low-quality quartz ranges from $60 to $90 per square foot

Mid-quality quartz ranges from $75 to $130 per square foot

High-quality quartz ranges from $110 to $200 per square foot

Now that you’re aware of how much the quartz slabs will cost for your upcoming project, let’s break down the various factors that affect the cost—including installation.

Calacatta Izaro Quartz

Grade of Quartz

During your quartz vs granite research, you may have learned that quartz is an engineered countertop material that is manmade blending quartz and other stones mixed with resins and pigments to create a multitude of styles and qualities. To differentiate between these different grades of quartz, most distributors will refer to them as closeout, standard, premium, and designer—ranging from least expensive to most expensive.

In many cases, standard quartz may be more than enough for your project if you’re looking for a more subtle countertop. Standard grade quartz is typically available in a neutral color palette of earthy tones, which some individuals may find to be a bit bland. When these standard quartz options are discontinued, their grade changes to closeout.

For a more luxurious quartz option, you may opt for premium or designer grades of quartz. Premium and designer-grade quartz countertop colors and patterns typically have more depth and enhanced coloration. They’re often custom-made for each kitchen renovation project which leaves them with a higher price tag than standard grade quartz.

Calacatta Miraggio Gold Quartz

Quartz Finish

Depending on the desired aesthetic of your kitchen, you can choose between two finish options for your quartz countertops. The standard option is a polished finish, allowing the quartz slab’s natural beauty to shine and reflect light beautifully. Quartz countertops are also available in a matte finish. In most cases, the desired finish does not affect the final cost of your quartz countertops. However, a matte finish will sometimes cost a bit more, but it depends on the quartz slab distributor.

Complexity of Job

When pricing out your engineered quartz countertops, you need to consider the complexity of the job. If your kitchen only requires a single slab of quartz that doesn’t require any corners or seams, it’ll be a much easier job for your installer—most likely costing you less. However, if you have an elaborate kitchen floor plan that will require multiple seams and wraps around the entire room, it’s going to add time to the installation process which is going to add to your final cost.

Along with the shape of the room, you may have special requests such as a sink cut-out in the slab so you can seamlessly fit your new under-mount kitchen sink. You may also need to factor in costs for fixture cut-outs if you’re having the installer make any special cuts for a soap dispenser, electrical outlets, or any other element in your kitchen. Do you have a preference about what the edge of the countertop looks like? Edging style requests like eased, beveled, double-beveled, bullnose, or half-bullnose can also add any additional cost to consider.

Statuaury Classique Quartz

Installation

Along with the cost of the actual quartz slabs, you’ll also need to budget for the installation of your kitchen countertops. On average quartz countertops cost $60 – $150 per square foot to install. The installation cost will range based on the various complexities outlined above, such as sink cut-outs, soap cut-outs, fixtures, edging detail, and corner details. You may also need to factor in the cost of backsplash installation if you are relying on them to do that as well.

Costs will vary from company to company depending on their expertise, which is why it can be helpful to get installation estimates from multiple contractors. When reviewing your options, make sure the premium surfaces installer you select is licensed and insured, so that if the countertops are damaged during installation or are improperly installed, you’re fully covered.

In total, most homeowners can expect to pay between $5,000 and $20,000 to install engineered quartz countertops in their kitchen. However, this does not account for the removal or disposal of the existing countertops that are being replaced. If you need your installer to remove the old countertops make sure you schedule this ahead of time and ask them about any additional fees so you can factor them into your budget from the beginning.

Some quartz countertops installers may even charge a delivery fee. Make sure you understand the fine print of your installation job so you’re across everything and there won’t be any surprise bills at the end of the job.

Choose MSI Surfaces for High-Quality Quartz Countertops

If you’re in the market for luxurious quartz countertops, MSI offers a wide selection of quartz colors and styles for you to choose from. No matter what color palette or style you’re looking for, we can help you transform your vision into a reality.

Do you need help envisioning how each quartz option will look in your existing space? Try MSI’s countertop visualizer to easily show, in real-time, how the quartz countertops will look in your kitchen. There’s no easier way to plan an upcoming kitchen remodel!

You can also connect with our team today to finalize your selections. You can reach us using our website's chat feature, visit an MSI showroom, or find an authorized MSI dealer in your area.

More on Quartz Countertops

Quartz Countertops in Natural Stone and Marble Looks
How To Get Marks, Stains and Water Spots Off of Quartz Countertops

For more information, please visit Wholesale Pure Color Quartz Slabs.