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Getting Started in Countertops

The things you need to know before jumping into the market

Doug Bannister demonstrates on countertop

Doug Bannister, The Stamp Store, demonstrates on a countertop during a training class. Getting trained should be the first step when starting in the countertop business.

Embedding glass pieces in countertops is one of the most popular looks. It's important to talk to the manufacturer of your mix to make sure it will work with glass or other embedded items.

Buddy Rhodes combines molded furniture, like this cone table, and matching countertops in many residential applications.

One of the biggest benefits of concrete countertops is their unlimited adaptability. For this project, The Countertop Concrete Institute embedded coins into the countertop to provide the client with a unique finish.

Attention to detail is extremely important with concrete countertops. Here Jeff Girard of The Concrete Countertop Institute demonstrates the proper edging of a sink.

"Countertops require more time and more work than most contractors are used to." Buddy Rhodes

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At the same time, it's important to prepare clients for what a concrete countertop is and what it isn't, says Bannister.

"Concrete countertops are not a precision product — it's a handcrafted product," he says. "We stress the front-end work — making sure that is really what the client desires. Too many contractors don't prepare their customers for the end result."

A different type of business

It's not only the technical aspects that make concrete countertops different. The industry also requires a different mind-set from a business standpoint, Girard says.

"Contractors need to understand that there's more to this than ‘How do I make the thing?'" he says. "They need to understand sales and marketing. They need to know what the needs of their market are."

Many contractors see the prices people are paying for countertops — $100 or more per sq. ft. — and get dollar signs in their eyes. What they need to understand, though, is the scope of the work, Girard says.