Category Archives: Uncategorized

Press Release


Crocodile Rocks of Kenmore, Washington
Receives
Best Of Houzz 2014 Award
Annual Survey and Analysis of 16
Million Monthly Users
Reveals Top-Rated
Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals
February
4, 2014 – Crocodile Rocks of Kenmore, Washington has been awarded “Best
Of Houzz” by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The Natural Stone Company that is notorious for
having the best Marble & Soapstone selection in the Seattle area was chosen by the more
than 16 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.
The
Best Of Houzz award is given in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and
Design. Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors,
including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in
2013. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 16
million monthly users on Houzz, known as “Houzzers,” who saved more than 230
million professional images of home interiors and exteriors to their personal
ideabooks via the Houzz site, iPad/iPhone app and Android app. Winners will receive a “Best Of Houzz
2014” badge on their profiles, showing the Houzz community their commitment to
excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home
professionals in every metro area on Houzz. 
“We treat our customers like family”

“Houzz provides
homeowners with the most comprehensive view of home building, remodeling and
design professionals, empowering them to find and hire the right professional
to execute their vision,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of community for Houzz. “We’re delighted to recognize Crocodile Rocks among our “Best Of”
professionals for customer satisfaction as judged by our community of
homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating
their homes.”
With
Houzz, homeowners can identify not only the top-rated professionals like Crocodile Rocks, but also those whose
work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate
professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking
questions about their work and reviewing their responses to questions from
others in the Houzz community.
Follow
Crocodile Rocks on Houzz: http://www.houzz.com/pro/crocodilesrock
About Crocodile Rocks:
They’re
a locally family owned business whose main goal is to offer top of the line
natural stone slabs, at wholesale prices to the public. Their staff realizes
that choosing stone can be a daunting process; so they’ll take you under their
wing and make you feel like family. They also are extremely knowledgeable &
want to teach you all you need to know about the stones you’re interested in.
About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design,
providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to
finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a
custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and
home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With
the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community
powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to get the design
inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they
need to help turn ideas into reality. For more information, visit www.houzz.com

Choosing a stone fabricator

Things I should know before I choose a fabricator

If they truly are a good fabricator, they support the Marble Institute of America (MIA). Check to see if they are a member HERE.

When choosing a stone fabricator, these are our favorite quotes that put the importance into perspective:

“You get what you pay for”
“All fabricators are not created equal”
Stone fabricators really are artists! The experienced ones really know what they’re doing. They have been there done that, meaning they know what works and what doesn’t. The right way, isn’t always the most inexpensive.  They aren’t like a painter, where you can just choose a color and have them move forward.  Every stone is different, meaning you can’t treat all of them the same.
You’ll want to make sure they’re insured. Check their references. If they say they’ve done certain stones (soapstone, sandstone etc.) and you don’t see photos of finished jobs in that particular stone on their website, ask for references, see how the job & quality turned out. This is all a normal; don’t feel like you’re being too concerned. You’re spending a lot of money and you want to make sure the end product is not only going to look good, its going to  last! Another thing to consider is when you’re doing a light stone, whether it is white marble or a light limestone; they require specific glues. Now glues/epoxies are not cheap! So if you’re going with the lowest bid, expect that the glue may bleed, meaning it will spread into the next piece (if there is a seam) and it may discolor, making it very obvious there is a seam. It may not happen the first week; it could happen months down the road. This is all based on experience and the quality of glue/epoxy they use.  Also, there is epoxy and polyester. Epoxy will last when you’re doing laminations, polyester will last about (3) years. The lowest bid will use polyester because it’s a quarter of the cost, compared to epoxy. But as long as it looks good, they might not care that it’s going to last.
Check out their showroom to see examples of their seam quality. Either on the actual counter top, or the edge; you shouldn’t be able to feel the seam. The veins should also flow into the edge or back-splash, not abruptly stop and start somewhere else. This is especially important when using a material with dramatic veins, patterns or movement; like marble or soapstone.
Below are some photos that do not have very good seams. This is most likely the quality you will get, if you pursue the lowest bid and don’t check the fabricators work, before committing.
Pattern going different directions

Wrong color/pattern match

Wrong color/pattern match

Wrong color/pattern match

Large seam & wrong color match!

Thick seam on engineered stone

Thick grouted seam

Horrible color match, thick seam on this laminated edge

2cm Calacatta Bella (Gold) Kitchen