Granite Countertops That Are a Cut Above

What a homebuilder puts in his own house says a lot. And when Chris Fritts decided in 2005 to build himself a new waterfront home on Lake Norman, “I wanted the lifestyle that goes with it.” Since an upscale kitchen was an integral part of that lifestyle, Fritts sought a granite dealer who could provide custom-fabricated countertops.
“A basic rectangle is one thing,” observes Fritts, who is president of Chris Fritts Construction builds custom and spec homes in the range of $400,000 to $800,000. “But for upscale homes today, you need countertops in a variety of configurations.”
Yet Fritts’s decision was easy. Though the Charlotte area has many granite dealers, few have the computerized machinery to precisely turn out custom countertops—or the warehouse space for customers to see the entire slab before they buy. Fritts chose All Granite of Denver, N.C. “I also use them for the homes I build,” he adds, “because they can produce countertops with attractive styles and edge profiles that help my homes sell.”
Owner Ken Black says his firm deals with both builders and homeowners. “We have 30 employees, four buildings, and three computerized machines—with a fourth on the way—that let us fabricate countertops to virtually any template,” he notes. The large All Granite showroom also features porcelain, ceramic and natural stone tiles, pre-finished hardwood flooring and carpet—and knowledgeable salespeople to assist homeowners with their remodeling or new construction needs.
Using its high-tech equipment, All Granite can make countertops with elaborate curves and five different edge profiles. “The result is a countertop that looks more like a piece of furniture than a cut-out rectangle,” states Black. By contrast, most granite shops are small operations that cut slabs manually and are limited in the configurations they produce.
“In building or remodeling upscale homes,” Black continues, “we’ve seen a trend in countertops. Though we have the standard colors which have been popular for years, customers are also going for granite with more character, color, vein, and movement.” Homeowners who are accustomed to seeing a dozen color choices and basing their selections on one-foot-square samples, he notes, “are surprised when they come to All Granite, see more than a hundred colors, and can choose from hundreds of slabs onsite.”
Fritts was so pleased with All Granite’s kitchen countertop that, earlier this year, he had the company install a custom-designed countertop for his basement bar. “With the level of workmanship Ken’s company can achieve and the wonderful color I was able to choose,” he says, “the bar isn’t just a piece of polished rock. It looks like a polished gem.”

Check out All Granite’s color and slab selection at www.allgraniteinc.com or visit the showroom at 4338 Burnwood Trail in Denver, N.C., just south of the Highway 16 and 150 intersection. They can be reached at 704-489-1023.