Most countertop disputes — and there are more than you'd think — come down to the same four or five issues, repeated across different fabricators and different kitchens. The questions below surface those issues before you sign a contract, which is the only time you have real leverage.
Ask all five. Listen carefully to the answers. A reputable Ottawa stone fabricator will give you concrete, confident answers; an unreliable one will hedge, deflect, or change the subject. Either response is useful information.
1. "Do you fabricate in-house or do you subcontract?"
A surprising number of "stone companies" in Ottawa are middlemen — they take your deposit, then send your job to a fabricator they don't own. Two problems with this. First, the price you pay includes a margin for the middleman that adds nothing to the finished product. Second, when something goes wrong, you're talking to a salesperson who can't actually fix it.
A direct fabricator will tell you the name and address of their shop. Ours is at 2609 Fenton Rd in Gloucester. Ask if you can visit — a real shop will say yes.
2. "Will the slab I pick be the slab I get?"
This is the single most common worry, and it's a worry for good reason — slab substitution does happen. The answer you want is some version of: "Yes. We mark your exact slab the day you choose it. It doesn't move until install day, and you can visit it any time."
If you hear "we'll get one that looks similar from our supplier" or anything vague, walk away. Stone is a natural material — there is no two-slab quality match.
3. "What does your quote include, and what's extra?"
A complete countertop quote includes: templating, fabrication, edge profile, sink cutout, faucet holes, delivery, installation, sealing, and one-year follow-up. If any of those are itemised as "extras" — particularly sealing, faucet holes, or follow-up — the quote is incomplete by design, and the final invoice will surprise you.
Ask specifically about: (a) plumbing reconnection (some fabricators include it; others require a separate plumber), (b) old counter removal and disposal, (c) edge profile upgrade fees, (d) sealer type and re-sealing schedule.
4. "Are you fully insured and WSIB-covered?"
In Ontario, anyone working inside your home is legally required to carry liability insurance and WSIB coverage. Verify both before they touch a screwdriver in your kitchen.
Ask to see the certificates. A reputable shop produces them on the spot — uninsured operators get cagey or "forget" to bring them. The risk of skipping this question is real: if an uninsured contractor cracks a slab in transit, damages a cabinet during install, or hurts themselves in your kitchen, the cost falls on you, not them.
Two minutes to confirm. Decades of peace of mind.
5. "How long from sign to install, and what could delay it?"
A reasonable timeline for an Ottawa kitchen countertop is 3 to 5 weeks from contract signing to finished install. Less than 3 weeks usually means corners are being cut on templating or curing. More than 5 weeks suggests the fabricator is overcommitted.
Ask what could delay the install. Honest answers: cabinet adjustments after template, a slab arriving from the supplier with an unexpected flaw, a sink hardware change. Less honest answers: vague "scheduling issues" without specifics.
The honest answer
You're not just buying a countertop. You're buying the relationship that comes with it — service calls in year three, sealer recommendations in year five, the inevitable phone call when your child puts a Sharpie on it. The five questions above tell you whether that relationship will be a useful one.
If you'd like to ask us these questions in person, we offer a free 45-minute in-home consultation. Sam brings three slab samples and answers everything on this list directly, no theatre.
