Bathroom Countertops in El Paso

Custom-cut bathroom countertops built for desert homes. COMAF has been fabricating and installing vanity tops in El Paso since 1985. Call (915) 345-3774 for a free estimate.

How El Paso's Water and Climate Affect Your Countertop Choice

El Paso hard water marks just about everything it touches, leaving white crusty spots on bathroom countertops. We receive constant calls to clean up after these deposits accumulate over several months. If those minerals aren't periodically removed (Calcium & Lime), they stick and eventually stain the surface. While some surfaces can easily withstand water, others require more maintenance; if you don't take the time to clean those mineral deposits off, they'll be permanently attached.

Our area of the Borderland has one of the hardest water supplies in the country. The hard water from both the Rio Grande River and the aquifer is what we deal with day in and day out at the bathroom sink. Granite & quartz surfaces best withstand the minerals in water, whereas marble surfaces are far more delicate and require more careful maintenance. We advise all of our showroom walk-ins to purchase something you will genuinely want to clean on a regular basis rather than what looks best.

That said, the dry desert atmosphere is much harder on stone than most people would expect. With low humidity, people often assume the stone will last longer; however, summer temperatures are hard on stone as well. It's not at all uncommon to have 105-degree weather in June and below freezing in December. The heat and cold will cause walls to expand and contract in homes such as those in Kern Place. This expansion/contraction is often noticeable in homes with windows or older homes without insulation. Stone itself expands and contracts with temperature. Your bathroom countertops could even crack at the seams if they can't withstand the expansion or contraction.

With the hard desert water and large temperature ranges, we keep the following in mind for bathroom countertops and vanities:

• Hard water stains around sinks and faucet holes
• Sealer breakdown with low humidity and sunlight exposure through windows
• Heat and temperature expansion and contraction of seams and grout lines
• Dust and sand in unsealed pores

As we have been assisting homeowners since 1985, and our family has seen firsthand the type of stone that works best in this climate, we can help you with what to look for. We import stone direct from Brazil and the porosity and quality of the slab depends on which one you choose. This is even more so true for El Paso, as the slab that may work for a home in Seattle for many years may not be able to hold up in the desert with hard water. And a slab that has better porosity can hold up to hard water for years. Our selection process isn't one of guesswork, we see what works in this climate regularly.

Choosing the Right Material for Your Bathroom Vanity

We get this question all the time. Someone is at our showroom on Gateway Blvd E. They see the different types of countertops, "I like them all. Which should I get?" We'll be honest, you need a bathroom countertop that is right for your bathroom.

Not every slab will last in a bathroom and stand up to the wear and tear of water, curling iron and makeup products. That's why the material you select must withstand those conditions and endure without falling apart. We help homeowners narrow that choice down with a few facts about common countertop materials.

• Granite countertops are excellent in bathrooms. They're heat-resistant, naturally hard, and we get our granite slabs directly from Brazil. That means you get a look that can't be found anywhere else.
• Quartz countertops don't require sealing, which is very helpful in a bathroom. They don't stain easily from cosmetics and hair-care products, and they're a cinch to clean.
• Marble countertops offer a traditional classic look but are softer and more porous. We always have to be upfront with customers; marble countertops do require extra care.
• Quartzite countertops are a standout option. They are harder than granite and have striking veining and hold up very well in high-moisture environments.

Most of the time, the right countertop for a bathroom depends on how it'll be used. A guest bathroom that almost never gets used? Marble may actually be a great fit. A kids' bathroom off Eastside, which gets heavy traffic? Quartz or quartzite are likely a better choice.

Here's one more detail homeowners don't always consider. The climate in Borderland does matter. El Paso's dry desert air means a lower level of ambient humidity than coastal cities, so some stones may perform even better here than they would in other regions. As a family-owned business that has helped residents with this choice since 1985, we know what materials perform in this region.

Not quite sure what the right choice is? Visit our showroom and take a look at the slabs for yourself. See them and feel them, and ask all the questions you want. Spending fifteen minutes in our showroom on Gateway Blvd E can save you from choosing a countertop that you will later regret.

Why Older Vanities in El Paso Often Require Custom Fabrication

This is the exact situation we hear about on the phone on a daily basis. Customers pull an old vanity countertop out of a Kern Place or Upper Valley home, and the vanity cabinet below is too small to support one of our standard sizes. Actually, it is more like way, way too small.

Bathroom vanities in older El Paso homes, particularly those built prior to 1990, frequently don't adhere to standard measurements. Builders used to customize to what the space allowed, and that could mean cabinets with a bizarre depth or width, along with cut-outs the big-box stores wouldn't have in stock. Also, the plumbing could have been installed anywhere; sink placement in those older homes isn't necessarily centered and isn't in line with where we place standard drop-in sink drains today.

There are certain situations we see a lot:

• Vanity cabinets 19 or 20" deep instead of today's 22" standard
• Non-standard width measurements like 38" or 44" between factory sizes
• Non-level walls to hold a backsplash due to the nature of old adobe or stucco construction
• Off-center sinks because of preexisting plumbing

A prefabricated countertop will not solve any of those issues. You'll end up with the countertop extending out where it shouldn't, and you will need to leave gaps at the wall so you don't have to relocate plumbing that you do not have the budget to replace. As an El Paso family-owned and operated fabricator since 1985, we've taken care of countless custom vanity countertops for non-standard vanities. It's almost always cheaper to have it custom fabricated nine out of ten times rather than modifying the cabinet, or, even worse, moving plumbing to make a factory-size countertop fit.

We come out and template the exact measurement of your vanity from edge to edge, every angle and curve. We'll then cut your bathroom countertop from the stone material of your choosing: granite, quartz, marble, or quartzite. We'll cut it to fit your vanity. Not the other way around.

That's why you're far better off with a local El Paso fabricator who imports stone right from Brazil and custom fabricates right here in El Paso. You'll never be forced to buy a countertop that is close enough to your measurement requirements, and is close enough to fit.

Here's What the Bathroom Countertop Installation Process Looks Like

People want to know exactly what to expect when selecting your countertop and slab to have it on a vanity. A fair question! That's exactly how we work. So when you've selected your countertop, whether it's granite, quartz, or quartzite, we're going to take you through the process we started in 1985.

• Vanity Template – We'll send a fabricator to your home to laser measure your vanity from every angle in your bathroom, down to 1/32 of an inch. All the sink cutouts and faucet holes are included, along with any backsplash you require.
• Slab Fabrication – With the template in hand, we're taking your stone and cutting and polishing it to these exact measurements. We then finish all edges to your specifications, and seal the sink cutouts so they'll be nice and smooth.
• Dry Fit & Inspection – No stone leaves our shop without a dry fit on the bathroom vanity. Seams get examined, sinks repositioned, and the color and pattern you originally chose confirmed.
• Installation Day – Our crew comes in to install all your countertops. All the counters are removed from your vanity, your new countertops are set, each one is verified to be secure and plumbing connections are made. Most of our bathrooms can be done in a few hours.
• Walkthrough – We don't leave until you're satisfied with the end result. Take your time; check out every corner and edge. See that every seam is perfect? Any issues that arise, we make sure to fix on the spot!

Most projects finish within 7 days from the first template, but a smaller bathroom vanity in Kern Place or The Westside could potentially be finished before that. Another common question I hear from homeowners is how clean our job sites are. We do all our fabrication at our shop, so there isn't any stone dust or debris on your bathroom floor while you wait for your countertops, keeping the rest of your home clean.

By taking our stone directly from the quarries in Brazil, we maintain quality from quarry to countertop. This is more important than you may think. Many countertop installers in the El Paso Borderland use middlemen to resell stone, which only serves to raise the price and lack consistency. We don't work with middlemen. Your stone will be the one you approved, and not a different slab. And ultimately, this is all dependent on the family business model we use. When you measure your stone, that same person is familiar with the fabricators who are going to cut it. There isn't an awkward separation between the two, we communicate directly, and make fewer mistakes.

Wondering what stone might be best for your bathroom? Contact us at (915) 345-3774.

Maintaining Your Bathroom Countertop for the Long-Haul

Bathroom countertops often see more action than you might think. They hold hair spray and lotions, nail polish and hair dryers, they see it all. In El Paso we've been making and installing stone countertops for residents since 1985 and tell our clients to maintain it regularly.

Stone is a tough material. But, it's not indestructible. Here are a few of the suggestions we give to customers following the installation of their new stone bathroom countertop:

• Wipe away spills immediately, including acidic ones like perfume or nail polish remover
• For daily cleaning, use a pH-neutral cleaner rather than chemical cleaners
• Have a soft or microfiber cloth on the countertop for convenient wiping
• Don't put hot styling items on the stone (put on a trivet or mat)

In many cases, when we inspect an older bathroom countertop we see the effects of long-term neglect rather than a single event. That could be a ring stain from a makeup or lotion that was left out on the stone for a while, or perhaps it became etched when cleaning with a solution that was too strong. Small, seemingly insignificant problems can accumulate over the years.

Granite countertops and marble countertops should be sealed on a regular basis like every year for the average El Paso household (although for a bathroom with heavy use, we'd recommend sealing twice a year). Quartz countertops are nonporous and never need to be sealed, and one of the reasons quartz has grown so popular with our customers in the Borderland area.

We often hear from Eastside customers who wonder if we could repair a chip or scratch from several years back. In most cases, the answer is yes. Minor chips in natural stone can be refilled, polished, and effectively rendered invisible. That being said, prevention is better than the cure, and we ask our customers to put felt protectors on the bottom of heavy objects like soap dispensers or vanity trays.

When you stop by our showroom on Gateway Blvd E we'll show you maintenance kits for the stone you've chosen. We want your bathroom countertops in stone to look great in five years, in 10 years, even in 20 years because that's the real value of natural stone.

Bathroom Countertop Materials

Choose from five premium materials — each available to see and touch in our El Paso showroom.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about bathroom countertops services in El Paso

Ready to Get Started?

Call now for a free estimate. Call (915) 345-3774 today.