Universal Stone, Inc.

This is the counter top I have! Do not EVER purchase quartz counters made by Universal Stone, after this experience I wouldn’t trust anything from them. They have their own line of quartz and they may LOOK beautiful but they are terrible!!! I have had them for less than a year!! I can’t even have my children do homework in our kitchen, on the huge beautiful island we had installed because they have absolutely NO durability. The spiral of a notebook, a tin pan of brownies cut with a butter knife, the buckle of a purse gently set down can and WILL make grey linear markings all over that cannot be removed by ANY per their words “safe” cleaners. I tried everything from diluted alcohol, rubbing alcohol on small spots, soft scrub gel (removed some but left a different stain), their $30 Bravo cleaner they assured me would work, 409 for counters, NONE OF THEM WORKED!! Then I tried Bar Keepers Friend on one small spot after researching and it worked but left a bright white mark and after checking with them I was told to never use it as it damages the counter-that one was my mistake. I informed them of everything and they sent a tech out today. And to my surprise he insisted on using Bar Keepers Friend. Again it worked like I knew it would, but it ALSO left the counter top in that area whiter than the rest. I didn’t allow him to do the other 10+ areas as I was told to avoid BKF from their staff and I didn’t want him to ruin anything further. He told me I needed to contact Jenna then, so I did. She said my counters and fine and nothing is wrong with them and that their staff can use BKF because they have been trained (but he left the same white marks I did) but homeowners should not us it. How can I keep my counters scuff free when the only product that works makes the spots 10x by both myself and their tech. I have normal manufactured white quartz at our cabin and have had ZERO issues with marks or staining, so the problem is clearly with the ones they manufacture. My initial island they installed had two bright white lines going down the whole thing and another bright white spot. I pointed it out to the tech when he came by after install and he said there was nothing he could do. Reached out to Jenna my sales rep and eventually got it replaced at no cost to me….. great, EXCEPT had I known how unusable the countertop material really was I would have had them all removed at that time. They clearly make a very poor quality quartz counter and tahr ZERO responsibility for it. Per them, there is “nothing wrong with them” but I also can’t clean off the multiple marks all over my counters unless I use BKF and turn the grey linear marks into big white blotches which is NOT a solution to the problem. My family and I barely use the counters because of all these issues. We invested in redoing our kitchen and intended for it to be the main gathering place of our home but Universal Stone has ruined that. See Google review for pictures: The first 3 pictures are if the island the initially installed. Everything after that is some of the markings/stains in multiple places. The last picture is the white blotches he left after fixing 1 area. On top of this there are also chips in two areas and one of the sides of the island didn’t get fuller sanded/buffered before install- (this part I just told them today so they have not had an opportunity to correct but I’m also not getting my hopes up) STAY FAR AWAY FROM ANY UNIVERSAL STONE MADE QUARTZ!

We recently added new countertops as part of an overall kitchen remodel. We initially visited Universal Stone in late March after the place was highly recommended by one of the kitchen contractors we considered. Universal's great indoor showroom in Shakopee showcases a nice assortment of full slabs on display. It makes the selection process far easier, versus looking at smaller samples. We worked with Kelly in the Sales Department, who was very friendly, cooperative and informative. She provided a quote to us shortly after our initial visit and was very responsive in all subsequent communication. As our remodel didn't commence until late August, we continued to look at a few other places over the summer. We eventually returned to Universal and made our final selection. The gentleman who stopped out for the measurement was very efficient and pleasant. After payment was received, the fabrication of our countertops was prompt and the full installation occurred within two weeks. The Install crew were polite and skilled. There were no issues with the install whatsoever. We opted for the Black Pearl Granite for the primary, larger countertop and the Invictus Quartzite countertop for a second free standing smaller cabinet. Once installed, both countertops looked great. I highly recommend Universal. They've got a nice product selection and their team provided solid customer service. Lastly, we found their overall pricing structure to be affordable and competitive. A job well done. Thanks for the great work!

I am the owner of a restoration company and in that capacity have had the opportunity to work with Universal Stone several times on projects where our customers needed new countertops in their kitchens. My experiences with them have been overwhelmingly positive from start to finish. They are incredibly responsive, even when we need something last minute. Their prices are very competitive and the quality of their work is top notch. They have done a great job working with our customers and ensuring that their questions are always answered and that they are satisfied with the finished product. They will continue to be our first call when a customer of ours needs countertops!

Universal Stone Inc. is easy to work with, the quartz stone is beautiful, I shop around with big box stores but decided with Universal Stone, I visited their warehouse/show room there you can see the full size stones not in stores where small sample size. Luke the sales person explained to me the process. Very responsive for any questions. There's a small hiccup in the installation but they take care of it fast. I highly recommend Universal Stone for any of your projects. Will definitely hire them again. My project is worth 7k+

Very nice showroom and saleswoman. Beautiful product and would buy from them again.

They did a fabulous job.

Universal Stone was great to work with, from picking out our countertops to the install. The showroom has a large selection and they don't pressure you at all. I was able to walk through the showroom/warehouse by myself to pick out my favorites. The measure and the install went well and was quick. Most importantly our new countertops are beautiful!!

Very well considering the cabinets were far from level. They put in leveling strips until the tops were level.

it went great! They referred me to a tile installer and that went well also

UPDATED REVIEW, there was type on my first one: They sent 3 people to do the work. They arrived on time with the correct sink and counter top, however before they even started the beginning was terrible. My order said to remove the existing garbage disposal, replace with just a regular sink drain, plus remove the expensive reverse osmosis system faucet on the existing sink, and then reinstall it in the new sink. The 3 people they sent did not have the information that was on the order to remove the garbage disposal and replace with a regular sink drain. They did not also have what was on the order to remove and then reinstall the reverse osmosis system faucet. They even told me that they weren't too sure how to do it, but they could probably figure it out. I did not let them start removing anything on the existing sink area because they admitted they were not sure they know how to do it AND they asked me a 2nd time if I still wanted to keep the reverse osmosis system. IT was on the order to keep it, and it was a very expensive and very good water filter system for the kitchen sink water AND ice cube maker in the freezer. So YES I want to keep it. I almost cancelled the order because I did not want someone disconnecting the garbage disposal OR reverse osmosis water filter if they were NOT experts in it (and by their own admission they were novices). I do believe they were EXPERTS in kitchen counter installation though. Luckily I had a construction company people here doing other major work that heard the end of our argument and one of the construction company people had both removed within about 5-10 minutes. So then I left with the construction company people to pick out bathroom fixtures, light fixtures etc for the other remodeling work being done. While I was gone I told the counter top people to go ahead and install the counter. The work they did was excellent. I suggest that if you hire this company to do counter top removal and replacement to go ahead and do so, but any plumbing hire your own people to come out twice. Once to disconnect things, and once to reconnect things after the counter/sink is installed.

After visiting several granite vendors we chose Universal Stone and are very glad we did. During the selection process, Jenna was extremely helpful in answering all our questions and concerns. She guided us through the process enabling us to take the time we needed to choose our favorite colors from their large inventory. They went the extra mile to pull out a nice selection of slabs for us to choose from once we picked the colors we liked. She also helped us save money by finding a nice remnant for one of the counter tops. They arrived to install the granite when they promised. They sent Sergei out to make sure everything was perfect and to our complete satisfaction.

Excellent product and very knowledgeable sales person. I shopped around and for the price, they had a much better selection and higher quality. They were also two weeks sooner than any other place for install.

Very happy and it looks great.

Buyer Beware. We'd been to Universal Stone on other occasions to look at their granite selection. This past Spring when we found a stone we both liked, we were excited to purchase and have it installed in our kitchen. Prior to signing the contract, I read the reviews here on Angie's List just to be satisfied that others were happy with Universal Stone. Those reviews gave me confidence but, in my experience, Universal Stone came up lacking. Their customer service skills are deplorable. Calls were not returned, timelines were missed, no explanations or apologies, no follow through, etc. When we decided to move forward and asked for a quote, it was promised to us within 1-2 business days. The timeline was missed. When we chose our stone, we were assured we’d have layout photos to approve within 1-2 business days. This timeline was also missed. When we did get the layout photos, they were such poor color quality we weren’t even sure they were all the same stone, let alone the stone we chose. During a phone call with Universal Stone I was assured they were just different close ups of the same stone so, I approved. I did not ask, “Is this the stone we chose?” – I didn’t think of it. Why wouldn’t it be the stone we chose? And, to be honest, I’m not at all confident the sales rep would have known whether it was our stone or not. We were told Universal would confirm the start time for the install (already scheduled for a couple days later) but we were not contacted. The installers just showed up at our door on the day of the install. I do have to mention the installers were great. They took care with our home laying canvas drop cloths on the floor so no dirt or dust was tracked as they were in and out cutting stone on the sidewalk. When they left, they picked up all of the debris and took with them. I appreciated this immensely. During the install, we suspected the stone installed was not the stone we chose. We confirmed our suspicions at a later date by verifying “our stone” was still in the show room - with our name on it. When questioned, we were told the designers couldn’t get the layout “lined up quite right” with the stone we chose so they swapped it for a different stone. When I approved the layout, I didn’t realize I was approving the new stone since we were never informed a swap had taken place. We feel very strongly this point should have been clarified. We have slight “ripples” on the edge of the granite on our island. Universal Stone did come out to the house to inspect and correct if possible. We were told the ripples were present because the granite was cut by machine instead of by hand – which seemed counter-intuitive, even to the sales rep – but nothing could be done. In early September I wrote a letter to the owner of the company expressing my disappointment with the process, the lack of customer service & lack of effective communication. There has been no response from him – yet another disappointment. Our countertops look ok but we won’t be hiring Universal Stone for any future work we may have done in our home. If you are doing some remodeling or updating in your own home, I would not recommend Universal Stone. I’ve spoken with contractors who praise them but there isn’t the personal investment if you’re remodeling or building a home for someone else.

Got a preliminary estimate from Corey, based on my measurements. Based on that, I had their measuring pro come out. He used an impressive laser measuring system to get everything on the nose. His measurements came out 5 sf more than mine, but his included the backsplash. Picked out the pattern and scheduled install. Installers were early, but Corey called ahead to make sure it was OK. They had the old stuff out and the new stuff installed in an hour and a half. I was impressed. My only quibble is that they left a bunch of the screws from the old countertop inside my cabinets. I would not hesitate to use them again or recommend them to my neighbors.

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Excellent customer service.  I even re-hired them to come back and re-seal.  They even taught me to how re-seal them.

Very easy to work with. We set up the measure and install ahead of time to keep my project moving forward. Everyone showed up as expected, the measurements were perfect. Installers used drop cloths everywhere and left the kitchen as clean as they started. Many other companies wanted to use 2 or 3 seams and to my surprise there was just one. Very pleased start to finish.

We couldn't be happier with the repairs Pavel did - his work was top notch and his cost came in under the estimate we were initially provided with. 

Highly responsive: Called for service & work was completed later that same day. Repair tech stayed into a Friday evening, on his own time, to complete the work. Excellent work, friendly tech. If you schedule repair, ask for Pavel. You won't be disappointed & you will be happy.

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I have used Universal Stone to replace counters in my kitchen in lower level wet bar.  I have had very professional, prompt service from them on both occasions.  Any issues were quickly resolved to my satisfaction.  I would recommend this outfit for your granite or marble counter needs.

Universal Stone was very prompt and did a good job with the installation. They provided excellent quality and competitive pricing compared to most retailers.

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