Erin Napier has a clever way to get beautiful stone countertops on a budget

In any renovation, stone countertops are always a high-ticket – sometimes shockingly – budget item. However, not every countertop project needs to break the bank. From HGTV Instagram Posted a clip of celebrity interior designer Erin Napier, of “Home Town” fame, sharing how to get high-end stone countertops on a budget: using leftover stone. “We love remnants. A slab would have cost us like $2000, but this was only $400,” Napier says of the stone he chose for the small bathroom vanity. Many commenters were a bit confused about how the residuals work and whether her number includes labor. As an interior designer, I’ve always felt it’s my job to help educate my clients about what they’re paying for and where they can save. My gut instinct was to break down the stone fossil process in detail, so you know exactly what it means – and what it doesn’t.

Generally, when you are man-made or purchased Natural stone countersYou’ll have to buy a whole slab — or multiple whole slabs — regardless of the size of the final countertop. This is because in this way fabricators have to buy stone slabs from their manufacturers. And while you can use most slabs for a larger project like a kitchen counter, many projects end up with leftover pieces when the slab is cut. While you may choose to use this excess material elsewhere in your home (more on that later), any usable material that is left with the fabricator at the end of the day becomes a remnant or partial slab, which can be purchased by another customer. Let’s break down what that shopping process looks like, how to choose the right residue, and the realistic financial picture if you go the residue route with your next countertop project.

If you choose residual, the stoneyard will usually charge a significantly lower price per square foot or use a cheaper size-based pricing tier. Material-wise, residuals can save you 40% to 70% per square foot, depending on the size of your project, fabrication details and residual choice. Erin Napier refers to this type of savings when she says: Stone vanity countertop Was only $400. However, while that may technically be true about the cost of materials, unless she has a special deal with her fabricator, the rest of us have other fees to consider.

For complete transparency, you will still need to pay the full labor costs for countertop fabrication and installation, even if the materials themselves are cheaper. In Napier’s example, you’ll pay a labor premium for thicker mitered-edge details. That sounds great, but in reality, it will set you back more than a few hundred when you factor in the labor on top of the materials. So yes, it’s a decent savings to buy the remnants, but there will still be significant labor fees for the budget.

As a note to those wondering, “Wait, how can they sell the same stuff twice?” – Let’s unpack this. If you buy a A full size stone slabTechnically, the content is yours. Therefore, I recommend finding a secondary space to use the extra stone you paid for, although you will still pay a labor fee for each additional counter. You can keep spare raw, unpolished pieces, but storing them is a cumbersome, heavy undertaking that most people don’t want to deal with. When the stoneyard takes on this responsibility, think of the second residual sale as industry-standard compensation for the space, time and effort it takes to catalog, move, store and care for the stone between projects.

Let’s take a step-by-step look at Erin Napier’s stone fossil recommendation for more clarity on the buying process. While some fabricators may have an online relic inventory, most require an in-person treasure hunt, which I recommend anyway so you can see the stuff with your own eyes. Come prepared with your final countertop measurements and tape measure, as the pieces will come in different sizes that may or may not work for your project. Bring samples of any room finishes with you for reference to ensure your stone selection will work beautifully with the design.

Stoneyards usually arrange the remains by size, although it’s certainly not a perfect system, so comb each display rack carefully. Besides the obvious search for the most aesthetically pleasing relics, you’ll also want to double-check a few things. As for measurements, if a scrap is squared off, you’ll want a piece slightly larger than the size of the finished countertop to work with. If the partial slab is irregularly shaped, consult the fabricator to ensure that he can make a finished product of the correct size from the piece. Also watch out for structural integrity, inspecting for cracks, breaks and imperfections.

Another consideration for purchasing relics is aesthetics – and this is a double-edged sword for me. On the one hand, shopping for existing pieces limits your design options to available inventory, and some appointments are sadly busts. On the other hand, sometimes you stumble upon an extraordinary stone that you wouldn’t have considered due to factors like slab cost and appearance, which gives your project a unique upgrade you’ve never seen before. I absolutely love it when that happens. If you are flexible and open-minded when looking for relics, the universe may surprise you with a gift.