Chris and Darren Cifreo (owners) have had extensive training in the stone industry from the "granite capital of the world," Elberton, GA. Their commitment to quality comes from pride in their work with a hint of competitiveness. Southern Style Granite runs on the belief that when someone is good at something he is passionate for, his perfection shines through.

Southern Style Granite believes that quality is #1 and so each of our customers is treated with honesty. As small business owners, we understand the importance of each customer and appreciate them being a part of our family.

Southern Style Granite is different from all other local fabrication companies in many ways. Below is some "granite education" for you to learn more about stone and why SSG is the best choice for the fabrication of your next natural stone project.

SSG is capable to fabricate stone for many uses. This includes fabricating countertops, furniture, fireplaces, and memorials/monuments. All of which are 100% custom to their customer’s needs. SSG employees put in an extensive amount of work connecting with their products and services. At SSG, Chris and Darren welcome any and all customer input allowing them to offer completely custom work.

SSG uses full scale templates that allow them to fabricate detailed kitchens without error. It all starts with a plan: measure twice, cut once. Other companies use partial templating systems that allow for error because they glue them together. The glue used in this process can shift the template board at any time. Some other companies use laser templating systems that are known for being inaccurate in the countertop industry. During Southern Style Granite’s templating process, a solid sheet of template material is used that will not shift or warp. This system also allows the customer to physically see exactly how his or her kitchen will look dimensionally.

In your kitchen, the number of seams should be very limited. Sometimes seams are unavoidable, but many times, seams are only used because your fabricator wants to reduce how many slabs he has to use or to speed up his fabrication time. In the end, those kitchens look more like granite tile jobs rather than slab work. At Southern Style Granite, seams are chosen not to benefit the material budget, but instead are aimed at enhancing the seamless look of a kitchen. All of SSG’s seams are color matched to the stone. While joints are not invisible, a Southern Style Granite installer will take every step to provide a seamless look to your joint both by sight and touch. One step they take is by color-matching seams. This helps camoflage the appearance of your seam. Another step taken is polishing of the joint edge profile. This gives your seam a smooth and seamless feel to the touch. As mentioned earlier, sometimes seams are completely unavoidable, but the fewer seams in your kitchen, the better it will look.

Slab selection all starts with the quality of the slab. A few things to consider before selecting your slab include:

1. Where have your slabs been stored?

Outside or Inside?-The life of your slab begins underground. It is quarried and shipped to fabricators. Southern Style Granite shows its commitment to quality again by storing slabs inside. This preserves the color pigments and polish. UV rays will fade the color pigmentation that make your stone so desirable. Different weather elements such as acidic rain and hail can chip away at the polish of your slab. Many other fabricators choose to store their slabs outside because it’s cheaper to store them outside than to retain a structure to protect the slabs from weather and UV rays.

2. Slabs are classified by quality standards: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice.

a. 1st choice: Slabs that are x-rayed for hairline cracks or invisible holes in the stone. These slabs have zero imperfections. Also, color pigmentation is the best in a 1st choice slab. These are the slabs that can be referred to as "premium rock." b. 2nd choice: Usually these slabs are a step lower in color pigmentation. Many times these slabs have an undesirable "odd" spot in their pattern. c. 3rd choice: This material is structurally lower than 1st or 2nd choice, and is usually considered the waste of the quarry. SSG chooses to install only 1st choice/Premium slabs.