There are plenty of places in Las Vegas, Nevada to buy stone for counter-tops but none in my opinion offer a better array of memorable stone choices than Marble Express, located at 3925 W. Sunset Rd., Las Vegas, NV.

Our luxury re-model of 586 Lairmont Place Henderson, NV 89012 has progressed to the point at which it was time to select the stone for our cabinetry and vanities. I see the same unremarkable granites for sale at all the usual outlets, and it is such a pleasure to walk into the Marble Express showroom. All the colorful and unique stone choices available makes one feel  like they are in an art gallery rather than a stone and tile store.

Quartz

A man-made product that feels like granite but can be produced in almost any color. It is very popular for the modern trend that is sweeping higher end residential design.

Granite

A hard, natural stone marked by a very grainy appearance.

Marble

A natural stone, metamorphosed limestone that has shiny, crystalline appearance.

Limestone

Natural stone, sedimentary rock.

Onyx (hot trend!)

A beautiful stone noted for its chaotic banding patterns. It is also translucent and a terrific choice for back-lighting.

For our kitchen cabinetry, we are going with modern looking white quartz with subtle gray bands. The vanities are a selection of both quartz, granite and marble. The show piece in a dining room is a wall mounted 4-8 foot backlit onyx. The fiery oranges and yellows bring the room alive. We expect to complete the home in early August 2016.

During the remodel phase of our luxury investment home at 586 Lairmont Place, Henderson NV in MacDonald Highlands community, a decision will be needed in regards to the level of drywall finishing. 

The 5 levels of drywall are:

• Drywall is hung
• Tape covered with mud
• Screws covered with thin coat of mud
• Cover screws again with mud, sand surface
• Small skim coat, sand and prime
• Skim entire surface, sand and prime, laser level

The average production home with course texture will use a level 3 or 4 finish.  For our 11,700 sqft luxury home, we chose to use a level 5 smooth finish because the type of buyer for this home will expect the best.

Obviously, the price goes up as your finish level goes up due to the high level of preparation. Level 5 requires the installer to level every surface with a laser to insure there are no imperfections.  Some areas of exception are behind cabinets and walls that tile will be applied. The highest level of attention will be large walls and especially the ceilings as the light reflects and rakes across highlighting any imperfections which are very evident to the eye.

Every project is different and requires a finish to best suit the look and budget of the home remodel. We have chosen level 5 finish because our project calls for it.

A reflective ceiling plan is what the floor plan should look like if the viewer were holding a mirror and looking down onto it.  Basically, every component on the ceiling needs to be drawn before construction, items such as venting, lighting, fire safety and soffits.  Since our investment project in MacDonald Highlands already built with a certificate of occupancy, some of our components were already in place.  Our designer Jared Lebo, also a licensed architect, provided a full set of reflective ceiling plans to outline the following:

Drop Ceilings/Soffits:

Each room was designed with respect to the entire home so that the look of the ceilings will be fluid throughout.  We incorporated some LED tape lighting to accent the soffits in the dining room, grand salon, lounge, master bedroom, master bath and executive office.  The light is inserted into a slot as to give a hidden look.  Another feature we incorporated into 3 rooms (kitchen, grand salon and dining room) is a wood grain panel to be inserted in between the soffits, in the center.  The bedrooms and movie theaters have standard drop soffits.

Lighting:

The home was fitted entirely with 6 inch recessed lighting with some 2 and 3 inch accent lights throughout.  We decided with guidance from our designer, to change out almost all of the 6 inch fixtures and install 4 inch recessed lights.  The bathrooms are fitted with 1 inch pin lights.  There are several art walls that have 3 inch amiable accent lighting.  A few areas have track lighting, such as the master closets and the kitchen.  I have discussed in a previous article titled “Choosing a Low Voltage Package” full details of our total home automated lighting and audio.  Basically, all of the lights in the home can be controlled by two Ipads located in the kitchen and master bedroom, remotely by phone, or by any switch throughout the home.

Fire Safety:

An extremely important aspect of our ceiling plan is fire safety.  This portion is drawn and work completed by Nationwide Fire, a company that specializes in fire safety.  Strategically placed sprinklers and smoke detectors which were present when the home was purchased need to be properly inspected and in some cases replaced.  The city of Henderson strictly enforces fire safety codes and requires that all structures over 5000 square feet be fitted with a sprinkler system.

With the proper reflective ceiling plans, we have ensured our investment home at 586 Lairmont Place will be properly lighted, designed with modern drop ceilings and most importantly, a safe environment.