Nobody wants a $3500 Slab to break during installation.

Sep 28

Written By Torin Dixon

Coco's Granite: Building a Safer Way to Install Stone | No Lift System

Customer Story

Coco's Granite: Building a Safer Way to Install Stone

From the truck to the cabinet top

A 72-inch-tall slab of Cristallo isn't the kind of countertop an installation crew wants to take chances with.

At 90 inches long, the island wasn't the longest piece the experienced crew at Coco's Granite had ever installed. But size wasn't really the issue. The stone was beautiful. Fragile. And very expensive. That meant protecting the slab — and the people handling it — mattered even more than usual.

When Coco's recently sent us video from the installation, Ryan Lee summed up what the crew experienced:

"It wasn't the longest island, but it was 72″ tall by 90″ long. The extra support was great for this very expensive stone. It made the crew feel at ease with the extra support." — Ryan Lee, Coco's Granite

That last sentence tells an important part of the story. The crew felt at ease.

From Brute Force to Controlled Movement

Anyone who has spent years in the stone industry knows what happens when an unusually large or fragile piece arrives at the jobsite. The fabrication may be finished, but one of the most difficult parts of the job is just beginning — the countertop still has to make the journey from the truck to the cabinet top.

Traditionally, much of that journey has depended on manpower. Experienced installers lift, carry, balance, rotate, and position hundreds of pounds of stone — sometimes several times during a single installation.

Coco's Granite has been changing that equation. Rather than relying on a single piece of equipment to solve one part of the problem, Coco's has embraced the No Lift System Complete Solution — crane, Roll-A-Ramp, and installation cart. Each addresses a different stage of the installation process.

1Crane — moves heavy countertops off the delivery vehicle without requiring the crew to manually unload them.
2Roll-A-Ramp — creates a controlled path between the vehicle and the jobsite.
3Installation Cart — supports the countertop through the final stages, including one of the most physically demanding moments: rotating a large piece from vertical to horizontal and transferring it onto the cabinets.

Watch What Happens With This Cristallo Island

For this installation, Coco's crew transported the 72″ × 90″ Cristallo island vertically on their No Lift cart. Once the countertop was positioned alongside the island cabinets, the cart provided the support needed to rotate the large, fragile slab from vertical to horizontal in a controlled motion. Then the crew used the cart's stainless-steel transfer balls to slide the countertop from the cart onto the island cabinet base.

No dramatic heave. No crew straining to hold the slab in midair while somebody tries to line it up. Just a controlled transition from vertical transport to its final horizontal position.

The expensive stone made it safely onto the cabinets — and the crew's backs didn't have to pay the price.

Watch the Cristallo island installation at Coco's Granite

Coco's Story Is Bigger Than One Island

We've had the opportunity to watch Coco's use the No Lift System on multiple installations, and that's why we believe their story is worth telling. This isn't about buying a piece of equipment for the occasional monster island. It's about changing how a company approaches installation.

One of the most meaningful examples has been an experienced member of the Coco's crew who had reached a point where the physical demands of installation were making him question how much longer he could continue doing the work. Years of lifting stone take a toll. With mechanical assistance taking on more of that burden, he has been able to continue doing the skilled work he knows — years longer than he once thought would be possible.

That's something we care deeply about at No Lift. The stone industry cannot afford to unnecessarily wear out its most experienced people.

Experience Should Become More Valuable With Age — Not More Painful

An experienced installer possesses something a machine can't replace: years of knowledge. He knows how stone behaves. He recognizes risk before a problem occurs. He understands seams, cabinets, walls, difficult access, and customers. And he can teach the next generation.

Losing that installer because his body can no longer tolerate repeated heavy lifting isn't just an employee problem. The company loses decades of knowledge with him.

The goal of No Lift System isn't to eliminate the installer. It's to eliminate as much unnecessary lifting as possible so the installer can keep installing.

Coco's Granite is showing what that can look like.

The Complete Solution

The modern fabrication shop has already embraced technology throughout much of its operation. Installation deserves the same attention. That's why we've continued developing No Lift beyond the installation cart.

Crane → Ramp → Cart → Cabinet Top.

Instead of asking installers to provide the lifting power at every stage, equipment carries more of the load while skilled people remain in control.

The recent Cristallo installation at Coco's is a beautiful example. A large, fragile, and expensive piece of stone. A crew that understood exactly what was at stake. And equipment that allowed them to concentrate on installing the countertop rather than simply surviving the lift.

No broken stone. No broken backs. Another successful installation.

From Shop to Cabinet Top

We're grateful to Ryan Lee and the entire team at Coco's Granite for continuing to share their installations with us. Real jobs like this demonstrate something better than any product brochure ever could: there is a better way to move and install stone.

If your installation crews are still relying primarily on manpower to unload, transport, rotate, and position countertops, talk with a No Lift Solutions Specialist about building a system around the way your company actually works.