Kitchen service
Countertops and stone
Template, fabrication, seam planning and installation in quartz, granite, quartzite, porcelain and soapstone.
Overview
What this work actually is
A countertop is one of the few parts of a kitchen with no adjustment once it is cut. Everything is decided at template: the seam positions, the overhang, the edge profile, the sink reveal and the cut-out tolerances for the cooktop.
We template with a laser after cabinetry is set and levelled, never from the drawing. On a run over about 10 ft a seam is unavoidable, so we place it where it does least harm, which is usually over a cabinet gable and never across a cooktop cut-out or a sink.
What is included
Everything below is in the price
If something is not listed here it is not assumed. Anything outside this list is quoted separately and in writing before it happens.
- Slab viewing at the fabricator, with your layout marked on the slab
- Laser template after cabinetry is set and shimmed level
- Seam plan drawn and agreed before cutting
- Edge profile: eased, mitred, bullnose or a 1-1/2 in built-up
- Undermount sink cut-out and reveal, cooktop cut-out to the appliance spec
- Faucet, soap and air-gap drilling to your fixture list
- Installation, silicone, and a first seal where the material needs it
How it runs
4 stages
01
Select
We book a slab viewing and mark your layout on the actual slab so you know which part of the veining ends up on the island.
02
Template
Laser template on site after cabinets are level. Takes about 90 minutes. Appliances and the sink must be on site by then.
03
Fabricate
Seven to ten working days at the fabricator (sample). Seams, cut-outs, edge and drilling all done in the shop.
04
Install
One day. Dry-fit, seam set, level, silicone. You have counters that night and a sink the following morning after the plumber returns.
What moves the price
Where the money goes
- Seam positions agreed on a drawing, not decided on install day
- Slab viewing so the veining you saw is the veining you get
- Cut-outs taken from the appliance spec sheet, not a generic figure
- Material
- Engineered quartz and entry granite sit well below quartzite, book-matched marble or porcelain.
- Square footage
- Priced per square foot of slab used, including the offcut a waterfall end requires.
- Edge
- An eased edge is standard. A mitred 1-1/2 in apron doubles the stone in that run.
- Cut-outs
- Each sink, cooktop and drilling is a shop operation with its own cost.
Sample band: $78 to $260 per installed square foot, material dependent. Sample figure for orientation, not a quote.
Over a cabinet gable wherever possible, never across a cut-out, and never in the middle of an island run if the slab is big enough to avoid it. You see the seam plan before we cut.
No. Engineered quartz is a resin-bound product and will scorch or yellow well below the temperature a pan off a burner reaches. Granite, quartzite, porcelain and soapstone will not. Use a trivet regardless.
Usually, if the boxes are level and strong enough. We check the gables and add plywood subtops where a 3 cm slab needs support.
Only with a fully sealed hard finish and careful detailing, and we will still recommend a drop-in or a stone run at the sink instead.
Related
Often part of the same job
Full kitchen remodel
Layout, cabinetry, stone, tile, lighting and floor, drawn and built as one job.
DetailIslands and seating
Free-standing blocks with real clearances, knee space, power and, where needed, ventilation.
DetailBacksplash and tile
Set-out drawings, cut planning, grout joints and edge details that land where they should.
DetailWhere we stand
Book the survey and we will tell you whether this is the right service for your room.
If a cheaper service solves your problem, we will say so. We have talked more than one client out of a full remodel and into four days of refacing.