Stone Countertop Installation Quality
It may be difficult to access the quality of your countertop installation if you don’t know what to look for. Below we have outlined some guidelines to follow when you are accessing the quality of your installation job. Please note that these guidelines apply for any stone countertop installation, as the process is the same for all.
It is important to know that the quality of your stone installation relates to both the installation process and the fabrication process.
- Because granite and quartz are second to diamonds in regards to hardness, fabricators need to use a special blade with diamond chips to properly cut these stones. Bigger machines, as opposed to hand held saws, are needed to cut large and straight pieces of these stones. These machines, along with the special blades, help to avoid chips and rough edges. Always ask your fabricator/installers what type of cutting machinery they have and ask about the size of the machinery as well
- A measurement template of your kitchen prior to the stone fabrication process is extremely important. Installers normally use special template materials, such as wood strips or plastic, to make these templates. The most challenging kitchens for countertop installations are kitchens which have odd angles, which are basically anything other than 90 degrees.
- A good countertop installation will be completely level, or within ¼”. Please note that if your cabinets aren’t level, then your countertops can not be installed completely level. Problems, such as your stone cracking, will occur as a result of an un-level countertop. (Please refer to ‘quality cabinet installation’ for assistance on overseeing that process.)
- With stone countertops, the seams are visible. However, with good installations, you can have a good seam. You should always discuss with your fabricator/ installer where the seams of the countertop will be located. Seams should be very close, within 1/8”. There should be no major chips and when you touch them, they should feel completely smooth. A bad cabinet installation can affect the quality and visibility of seams.