From your measurements to a finished top.
One shop measures it, cuts it and installs it. Here is each step, what you do and what we do.
The terms
- Deposit
- 40%
- Due at template, with your sink and faucet on site.
- Fabrication
- 3 to 5 business days
- Counted from your deposit and your picked slabs.
- Install day
- 3 hour window
- The install itself typically takes 2 to 4 hours.
- Who
- One shop
- The shop that takes your template cuts the stone and brings it to install.
The rest of this page is the detail, and the last block is a list you can print. If you are still choosing, the gallery shows jobs and the materials page covers the stone.
Four steps, in the order they happen.
1Estimate
In writing
Measure the width, length and depth of your countertops, then send them to us with the rough layout of your kitchen.
What to send
- Width, length and depth of each countertop
- A drawing of the layout with your sink, your cooking surface and the backsplash
- Whether the backsplash is stone or tile; if it is tile, just tell us
Our cost article explains what moves a countertop price. You are also welcome at our stone yard, where we help you choose the material; see what to bring to the slab yard. Send it all through the estimate form.
What do I need ready to get a written estimate?
Send the width, length and depth of each countertop, plus a rough drawing of your layout that shows your sink, your cooking surface and the backsplash. Say whether the backsplash is stone or tile. We write the estimate from that drawing. The price can change after template, depending on your final measurements and material selections.
2Template
40% deposit
Once you have the estimate and your final decisions, we schedule a template date. A template is an exact pattern, so the countertop fits precisely.
Before we come
- Countertops cleared
- Sink, faucet and cooktop on site; with a downdraft, that too, or the stove
- Cabinets completely set in place and level
- Old countertops removed, in most cases
- 40% deposit
Every appliance that goes into the countertop, including the sink, faucet, cooktop, downdraft and accessories, must be on site at template. We call the day before to confirm. Changes after that can delay your project and could incur additional charges. Where a countertop reaches past the cabinet, corbels, brackets or steel supports may be required. With the details set and a deposit in hand, we can start fabricating the same day.
How much is the deposit, and when is it due?
The deposit is 40%, and it is part of the template checklist. With the details set and a deposit in hand, we can start fabricating the same day. The 3 to 5 business day fabrication count runs from the time we have your deposit and your slabs are picked, so the deposit is what starts the clock.
What must be ready on template day?
Countertops cleared, and cabinets completely set in place and level. The sink, faucet and cooktop or stove must be on site, along with any downdraft, because every appliance that goes into the countertop has to be there at template. Old countertops are removed in most cases. We call the day before to confirm.
3Fabrication
3 to 5 business days
Counted from the time we have your deposit and your slabs are picked. The work happens at the shop, with a saw and a slab.
Cutouts for a cooktop Cutouts for a sink or a cooktop, like the ones in this photo, are part of the work. We keep seams to the fewest the job allows; see seams and sinks.
How long does it take to make my countertop?
Our process takes 3 to 5 business days from the time we have your deposit and your slabs are picked. The work happens at the shop, with a saw and your slab, using the exact pattern taken at template. The count starts at the deposit and the picked slabs, not at the estimate.
The template to install timeline article walks the same sequence with sources.
4Install
3 hour window
You get a 3 hour window for when our technicians arrive with your countertops. Installation typically takes 2 to 4 hours.
Top on the shop floor - Old top removed and lower cabinets emptied
- Cooktop or slide-in stove on site
- Plumber booked to reconnect the plumbing the next day
- Stove or gas hook-up booked for after the install
We can remove your old countertops and dispose of them for an additional cost.
How long is the install?
You get a 3 hour window for when our technicians arrive with your countertops, and installation typically takes 2 to 4 hours. Before that day the old top needs to be removed and the lower cabinets emptied. Your plumber reconnects the plumbing the next day, so book that person ahead of time.
Few seams, and a sink that shows no rim.
Our philosophy is as few seams as possible, and the utmost consideration for where each one goes. A seam in the wrong place is the thing you see every day.
For an undermount sink, our standard is a negative reveal. The stone overhangs the bowl by 1/8 to 1/4 inch, so the rim sits back under the stone and the edge you see is stone. Anything other than that standard takes a signed request for custom labor.
See it on real work in the bath and vanity photos, where the sink cutouts are close up. Choosing between undermount and drop-in? Our sink article compares them.
Repairs, cleaning and sealing.
Repair, cleaning and sealing are on the shop's service list. The schedule above is for new tops; for a repair, call and ask what yours needs.
Call during shop hours, Mon to Fri 9 to 5, Sat 9 to 2, or tell us what happened through the estimate form. Our article on repairing a chip covers what a small chip involves.
What the shop repairs
- Chips
- Cracks
- Stress marks
- Stains
- Open seams
- Rip out of old kitchen
- Cleaning and sealing
What changes the price.
There is no figure here: the shop writes one for your kitchen, from your measurements. These are the terms that move it.
- Final material and slab
- The estimate follows the stone you pick. If you change stone after you have it in writing, the price changes with it.
- Final measurements
- We measure on your set cabinets. The price is subject to change after template, depending on your final measurements.
- Sink, cooktop, backsplash
- Tell us what goes in the top and whether you want a stone backsplash. If you are doing tile, say so and we leave it off.
- Old tops
- We can remove your old countertops and dispose of them for an additional cost.
- Supports
- Corbels, brackets or steel supports may be required where a top extends beyond the cabinet.
- Changes after confirmation
- We call the day before your template to confirm. Changes after that may delay your project and could add charges.
What we leave to other trades.
What does the shop not do?
We do not tear out, remove or dispose of any tile backsplash, appliances or cabinets, and we do not disconnect your gas. We are not responsible for any gas, plumbing or electrical work, so book those trades around your install. We can remove your old countertops and dispose of them for an additional cost.
Plans change. If yours does, please give us three days notice to cancel. Questions first? The contact page is the quickest way to reach us.
New Granite & Marble
What to have ready
To send for the estimate
- Width, length and depth of each countertop
- Rough layout of the kitchen
- Sink, cooking surface and backsplash on the drawing
- Stone or tile backsplash
At template
- Countertops cleared
- Sink on site
- Faucet on site
- Cooktop and downdraft, or stove, on site
- Cabinets set in place and level
- Old countertops removed, in most cases
- 40% deposit
Before install day
- Old top removed
- Lower cabinets emptied
- Cooktop or slide-in stove on site
- Plumber booked for the next day
- Stove or gas hook-up booked for after
Send what you have.
Measurements, a rough layout, your sink, your cooking surface and the backsplash. We write the estimate from them.