Designing a custom kitchen means working with professionals who specialize in the crafts you need. Just as you’d need a master carpenter for custom cabinets or a master plumber for new water fixtures, custom countertops require the work of a stone fabricator. If you want countertops cut from a solid slab or granite, marble, or quartz then a stone fabricator is the professional who can do that work for you, and at the highest possible quality. Stone fabrication is the art of turning a slab into custom pieces that fit perfectly together.
Of course, most homeowners don’t know what to expect approaching their marble or granite fabricator for the first time. What does a granite fabricator do? How does stone fabrication become custom countertops?
We’re here to answer these questions and more with a quick guide on how to best work with your stone fabricator during a custom countertop project.
What is a Stone Fabricator?
A stone fabricator is a professional who can measure, template, and cut stone countertops and other slab project pieces. The precision and facilities to cut the natural stone slab is what matters most. Your stone fabricator is someone who knows how to turn a beautiful natural (or unnatural) slab into the countertops and other stone features you have envisioned.
Your personal stone fabricator will assess your kitchen and help you template the best pieces of marble or granite for each section of your countertop. Then, with the help of a team, they will precisely cut your chosen slab so that each piece fits perfectly in a near-seamless design when installed into your kitchen.
How to Find the Best Stone Fabricator for Your Project
Finding the right stone fabricator is about building a partnership. Your search can start with recommendations or browsing local fabricators on Yelp or Google. Build a list of finalists who seem reputable and start making calls. Find a stone fabricator who:
- Is licensed and certified
- Has a beautiful gallery and a history of happy customers
- Can help you choose the right slab
- Shares your vision of the remodel project
In addition to checking credentials and past project results, look for a stone fabricator who understands your vision. Find a person you share a positive rapport (vibe) with and who seems to know exactly the look and feel you are going for in your remodel design.
Tips for Working with a Stone Fabricator
Once you have found the right stone fabricator, it’s time to work together to make your kitchen remodel vision into reality. Here are some practical tips on how to experience the best project for the most beautiful countertop final results.
1) Find Your Ideal Slab(s) to Start From
Always start with your slab or slabs. Your fabricator may be able to help you choose and source the right slab, or they may suggest a stone supplier to tour who might have the slabs you’re looking for. When you find the right marble or granite slab and fall in love, get your fabricator involved and start talking about its potential as your countertops.
2) Identify & Share Your Favorite Slab Sections
You may have some favorite sections of your slabs, shown in the grain, color, and flow of its natural elements. Point these sections out to your stone fabricator so they can spotlight them on the island or center of your countertop space – and not lose your favorite pieces to a sink cutout. Your fabricator may also point out more beautiful spaces that will flow well together when cut into countertop pieces.
3) Tour the Kitchen Layout With Your Stone Fabricator
Bring your stone fabricator into your kitchen and show them the space to be templated and topped. If you are making renovation changes, finish those renovations before involving your fabricator so the most accurate assessment can be made. Talk about the amount of countertop you’ll need, along with your preferred shapes, edges, and features.
4) Ask Your Fabricator for Design Ideas
Always ask your stone fabricator for ideas on countertop elements and overall design. They may have some great suggestions borne from experience and familiarity with stone slab. They may suggest features like small shelves or carved details that you hadn’t thought about, but love upon considering. Your stone fabricator has likely done dozens if not hundreds of kitchens and they have a few cool stone cutting design tricks up their sleeve to share.
5) Finalize Details, Then Template the Countertops
Before you template, make sure everything else is selected and/or in place. Have your sinks installed and ready, if possible. Place your appliances that will be built into the space. If you want an inset butcher block or a unique storage design at countertop level – finalize all of this. Then ask your stone fabricator to create a template that perfectly fits the kitchen as it will be when completed. The measurements must be precise for your countertop to be perfect when installed.
6) Ask to See the Template Process
When it’s time to draft and cut, ask your stone fabricator for insight into the template process. You can even work together to decide which template pieces should be cut from each section of your slab for the most beautiful effect. Seeing the template can help you realize how your slab is going to become a unique custom-cut stone countertop.
7) Make Use of Your Slab Remnants
Last but certainly not least, talk to your stone fabricator about what can be done with your slab remnants. These are the pieces cut away from the template and left over. You can turn them into beautiful backsplashes, mosaics, serving boards, toppers for shelves and half-walls, or even put them to use outside in the garden.
Here at Arch City Granite & Marble, we are proud to house both an incredible selection of marble and granite slabs to choose from and our own team of expert stone fabricators. You can find everything you need for breathtaking custom countertops in natural stone or quartz composite right here. Contact us today to explore our beautiful slabs or consult with our stone fabricators to find the perfect partnership. We look forward to working with you!