Fabricating Premium Custom Countertops

Natural stone that is fabricated into countertops can transform the look of your kitchen. You can choose between granite, quartz, or marble and decide what color your stone countertop should be. Learn more about the stone fabrication process and what it takes to create premium custom countertops.

Initially, the rocks are mined from the earth, then split into blocks and brought to fabrication centers, where a block saw slices the blocks into slabs. Measurements need to be taken of the kitchen. With the right measurements or coordinates recorded, the template is created and a slab is then shaped into a countertop, using either a bridge saw or technology such as CNC routers, water jets, and automatic saws. Robots may even be involved from start to finish, from slicing the slabs to finishing the stone surfaces. Water cooling systems are used during the cutting and polishing processes to keep the stone from heating. The countertop is finally polished to smooth the surface, which brings out the colors of the stone’s opaque minerals.

Fabricators need to be aware of several steps when fabricating stone. They need to avoid vibrations to the stone so that it doesn’t become damaged during the cutting process. Clamping near the cutting line resolves this issue. They also need to be careful when polishing and finishing because overdoing it could ruin the surface. Long slabs need to be cut lengthwise first, then widthwise, and thick or distorted slabs need to have their thickness cut in half from opposite sides. Seams and cut edges near corners tend to be vulnerable, so they need to be avoided.

When going through the stone fabrication process, fabricators need to be careful when creating countertops because small mistakes can cause damage. With new, more accurate technology, custom stone countertops are more quickly created and are of better quality and finishing than hand-cut stone countertops.