Stone and Installation FAQs

Expect the actual installation to take a few hours. 

Before we arrive, please remove all contents from your sink base cabinet. We’ll handle the removal of the upper drawers because we’ll be working through them to install your stone. To avoid getting any dirt in the base cabinets or lower drawers while we work, we recommend that you empty them as well.

Next, clear a path for us to make carrying the stone into your house and performing the installation easier. For example, please remove any construction material, ice, or snow before we arrive. Each piece of stone can weigh up to several hundred pounds, so a clear path is a mandatory requirement for your safety and ours. 

If there are gas or electrical connections to be disconnected during the installation, this should be done prior to our arrival. After our work is finished and the stone is installed, your plumber or electrician can complete the necessary connections (attaching faucets and accessories, electrical outlets, the dishwasher, etc.). We aren’t licensed or insured for plumbing and electrical work. 

Our installation services include:

• Contacting you to set up the template and installation appointments (installation usually occurs within 2 weeks of templating)
• Conducting ourselves professionally and treating you with courtesy, efficiency, and clear communication on-site
• Making minor structural adjustments to the cabinetry
• Mounting the sink (if they’re undermount models) 
• Installing the stone of your choice 
• Gluing the seam(s) 
• Cleaning up after ourselves, including trash removal and stone sealing 

Templates are replicas of new countertops made from plywood strips. Existing countertops don’t have to be removed prior to templating. However, please remove everything from the counters in advance. 

You may determine the following items when we template your project:

• Overhangs: 1" – 1.25" is standard in the front of cabinets, but stone can overhang up to 10", provided there is at least 20" of counter-balanced stone to act as a cantilever. Longer overhangs or shorter supports require additional support
• Corners: We produce corners with a 0.5" radius unless otherwise specified. We can do fancy curves, clipped corners, or odd angles – just let us know
• Edges: Many different edges are available, from slightly eased to ogee to chiseled
• Seams: We’ll work with your design to produce a top with as few (or no) seams as possible while keeping in mind slab size and weight, stairways, low ceilings, and other things that affect our installation crews. When we do have to seam material, we may use multiple colors of epoxy to distract the eye from seeing a straight line (this minimizes their appearance). Our state-of-the-art techniques produce very tight seams
• Finish: While polished is still the most popular, there are other finishes available for your countertop

Granite is very resistant to heat. Engineered quartz is significantly less resistant to heat. If extremely hot pans are placed on quartz, it will scorch – leaving it beyond repair. It’s always wise to use trivets or hot pads.

No. We use a heavy-duty DuPont sealer – FREE of charge – when we create your new countertop. 

Engineered quartz materials are designed to be non-porous and do not require sealers.

The differences are aesthetic and functional. 

Common finishes include: 

• Polished: This mirror-gloss finish is very familiar. The look is achieved using increasingly finer and flexible diamond-grit pads. Watch for pits when selecting your slab. While it’s a low-maintenance finish for granite, it is not always appropriate for marble, especially in the kitchen. Soapstone will not take a full polish
• Honed: Smooth to the touch like polished countertops, it lacks the shine. A honed finish is attained by using a coarser diamond-grit pad. This finish ranges from a dusty look to an almost-polished appearance. We recommend this finish for marble used in kitchens. Most granite and darker marble will show fingerprints and rings from glasses if honed, so we don’t recommend it in these materials. Soapstone is almost always honed
• Brushed, antiqued, and leathered: These interchangeable terms signify a rumpled feel and a modest shine without gloss. It’s achieved using pads with flexible fingers of plastic and diamond grit. The size and shape of the rumples depend on the stone’s crystal size. This unique finish is more understated and elegant and requires less maintenance than honed

When we cut a job from new slabs, the leftover pieces are called remnants. We use the ones that are large enough for smaller projects. Typically, remnants are ideal for vanities, fireplace hearths and surrounds, and other small jobs. This is a great way to get a fancy stone without breaking your budget. Best of all, remnants are sold at a discounted price. 

Each natural stone slab is unique, and there are some variations you should be aware of.

Pits appear as tiny divots or chips where grains were released during the polishing process. They’re so small they may not be visible in certain lighting or from different viewing angles. They are very common in some stones but don’t impact the stone’s integrity. That’s why you should feel your slab when choosing the stone so there are no surprises later. 

Granite derives its name from the root for grain. Due to its granular nature, it may include tiny pits on the surface. Granites are made of many different minerals of varying hardnesses. In contrast, biotites, the black minerals throughout the slab, are very soft and flake easily. All true granites contain biotites. 

Veining may be present in all types of stone. One slab may have none; the next may be heavily veined, indicating the presence of a different mineral than the background composition. 

Inclusions are portions of slabs that look different from the rest. Small, medium, or large, they can be very obvious or barely noticeable. 

Fissures are surface features that appear as hairline cracks in the stone. They won’t grow or widen over time, and they won’t impact the structural integrity of the stone. If you can’t feel it, it’s a fissure. If you can, it’s cracked. Fissures don’t need to be repaired. Cracks can be. 

When slabs are cut from the large chunks of stone at the quarry, there may be voids in the surface. Softer stones such as travertines and limestones can have so many voids they look like a dense sponge. Quarries fill these voids and polish the surface smooth. Voids may be evident on the cut edges of the slabs. Colored fill is often a prominent feature in the stone. You may find slabs where the fill is poorly color-matched. 

While these characteristics add to the unique charm of natural stone, we recommend that customers view their slabs prior to fabrication. You can even locate your template on your slab to maximize or avoid specific areas.

People have used marble in kitchens for centuries, and the patina that the stone develops from continued use is part of the stone’s charm. It’s very popular even today. Marble is a viable option for the kitchen as long as you’re aware of its installation intricacies. 

Marble and other soft stones are quite porous and stain easily. Sealing protects the stone from discoloration, but the surface of softer stones can be etched by acidic elements like citrus, vinegar, coffee, etc. If you use these products on a polished finish, you'll definitely experience visible etching.

Due to the heavy-duty use of kitchen counters, polished surfaces show scratches. Choosing a honed surface rather than a polished one will dramatically reduce (though not eliminate) scratches and etching. We recommend a honed finish to marble in the kitchen.

Yes! The standard measure of hardness scale (MOHS) goes from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond). Granites are typically in the range of 7, marbles around 3 or 4, and soapstone 1.5. By comparison, steel is a 5. If you run a knife on granite, you’ll get a dull knife. If you run a knife on marble, you’ll have scratched marble.

There are three basic types of natural stone and several types of man-made (engineered) stone used for countertops.

Granite, the most common, is resistant to scratches and quite abundant in nature. Granite or granitic (granite-like) stones include quartz, feldspar, and mica. Their hardness is about 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. These igneous rocks are formed when hot molten lava cools into various crystalline forms. Granite is the most popular stone countertop material because it withstands heat better than other products, is stain resistant when sealed, is very hard (resists scratches), and comes in hundreds of spectacular colors. 

Care and maintenance: We permanently seal every top. No future maintenance is required. For daily cleaning, use soap and water or clear spray cleaners. While colored cleaners such as Simple Green and others work well and won’t damage the finish, they can leave behind a tinted residue as they evaporate. Over time, the residue can build up.

We recommend and sell StoneTech’s professional cleaners, revitalizer and Granquartz 3-in-1 spray. Customers get a complimentary can with every project. For stone products that you own now that haven’t been permanently sealed, you should reseal every 1 to 5 years as needed. 

Marble, travertine, and limestone result from different natural circumstances and are composed mostly of calcium carbonate. 

Limestone formed in ancient sea beds as the shells from microscopic organisms accumulated and were compressed. If that limestone were subjected to heat and even more pressure underground, it would eventually re-crystallize into marble, which is why limestone may include fossils but marble never does. 

Travertine forms as dissolved minerals at and around hot springs are deposited over time. All of these stones are softer than granite, 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, and are susceptible to etching from even the weakest acids. We recommend a honed finish wherever acids may be present. 

Care and maintenance: Care procedures for marble, travertine, and limestone are similar to granite. These stones can be scratched by cutlery or unfinished ceramics, such as mug bottoms. The polished finish can be dulled by things like lemon juice, cola, or coffee, so more care is required. When you use acidic products, wipe them up quickly before any damage is done. 

Soapstone was once the standard for New England kitchens, and people continue to appreciate this material. Predominantly talc, like the powder, it’s quite soft – 1.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. It’s non-reactive and non-porous, so it will survive almost anything. Due to its density, soapstone is virtually impossible to stain. 

Care and maintenance: Soapstone never needs to be sealed because of its inherently non-porous properties. While soapstone scratches easily, elbow grease and some 80-grit sandpaper will bring it back to its original state. Application of mineral oil neutralizes tonal differences and hides minor scratches while bringing out the depth of the stone. 

Un-oiled stone looks more rustic, and work areas will quickly develop a patina. Oiling the entire top eliminates this. Dry wax is a longer-lasting option and leaves behind a dark look without the need for frequent re-oiling. 

Quartz is a man-made (engineered) material created by encasing natural quartz chips in a resin base. The colors are typically consistent because it’s made in a factory using specific mixtures. Quartz requires no resealing. Scratch- and heat-resistant, manufacturers still require you to use trivets for hot pans. You can buy quartz under the names Silestone, Zodiaq, Viatera, Caesarstone, Colorquartz, Chroma, and others. 

Care and maintenance: Quartz products are typically cleaned with simple soap and water or mild household cleaners.

Green products are made from 100% recycled glass and concrete and come in dozens of colors. They perform very much like natural stone and are sealed like granite or marble. Brands include IceStone, Vetrazzo, Eco, and other products with recycled content. To varying degrees, these products can accrue LEED points for your projects.