vwwhippiechick:

have you ever done anything like this before?

If not, (in my opinion) here's a few things to keep in mind:

1. READ EVERYTHING (I'm presuming you're not a guy like me who'd
"skim" over the instructions...HA!)
READ ALL of the instructions
completely - BEFORE you do ANYTHING ELSE... I'm sure that
the company you are working with spent alot of time and effort
to come up with a consise and cojent means of giving you
direction, so use the tools they provide - then, if you
are still scratching your head - post here on GW or e-mail
me at kevin@azschoolofrock.com - I will help where I can.

2. TAKE YOUR TIME (again, don't be like me and "blow and go"
so you can watch the Packers - oh yeah... that's right - they have a "bye" this week... ;-) )
DO NOT be in a hurry -
lives are not depending upon your speed, so GO SLOW

3. REMEMBER YOUR OVERHANGS - typical front overhang is
1 1/2" from the face of the cabinet. Overhangs adjacent to
slide in ranges will depend on the space available - measure
your stone width to confirm what you'll need to allow -
I usually allow 30 1/4" for the stove- flat polish the
egdes that go up against the stove sides

4. SINK SET BACKS & CENTERLINES - most kitchen sink set backs
are 4" from the front of the finished edge -NOT the cabinet face
also, check your inside cabinet dimensions to make sure
that your sink will fit - side to side and frnt to back.
Center lines are usually the center point between the two
front dors of the sink base cabinet.

5. SPACE BEHIND YOUR FAUCET & ACCESSORIES - is your project goinG to be
fabbed out of 3CM material? if so, I'd do a simulation that
will allow you to visuallize where the sink is, where the
faucet will go, And how much space will be left behind the
faucet - ESPECIALLY if you are using 3CM back splash - many
jobs go into crisis mode because this gets overlooked until
it's too late - usually on the day of install - which is way
too late in my opinion. This is compounded when there are
escutcheons (trim rings)that are used with the faucet and accessories...

6. SEAM PLACEMENT - remember that the slabs are only so long,
and that seams will probably be part of the project - the only
place that I try to NOT put a seam at - is over a dishwasher -
just my personal preference...

7. SCRIBING TO YOUR WALLS - your walls are NOT square or even, so remember that you will want to check the points
where the stone meets your walls - DO NOT ASSUME that your
walls run straight

8. DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING - you are giving info to someone
that will never be in you home and can't see what you want,
let alone see your "vision"... you ar essentially telling
somone how to BLINDLY create a series of objects that YOU will be
istalling in your HOME.. remember the old "garbage in-garbage out" analogy, and give as much relevant intel as you
can. Include pohots and diagrams of special areas, that can
be used as reference...

Thomas Edison used to use a two word reference that I love:

"MAKE THIS"

Remember that is what you'll be doing too...

Worst case scenario, you could hire a Fabricator to
do the templating - or at least - hold your hand "on site"
while you do it... just a thought....

hope that helps

kevin

Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA
Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry
www.azschoolofrock.com

I did a template for my vinyl floors - I bought the armstrong kit and it was just thin paper so I didn't bother and used heavy craft paper. Personally, I'd get something thicker depending on what they send foam insulation or plywood, make one template and then make their template from there.

Or, see if Kevin does home visits :)

Kevin, Wow thanks a million. This info is really helpful. Once we get the kit and I read the instructions (DH is not "into" instructions), we may decide to seek some help if we feel there are some problematic areas. It is a pretty straightforward layout - L shaped. Okay, in defense of DH, he is so smart and talented he rarely needs instructions, I am the one who has to go step by step and usually requires some hand holding. Thank you so much for your offer of help. We were hoping the kit would come today but no luck.
pcjs- great thought on the home visit!

VWhippiechick: Just wanted to wish you luck with your countertop! Looking forward to some pics!
Barb

Thanks Barb. We just got the templating kit yesterday. And I use the word "kit" loosely. All it had in it was the material to cut and some kind of red tape. No instructions at all. DH will call them tomorrow to get the scoop. He said he would "talk us through it". Probably need to have my hyperventilation paper bag handy - in case of a freak out :-O

That happened to us to with the flooring, which is why we wanted to make a trial template first out of the large brown/red paper at HD or Lowes (we ended up just using that one in the end and the vinyl fit perfectly but it was scarry cutting it knowing if you mess up that's it).

You are SO BRAVE, but I love your kitchen and it will look amazing with the soapstone when you are all done! I wish I had thought of soapstone when I decided to redo the kitchen, but alas, I hadn't found GW yet! GOOD LUCK! I can't wait to see it when it is all done! How long should it take????

Oh, if only I knew how long it would take ;-) We will try to get the details today. We were expecting to start this weekend but didn't receive the "kit" until yesterday and then needed some guidance to get started. This is bad timing for us as SIL has just bought a new house and she is closing today. So we are helping her move over the next few days. Not sure when we will get to it now. Hopefully will have it done by next week. Thanks for the encouragement! WE NEED IT.