Hi faeriedust - I know what you mean about local fabricators. None of our were very helpful. They certainly did not encourage us toward the soapstone which we wanted. The local pricing was in the stratosphere - too much of a budget buster for us. Gary at Maine Soapstone did not give us a price per square foot or a fabrication cost. He gave us a total price with shipping costs being extra. Every local estimate we got had a different square footage total for our counters but we have about 42 square feet. So it came out to about $57/sq foot for stone and fabrication. Then an additional $435 for shipping. It was around $300 dollars more than the fully installed granite. Gary shipped us the stuff and we did our own template. This was new to us and a little tricky but he talked us through it and it came out great. We sent the template back and they cut the stone to the template. I told Gary what kind of stone we wanted - dark, quiet with minimal veining. He suggested Amazon and sent us pics. I was so worried about not picking the slab myself because early on when we went to pick out granite it took me literally days to make a decision. But I couldn't be happier with the stone that he selected. We had a simple eased edge, a sink cutout with holes for the faucet and soap dispenser. There were two seams so we had 4 separate pieces. I really wanted only one seam but I was so glad Gary talked us into two because it would have been too heavy for us to handle. They fabricated and shipped it back to us in about 3 days. Fantastic turn around time even though they were having subzero temps and "feet" of snow. Shipping took about 5 days. We took our trailer to the FedEx dock in Lexingtion and they loaded it with a fork lift. It was crated very securely with wood and about a million screws. At least that's how many my husband said he took out. :-) Gary explained how we should uncrate it and handle it. So we parked the trailer by the back door of the house, CAREFULLY uncrated it and brought it in piece by piece. It is really heavy about 20-22 pounds per sq foot so you need lots of muscle to handle it safely. We positioned each piece where it needed to go. The fit was absolutely brilliant. Our house is as crooked as they get - no square, straight or level surfaces anywhere. So I was expecting to have to do some tweaking. But I am not exagerating when I say they were perfect. We then shimmed and leveled each piece. We had to do very little to get them level as our cabinets were perfectly level to start with. We epoxied the seams. Again Gary talked us through the process before we started. And it really was a breeze. The seams are hardly visible. I think the keys to getting a good finished product from the process IMHO are 1. Discuss, discuss, discuss the process with Gary. He was so patient and informative. Almost always available when we needed info or guidance. His expertise and the way he shared it with us was invaluable. 2. As Kevin from A-Z stone consulting said - "Take your time". Work the process slowly and rehearse the steps before you do them. That sounds kind of weird but it helps. 3. Make sure the template is right. Make sure the template is right. Did I say make sure the template is right! ;-) 4. Get some good strong friends to help lift and position the stone sections. Get more than you think you need. We did and boy were we glad we had those extra hands. Hope this information is beneficial. I don't want to come off like I think I am some kind of expert 'cause I am definitely not. But when we were considering DIY I tried to contact anyone who could give me information. I think expert advice is the most important but it is great to hear from other greenhorns who have tried it. I am happy to answer any questions I can for you. If you would like to call sometime I will give you my phone number. This whole process was definitely anxiety producing for me. Lots of unknowns and things out of my control. I worried about everything, the look of the stone, the template, the delivery, the pick up, the fit, the seaming etc, etc, etc. But in the end it was so worth it. I LOVE MY SOAPSTONE AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT! Good Luck!!

If you read my previous posts you probably know that the cabinet install was about the only thing we didn't DIY. After seeing the complexity of the whole process I think it was money well spent. I believe our install cost was only $850. Also our initial quote from Mouser was definitely what I would call "ridiculous". It was equal to the budget for the whole remodel. AFter that quote we went to several other cabinet suppliers and got quotes which were much more in line with our budget but the quality just wasn't there. I was pretty disgusted with the whole deal. But because the Mouser line was the only line we saw that I had any enthusiasm for and my DH was so impressed with the construction he talked me into going back for a second try. We spent a lot of time discussing options with them to bring down the price. We gave up a few things and they cut their cost a little and we were able to get the price in the range that we could still eat after we finished the kitchen. It was a give and take process but the outcome was fair and I got all of the things that were really important to me. Wish you the best!! Valarie

Right!! As I have noted in many of my posts on GW, I HATE selecting paint colors. I can't tell you how many samples I tried and I even mixed some of my own. Finally I gave up and took all my stuff, cabinet sample, floor tile, dining room paint, etc, to an ID and she helped us. This color is called Cafe. It is by Devine. Even if your local paint store doesn't carry the Devine line, they will usually have a color wheel from all the lines and can match the formula in another brand. We really like the color and it is amazing how it brought all our elements together including the green in the dining room. Thanks for the compliments. I am hoping to post my "done" pix soon.

Maine SS sent us the materials to do the templating ourselves. We then sent the completed template back. They fabricated the counters and shipped them to KY. We picked them up at the local Fed Ex. DH invited a few strong friends and we had them in place in no time. The sections of stone are quite heavy! I really could not believe how perfectly they fit. And I do mean PERFECT. We had to shave the drywall about a 16th of an inch in one corner and that was it. We had two seams to seal and Maine sent the materials to do this. This was the trickiest part but we took our time and followed the instructions. Our seams are hardly visible. Gary was fantastic. He talked us through the templating process, the handling and the install including the seaming. I could not have been happier with the whole experience from the selection, the ordering, the delivery, the customer service to the final product. I LOVE my SS. We debated for some time on this decision because it was considerably more than local granite supply. It would not have been in the budget without this DIY option. Gary did recommend the Amazon after we told him what we had in mind and he selected our stone. It is just what he described and it is lovely. It holds the oil really well and so the maintenance is very, very minimal compared to some info I've seen on GW. The ability to put hot pots/pans directly on it is such a nice convenience. Everyone who sees it, has to touch it and they love it too. It really compliments our cream cabinets. One of the best decisions we made in our DIY remodel. I will try to post some pics and if you have any specific questions let me know. Good luck. I really don't think you will regret a decision to work with Gary. He's awesome.