My templating was done that way and the countertops "fit like a glove" everywhere. No gaps what so ever. We were emailed a copy of the template to approve. My stone did not have veining so there were no concerns about where sink and cooktop cutouts would be or any matching. The sink and faucet cutouts were done at the fabricators. Nothing had to be drilled on site. The tops were set in place and attached with whatever it is they use. The installers also installed the sink but the plumber came and hooked up the plumbing. Hope it works as well for you.

I have heard of people going to the factory when the template is being placed on the stone. I didn't do that since I did Absolute Black and there isn't any movement in it.But if I was going for the placement of template, I pesonally would want a physical template so I could better visualize where I would want things. I'm not sure how they do it with lazer templating. For really tight corners, ask for zero radius. I did 1/2" radius and I think my corners are pretty tight. They look good with my eased edges. You can google to find images of what different radius' look like.

Our quartz was lazer set as well. It was fascinating watching the computer capture every measurement. The technician describes it as one of the best ways to ultimately assess how well the cabs are installed since walls, floors, and ceilings are rarely perfectly level/aligned. He was impressed with our install because of the unevenness of our floors and walls, and was able to find one place where a slight cab adjustment would improve alignment. He showed us everything before sending it off. On install day, the lazer guy was present as well. It was fun eavesdropping on the conversations as the installers remarked how nothing beats lazer for helping to get the best seams ever.

They only had 1 qualified lazer tech, so we waited till he was available. It postponed our install for about 2 weeks, but was well worth the wait.

I imagine you will be very happy (I hope :-).

Yes, this was a fascinating process to watch. Our granite had alot movement so we were able to see two options for the layout after they measured in order to choose what we wanted where. We had the option to also go there in person again, but it was clear from the digital layouts which option we wanted.

My marble was templated this way. It's perfect!

Thanks so much for all the info guys!!! glad to hear the lase works well, I will go there tom. in person to see where I want things to go- to see what my options are.Tks again, have to google info. on the radius corners now..

Couldn't they take that computerized laser image and overlay it on a digitized photo of your slab? You could, I should think, move the virtual laser-template around precisely and minutely and align its cutting to accommodate veining just as you wish it. I think this sounds terrific. So much better than our experience... (sigh). I'd ask them. I don't think it would be very difficult but I bet they have that going already.

My counters were done digitally. I was able to go to the fabricator and see the layout on the computer. Was very cool! You could move all the different parts of the counter around, zoom it to see the seams and you could see exactly what it would look like. I have a huge fissure running through my stone and I wanted it running right across my island. I was able to choose exactly what I wanted. Loved it!

Questions you'll need to be prepared to answer are about how the granite transitions if you have any bump outs? What do you want your corners to look like (both inside corners and outside corners). Make sure they understand whether or not you're doing a side splash. I told the guy doing the template that I WASN'T doing a SP and he "forgot" and the stone was cut as though I'd have a SP. Very annoying but we were able to come up with a solution that works. Make sure you're there for the templating! Ask questions and be involved. Don't assume they'll know what you want.

They did the digital method to measure for our countertops, but they then produced a semi-transparent plastic template from those measurements. The templates were then taped on the slabs. I'm really glad they did it this way because I'm a visual person and we ended up moving the templates around - not in the kitchen because that stone is fairly uniform but in some of the other rooms. The granite folks had placed the templates to emphasize the movement in the stone, and we are 'less is more' kind of people so we often moved them to the quieter end or side of the slab. I'm sure they though we were nuts.

The downside was that in transferring those digital measurements to the templates, they forgot to add 2 inches for the panel ends and overhang on the peninsula so it was too short. They didn't have a big enough piece left to do the entire peninsula again so they had to cut the existing piece and seam another piece in. I was bummed because the first piece looked so good and now the seam is in a place where the light will hit it just right and highlight the seam even though they did a great job on it. So that's where the fruit bowl is going.

Digital templating is more and more common. 3 systems dominate; the laser, a photo based system with marker tags that somehow magically makes CAD drawings from the photos, and a tripod-string system that works much like the laser.

All are accurate if used properly. They also help communicate the proposed tops to the customer if used properly.

Software is also now available (it's expensive) that allows the fabricator to show the homeowner how the parts as measured will layout on the slab(s) including the ability to move parts around to evaluate options for grain transitions at seams.