tea4all:

Respectfully, your question is irrelevant. Seam placement is begun with slab dimensions and natural stone varies quite a bit. If your slab is 98" and you need 100", you're out of luck or getting a seam, no matter what any other kitchen has.

I am a fabricator. There are a few variables that impact the max length of a countertop run. 1st, as Joe mentioned, is the length of the slab. Typical is 120" with a typical min of 95 - 100" and a max as high as 13x. (longest slab I ever saw was 138")

However, other important considerations affect max length. If the part is a sink run with a cutout it is relatively fragile and most fabricators will keep a sink run under 110" unless it is extremely good stone or quartz. (some stone is so easy to crack that even a 100" sink run can be a challenge.) Another consideration is access. At an access where a part has to be lifted over railing or carried up or down a flight of stairs the length will be kept to a minimum.

I appreciate your reply Joe.

Thanks oldryder for the explanation. It is helpful to hear the 110" limitation. Due to DW, sink, breadboard run, we were eventually told not over 100". However, their templater did not even know that his company had that limit. He told us 116" would be where he would put the seam. Then chaos followed with finding a larger slab (122 x 68) than our original (115 x 75). Things are shaking out ok now I think. These events do not build confidence in a company who doesn't have informed templaters. We've never gone through a kitchen remodel before. I've read several years on GW but do not recall hearing sink limits before. Thanks again for helping me understand limitations better.

I noticed you said they are "re-templating" your counters. This sounds like the prelude to a "would you accept this install" thread, although I really hope not, for your sake. Miscommunication is a killer with counters, and you're already experiencing it. Talk with the owner before anyone touches your stone. Have him map out the sections on your slab for you with tape if necessary, and give you image examples of his edge profiles, miters, and seaming. Ask him how he determines what color epoxy he uses in the seam. Ask him how his installers will know in which direction to lay the stone on site if there's an island (funny story here...). Good luck!

Eam44 thank you for your advice! I take it seriously and so appreciate your reply. I have talked to the templater and our GC that I want to see their map out on the stone. We are going to call and talk to the head production guy at the fabricators so will ask your question of epoxy color and more. I will share this with DH as he will be the one who takes the lead in the call (on speaker phone). He has great command of words and business sense. Burned him up that the communication was so poor and he told templater that invites greater scrutiny and many more questions on our part.

No island here. I'd love to hear your story! Please tell!

Oh my goodness. What an experience to witness! How fortunate you arrived in time before the installers were completely gone. The wife must have been near panic. That's an event no one involved will ever forget. Thanks for sharing it with us. I love the picture that you paint.