It's best to let someone else measure twice and cut once
If you’re installing granite counters as part of a remodel or new construction, it’s important to hire the right pro for the job, especially if you’re having your stone cut on-site. Professional granite stonecutters can correctly cut stone commonly used in countertops, like granite, marble, and quartz. Hiring a professional granite-cutting service will ensure your countertops are cut to the correct dimensions without any mishaps that could cost you money or damage your investment.
When ordering stone counters from a supplier, the stone is usually cut to the dimensions specified by the contractor before it’s delivered to your home. However, there are a few benefits to hiring a local granite countertop installer for on-site cutting.
Cutting holes—or “cutouts”—on-site for sinks and ranges means that your countertops will fit perfectly with your existing appliances. It’s best to have this done on-site because the edges of the stone are fragile and might chip or break during transport. Having holes for sinks and ranges cut on-site is a great way to make sure everything fits and nothing gets broken before it gets to your house.
Take your time when looking for a stone-cutting service for your countertop project. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to find a reliable countertop pro. If you have friends and family who added stone countertops to their kitchens, you can ask them for a referral.
Once you start shopping for your materials, check with your countertop supplier or home improvement store in case they have a relationship with a countertop contractor who is open to work.
After finding an experienced stone countertop professional in your area, read their online profile, reviews, and website to get an idea of their services and previous work. Make sure they’re skilled with an angle grinder, which they’ll use to cut stone counters. You can also request estimates from multiple pros to compare the prices and services.
While you can hire a general contractor to cut a granite countertop on-site, it is usually less expensive to hire an experienced granite contractor who has the specialized equipment for the job.
Many granite fabricators will do rough cuts in their facility, paring down giant slabs of stone to the rough dimensions you ordered to fit your counters. The stone will also be polished before it arrives at your home. On-site, the granite contractor will make the cutouts for your sink, range, or any other drop-in type appliances and ensure the countertops precisely fit your counters.
Hiring an experienced stonecutter or granite contractor is more than just checking reviews online. If you’re working with a general contractor on your kitchen remodel, they may hire a subcontractor who specializes in countertop installation. Stone countertops are a big investment, so do your due diligence and hire the best pro for the job.
Though it may be tempting to pull out your circular saw and do your stone-cutting yourself, this is one project best left to a granite company or stonecutter. One small miscalculation in your measurements could leave your brand-new stone countertop unusable or prone to breakage, and safety precautions are a must because of the superfine dust produced. Pros use special saws, called wet saws, to help cut down on dust to keep saw blades cool under the friction of cutting stone.
Cutting stone is a messy, dusty job, and care should be taken to cover everything in your kitchen or bathroom with plastic before cutting begins. If appropriate precautions aren’t taken, it could leave your kitchen and everything in your cabinets—even the Instant Pot you used once—covered in dust. Proper protective gear like rebreather masks should be worn to avoid inhaling stone dust.
Granite, marble, quartz, and other natural stones used for countertops are known as quarried stones, meaning they’re blasted out of deep pits called quarries. Once the raw stone is free from the ground, it’s moved to a fabrication facility where it’s turned into your countertops. To do this, professional granite cutters use specialized tools and perform the following steps:
Sand and polish the stone slab and apply a sealant to protect it and add shine
Cut the slab to your measurements, using either a hand-held wet saw or a computer-driven cutting machine
Finish the edges in the shape of your choice
The supplier transports the stone to your home for finishing, where a professional countertop installer makes the cutouts for ranges, sinks, and other drop-ins.
