A shiny, polished countertop can be the pride of your kitchen. But few people know that the granite or marble slab, sitting pretty in the kitchen goes through an extensive fabrication process before occupying pride of the place in the kitchen. When a slab of granite or marble arrives from the quarry, stone fabricators use increasingly advanced machinery like saws, polishers and routers to give you a quality, finished product. Let’s take a look at the process.
Stone shop
The first step that stone fabricators take you through is choosing your stone for the kitchen. After having measured out exact dimensions that you will need for your kitchen, the experts will help you pick out something based on color, veins, shades and also the type of stone that will suit your needs the best.
A few other important factors to keep in mind while picking a stone are density and the structural integrity. Stones are sourced from a variety of places and differ vastly due to their geographical locations. Enlist the help of your stone fabricator, to choose a stone that not just looks good in your kitchen but also is durable and sturdy for long time use. If your stone fabricator has run structural tests on the stone, you will be well advised to go through the information thoroughly before making a choice.
Mission fabrication
Once you have made your choice, the stone is subjected to the fabrication process. First, the fabricator will use a gang saw or a block saw, to cut out a piece from a large stone block, to make your countertop. Increasingly, fabricators are also using diamond wire saws to make the initial cutting process easier and precise. Then, a bridge saw is used to cut the stone for the purpose it is going to be used for.
The cutting is followed by the polishing. The surface of the stone is transformed to a gleaming product that matches the customer’s brief. Stones like granite and marble, especially, can achieve the glossiest of finishes. These days, apart from the regular glossy versions, fabricators are also able to deliver finishes like flamed or hammered. In the final stage, routers shape the edges of the countertop and give the edges proper definition before delivering the final product.
Finally, the stone is transferred to the job site. It is cleaned up and then a sealer base coat is applied before occupying its place in your kitchen.