Natural Stone is another very durable and quite expensive countertop, vanity surface choice, which is also beyond of “do-it-yourself” project.

Like many solid surface materials, granite, marble and other natural stones are cut and polished off-site, including cut outs for sink openings. That demands a lot of accuracy and coordination to make sure measurements and templates are correct.

When installed, stone will be secured to the cabinets or other surface with special stone glue or special natural stone silicone caulk.

Because granite, marble and other natural stones are usually sold in slabs no more than 10' long, most jobs will require at least one seam. And since Natural Stone is sold in rectangular pieces (slabs), using seams may also reduce the costs, as in an 'L' shaped corner. Sometimes a seam can be placed at a sink or cooktop to make it less noticeable.

Individual stone slabs can vary slightly in their thickness. If not corrected, this would result in an uneven seam. To prevent that, installer will install shims underneath of the stone to bring the upper surfaces flush. This is considered to be the proper technique for leveling the surface. Granite may or may not be installed over plywood, the fabricator will decide that.

 
If a laminated edge is chosen using 2 cm granite, and if it's to be mounted on frame less cabinets, or on framed cabinets that have upper retractable cutting boards, the granite will need to be raised ¾" to clear the laminated double edge that hangs down ¾". Click image on left, for larger preview and see what I am talking about.

In most cases, some type of back splash will be used. It can be the same granite used for the counters, ceramic tile, or some other product. It may be attached to the counter or to the wall, but in either case the seam between the counter and the back splash will be sealed with caulk. The standard height for a back splash is 4" or 6" although they're frequently made higher if the customer desires so.

 
Remember, that the thickness of the back splash must be considered when taking surface measurements.

Most countertops and vanities are installed with a standard overhang of 3/4" to 1". This may be modified to suit personal taste, but it must be specified before the template is made. Click image on right, to view larger overhung illustration.

 
Last step in installation, okay maybe not the last step, is to drill faucet holes and attach the sink. Before drilling faucet holes, installer will need to know the hole spacing (center to center). For example for vanity sinks there are two common spacing options 2 and 4 inches between hole centers. There will be times, when holes are drilled at the fabrication facility, in that case fabricator will need to know the spacing distances before installation. Faucet type and spacing is another thing you may want to think about ahead of time. Click image on the left to view common vanities sink facet hole pacing.

Normally, the installer will not be responsible for connecting of dishwashers, cook tops, or plumbing. Ask your fabricator, installers about that. They may just do that.