How It WorksTemplate Day
Getting Ready for Your Countertop Template
The template visit is when Fernando builds a wooden pattern of your counters, right on your cabinets. Your stone is cut from it, so a little prep keeps it exact.
What a Countertop Template Is
A template is a full-size pattern of your countertops. Instead of a digital tool, Fernando builds his from thin strips of wood fitted right on your cabinets. It is the real shape of your kitchen, crooked walls and all.
Stone is cut in straight lines, and few walls are truly square. A template made against your real walls keeps the gaps as small as they can be.
Once the template is done, it is usually 7 to 10 days to install day.
Digital is only as good as the person who programs it.
Before Template Day
These come from the checklist every Tomahawk customer gets.
Clear the Counters
- Take everything off your counters. An exact pattern needs a clear surface.
- Take down mirrors and wall art that are in the way. Our crew cannot move them.
Get the Cabinets Ready
- Your cabinets should be installed for good, square and level.
- They need to be strong enough to hold stone. Poorly braced cabinets can let it crack.
- If the cabinets are not ready, a return trip costs extra.
Look at What Sits Above
- If tile runs down to your counters, the bottom row may need to come off so the stone fits. A tile installer does that, unless we plan it with you ahead of time.
- Where a wall is not straight, a backsplash covers the small gaps. It helps to plan for one.
Raised Bars and Big Overhangs Need Supports
A raised bar, or a counter that reaches out past the cabinets, needs brackets underneath. Your contractor can supply and install them, or we can, if we know ahead of time.
Want hidden steel supports? Say so at the template visit, and Fernando will order the right brackets before your stone is cut.
Your Stone and the Samples
Natural stone varies in color, pattern and texture, so your slabs may look different from a sample. Ordering enough stone at the start avoids trouble matching it later. Extra slabs ordered afterward can mean a delay, and sometimes a different price.
After the Template
Fernando cuts your stone to match the template, then installs it himself, usually in about one day. Install day has its own short checklist.
Start With a Free Estimate
Call and you reach a real person, not a call center. We listen first, then give you an honest, free estimate.
Monday to Friday 8 AM to 8 PM. Saturday 9 AM to 4 PM. Sunday by appointment after 2 PM.