How to Prepare Your Kitchen for Countertop Templating

A second trip for a templater costs a shop crew half a day, and a recut slab costs far more than that. Most of it traces back to prep, and the way countertops get booked through countertops toledo civic creatives is measured against that: the cabinets are ready on the day, or the visit is rescheduled. Homes around Toledo, OH, especially older ones near the Maumee River, tend to need more prep than the calendar allows for.

Cabinets first, and fully set

Base cabinets must be fully installed, fastened to the wall and to each other, and set level before templating. The top is cut to fit the cabinets exactly as they sit. A template taken before the boxes are set is a template of the wrong kitchen, and leveling after the top is down cannot be done.

Sink, faucet and cooktop on hand

Cutouts are made in the shop before the slab arrives. The sink, faucet and cooktop or range should be chosen, with cutout specifications in hand, on templating day. A sink swapped later usually means recutting, and a recut on granite or quartz is not a small job. Faucet hole count matters too, since the drilling is done at the same time.

Old houses and crooked walls

Older homes in Lucas County often have floors that slope and walls that bow or sit out of square. Cabinets may need shims to come level, and the installer may need to scribe the back edge so the top follows the wall. Plan the overhang and edge profile with that in mind, because a bowed wall eats into a tight reveal. A bullnose or eased edge reads the same either way, but a waterfall edge shows every error in the cabinet end panel.

Check the boxes for weight

Stone is very heavy. A quartzite or marble slab sits on the cabinets for decades, so look for broken corner blocks, soft or water damaged bottoms, and loose face frames before templating. Fix them now. Seam placement is also set at templating, and a seam landing over a weak cabinet joint is a problem that shows later.

Clearing, tear out and plumbing

Clear the counters and empty the cabinets near the work. Leave a clean path from the door, since the crew carries a slab on edge and needs room to turn. The existing top is often removed before or at templating, and removal can damage tile backsplash or drywall behind it, so budget for patching. Plumbing is usually disconnected before tear out and reconnected after install, often by a separate plumber, who needs to be booked for both days. Laminate and butcher block go through the same steps, only lighter.