Blog
Notes from the shop
Materials compared honestly, the fabrication details that make or break a job, and how to look after the stone once it is in. Written by the people who cut it.
From Sterling, Virginia
Materials · Technology · Design · Care · Process
8 articles
Materials
Quartzite vs. quartz: how to choose for a kitchen that gets used
They share a name and little else. Here is how the two surfaces behave in a real kitchen, and the questions that settle the choice.
Technology
What 12K slab scanning changes about the way you approve a countertop
The scanner in the shop is not a marketing line. It moves the most important decision of the project from the install day to the screen, before anything is cut.
Design
Waterfall islands: the anatomy of a miter that looks folded
A waterfall edge is one of the simplest ideas in kitchen design and one of the hardest details to fabricate well. Here is what separates a good one from a great one.
Care
Sealing natural stone: the once-a-year routine that keeps it new
Sealing is the part of stone ownership people worry about most and the part that takes the least effort. What a sealer does, how to tell when it is time, and how to do it in twenty minutes.
Materials
Why large-format porcelain is taking over the outdoor kitchen
Sun, rain, frost and a grill at full heat: the outdoor kitchen is the hardest place to put a counter. Porcelain was made for it.
Process
Before template day: the checklist that keeps a project on schedule
The template is the one appointment where a small thing missing on site costs a week. Here is what needs to be in place, and why.