There are three things you need to be aware of when selecting material for your countertop project.  These are: quantity needed, material integrity and cosmetic elements.

Quantity needed
Slabs are sold in sheets averaging 45-55 square feet.  ADP can help you determine how many slabs are needed for your project.  A general rule of thumb is that you need 20-30% more material than will actually end up on the jobsite.  More material may be needed when choosing slabs with movement. The waste factor can be minimized by selecting from ADP slab and remnant inventory thus providing better value to the end user.

Material Integrity
The quality of your finished project can be greatly enhanced by understanding the characteristics of your stone selection.  Many times at the slab yard it is difficult to see the subtle imperfections that can later stand out at the installation.    

Look at the back of the slab
Look for cracks or fissures.  A fissure is a natural junction or line of separation within a single intact mass of stone.  Customers tend to panic when they spot a fissure. A fissure is not a defect.  The fissure was formed when two separate flows of liquid hot magma merge into a single mass.  The fissure was there when it was quarried, when the factory cut the block into a slab, and it will always be there.  Can the fissure open up after the counters are installed?  It is highly unlikely unless there is an excessive amount of movement.  If the fissure opens up while we are fabricating your job we will join the two pieces back together with epoxy and reinforce the underside of the stone with embedded steel rods to make the piece even stronger than when it was formed.  If you are sensitive to perceiving fissures as cracks then consistent material or engineered stone may be more suitable. Material with lots of tight busy crystal patterns are more stable than motion driven veined material with chunks of different compounds.  Also, look to see if there is mesh or epoxy this indicates the slab is held together by glue and is not as stable as other selections.

Cosmetic Elements
As fabricators we custom cut to size and polish edges.  We rarely touch the face of the slab.  Below are the qualities to consider when selecting your material.

Reflection
This can show pits, porosity, dull polish, voids or other inconsistencies.  Request slabs to be pulled for you at the distributor and look into your materials reflection. 

Motion and Color changes
Your counters are cut out and seamed from different sides of the slab.  Consider motion and color changes when determining quantity.  An extra slab on some projects can go a long way in improving the flow of your seams.  If you want absolutely consistent color ask our sales associate about engineered stone counters.  Natural stone is going to have variations from slab to slab and within the slab.  That’s why they call it natural.

Refraction
This has become a concern over the last decade as more refractive stones are now available due to advances in technology.  Refraction is the ability of an object to capture light and reflect it back in any direction.  When you place pieces at different angles like 45 and 90 degree angles common in kitchen and vanity layouts the pieces can look like different colors. Examples of stones that have this quality are Labrador Antique, Blue Pearl, Emerald Pearl and Volga Blue.

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