Guide
How to pick a countertop slab at the yard.
Scale Homes Design Center · Updated
The short answer
Go to the yard with a cabinet door, a floor sample and your drawing. Look at the whole slab standing up, from a few steps back and then up close, in the best light the yard has. Check where the veining will land on the island, look for cracks and filled pits, and tag the slab with your name so it's the one that gets cut.
What to bring
- A cabinet door or a sample of the finish, so you see the stone against it.
- A floor plank or tile, for the same reason.
- The layout drawing, with the island and the seams marked.
- A few photos of the room, including the light at the time of day you cook.
- Your phone's flashlight, for looking along the surface.
What to look at
Stand back first. The slab you're choosing is the whole slab, not the corner nearest you, and the veining you love may run off one end. Then picture where the island and the sink cut-out will land on it, because the best part of a slab should end up somewhere people look.
Then get close. Shine a light along the surface at a low angle: the polish should look even, and pits that have been filled with resin will show as a change in shine.
A fissure or a crack?
Natural stone has fissures, lines where the minerals meet, and they're part of the stone. The test is your fingernail: a fissure is smooth across, and a crack catches it. A crack is a reason to pick another slab.
Test before you commit
If the stone is marble, dolomite or a soft quartzite, ask for an offcut and put a drop of lemon juice on it for ten minutes. If it leaves a dull spot, that's etching, and you'll see it at home too. It tells you more than any label does.
After you tag it
We tag the slab with your name so it's the one that gets cut. Then the room is templated, the stone is cut to the template and set. The fabricator's schedule sets the lead time, and we give it to you in writing when you tag the slab.