Granite counter top-cutting out sink hole

[Mark Rios]

The realtor that I do work for wants to spruce up a rental he has to sell it. He wants to replace the old tile kitchen counter top with a granite top. Usually I don't touch solid countertops except to prep for them but this is just a straight 94" run with a sink in the middle. There is a place in town that sells a 26" X 96" granite top with a bullnosed edge for $99. He will have someone else come and do something for a backsplash so here's my query:

How hard is it to cut the hole for the sink in marble? Any special type of bits and blades?

I've cut out many sink holes in ply to prep for countertops but never in any type of solid surface. The sink is self-rimming so there will be no edge finishing required.

Any tricks and/or hints to this? It seems pretty straightforward (except for what type of bits/blades). Am I missiing something?

Thanks very much for any help and advice.

[Jamie Buxton]

The slab stone guys around here cut holes for electrical boxes with a dry diamond blade in a 4" body grinder. It is very dusty and noisy and slow. However, you can surely do the cut to make the 96" slab shorter. The sidesplash will cover any bad cutting.

The worry with making a big hole like a sink cutout in a slab is that the narrow webs in front and in back of the hole are fragile. If you twist the slab installing it, or if somebody rests his weight on the front edge of the counter, the web may snap. Most fabricators make what we'd call a dado in the underside for the full length of the web, epoxy in a piece of rebar, and then make the cutout.

[Steve Clardy]

Around here, the ones that carry the granite material, do the cutting out and delivery.

[tod evans]

i`d run from this one! let the guys with the 25k watercooled routers cut the stone and chance breaking it during install. make your coupla bucks doing the prep work and get out.....02 tod

[Bob Rufener]

I'd see if the place that you buy the granite from does the cutting. The price seems cheap for the materials. It doesn't look to be a fun job.

[Jay Knoll]

Mark

Good advice here, so I'll only chip in on the design side. Go look at some high end granite installations, I'll bet that 100% of them have an undermount sink with a polished granite edge around the sink opening. Putting a self rim sink on granite will, in my opinion, remind one of a formica counter top!

Jay

[Jeff Horton]

I have had it done twice and watched. They use a angle grinder with a diamond wheel. AFTER the slab is in place. Two different companies and neither will cut it until everything else is done. They still worry about it breaking as they cut it.

I do most everything in my house but this is one I would not want to do. But save the slab, it's great for scary sharpening.

[Ben Grunow]

It's just a rock! Mark your sink hole and cut (with 4" wheel or even 7" diamond blade on circular saw) the straight edges leaving the last 2" before the corner on each cut. Cut the top to length as well. Maybe make a full size tempate that is carefully scribed in, from luan (sp?) or something, so you don't have to go back and trim later. Do these cuts outside so most of the dust is outside. Then place the slab with a dab of silicone every foot or so on the cabinet tops and complete the cutout. You should fully support the piece so it does not put any stress on the stone while cutting (break when 3 of the 4 corners are cut). Make a piece of 3/4 plywood to fit inside the sink base and install it on some vertical sticks before the top goes on. Remove when done. Also, smooth the edges of the cuts as much as possible to reduce the build up of stress on any jagged points-cracks generally start at a rough spot. Good luck.

[Jim Becker]

I urge caution...this is not a job that is easy to do if you don't know what you are doing and the points about cracking the thing once you knock out for the sink is very, very valid. I'm in the "pass" camp on it!

[Jamie Buxton]

Ben's got a point. And another one is that this counter costs only $99. If the thing completely shatters, you're only out $99.

[Mark Rios]

Okay, Okay...that's why I asked first. Thanks very much for the heads up. I AM NOT GOING TO TRY IT. I've never done it and the cautions are why. There are a few things that I believe should be left up to the guys who do it day in and day out and this is one of them. I don't need the headache and I don't need the little bit of money it would pay. Headache pay is never enough.


Thanks to all.

[Byron Trantham]

My question here is; $99 for GRANITE! :eek: Hum:confused: If it really is granite, then I agree with most of the others - pass. If it's really some man-made granite wannabe then maybe....