Industry standards for granite seams and the splitting of seams?

QUESTION

Quality Standards for Slab Countertops- What are the industry standards cocerning granite seams, and the splitting of these seams?

ANSWER

ANSWER - Countertops are to be flat within 1/8" in 10 feet.

Transition joints from counter to wall or other material is to be 1/8" with a tolerance of +/- 1/64".

Joint seams widths are to be 1/16" with a tolerance of +/- 1/64".

The seams should not split.

Lippage at seams can not be more than 1/32"

The Marble Institute of America has a Dimension Stone Design manual that you can buy.

Good Luck!

2 thoughts on “Industry standards for granite seams and the splitting of seams?

  1. Bud says:

    Im building a new house that had a very large long run of granite which required a splice… What is the industry standard for matching the different granite slaps in color and grain pigment?
    Thanks Bud Henderson

    • Donato Pompo says:

      Natural stone is naturally produced and not manufactured so there will be inherent variations, which will vary significantly depending on the type of stone and the particular block that the stone came from.

      There isn’t a standard for matching slabs of stone. There is a standard that the supplier should show you the full range of the material before it is installed. There is a standard that if you do a repair to an existing stone that it should blend in with the existing stone.

      It is possible to select stone from the same block so you get more consistency, but there can still be a lot of variation within the same block of stone depending on the type of stone and the characteristics of that block. Slabs from the same block can provide booked-match stone (where two adjacent slabs from the same block are set next to each other that shows the continuation of the pattern.

      The stone fabricator or supplier can’t guarantee how well the stone will match as they can only work with what they have to select from. Although they do have the responsibility to show you the full range of material before it is installed for your approval. If what they offer isn’t acceptable, then go to another supplier to see if their inventory is acceptable or pick another stone that does have enough inventory of matching or compatible stone. Or special order the stone to come from the quarry/production plant with an acceptable range.

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