Let’s face it-no one likes seams: not installers, not contractors, not designers, not customers. But the reality of the situation is that there are limitations due to slab sizes and countertop layouts that make seams unavoidable most of the time.
In the past, kitchens did not have huge, long runs because even a kitchen in a larger house was usually just food prep and cooking of the meals and done by household staff. There were no huge islands with waterfalls, big U-shaped kitchens used for entertaining or two dishwashers, a beverage cooler and a microwave drawer and a double oven and…you get my drift.
Today’s modern kitchens create the necessity for seams and the location is dependent on several factors: the grain or veining of the material, location of sink, cooktop and/or dishwasher, and slab sizes. Whatever the limitations, we always strive to minimize seams, and put them in a place that lines up with a cabinet element, or another sight line in the kitchen.
Most natural stones have some kind of grain or patten. They can sometimes be directional and create the need for seams so the veining all runs in the same direction. This is not always easily done and can necessitate additional slabs on a project.
The locations of the sink, cooktop and/or dishwasher are crucial in the layout of slabs and seams because we never put seams over dishwasher openings or through sink openings. This is due to the possibility of the seams separating, lack of support and the epoxy used to close and hide the seam possibly cracking. We do however, put seams through cooktop openings because they are short seams (2 to 3 inches in the front and back) and are the least intrusive to your eye.
We also do not put seams on the diagonal in corners because, first of all, the seam is longer than when itis on a straight 90 degree angle to the tops, and second of all, because they never, ever line up tight and we like to minimize the seam width to 1/16” or less.
I mentioned the epoxy earlier and this is a crucial part to any seam finishing. The epoxy is a two part epoxy and hardener that allows the technicians the time to effectively work the seam and create an “invisible” seam before the epoxy loses its workability. The epoxy also comes with a coloring kit that allows the technicians the ability to color the epoxy to match the material. This is a very important part of the process and if you do not have a tech who can see and match color, it doesn’t matter how tight the seam is. We also use a hydraulic vacuum tool that pulls the pieces together and holds until the epoxy is set. This creates a nice straight, paper thin line at the seam.
The upshot is, no one likes seams, but sometimes, they just can’t be avoided and a good field technician can make all the difference!
