Bob and Chris Vila enter the penthouse apartment to look at the installation of the kitchen countertops. This particular kind of Italian marble-like stone is a schist called Pietra Cardosa, from the area of Cardosa, Italy. It is fairly porous, with great abrasive resistance, but may require a bit more care than the average countertop as it cannot be polished to a shine. Nick Tagios from Tagios Tile and Marble explains the attachment of the countertops to the Cherry Craftline island cabinet. First a bead of silicone caulk is laid down to adhere the stone to the wood. Tagios and crew level the top with shims. To install the bridge that will become the kitchen�s island sink surround, steel bars are added between the slabs by sawing out a line and then sealing the bars inside with the stone-colored epoxy. Supports are attached to the sidepieces of stone and the bridge is laid between. To eliminate the line and space between the two stone slabs a dyed two-part epoxy is added. After the epoxy dries the counter top is sanded to remove any excess epoxy.

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Countertops are such a big part of any major kitchen remodel and there are so many new options, deciding on the best choice can seem a little daunting. Starting with the budget can make the decision easier. Countertop materials range widely in price, anywhere from $11 to $200 per square foot installed. Generally speaking, while high-end countertops can boost your kitchen s look, you don t want them too far out of sync with the price point of your cabinets and appliances. Heavier materials like concrete and natural stone can also require added support, so cabinet and countertop quality should be consistent. Once you ve decided what you can spend, you can narrow your countertop options. For smaller budgets, get creative with ceramic tile at $11 to $30 per square foot. Or, check out some of the new high-tech options in laminate, which can be fabricated and installed at $36 to $45 per linear foot. Solid surface countertops offer lots of creative color options from $40 to $60 per square foot installed, and an integral solid surface sink is a great easy-care feature. In the $50 to $100 range, there are many choices. Among them are wood and butcher block with its warm beauty and natural antimicrobial properties; natural stone like slate, soapstone, marble, travertine and granite with all the quirks of nature built in; and engineered quartz countertops with a wide color range and more consistent patterns. Stainless-steel and concrete countertops are generally the most expensive at around $100 on up per square foot. But they can also be fabricated with integral sinks and they re great if you re going for that restaurant or industrial look. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Brece Rupolt of Northern Marble & Granite meets with Bob to discuss the countertop template that needs to be made before cutting. Brece makes his template from a sheet of polystyrene plastic, which is flexible and can be rolled up for easy transport. He then stiffens empty spaces with steel yard sticks to continue the straight surface and measure the countertop. First he locates the sink opening and faucet holes. Walls are rarely square, so next he cuts to fit the walls. He takes the ruler and measures the difference from one end to the other and makes a cut to fit the wall. At the other end her marks on the bottom where the finished end will be and adds a radius at the corner to soften it up. Next Brece makes an opening for the under-counter double Kohler sink using a paper template. He cuts out the template on the cutting line with a utility knife and transfers the outline of the paper template to the plastic. Using his knife and a straight edge, he cuts out the opening for the sink. This is the traditional method of making a template. Next Bob meets with Paul Hansen of E-Template to discuss how a template can be made electronically. Paul places markers on each straight section of the tops of the cabinets to outline where the countertop will go. He also places other markers to identify special sink cutouts. Many times a sink or stovetop manufacturer will provide an electronic template to add to your custom e-template. Paul also uses a scale of a known length to help define the precision of the countertop. Then he takes two or more digital photographs from different angles. The photographs are downloaded into a computer aided design program to create a template and then cut by machine.

Scott Lawyer of Solid Surfacetops is with Bob at the Punta Gorda house to make a template for the Corian kitchen countertops that will be fabricated at this shop. Lawyer has the fabrication work done off site because there are too many tools involved in the cutting, shaping, and finishing of the counters to do them on site. Lawyer creates a template from Luan plywood that is glued together to create the exact dimensions of the kitchen countertop. These templates will be laid directly on top of the Corian and used as cutting guides by the fabricators. Lawyer uses the blueprint to create the template then checks it against the kitchen space for any modifications. The system results in a perfect cut with little room for error.

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The cooks are in the kitchen at Caldera, showing the engineers what a chef craves when it comes…
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