Beautiful slab!!!

Were you trying to miss the big peachy swirl in the middle? If so then your layout look pretty good.

If not you could try to put the smaller angled piece there. Or maybe shift the U shaped piece to the other edge and that would give you a more dramatic countertop overall (if that is what you want)

Good luck.

Beautiful slab, but in my opinion you are missing most of the prettiest parts of the slab. It has lots of great swirly parts that are not within your lines....although maybe you did that on purpose. It sure is a pretty slab!

I am trying to miss the peachy parts. I was going for the softer swirls to try to balance it out on both sides. There is a lot more going on on the left side of the slab. I didn't want one side to be all peach and the other to be plain. When it comes time to actually do the template I am going to see how it looks with the piece being cut from the bottom up. The fabricator said he would cut it in one piece, and then cut in half at the sink for transport, so it wouldn't crack. This way the seam would match perfectly.

Are you purchasing the whole slab? If so, then let your granite templater suggest how the template layout should go and then tweak it with his assistance. His years of experience will help you avoid any potential issues within the slab that your may not be able to understand from a fabricating standpoint, and fabricators also have a pretty good eye when it comes to getting the prettiest bits to show to the greatest advantage.

However, the equation changes if you did not buy the whole slab and are only buying the counter top by the square foot. Many fabricators that only sell the square footage of the actual countertops choose the layout to maximize the resale size of the pieces remaining. In those cases, the customer has minimal input as to the template layout.

It's a shame you don't want the swirly parts. I think that's what makes your stone so unique but that't just MHO.

Another vote to keep the swirly parts.

Also, this: "The fabricator said he would cut it in one piece, and then cut in half at the sink for transport, so it wouldn't crack. "

Concerns me. The pros (Bill V in particular) that frequent this board often repeat that a seam at the sink is a Bad Idea.

Being I have a small U shapped kitchen, I think I need to balance the color and swirls more than if it was going into a large kitchen or on an island. If there is a way to balance the swirls I will probably do it.

I am buying the countertop by square foot. The slab is at the fabricator and not being brought in by a different yard. The fabricator told me I could have any parts I want, and could be their to decide before they cut.

pbrisjar,

I went to 6 different fabricators, all told me the same thing - They would cut out in one piece and then cut at the sink for transport. I don't think everyone would tell me the countertop would be cut at the sink, if it's not someting they normally do. If they had problems, they would have been out of business a long time ago. (All the places I've been to have been in business for 10+ years, most of them close to or more than 20). I have looked at kitchen remodels in my condo building, all have the same kitchen layout as me, and they all have a seam at the sink. So far no one has had a problem. Thanks for your concern though.

Gail

I noticed that the top of the slab is not even all the way across the top. I think you would need to move your entire u shaped template down the slab about 6 inches or so (so the lowest point of the cutoff part of the slab becomes the top of the counter). From this point of view it looks like the top of the sink cutout should actually be the very top of your templated counter. You would need to get rid of the most quiet part of the stone but that little bit of adjustment really won't get you more of the swirly parts you were worried about.

Surveymom,

The slab of granite is actually straight across. The angle of the picture cuts off part of the right top. I'm just hoping this slab can be cut, so it doesn't look like one side is peach and the other side grey and beige/peach.
I went to 7 different granite yards and no one had a nicer slab. So I hope it works out.

I wondered if that was the case - the angle of the picture. I can't wait to see your finished kitchen. This is a granite I have been contemplating. I want something that has movement but is also not priced so high. This is one of the only granite types that I have liked that when I asked about pricing I heard the word "AVERAGE" instead of "PREMIUM".

surveymom,

This granite was very reasonable. It's amazing how different each slab is though. I went to 7 different yards, and this was the best one I found, and being it was in the fabricators stock, I think I got a great price on it.

The coloring of the columbo is very different depending on the slab. Some I saw were very dark with a lot of wide burgundy veining. Some were very orange, and others were so pale they looked like they were faded. I attached some the the pictures for you.

Good luck with your search.

One I saw at a yard in Newark. I thought this one was too much and too dark.

{{!gwi}}

Another one from the same yard. This one looked faded and splotchy.
{{!gwi}}

surveymom,

This granite was very reasonable. It's amazing how different each slab is though. I went to 7 different yards, and this was the best one I found, and being it was in the fabricators stock, I think I got a great price on it.

The coloring of the columbo is very different depending on the slab. Some I saw were very dark with a lot of wide burgundy veining. Some were very orange, and others were so pale they looked like they were faded. I attached some the the pictures for you.

Good luck with your search.

One I saw at a yard in Newark. I thought this one was too much and too dark.

{{!gwi}}

Another one from the same yard. This one looked faded and splotchy.
{{!gwi}}

Sorry, don't know how I managed to post this twice.