Our slab is 6 x 7 feet and I insisted that I didn't want a seam. Our fabricator wasn't sure if he could do it without a seam, because it weighs over 700 lbs and their concern was trying to get in, but he brought 3 guys and they didn't have a problem, however your slab is over 13' that's a large slab. If they could avoid a seam I would insist on it especially since you'll notice it.\\

putting the seam just right after the start of the sink (rather than in the middle) would be how many ft of granite on that side?

check with another fabricator?

Thanks for the comments.

rufinorox: Our slab is 6x10 not 6x13 so we have to have a seam. The question is where. Your counter is pretty similar to mine but mine would be 3' longer and it would need a notch cut out of two corners, not just one. That probably adds a couple of hundred pounds while also being a more cumbersome shape to move in general, but especially trying to get it into those notches.

I'm actually more concerned about his comment about the big difference in weight on either side of the seam. He said it makes it more likely that the seam will fail if anything gets out of level, especially at the sink where there's only two small places to seam. IF that's legitimate, I don't want to pressure the fabricator to do something that may compromise the seam down the road.

BTW, I like you granite. What it is?

desertsteph:
I'll ask but I don't think it would make much difference. It's only about a foot less and most of that is cut out anyway.

I've narrowed it down to two fabricators but the second one hasn't gotten back to me yet. I'm asking here to try to get an unbiased opinion. Just because somebody says they can do something doesn't mean they should.

I know that looks wise it's always best to have no seam or just a itty, bitty little seam that's not noticeable. But, these are the pros and there are reasons for what they do?? If more than one says the same thing, then guess you have your answer. You can always insist but then would have to live with any future consequences. Good luck!!

Any guy that's a Fabricator worth his salt should have no problem doing
this type of application - that said - if I were your Fabricator - I'd suggest
doing an inside mitered corner seam. This type of seam has many names
associated with it - like: French Miter, Euro Miter, Lock Notch, Butterfly, Dog Leg,
etc...

Many guys are finding that in order to do a PERFECT seam like this - they are
using an "Accu-Seam" system - which makes the seam chip free and so tight -
you don't have ANY colored glue showing at the seam line.

This kind of seam configuration can also be done by hand ONLY if your guy has
a LOT of experience doing them, and has hundreds under his belt....

This is something I teach to Fabricators at AZ School of Rock...

Here is what I am talking about:

{{!gwi}}

Hope this helps...

kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: Accu-Seam

Thanks for your response Kevin. The slab isn't long enough to make an inside mitered corner so it's either a seam a few inches in front of the corner or at the sink as shown here in option A and B.

I have almost exactly the same layout as you for your sink, although from the edge to the center of the sink is 7' in mine while yours looks like it's around 10' to the center (is that right?). I also don't have the cut-out in the corner that you mentioned. My fabricator saw no problem with cutting this out of a single slab. In fact we had to move the seam farther out, to around 7 1/2', due to a scratch in the slab that was going to be used for the other side of the sink.

annkathryn: Thanks for your response. Yes, mine is about 10' to the center of the sink. I got up with the other fabricator and she said it would be fine as long as the slab cuts out.

I guess I will go with her since Kevin said it shouldn't be a problem. The other fabricator had a lot of good recs but this one came highly recommended by a friend that is almost as OCD as I am.

Now if I can just get a slab that's not messed up.

mdod - thanks its called Bianco romano. It has grey, hints of green, garnet and diamond like crystals through out, its real pretty. Good uck! I'm sure it will work out for you.

If you use the "A" Plan - you would be way better off than plan "B"...

In my opinion from doing this for the last 25+ years -
Trying to make the "L" piece in almost one whole unit could result in a fracture -
Think about it.....
In plan "B" - You'll be creating a bigger piece that is stressed (structurally) where the sink section
and the microwave section are joined. I would NOT do it that way, because the
piece is so big - you will have a greater risk of breaking it during transport
to your home.... IMHO - it's just NO worth that kind of risk...

mdod - is YOUR stone Bianco Romano? IF so - This stuff fractures easily when
trying to do BIG pieces - so be advised... Is that your stone too???

hth

kevin

Thanks rufinorox. I was going to guess Bianco Romano but it looked more creamy on my monitor.

Ugh. That's what the first guy said and I just sent an email with the slab layout to the other fabricator and told them I'd go with them if they could definitely put the seam at the sink. She said it was no problem as long as the slab cut out but I'm not sure she looked at the layout at the time. They all say they can with the qualifier that they can't be sure until they get it into the shop. We'll see if she brings up the problem after seeing the layout. The other guy was in my house so he definitely knew the layout.

The slabs I'm looking at are Sienna Bordeaux. I can live with a seam but the problem is that I have very little flexibility it placement with plan A and Sienna Bordeaux has a lot of movement and dark veins that can really make the seam obvious. For this kind of money, I'm not willing to assume they can get a good seam and I haven't been able to see the actual slabs to see if a decent match is possible. I first saw it Mon when they were unloading them and they were all lumped together. I went back the next day and they still hadn't moved them out where you could see them. They said to call Wed afternoon and they'd try to have something then. The only pulled one and it had two corners broken off, which limits me even more. They've got a bunch of slabs but the bundles are less than 12" apart so you can't really see them. I looked through the stacks with a flashlight and found one that seemed OK and asked if they'd pull it and the adjacent one. I went to see them today and they are bookmatched (which I specifically asked about) and that won't work with my layout. Argh!!! I know they aren't going to pull another pair and I'm not buying without seeing them.

I've had my old counters rigged up to my new cabinets for 6 mos already. I'm sick to death of looking for granite!