I didn't even know it was possible to DIY granite. Good for you, post some pictures to let us know what it looks like.

Most projects aren't rocket scientist,but like most things, the more you are familiar and have practiced, the more your confidence level.Before tackling a more expensive material project such as granite, it's best to educate yourself by watching pros on an actual install and visiting a granite works shop if possible. Uneven walls and out of square corners are dealt with by scribing, which is a practiced art that not everyone can fully understand.Templates are generally used as patterns and knowledge of the proper tools and their safe use are other important concerns.Prep work is probably the single most important aspect of most any project before the actual install.You had to have a few seams, but no biggy because you are selling the house? Not a professional attitude imho.Any thing can be done as long as you research and get educated before diving in head first into that muddy water!

Here is a link that might be useful: granite countrtops

>Uneven walls and out of square corners are dealt with by scribing, which is a practiced art that not everyone can fully understand.

Yup, I know, but scribing granite is quite difficult, and I would NOT recommend that the average experienced DIY-er try it!

The choices were A) two extra seams or B) granite tile. I think most buyers would prefer two extra seams rather than granite tile. The other granite was simply not in the budget, and I don't think that Marble Masters even existed when I ordered these months and months ago, or I would have gone for them to save myself a lot of install agony.

BTW, I've seamed my granite now, and it matches perfectly. I have graphic design experience, so mixing the colors wasn't that tough for me, but I've still never done it before.

Seams are what separate a good fabrication job from a poor fabrication job, and ultimately affect the longevity of the installation. 45° mitered seams are NOT used with stone countertops of any variety. That's standard with a laminate type of countertop, but stone is too heavy for that. All seam placement should be above where two cabinets butt together for proper support. That means in an L shaped kitchen, one piece of granite is cut with a small L to follow that corner cabinet around the corner and rest on the cabinet edge. The butting piece is then cut to begin on the adjacent cabinet side. That way the seam is fully supported. THe same process should be used in a line seam where you have two slabs butt together in the middle of a longer run. The proper location for the seam is where one slab ends on the side of one cabinet and the other slab begins right next to it where another cabinet side fully supports it. Placement of seams where there is no vertical cabinet side supporting them underneath is a big no no as it leaves a huge weak spot in the slab and can lead to the entire top cracking. Additionally, no seam should be located above a DW as well for that very support reason, unless additional support is installed. Placement of a plywood sub top is NOT enough support, even for 2 cm granite as opposed to 3 cm granite, to ensure the support that the top needs. All seams should be supported by the cabinet sides all the way down to the flooring.

I have been in new home construction jobs where the builder obviously got a container load of pre fabbed countertops from China and had someone unfamiliar with granite installation install them. It shows. The "bling" of granite may blind some to a bad install job, but the blinders don't stay on long when the countertops cracks.

I've seen 45'd corners with granite because of the pattern of the granite, they liked the look of a 45, but as suggested, has to be well supported and i definetely do not recomend free handing the cut with a skli saw. They have jigs out there that are a guide for those cuts when going the skil saw route.

>That way the seam is fully supported.

I have a continuous underlayment of 3/4" inch plywood. Perhaps this is a regional thing. I've seen plenty of diag seams here, and they're easier to do for a non-pro if you have to meet at a corner with straight pieces of granite--they're just more expensive because they use 4 sqft of granite more.

Here's a diag seam by a professional installer: http://www.heritagestonecraft.com/photos/gallery/Seams/New%20Venetian%20Gold%20Seam.JPG

And another place discussing it:
http://www.barefootfloor.com/seams.html

Another pic:
http://img61.imageshack.us/my.php?image=butterfliedseams0029iv.jpg

I searched for info about NOT using diag seams, and it seems that the main reason is countertop waste, not anything at all about stability. In fact, of the L-shaped seams, I couldn't find any that appeared to be trying to hit a cabinet edge. And certainly the countertops with a seam at the sink don't have a cab. side there to support the edge, which is the single most common type of seam that I found! (I used it, too.)

I would also note that I'd NEVER recommend DIY granite if you want a large pattern. I used Opal Brown for precisely that reason. If you tried it with a "fake granite" like one of the metamorphic rocks with wide veins, I'd say you were looking for trouble. :-)

I also would NOT recommend free-handing it! We has a guide the entire time. The gap would almost certainly exceede 1/8th of an inch in places with a freehand approach. With the guide, our worst seam (the first one) was 1/16th of an inch. One of the seams was so tight I had a hard time getting seaming material in it at all!

Professional installation techniques also vary from place to place. Some (very expensive!) installers use equipment that creates a near-inivisible seam that must have a kind of vacuum pump to force the seaming material in. Most are considerably wider. Even my widest looks very much like the pics of professional installations by installers who are proud enough to put their seams on the web! I chose a light-colored granite, which means that my seam is more obvious than those on dark-colored granites. If you want your seams to disappear, choose black.

But again, overall, I think that going DIY with granite in a kitchen with corner cabs & counters is risky and could have disasterous results, though it is quite possible.