What type of counter material? Our countertops were all cut at the stone yard. No cutting done on site.

eta: our installers did drill holes for the faucets etc. when the counters were in place. They must have used a water drill (?) because there was no mess.

Ask your installer.

I recently had kitchen and bar counters installed, separate jobs and separate contractors. Very little mess with the bar install, but it was a small rectangular piece and pretty much just slid right in. Countertops were a different story. I have no idea what they were doing out there with their wet saws, tools, and smokes, all I know is they took all day and made a mess outside and inside. It turned out ok in the end but yikes. So yea -- depends on the installer. Cover everything up just in case.

I not only cut stone in kitchens regularly with no dust, I also profile and polish dust free as well. It's all in the tools and techniques.

Thank you!! The installer said the sink and faucet cut outs will be done on site. Given your advice, I will cover everything and hope for the best. The installer is a big company and so far have been very professional so I will keep my fingers crossed that they will minimize any dust.

My experience has been that sink holes and faucet holes are always cut on site. I've never had a problem with dust because of these cuts. If you are at all nervous about it, go ahead and cover things. Like Joseph Corlett said, it's all in the tools. Go over it with your contractor beforehand. They should be able to complete it with a minimum of mess and dust if they know what they are doing.

Weird I've never had a sink cut on site! Lots of trimming done on site depending on the job. Faucet holes yes....