Countertop installation

A countertop is the one surface in the room with no tolerance for error.

Cabinets can be shimmed. Tile can be adjusted at the grout line. A slab arrives cut to a number somebody took days earlier, and if that number is wrong the only remedy is another slab.

That is why templating happens after the base cabinets are set, levelled and secured — never off a drawing and never before. A template taken from installed cabinetry records the walls as they actually are, including the out-of-square corner that every older South Florida house has somewhere.

The rest is sequencing. Sink and cooktop cutouts are made in the shop where there is proper support, not on site over a cabinet opening. Seams are placed where they will be least visible and best supported, which is a decision made at layout, not at installation. And the substrate under the stone has to carry it before anything is set down.

We handle countertops as part of a kitchen, not as a delivery. The same contractor who set the cabinets is the one who signs off the template, which removes the gap where most countertop problems live.

CBC1265280Florida certified building contractor. Licensed, bonded and insured.
3 countiesMiami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach — 104 municipalities.
4.8 / 343Average rating across Google reviews.
In-houseCabinetry, counters and the trades around them under one contractor.

Thinking about new counters? Start with a measure of what you already have.

How we work

Six things that decide whether a slab fits.

Template · fabricate · set

01

Templated after the boxes are set

Digital templating happens once the base cabinets are installed, levelled and fixed. Measuring earlier records an intention; measuring afterwards records the room.

02

Substrate and support checked first

Long spans, unsupported overhangs and cantilevers need support designed before the slab arrives. Stone is strong in compression and unforgiving in bending.

03

Seams placed deliberately

A seam goes where it is supported and least seen — not wherever the slab happened to run out. On a veined material the pattern is matched across the joint at layout.

04

Cutouts made in the shop

Sink and cooktop openings are cut and finished on a bench with the slab fully supported. Cutting an opening in place is how slabs crack.

05

Edges chosen for use, not just looks

A soft eased edge chips less than a sharp arris on a busy family island. A mitred waterfall adds material and a fabrication step but hides the slab thickness.

06

Sealing and aftercare set out up front

Quartz needs none. Natural stone needs periodic sealing, and marble will etch with acid regardless. We say which applies before the material is chosen, not after.

Not sure which material suits how you cook? Ask us before you shop.

Countertops in place · 01

Veined stone across island and perimeter

18 images · one project · complete set

Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 1
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 2
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 3
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 4
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 5
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 6
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 7
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 8
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 9
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 10
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 11
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 12
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 13
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 14
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 15
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 16
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 17
Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 18

Veined stone carried across the island and the full perimeter run, with the seated overhang at the near end.

1 / 18

Want stone that runs like this through your own kitchen?

Project 01 · what the stone is doing

Running one pattern around a room

The same veined material is used on the island and on every perimeter run. That is a layout decision more than a purchase decision: the slabs have to be selected and sequenced so the veining reads as one piece of stone that happens to turn corners, rather than as four separate worktops that share a name.

The island carries a seated overhang, which means the stone was templated against installed, secured base cabinets and the overhang was checked against real knee clearance before anything was cut.

A slab arrives cut to a number somebody took days earlier. Take the number from installed cabinets, not from a drawing.

At the sink the stone is finished down to an apron-front bowl, so the cut edge is visible from the front of the room. That edge gets the same polish as the top face — there is nowhere for a rough cut to hide.

Observed specification
MaterialVeined white stone with heavy grey movement
LocationsIsland plus full perimeter run, one material throughout
IslandSeated overhang, supported and checked against knee clearance
Sink cutoutFinished to an apron-front bowl, front edge polished
RangeCut to a slide-in unit on both sides
BacksplashTile, meeting the counter without a filled gap
EdgeConsistent profile and overhang reveal along every run

Described only from what is visible in this project's photography. Cost, schedule, client details, location, slab yield and product brands are not stated because they are not documented in the image set.

Every countertop starts the same way — someone templates the installed cabinets.

Materials

Choosing the surface you will live on

General characteristics · not a quotation

Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 10

Engineered quartz

Consistent, non-porous, no sealing

Quartz is a manufactured surface, so the pattern is predictable from slab to slab and the colour you approve is the colour you get. It never needs sealing and resists staining well. Its limits are heat and UV: use trivets, and think twice about it in a room with sustained direct sun. It is the default for busy family kitchens for good reasons.

Navy shaker kitchen with brass hardware and quartz waterfall island — view 5

Natural granite

Movement no two slabs repeat

Hard, heat-tolerant and genuinely unique per slab — which also means you should approve the actual slab rather than a sample. Porous, so it takes periodic sealing.

Navy shaker kitchen with brass hardware and quartz waterfall island — view 13

Marble

Beautiful, and it will patina

Marble etches where acid touches it, and no sealer prevents that. Specified honestly it is a wonderful surface for a baking area or a display run; specified as maintenance-free it becomes a complaint.

Navy shaker kitchen with brass hardware and quartz waterfall island — view 4

Porcelain slab

Large format, non-porous

Very hard and heat-tolerant, and available in sheets big enough for a waterfall or a full-height backsplash with few joints.

White shaker kitchen with quartz waterfall island and brushed-nickel hardware — view 5

Edges and cutouts

Where wear actually happens

Eased and bullnose edges chip less than sharp profiles. Undermount cutouts are polished to the bowl; overmount hides the cut.

Two-tone kitchen with teal herringbone backsplash and marble waterfall island — view 13

Thickness and overhang

2cm, 3cm and mitred build-ups

Thickness changes both cost and how the room reads. A mitred build-up makes a 2cm slab present as a thicker one.

Quartz, granite, marble or porcelain? We will tell you which fits your room.

Common questions

Before the slab is cut

The questions we are asked most often about countertop work across the tri-county area — answered without the parts that depend on seeing your kitchen.

Once the base cabinets are installed, levelled and secured, and the sink and cooktop are on site so the openings can be cut to the actual fixtures. Templating before that records an intention rather than a room, and the slab is cut to whatever the template says.

There is always a fabrication window between the two, because the slab is cut, polished and finished in a shop. The length depends on the fabricator and the material, and we confirm it for your job rather than quoting a number here.

That depends on the run length against the slab size, and on the material. Where a seam is unavoidable it is placed where it is supported and least visible, and on a veined material the pattern is matched across it at layout.

Quartz for predictability and no sealing; natural stone for movement no two slabs repeat. Neither is better in the abstract. The honest question is how the room gets used and how much maintenance you actually want.

Often yes, provided the existing cabinets are sound, level and able to carry the new material. We check that before quoting, because a heavier slab on a tired carcass is a problem you only discover later.

They are removed and disposed of as part of the scope. Removal can disturb the backsplash and the wall behind it, which is why backsplash work is usually planned into the same job.

A like-for-like countertop replacement generally does not, because nothing structural, electrical or plumbing changes. If the work moves a sink, adds a cooktop, or forms part of a wider remodel, the wider scope may. We confirm with the authority having jurisdiction rather than assuming either way.

It depends on the material, its thickness and what supports it. Past a certain point an overhang needs concealed support designed in — which is a decision made before fabrication, not discovered on installation day.

No, but the relationship has to be decided before the slab is ordered. A full-height stone backsplash is a second slab off the same block; a tile backsplash meets the counter at a joint that wants planning.

Quartz needs no sealing. Natural stone takes periodic sealing, and marble will etch with acid regardless of sealer. We set out which applies to your material before you choose it.

Preferred contact method

We use your details only to respond to this enquiry. No lists, no resale.

Thanks — that came through.

Your details are with the Elbaz Construction team and we will come back to you, usually the same or next working day. If it is urgent, call (754) 236-0675.

Countertops in place · 02

White quartz with a mitred waterfall

18 images · a separate project · select to enlarge

Considering a waterfall island? Ask what the mitre adds before you commit.

Project 02 · what the stone is doing

A waterfall is a fabrication decision, not a styling one.

The mitre is the whole job

A waterfall return is two pieces of stone joined at 45 degrees so the pattern folds over the corner. It is cut in the shop, dry-assembled, and the joint is what the work is judged on. A butt joint at the same corner costs less and looks it.

The same slab, twice

Behind the range the backsplash is the counter material taken up the wall full height. That is a second slab off the same block, which is why it is specified at purchase and not decided later.

One thickness, one line

Island, perimeter and backsplash all read at one thickness and one height. That consistency is what makes a plain white quartz look deliberate rather than default.

Observed from this project's photography only. The mitred waterfall, the full-height slab backsplash and the undermount cutouts are all visible in the images above; cost, timeline, location and client details are not stated because the image set does not evidence them.

Bring us the slab you like and we will tell you how it will cut.

How the work runs

From selection to the final polish

8 stages · coordinated by one contractor

01

Consultation

We look at the existing kitchen, how it is used, and whether the cabinets can carry the material you are considering.

02

Material selection

Quartz, granite, marble or porcelain — chosen against use and maintenance, not only against a sample board.

03

Slab approval

For natural stone, the actual slab is viewed and approved. Two granites with the same name can look nothing alike.

04

Cabinet preparation

Base cabinets levelled and secured, and any support needed for overhangs or spans built in.

05

Digital templating

The room is templated as built, with the sink and cooktop on site so openings are cut to the real fixtures.

06

Fabrication

Cutting, cutouts, edge profiling and polishing happen in the shop, with the slab fully supported.

07

Installation

Set, levelled, seams joined and finished, cutouts fitted, and the plumbing reconnected.

08

Seal and hand over

Sealed where the material requires it, with the aftercare for that specific surface written down.

A like-for-like countertop replacement does not normally require a permit, because nothing structural, electrical or plumbing changes. Where the work moves services or forms part of a wider remodel, we confirm the requirement with the authority having jurisdiction for your municipality.

One contractor from template to final polish.

Countertops in place · 03

Plain quartz, deliberately quiet

9 images · scroll or swipe · select to enlarge

A plain light quartz on the perimeter, chosen to stay quiet against a fully white room.
The compact island in the same quartz, with a small seated overhang.
Counter under the window with the undermount sink cutout and the drawer bank below.
The counter edge over the drawer stack, showing the profile against the large-format floor tile.
Detail: a single-bowl undermount sink, the stone polished down to the bowl rim.
The sink run with the counter returning to the range.
Wide view: island and perimeter matched, no contrast material introduced.
The base run under the window with the counter carried across the dishwasher.
The range wall, counter finishing tight to each side of the slide-in unit.

A plain surface, done precisely, still reads as expensive.

On site

What a finished surface should look like

A walkthrough of a completed Elbaz kitchen. Watch the counter line rather than the room: it is the thing that shows whether the rest was done properly.

  • 01The counter holds one height and one line from end to end. Any dip shows up along that edge long before it shows anywhere else.
  • 02The overhang reveal stays constant over the cabinet fronts. An uneven reveal means the stone was set to the cabinets rather than to a level line.
  • 03Where the counter turns a corner or meets an appliance, look for a scribed fit rather than a filled gap.
  • 04On a waterfall, the pattern should fold across the mitre. If the veining stops at the corner, the joint was a butt rather than a mitre.

Ready to see this line in your own kitchen?

Budget

What moves a countertop number

Relative impact · not a quotation

01

Material and grade

The single biggest lever, and the range within one material type is wider than the gap between two of them. Exotic natural stone and standard quartz are not close.

Highest impact
02

Slab count and yield

A long run, an island and a full-height backsplash may need more slabs than the area suggests, because pattern matching and cutting waste both consume material.

High impact
03

Edge profile and build-up

A simple eased edge is fabrication anyone does. Mitred build-ups and waterfall returns add both material and shop time.

Moderate to high
04

Cutouts and penetrations

Sinks, cooktops, faucets, soap dispensers and pop-up outlets are each a cut and a finished edge.

Moderate
05

Support and structure

Most runs need none. A long unsupported overhang or a cantilever does, and that is designed rather than improvised.

Lower, unless needed
06

Removal and making good

Taking the old surface out, disposing of it, and repairing the wall and backsplash that removal disturbs.

Lower, but real

The bars show the relative weight these factors typically carry against one another on a countertop project. They are not prices, percentages of a budget, or a quotation, and the order can change on any individual job.

For a number specific to your counters, we need to measure the room.

Google reviews

What clients said on Google

4.8 Based on 343 Google reviews

★★★★★
If you are planning to remodel your kitchen or bathroom or do any other construction project, call Sean from Elbaz Construction. He has a lot of experience and will recommend the best options/ suggestions to your project. He did high quality job !
Kameron Allison · Google
★★★★★
Elbaz Construction provided excellent service and outstanding craftsmanship. The team was professional and attentive to our needs. We’re extremely satisfied with the results!
Damian Nunez · Google
★★★★★
Asher was knowledgeable and gave us cool ideas that we didn't even know before. Nice beautiful color and design. We appreciate the price !
Sierra Bernabeo · Google
★★★★★
Sean has experience and he gave me the best ideas for my kitchen and bathroom project. He did high quality Job . We are very satisfied
J C · Google
★★★★★
We had a good time dealing with Asher and the crew, he went over and above all our expectations and made every effort to ensure that the end result was up to their high standards. Thank you !!
Emmett Giffin · Google
★★★★★
Elbaz Construction provided excellent service and great customer service. also provide the right team to get the job done. Any project or style that’s needed it. Elbaz Construction is the place to call. Thank you!
Jaee Rodriguez · Google

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Join the homeowners across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.

Schedule a Consultation (754) 236-0675
Preferred contact method

We use your details only to respond to this enquiry. No lists, no resale.

Thanks — that came through.

Your details are with the Elbaz Construction team and we will come back to you, usually the same or next working day. If it is urgent, call (754) 236-0675.

Next step

Send us the kitchen, we will send back the options

A measure, a material shortlist against how you actually cook, and a written scope before anything is ordered.