Countertop Templating Checklist: What to Confirm Before You Cut

Templating is the last moment to catch a problem cheaply. Once stone is cut, every mistake costs slab, labor and schedule. Use this checklist as a starting point and adapt it to your shop, your material and your installers.

1. Before you arrive

• Confirm the appointment, the address and who will be on site to answer decisions.
• Review the quote: material, edge profile, cutouts, backsplash and any special work.
• Bring your measuring tools, templating material, a level, a camera and the job file.

2. Site conditions

• Are the cabinets installed, level and secured? Templating on cabinets that will still move is a common source of rework.
• Are old countertops removed, or is removal part of the job?
• Are plumbing and electrical connections ready for the sink, cooktop and appliances?
• Note any wall that is out of square, since it affects how each piece is cut and scribed.

3. Appliances and cutouts

• Get the exact sink, cooktop and faucet models, and their manufacturer templates or spec sheets. Do not template from memory.
• Confirm sink type (undermount, drop-in, farmhouse) and reveal.
• Mark faucet and accessory holes, and outlet locations for the backsplash.

4. Edges, overhangs and support

• Confirm the edge profile and which edges are finished.
• Measure every overhang. Large overhangs may need support, so confirm requirements against your own standards and your material supplier’s guidance before you promise a design.
• Check where the countertop meets walls, appliances and adjacent surfaces.

5. Seams and layout

• Agree seam locations with the customer before you leave, not after the stone is cut.
• Confirm that pieces can physically be carried in: doorways, stairs, corners and elevator access.
• If the material has veining or a pattern, note how it should run and which piece leads.

6. Backsplash and walls

• Confirm backsplash height, full-height sections and where it stops.
• Note tile or finishes still to be installed, and their thickness.

7. Material confirmation

• Confirm the exact slab or lot the customer selected, not just the color name.
• Record any customer preferences about veining, movement and finish.

8. Document and sign off

• Take photos of the site, cabinets, walls and any unusual condition.
• Draw or capture the final layout with every dimension, edge, cutout and seam.
• Get a sign-off from the customer (or their representative) on the layout and on what happens if the site changes.
• Upload everything to the job record the same day, so fabrication starts from the real template.

Keep templating connected to the rest of the job

Sketch-BIM structures field measurements into pieces, dimensions, materials, edges, cutouts and backsplash so they flow into estimating and production without being rewritten.