Kitchen · Gig Harbor, WA
A $13M Gig Harbor house project: a 24-foot, 1,000-pound natural quartzite countertop made from five Taj Mahal-type slabs and secured with seismic fasteners. Four undermount sinks and six faucet holes are built into the stone.
The main piece runs 24 feet and weighs about 1,000 pounds, cut from five Taj Mahal-type slabs, so seam locations took careful planning. The existing cabinets stayed in place, so the fit had to be exact with no demolition. The design also called for several sink and faucet cutouts, and the stone had to be secured for earthquake country.
We used StoneEx digital laser templating to record the kitchen so the slabs fit around what was already there. The specs cover the sink and faucet cutouts and an eased and polished edge. Seams were placed to be unobtrusive, and the install uses seismic fasteners.
The quartzite sits well with the existing cabinets and under-cabinet LED lighting. The sinks and faucets fit the stone cleanly.
The challenge in detail
The layout of this Gig Harbor kitchen was unusual, and the homeowners wanted the stone to look continuous across 97.3 square feet of countertop. That goal put seam placement at the center of the planning. The existing cabinetry was staying, so there would be no demolition, and every measurement had to account for cabinets that were already set.
The design also asked a lot of the stone itself. Four undermount sinks and six faucet holes had to be built into the countertops, and each opening needed to work for daily use while keeping the surface balanced. Handling was the third concern. Taj Mahal-type quartzite is durable and heavy, so the slabs needed steady support and careful movement during installation to avoid damage.
How we approached it
StoneEx digital laser templating captured the kitchen's dimensions, which let us plan the layout accurately and cut the quartzite to fit around existing features without removing anything. CNC cutting followed the digital template and produced the eased and polished edge profile, a smooth finish that keeps the natural pattern of the stone in front.
Seam locations were chosen to stay unobtrusive and to follow the lines of the kitchen design. Our team then cut the openings for the four undermount sinks and the six faucet holes, so each fixture sits cleanly within the countertop surface. Planning the cutouts and the seams together, against the same digital template, kept the layout consistent from the first cut to the final placement.
The finished project
The finished kitchen is both refined and practical. The quartzite has a timeless look and sits comfortably with the cabinetry that stayed in place, and the under-cabinet LED lighting brings out the stone along the counters.
The sinks and faucet cutouts are worked into the surface with care, so the countertops meet the household's practical needs without losing their clean appearance. With the existing cabinets kept and the new stone fitted to them, the kitchen gained a durable natural surface that the homeowners can use and enjoy for years to come. The eased and polished edge keeps the profile simple, so the natural movement in the quartzite stays the main feature of the room.
Photos
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