Why It's Important To Consider Your Countertop Seam Placement During Installation

Why do you have to deal with seams when you're installing new countertops? In a perfect world, you could have one large, seamless section of material considering the high cost to update your countertops. From a practical standpoint, however, seams are an important part of countertop construction. They account for the size of typical material slabs and allow for smaller sections of countertop that are safer to handle and transport. Proper placement is essential to create a stable, secure countertop that also looks great.

Are seams always necessary? It depends largely on your kitchen layout and the size of each countertop section. Most slabs of natural stone, such as granite, are only about 9 to 10 feet long and 5 to 6 feet wide. If your countertop sections are larger than that, you'll need multiple pieces, which creates seams. It's also common to place a seam on an L-shaped section of countertop although there is flexibility on the placement.

Professional countertop fabricators use several tricks and methods to diminish the look of seams. They might choose to place them at the sink or a cooktop where you have a natural break. Digital templating tools also aid in proper seam placement. Designing a layout with as few seams as possible and shorter seams allows for the best finished look without sacrificing the strength and longevity of your counters. Learning the basics of seam placement makes it easier to work with your countertop fabricator and understand why they recommend one spot over another.

Proper seam placement is essential to handle the weight of countertops. Depending on the types of countertops, they could weigh several hundred pounds. Granite averages a weight of 18 to 20 pounds per square foot. When the seams are placed properly, the design helps distribute that weight for a balanced countertop that's less likely to crack.

The main placement consideration to ensure stability is the support underneath the countertop. Seams over a supported area are stronger and less likely to shift or fail. Positioning the seams where they receive support from cabinet structures helps reinforce them. A good example is positioning seams over the location where two cabinets sit next to one another. You have a double cabinet wall there to lend support to the seam. 

There are some areas that can be particularly bad locations, including over your dishwasher. Vibrations and heat from the appliance can damage the seam over time. It's also a bad idea to position seams across an overhang if possible. The empty space below the overhang leaves the seam unsupported unless your countertop installer adds extra support features. Some stretches of cabinets are also largely unsupported. For example, lower corner cabinets may feature a lazy Susan design without much support for the countertop. Sinks might seem like a good hiding spot, but the area is already weak due to less support. A seam at the sink experiences stress due to the frequent activity and weight of dishes and water. 

Aesthetics and a consistent appearance are also important for seam placement. When countertop seams are done well, they shouldn't stand out but rather blend in with the material. The placement your countertop installer chooses affects how well the lines disappear and the overall appearance of the finished surface.

Minimizing the number of seams you need helps improve the aesthetics of the room. You can do this when designing a new kitchen by positioning appliances to naturally break up the countertops into sections that can be covered by one slab of material. For example, you might position your refrigerator to divide the countertops in a spot that allows for two individual slabs with no seams required. When you need to include seams, keep them as short as possible. If the size of your countertops varies at certain points, choose a narrower location or an angle that keeps the seam short and sweet. Consider what the focal points are in the room and avoid those locations for your seams. They'll be more noticeable if your attention is naturally drawn to that area already. Opt for areas that get used less frequently, such as corners. 

Regardless of where you place seams, your countertop installer can minimize the appearance by carefully selecting pieces with similar colors. It's also important to align the veining or patterns in the material between the pieces. The epoxy used to seal the seam should match the countertop color, helping it to blend in.