How to measure Countertops (and get it right the first time around!)

How to Measure Countertops

Start by Thinking Like a Stone Cutter

Something to keep in mind when measuring countertops is that the stone comes in large rectangular slabs which are then cut into pieces and shaped for your kitchen.
Because of this, measurements must be thought of in terms of rectangle pieces.
In the drawing below, the layouts are sectioned off into easily measurable rectangles. This is an example for how these common counter-top shapes should be measured:

You just take the Length x Width of each section, and add it together.
For our U-shaped Counter-top example, we would measure it like this:

Piece A: 62.5” x 25” = 1562.5”
Piece B: Same size as A in this case, so 1562.5”
Piece C: 125” x 25” = 3125”
1562.5”
+1562.5”
+3125”
=6250 square inches

Now, we don’t buy these materials by the square inch so we will need to convert that number into square feet.

A square foot is 12” x 12” = 144. So let’s divide 6250 by 144 to get our final square footage of 43.403.

We always round up when measuring so the final measurement would be 44 square feet.

How Do I Measure Odd-shaped Countertops?

Things to Remember When Measuring and Budgeting for Counter-tops:

1. The average slab size is 120×55” (or about 41 square feet). Some stone types come in jumbo slabs as well. This is important to know because counter-top materials are sold by the slab. Unless you have a small kitchen, you’ll likely need 1.5 slabs. Some countertops are sold by the half-slab, depending on the color. If your color doesn’t come in half slabs and you need 1.5 for your kitchen, you will need two whole slabs so budget accordingly.

2. Don’t forget the backsplash. If you decide to have a backsplash from the same materials as the countertop, plan for an extra 4-inch-wide section across the length of the countertop. If you only need 1.5 slabs like mentioned above, you can use the extra half slab for the backsplash.

3. Don’t forget to plan for labor and fabrication costs! Labor is calculated by the square footage of your finished countertop, and additional costs such as undermount sinks, special edges, curves, and backsplashes need to be accounted for.

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