How is granite cut

Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Prev NEXT. Home Improvement. Construction Materials. What's the damage? Cite This! Looking to cut new granite countertops for your kitchen? This is a significant caveat. While the actual cutting of granite may be DIY-able, layout and templating kitchen countertops is generally not the domain of the DIYer.

In fact, for pros, it is generally reserved for a specialist. Most kitchen installation professionals sub this work out to specialists. There are many reasons; just to name a few:. However, not every kitchen is a maze of 6-foot-wide islands or inside and outside corners. A galley kitchen with a short, straight run may be worth considering DIY-ing.

A kitchen countertop with a straight run or a bar top, decorative shelf, or breakfast counter can be made from stone, and it will help to know how to cut a granite slab to do or oversee these kinds of projects.

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By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. In , he says, OSHA issued a "hazard alert" warning of a significant exposure risk for workers who manufacture natural and artificial stone countertops. Prevention basically comes down to controlling the dust. Stone cutting businesses can choose from a variety of proven methods ranging from working with stone while it's wet to using vacuum or filtration systems that remove dust from the air.

In , OSHA issued new workplace limits on how much silica could be in the air. This controversial new rule reduced the permissible exposure level to half of what it had been. Safety experts hailed the new, tighter limit as an important step forward; the previous regulations had been based on decades-old science, they said. But many industry groups opposed it. A year later, the incoming Trump administration ended the safety agency's national emphasis program for silica.

That program would have allowed OSHA to target the countertop fabrication industry for special inspections, says Michaels. OSHA can investigate a workplace injury or a complaint. But these workers, some of whom are undocumented immigrants with few employment options, are unlikely to complain.

A spokesperson for OSHA tells NPR that the agency will determine "at a later date" whether a revised silica special emphasis program is needed; in the meantime, the agency "continues to enforce the silica standard. Some countertop manufacturers are well aware of the dangers of silica. He has been able to dramatically reduce the amount of silica dust in his countertop fabrication shop over the past five years, he says.

One of his insurers provided testing for airborne silica, and Scott says levels were initially only marginally acceptable, even though his facility doesn't do any dry processing of stone, which creates more dust.

Part of the problem was that water with silica dust would end up on the floor, he explains, and some of the water would evaporate before going down the drain. We call it our Zamboni. The machine scrubs and vacuums up the water, and Scott says that reduced the silica load in the air substantially. He then added new air handling systems to further remove dust.

He says consumers who want to make sure they're buying a countertop from a responsible vendor can vet fabricators by looking to see if they are accredited by the Natural Stone Institute, which trains companies on how to safely cut and polish stone. A weaker blade will not be able to cut through the granite slab. Once you have completed the steps above, you can begin cutting the granite. Be sure to go easy and do not force the saw. If you force the saw, you will risk messing up the cut and your entire project will be ruined.

Always stand to the side for safety reasons. Although you can use the saw with one hand, you should use two hands to be careful. Have a helper spray water on the granite as you are making the cut.

You need to do this because of the heat and pressure caused by cutting granite. You will not want the saw to overheat. If you do not have a helper to work with you, you will need to use a wet saw for the job.

A wet saw will spray water on the granite as you cut. Make sure to never look away from the saw as you are cutting. By doing so, you risk messing up the cut as well as getting injured.

After you have completed the cut, you should check to ensure that the cut you made was satisfactory. If you are satisfied, you can complete the job or move on to your next cut by repeating the marking and cutting process. If you are not quite satisfied, you can correct small errors by re-applying tape and cutting again.

Use an angle grinder equipped with a diamond grinding wheel to smooth and shape edges to your desired look. Cutting granite countertops is not as hard as it may seem.