Is my kitchen ready for templating?
When I first joined Affordable Granite, nearly ten (gulp!) years ago, one question stuck in my head, heard hundreds of time over the phone from Linda or Naomi: “Are you ready for template?”
I didn’t have much clue about the industry then, but it was drummed into my head in that first week that the template was at the heart of our process, central to everything we did.
Caesarstone Wild Rice worktops in a classic Sussex KitchenÂ
Faread, one of our template specialists, heading out to his first site visit of the day
Even with the information sent out about being ready for templating, we still have a proportion of customers who are very enthusiastic and want to have our guys in to measure before their kitchen is actually ready. This tends to happen more in the pre-Christmas rush – everyone is conscious of time constraints, and the desire to get the worktops in time for family gatherings tends to overwhelm apparently tedious and irrelevant tasks like checking lists of requirements.
We have had a couple of recent cases where things really weren’t ready. Sometimes the reasons are subtle – problems with levelling of the units, for instance. At other times, things are more obvious. The worst (and funniest!) case we ever had was where the kitchen units, still plastic wrapped, were standing in a huddle in the middle of the lounge when our templater arrived.
A serious levelling error on a kitchen which, in other respects, was ready for template
Sink unit clamped in place
Kitchen units that are held in place with temporary clamps are not a good sign! To be ready for templating, units need to be in the final positions and actually fixed in place by the method of fixing which will finally hold them.
Again, holding units in place with temporary fixings on top of them not only raises questions about how final the position is, but prevents the template material actually being placed properly onto the units
If battening is being done to the back wall, it needs to be to all back walls, and it would be nice if the room wasn’t quite so cluttered!
There is no way that the overhang can be right on these units, and it really isn’t fair to expect the template guy to shift all of those flat packs off the top of the peninsula!
No clamps please… 🙂
The only situation where a clamp is acceptable is where an end panel must go on for the template and then come off for a floor treatment. See our checklist below.Â
The template really is the heart of the granite and quartz worktop process. Checking you are ready for template is straightforward, and guarantees a smooth flow of work from order through to worktop installation. We are one of the fastest companies around when it comes to the delay between template and fit – but that speed starts with templating kitchens that are really prepared.
Our ready for template check list goes like this…
1. Base units must be in their final position and fixed. Any subsequent movement will invalidate the template.
2. The units should be level to within 1mm along each run, with no high points. Check with a straight edge or long level which spans at least 3 consecutive units, and also check diagonals front to back.
3. All end panels must be on (or clamped in place if they are to be scribed after a floor installation).
4. The front edges of units in a run must be in line within 2mm: check with a string or long straight edge.
5. All hobs, range, sinks & taps etc. must be on site. (Unless Affordable Granite are supplying the sink).
6. Undermounted ceramic or acrylic mix sinks, and all undermounted sinks with waste disposal units, need to be in situ and supported adequately from beneath.
7. Any plastering must be completed.
8. Temporary worktops (if installed) removed.
We have a video showing how to be ready for templating, together with some of the template process on youtube.
There is just one other thing that Jon, our main template guy, asked me to mention. Please pop the kettle on! 😉
We are Affordable Granite, the leading installer of granite and quartz worktops in Surrey, Sussex, London and right across the South East. For samples, quotes and any questions connected with any aspect of worktop installation, including how to be ready for template, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01293 863992 or by email on sales@affordablegranite.co.uk/ .
