The Essential Tools II

SEAM SECURE
The third component of an installation is securing the pieces and creating the seams. Whatever adhesive you use to glue your pieces, get a great caulk gun for the application.
Cordless electric caulk guns have evolved to the point that they actually work well and I recommend using them. Buy an extra battery if you get one, and keep it charged to avoid frustration. Also, have a good manual caulk gun on hand for hard-to-reach places and as a backup for equipment failure.
Just as every installer should have lifting handles, it’s also imperative to have a seam setter. I’ve heard good things about most brands of seam setters; the one I use is from Omni Cubed, and I love it for three reasons.
First, it allows me to see and feel almost the entire seam as I make adjustments. Second, the fine screw threads that pull the pieces together are strong enough to create very thin seams, even with heavy pieces. And third, the levelers provide a lot of torque to help with warped stone. This is important to me, as I’m not one to top polish much of anything, let alone the entire length of a seam.
As good as seam setters are, you don’t need one for every seaming situation. If you’re lucky enough to run into flat granite or quartz, you can make a great seam with two 8” suction cups attached with a turnbuckle. For an installer bent on production over perfection, this is an inexpensive alternative to the higher-tech seam solutions.
Also, a seam setter is not a miracle tool that replaces the stone setting and leveling process. Before a seam tool is set on the stone, the surface should already be firm, level and in-plane. Anything short of that will inevitably result in seams that crack, no matter what adhesive you use.

ROCK-SOLID SINK
The fourth component of an installation is securing the sink in place. I highly recommend buying some sort of sink setter, as it holds the sink tightly against the bottom of the stone until you have the mounting method secured and the adhesive beginning to set up. A sink setter also allows you to work more effectively by yourself, thus freeing up your install partner to do something instead of holding a sink in place until you’ve got it set.
Different sink mounting methods require different tools, but overlap with your existing kit should cover most mounting scenarios. If you mount a sink in a cabinet with wood or aluminum bars, you’ve already got the necessary woodworking tools to get the job done. If your fabricator provides you with some sort of in-stone mounting system, you may need a long screwdriver or ratchet to tighten your clips, but nothing more.

DRILL IT IN
The fifth component of an installation is drilling holes on-site when necessary. I use a Flex variable-speed grinder with an 11-amp motor; it runs slow enough to avoid burning up the stone and bit, while at the same time offering enough power to drill through hard 3cm granite.
Buy two of them from the beginning, and designate one as your on-site polisher. Store it in a box with your set of polishing pads, grinder blades and shaping wheels. If you use it only for on-site grinding and polishing, it will wear more slowly than the grinder you use for drilling.
By replacing them at different times, you’ll always have a good grinder in case the one you’re using breaks down. In the event your stone saw quits, this grinder can do almost everything a saw can do, just not as cleanly.
It’s also a good idea to carry an adapter kit allowing you to turn your cordless drill into a core-hole cutter. If you’ve got to core a hole in a tight spot, your cordless drill might allow you to do it more easily than the grinder.
When purchasing core bits, I always make sure they have side-cutting capability. This allows you to widen the core hole slightly as you go, reducing the risk of your bit binding and chipping the top of the stone. It also reduces surface friction between stone and bit, thus helping to keep the whole operation cooler.
As I’ve said before in previous columns in Stone Business, always use a guide when drilling holes. You can buy a commercially made guide, but none of them work on as many scenarios as you think they should. Sometimes a piece of plywood with the proper-sized hole cut in it works the best. And remember, you only need the guide to begin the hole. Once the hole is started, it’s pretty safe to drill.

CUT AWAY
The sixth component of an installation is cutting out a cooktop or drop-in sink opening. I use a Makita 4200NH circular saw; I also use it for cutting backsplash to length and outlet cutouts, as well as any major on-site adaptations that may be necessary.
I love this saw for one simple reason – it puts up with abuse and keeps running. My last one survived for three-and-a-half years. It suffered some hard running, numerous drops and a paucity of cleaning. It never complained or asked for a raise and cut true until the day it nearly fell apart in my hands.
Whatever saw you decide to use, make sure to carry plenty of extra saw blades. You never know when you’ll pinch a blade by accident and end up shedding a segment; once you’ve lost one segment, the others are sure to follow. When changing blades on the Makita, be careful not to strip the head of the nut. If you do, you’ll need a small pipe wrench to get a sound enough grip to turn the nut. And a lot of patience.

CLEAN-UP
A good wet/dry shop vacuum with plenty of clean filters will round out the necessary tools in your installation kit. Get into the practice of turning on your vacuum outside of a house before you bring it in to use it; it’ll purge the dust that shakes loose when traveling.
To cover all my bases, I also carry a kit that allows me to do basic plumbing and gas-stove disconnects. Normally, this should be done before I arrive; however, knowing how to do these things can save you time waiting for a plumber.
Reconnecting plumbing is something your insurance agent will make you swear never to do, but if you have to replace a sink piece it can save you a lot of money. I’ve done a disconnect/ reconnect a half-dozen times with no problems. Reconnecting a gas stove is beyond my comfort level, and I leave that to professionals.
Finally, bring along a flashlight. Bring two, and plenty of batteries. Make sure you can hang one of them in the back of your delivery truck as a lantern. There’s nothing fun or safe about fumbling around in the dark in the middle of winter looking for a tool.
Last but not least; bring a cooler and fill it with food and drink. Installing countertops is a strenuous, time-consuming process. You can’t afford to burn out physically or mentally in the middle of the day. Take time to eat and drink to keep up your energy level.
Bring along a radio too. If it doesn’t bother anyone, have a listen; a little music can keep the morale high. Installing granite on a daily basis, you’re going to need that.
Jason Nottestad, a 13-year stone-industry veteran, is co-owner of Wisconsin-based Midwest Template Services.