So you have decided to go with the natural stone kitchen countertops in your kitchen re-model, let me be the first to congratulate you on your choice of a beautiful, durable and timeless building material. Here are some other factors to consider in installation process of stone countertops. Make sure that your contractor does something called rodding to the piece of stone before installing. Rodding is a process by which shallow grooves or channels are cut into the underside of the granite piece and then steel rods are glued into the channels. These are guarantee against later cracking and splitting of the countertop, due to holes being cut in it for cooktops and sinks. This process is imperative, and should always be done. Rodding is not a difficult process, but is a high indicator of quality. Another thing to look for in the stone installation is the polishing, or surfacing of the piece. Are the edges sanded or polished smooth? Did the contractor also sand or polish the slab on all of the edges and underneath also? Although the underside of the slab will probably not extend beyond the top of the cabinet more than a few inches, it is important that those areas are also polished or finished. People tend to sit at a countertop and wrap their fingers around the edges; a contractor who doesn’t do the sanding underneath for at least a few inches is not doing their job correctly. Ask these questions of your contractor first, let them know that you are aware of what constitutes a quality job, and aren’t afraid to ask questions. Remember that quality takes time, contractors work with time as their main billing factor, and you really want to pay for this kind of quality in  stone kitchen countertops installation.