Having the Cutout Work for You #2

Nottestad

The most-straightforward cutout is for a stationary outlet box with a standard rounded duplex outlet. This involves drilling a couple of overlapping 2” holes; with a little bit of grinding where the holes meet, the outlet can be slipped through and secured against the stone.
This is the easiest outlet cutout to make, as all the work can be done from the front side of the piece. On fragile stones like marble, onyx, and exotic granite, or for cutouts in short backsplash, this is the outlet I prefer.
Most of the time, though, I’m out of luck. The outlet style is determined by the homeowner, builder, or designer, and the installer has to live with it. And rectangles are the rage right now.
Drilling holes into backsplash is sometimes the best solution for downdraft controllers, or for creating holes for the thread-through of video mounts. These can be done with a 3/4” or 1” bit most of the time. I’m not a huge fan of drilling holes smaller than 3/4” in granite; bits are expensive, easily get out-of-true when used on a hand-held grinder, and wear out quickly.
Rectangular cutouts are more-complicated onsite for the simple fact that both sides of the backsplash need to be marked and cut to get clean corners. They’re also the most-common cutout an installer sees on a daily basis. Remodeling boxes that clip onto the stone, rectangular outlets and rectangular switches with built-in dimmer slides all require cutouts to match.
For these, I use my saw or right-angle grinder with a 5” or 7” blade. I’ve seen a jigsaw with a stone blade used as well, but with mixed results. With one cutout, the blade jammed and lifted up the backsplash piece, snapping it in half.
If you use a jigsaw, remember to clamp the piece securely in place. You’re also going to have to plan on spending a decent amount on blades; they’re expensive and wear out quickly in granite.
After you’ve selected the appropriate tool for the job, the second step is to accurately lay out your cutouts. Consistent tape-measure work and well-drawn lines are essential to ensure a good fit.
My key to a successful measure on an outlet is this: A box has four sides, which gives you the ability to take four measurements. If all four of those measurements don’t agree, you’ve obviously done something wrong.
It takes a little more effort to get all four numbers, but it’s well worth it. By just pulling a measurement to the bottom and one side of an outlet cutout, there’s always the possibility that one number is wrong, and you don’t have any way to double-check it. With four, you have a built-in double-check for all your measurements.
Don’t be sloppy with the tape measure. Trying to get an accurate reading on a vertical surface with the long stretch of a tape measure can be a real challenge. If you can’t accurately reach a point on the tape for a double- check measurement, don’t give it the old “good enough for government work” guess. A measurement that’s off by 1/4” can cast doubt on the rest of your numbers, or cause extra work as an installer tries to figure out how to make an outlet tab work over a void that should be stone.
Measure as far as you comfortably can, and then make a mark in the drywall. Carry a finishing nail that can be tapped in on the mark, and then finish the measure from there. Since you’re covering it up with splash, you don’t have to worry about the drywall. Just remember to take the nail out, or your installers may give you grief about it when they try to tip their backsplash into place.
Even the best tape-measure work can be undermined by poor construction. A measurement pulled from halfway up a wall that isn’t plumb won’t be accurate if it’s transferred to a piece of stone that doesn’t reflect that wall angle. You’ll need to get accurate wall-angle measurements for your backsplash piece to fit well.
Make sure you carry these measurements over when you measure for outlets. And, once again, avoid the theoretical. If the refrigerator panel isn’t in place, don’t let the contractor draw a line on the wall for your measuring – unless he’s willing to sign off on it. If there’s a change and your outlet is off, he probably won’t volunteer to pay for a new splash.
Always pin your client down on the exact location of the outlet; never let them say something like “just put it somewhere over there.” If there’s unhappiness with the placement for whatever reason, you’re going to be an easy target for blame.
Also, it’s possible that an outlet cutout has to be in a certain place in order to meet the local building code. This is especially true with outlet cutouts between lower counters and snack bars, and outlet cutouts near sinks.
If there’s a wire pulled through the wall in-between the studs, you’ve got a pretty good range of outlet placement. It’s not up to you or your installers to decide; make the homeowner or builder give you an exact location.
Once you have accurate measurements, transferring them to the stone becomes your next challenge. I always tape off the front of polished granite or quartz when I cut outlets; this allows me to write on the tape, and also offers some protection to the surface during the cutting process and when the piece is flipped over on the face.
During the layout process, always know where you’re measuring from – especially when backsplashes are cut out-of-square. An upside-down cutout in a backsplash is a common rookie mistake.
I always mark the bottom of the splash with a simple “B” to orient me on how the piece is sitting. This is especially important on the 4 3/4” splash that goes between a base counter and an upper snack bar. It’s easy to mistake top and bottom when a piece is flipped over, as the outlet is usually cut near the middle.
With a rectangular outlet, I highly recommend you mark both the front and the back before you begin cutting. That way, you’re not trying to draw over a layer of dust and debris on the back of the stone.
On the back of granite or quartz, I use a Sharpie® to mark my lines; on marble I use a dark pencil. It’s a little more-difficult to see the pencil line, especially on a stone with netting, but just remember that “marble + Sharpie = one bad day.”
On the front, draw your lines carefully. I like to shade-in the area I’m going to cut, so I know the exact outline. If you make a mistake measuring and draw an extra line, my advice is to tape over it and start fresh. There is nothing more-confusing than having multiples lines from which to pick when you’re ready to cut.
The most-important handwork skill associated with outlet cutouts is the ability to cut at a 90° angle to the surface of the stone. If you cut at an oblique angle in relation to the face of the stone, you might not be able to join your cuts together, especially on a single-outlet cutout. An installer who can cut a good 90° by hand also has an easier time cutting standard-height backsplash to length and finishing a cooktop cutout.
Because of the limitations of a circular blade, you only get a partial outlet cut from the front side. On the back, you’ll have to cut well past your outlet-box lines to join the four sides. How far past depends on the size of blade you’re using, and the thickness of the stone.
It’s easy to figure this out by making a few outlet cutouts in scrap stone and recording the measurements. Then, when you lay out the box on the back of the stone, you can draw a second box around the outside indicating exactly where you should cut . This will increase your efficiency, as you won’t have to go through the “cut a little and check the progress” routine. Cut to your outer box on all four sides, and the outlet will drop out.
Efficient outlet cutting can be a good exercise in teamwork. With a two-man crew, one installer can measure and lay out the pieces, while the other cuts and then preps the area for backsplash installation (or some combination thereof). Having only one guy qualified to measure, lay out, and cut can make for a long day on a large kitchen with full splash.
Finally, it’s important to have a stable setup for cutting outlets. Once you introduce a hole into a piece of stone, you’ve weakened it. Make sure the splash sits on a firm surface as you make the cuts, and practice good material handling when moving it into place. If you use sawhorses, I recommend stable planks or solid plywood.
When you’re cutting outlets, the job is nearly finished. There’s no sense in taking chances at that point.
Jason Nottestad, a 14-year stone-industry veteran, is co-owner of Wisconsin-based Midwest Template Services. He’ll be one of the panelists on the “Countertop Installers Forum” on Oct. 17 at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas in Las Vegas.