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Aug 24 2026

Replacing Kitchen Countertops: What to Expect From Template to Install

Once you have chosen a material and slab, the next step in replacing your kitchen countertops is scheduling a template appointment. Before our team arrives, it helps to clear the counters completely and remove anything mounted underneath the cabinets that could interfere with access.

We also ask homeowners to think through any changes they want built into the new layout at this stage, such as a different sink size, an added overhang for seating, or a new edge profile. Decisions made before templating save time and prevent revisions once fabrication begins.

Templating Day: How We Capture Exact Measurements

On templating day, our team measures your existing cabinets and any walls, appliances, or fixtures the new countertop needs to fit around. Rather than relying on the dimensions of your old countertop, which may have shifted slightly over the years, we take fresh measurements directly off the cabinet boxes to guarantee an accurate fit.

We use digital scanning technology that captures a highly detailed 3D rendering of the space, which lets us simulate exactly how a chosen slab will be cut, including where the veining will fall and how pieces will nest together on the stone. This step also lets us model seam placement and vein matching digitally before any cutting happens.

From the Shop to Your Home: Fabrication and Edge Work

Once the template is finalized, fabrication begins in our shop. Slabs are cut to the exact dimensions captured during templating, sink and cooktop cutouts are made, and edge profiles are shaped and polished by hand to match the finish you selected.

This is also when any custom details, like a waterfall edge or a decorative backsplash piece, get cut and prepared alongside the main countertop sections so everything arrives at your home ready to set in place.

Looking To Replace Your Kitchen Countertops?

Installation Day: Setting, Leveling, and Seaming

On installation day, our crew removes your old countertop and disconnects any plumbing or wiring tied into the space to keep the work area safe. The new stone is carried in, set onto the cabinets, and carefully leveled before any seams are joined with color-matched epoxy.

Pro Tip: Clear a straight path from your front door to the kitchen before installation day. Stone slabs are heavy and awkward to maneuver, and a clear walkway helps our team move safely and efficiently through your home.

After Installation: What to Expect Once We Leave

Once the countertop is set, leveled, and seamed, our team reconnects your plumbing and wiring so your sink and appliances are functional again before we leave. Natural stone surfaces are sealed as part of the finishing process, and our crew does a final quality check to confirm every seam, edge, and cutout meets our standards.

We walk through the finished project with you before wrapping up, answering any questions about day-to-day care so you feel confident living with your new countertop right away.

Ready to Start Your Countertop Replacement

Replacing a kitchen countertop is a significant investment, and having a clear picture of the process from template to install makes the whole experience far less stressful. If you are still comparing countertop material options, our installation team and design staff are here to help. Browse our slab inventory and project gallery for inspiration, then contact Bellezza Surfaces to schedule your template appointment.

Aug 15 2026

Onyx Countertops: What to Know Before You Buy, From Backlighting to Care

Onyx is a natural stone, but it behaves differently from the granite and marble most homeowners are familiar with. It forms through mineral deposits building up in bands, which gives it the layered, almost liquid-looking pattern it is known for. Unlike granite or quartzite, onyx is translucent, which means light can pass through a slab rather than stopping at the surface.

That translucency is the single biggest reason homeowners choose onyx for a feature application. Colors range from honey and olive tones to cream, blue, red, and yellow, and every slab carries its own unique banding.

The Backlighting Effect That Only Onyx Delivers

Because onyx is translucent, it can be backlit with an LED panel installed behind the slab, and the entire surface glows from within. This is not an effect that granite, quartzite, or marble can replicate, since those stones remain opaque no matter how much light is aimed at them.

We install backlit onyx most often on bar tops, bathroom vanities, and feature walls, where the glowing effect becomes the centerpiece of the room. A dimmable lighting system lets homeowners adjust the intensity of the glow depending on the mood they want, from a soft amber wash to a brighter, more dramatic display.

Where Onyx Performs Best in the Home

Onyx is more delicate than granite or quartzite, and it is more reactive to acids than either of those stones. For that reason, we typically recommend it for lower-traffic, decorative applications rather than a primary kitchen island where knives, acidic foods, and heavy daily use are constant.

Powder room vanities, wet bars, accent walls, and shower surrounds are all places where onyx’s dramatic pattern can shine without the wear and tear of a busy kitchen prep zone.

Are Onyx Countertops the Right Choice for Your Home?

The glow of a backlit onyx slab has to be experienced firsthand to be fully appreciated. Contact Bellezza Surfaces to schedule a showroom visit, view our current onyx inventory, and start planning your feature piece.

Sealing, Acid Sensitivity, and Everyday Care

Onyx must be sealed, much like granite and marble, to help protect it from staining and to reinforce a stone that is naturally more brittle than other options. Daily cleaning is simple and only requires warm water with a mild dish soap.

Pro Tip: Never use a cleaner containing citrus, bleach, or other harsh chemicals on onyx. These products can break down the sealant layer and leave the stone more vulnerable to etching and staining than it already is.

Because onyx reacts to acids, spills from wine, citrus juice, or vinegar should be wiped up promptly rather than left to sit, even briefly, on the surface.

Is Onyx the Right Choice for Your Project

Onyx rewards homeowners who want a truly one-of-a-kind feature and are willing to treat it with a bit more care than a standard countertop material. It is not the most practical choice for every application, but in the right setting, no other natural stone creates the same glowing, dramatic effect.

We keep a rotating selection of onyx slabs in our material inventory, and we encourage clients to see the stone lit from behind before making a final decision, since photographs rarely do the backlighting effect justice.

See Onyx in Person at Our Showroom

Aug 09 2026

Stone Slab Fireplace vs. Tile: Why Homeowners Choose a Full-Slab Surround

A fireplace surround can be built two fundamentally different ways. Tile relies on dozens or even hundreds of small individual pieces set with grout lines running throughout the design. A full slab surround uses one or a small number of large stone pieces, fabricated and fitted to cover the entire face in a single continuous plane.

Both approaches can look beautiful, but they read very differently in a room. At our San Antonio shop, we fabricate full slab surrounds regularly for clients who want their fireplace to feel like a single sculptural feature rather than a patterned wall.

Why a Full Slab Reads as One Continuous Statement

Grout lines break up the eye’s path across a tiled surface, and even the thinnest grout joint interrupts the natural veining running through stone. A full slab surround eliminates that interruption entirely. Veining, color shifts, and mineral deposits flow uninterrupted from the hearth to the mantel and up toward the ceiling.

This matters most with dramatic natural stones. A slab of quartzite or exotic granite with bold movement loses much of its visual power once it is cut into small tiles, because the pattern that makes the stone special gets chopped into fragments across dozens of grout joints.

Book-Matching for Mirror-Image Symmetry

One technique we use often on fireplace projects is book-matching, where two slabs cut sequentially from the same block are opened like the pages of a book and installed side by side. The veining mirrors itself across the seam, creating a symmetrical pattern that looks intentional and dramatic rather than random.

Pro Tip: Book-matching only works well with slabs that have strong, directional veining. A busy, all-over pattern with no clear movement will not produce the mirrored effect that makes this technique worth the extra material cost.

Stone Slab Fireplace or Tile Surround: Which Makes the Bigger Statement?

A full slab fireplace surround is one of the most striking features we install, and it starts with seeing the right stone in person. Contact Bellezza Surfaces to visit our San Antonio showroom, browse slab options, and talk through the design for your next fireplace project.

Material Options for a Full-Slab Surround

We fabricate fireplace surrounds from a range of natural and engineered stone, including granite and quartzite, along with rarer exotic stones that are less commonly seen in San Antonio homes. Since a fireplace surround is a vertical, decorative application rather than a food-prep surface, homeowners often feel freer to choose a dramatic, high-veining stone they might hesitate to put on a kitchen island.

Slab thickness and finish also play a role in the final look. A honed finish softens the light reflecting off the surface, while a polished finish amplifies contrast and depth in the stone’s pattern.

What to Expect During Fabrication and Installation

Because a fireplace surround is a custom architectural feature rather than a standard countertop run, our process starts with careful measuring of the fireplace opening, wall dimensions, and any mantel or hearth details that need to be worked around. We select slabs together, often laying them out side by side in our shop so you can see the exact vein movement before a single cut is made.

Once the layout is approved, our