Imagine seeing a picture in a room that is crooked or off center. It just looks wrong. It’s one of those things that when you see it, you can’t un-see it.
Sure it can be mildly irritating, but it can also be easily fixed so you’re not likely to pull out your hair over something as simple as this.
If your granite, quartzite or marble countertops are installed and the seams don’t matched up, it’s something that can slowly eat away at you and isn’t just a simple fix.
This is where the importance of book matching your countertops can come into play.
So what exactly is book-matching?
Book-matched granite are slabs that are near identical to one another. These slabs were right next to each other during the cutting process, which creates a mirror image of one another. When done effectively, book-matched slabs can even look like abstract art or a Rorschach test.[Book-match feature image Granite Liquidators]
When would I need to Book-match?
Since book-matching is referring to two slabs having a consistent look with one another, if your project requires more than one slab, then you can certainly benefit from book-matched slabs.
It can also depend on the type of granite you have. For example, this user from a Houzz forum showed a picture a granite that was fabricated without book-matching.[Mismatched Example Picture]
As you can see, this particular style of granite makes it more difficult for mixing and matching to achieve a consistent look, and it just doesn’t look as good as it could have.
With more basic granite slabs, like [Santa CeciliaGold], you are more likely to get away with not book-matching.On the other hand exotic stones, like [Sedna Magma], would be much more obvious and have a clashing look.
Going back to the crooked picture example, book-matching your granite is critical to achieving a consistent look and even flow. It would look as if a puzzle had its pieces forced together in all the wrong spots.
And if you consider book matching prior to building your materials, you’ll be at a creative advantage. Why? Post-installation, the only solution to a poorly matched seam would be to buy all new materials and re-install them. And let’s be honest – nobodyhas the time or resources to do that. So it’s always something to keep in the back of your mind when looking at your potential materials.
Is Book-matching mandatory to my project?
Of course not! It’s just another way to achieve optimal flow and consistency. Book-matching for project consistency is one of those things where you might not notice it unless someone pointed it out to you, so the option to book-match is just that: an option.
However, take into account that more exotic pieces might benefit more from book-matching so always keep that in mind when selecting your granite, quartzite or marble countertops.
Asking your fabricator or countertop store if they can book-match your materials will also benefit your project but won’t take away from it if you can’t, either.
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