Measuring guide for marble tables, worktops and tiles

What do you need to measure?

A tape measure, a long spirit level or a straight batten, a set square, a pen, paper and your phone camera are enough. How you record the measurements matters more than the tools. These four rules prevent most mistakes:

• Millimetres. Give the measurements for kitchen worktops and vanity tops in millimetres. The Swedish stone industry association advises that when customers measure themselves, they should make an unambiguous drawing with the measurements in millimetres. For tables and tiles, centimetres are enough.
• Two places. Measure every length and depth in at least two places, for example along the wall and at the front edge, because walls and cabinets are rarely perfectly straight.
• Labelled measurements. Write next to each figure where it was measured from and to. Do not add or subtract allowances yourself; tell us separately what you want instead, for example how far the worktop should overhang the cabinets.
• Final layout. Measure only when the cabinets are in their final places, fixed to the wall and level. If tiles or a splashback panel are still to go on the wall, tell us, because they change the wall line.

What do you measure for each product?

Each product needs slightly different details. The full instructions follow below.

How do you measure, step by step?

1. Draw the room from above: walls, cabinets, windows, doors and radiators. Mark where each cabinet ends.
2. Measure the lengths both along the wall and at the front edge.
3. Measure the depth or width at both ends and in the middle.
4. Check the corners and how straight the walls are (see below).
5. Mark the centre points of the sink, hob, tap and sockets.
6. Mark the overhangs, open ends and any edges that will be visible.
7. Take photos with the tape measure visible in the picture.
8. Send the sketch, measurements and photos with a quote request. The form takes up to three files, so combine several photos into one PDF.

Kitchen worktop: length, depth and overhangs

Measure each section of the worktop separately: the length from wall to wall or from the wall to the open end, both along the wall and at the front edge, and the depth from the wall to the front edge at both ends and in the middle. Finnish base cabinets are usually 600 mm deep and 850-900 mm high, but always measure your own.

Tell us how far the worktop should overhang the cabinets at the front and at open ends, and which edges and ends will be visible, because those are finished. The Swedish stone industry association makes a point of reminding customers not to forget the overhang. A single piece of stone can be about 2,400-3,000 mm long depending on the stone, or about 2,400 mm with a cut-out, so a longer worktop is made from several pieces. That is why the cabinet divisions belong on your sketch.

For an island, measure all four sides of the cabinets and tell us how far the top should overhang and whether people will sit at it. Rules of thumb for overhangs and weights are on the marble kitchen countertops page.

Corners and walls that are not straight

Do not assume a corner is square: check it with the 3-4-5 rule. Mark 600 mm along one wall from the corner and 800 mm along the other. If the corner is square, the distance between the marks is exactly 1,000 mm. If it is more than 1,000 mm, the angle is wider than a right angle; if less, it is narrower. Write the difference down in millimetres.

To see how straight a wall is, hold a long spirit level or a straight batten against it and measure the largest gap. If the corners are not square, the Swedish stone industry association recommends making a template. For a very crooked wall or a free-form piece, ask us before you order how to go about it.

Sink, hob, tap and sockets

The cut-out sizes come from the appliances’ installation instructions; the positions come from your sketch.

• Give us the make and model of the sink, hob and tap. The installation sheet gives the cut-out dimensions, corner radii and minimum distances. Do not measure the cut-out from the old worktop.
• Mark the centre of each cut-out with two measurements: the distance from a named end and from the front edge of the worktop. According to the Swedish stone industry association, each cut-out needs its shape, size and exact position.
• Check that the sink fits inside the sink cabinet.
• Leave at least 400 mm of worktop on each side of the hob, as a Finnish kitchen planning guide recommends.
• Tell us whether the tap goes on the worktop or the wall, and whether the sink is mounted under or on top of the stone.
• For sockets and switches in the splashback, we need the distance of each centre from the end and from the worktop surface, and the size of the box and cover plate.

Splashback

Measure the splashback height from the worktop surface to the underside of the wall cabinets at both ends and in the middle. It is typically about 500 mm. Mark windows, the cooker hood, sockets and switches.

Tables and table tops

For a table, the length, width or diameter and the height you want, in centimetres, are enough. According to a US dimensions database, each diner needs at least about 61 cm of table edge, or about 76 cm for comfort. Leave room around the table too: a US kitchen and bath industry association’s guidelines allow 813 mm from the table edge to the wall if nobody needs to pass behind a seated diner, and 1,118 mm if people walk past.

If you are ordering just a top for your own base, measure the base’s outer dimensions and tell us how far the top should overhang it. A rule of thumb given for stone worktops is that 2 cm stone can overhang a support by about 15 cm without extra support, and no more than a third of the top’s width should be left unsupported. There are more sizing tips on the product pages, for example marble dining table and marble table top. For trays and chopping boards, the length, width and shape are enough.

Bathroom vanity top

For a vanity top we need the width, depth, overhangs and the positions of the basin and tap.

• Measure the width from wall to wall at both the back and the front, because walls are rarely perfectly parallel.
• Measure the depth from the wall and tell us how far the top should overhang the cabinet at the front and sides.
• Give us the make and model of the basin and whether it sits under or on top of the stone.
• Tell us whether the tap goes on the top or on the wall. A tap on the top is positioned from the basin’s centre line and the back wall.
• Check that the basin and its trap fit inside the cabinet.

The Swedish stone industry association recommends at least 20 mm for bathroom tops. There is more about vanity tops on the marble bathroom vanity tops page.

Tiles and floors

For tiles you need the area of each surface separately, in square metres. Measure the length and width of the floor; if the room is not a rectangle, split it into rectangles and add them up. On walls, subtract doors and windows. Also tell us the tile size you would like, and whether it is a floor or a wall, a wet room or a dry room.

How much extra to allow for cutting depends on the tile size and the laying pattern, so ask your tiler how much spare to order. Tiles are delivered, and installation is agreed separately. Read more on marble tiles.

What are the most common measuring mistakes?

Most mistakes come from assumptions rather than from the tape measure:

• Measuring before the cabinets are fixed and levelled.
• Assuming that corners and walls are straight.
• Taking the cut-out size from a brochure or the old worktop instead of the appliance’s installation sheet.
• Forgetting the overhang, end panels or wall tiles still to come.
• Giving a cut-out position from an unclear point. Always give the distance from a named end and from the front edge to the centre of the cut-out.
• Forgetting radiators, window sills and sockets.
• Mixing up millimetres and centimetres.
• Adding or subtracting your own allowances without saying so.

Printable checklist

Print this list and go through it before you send your measurements:

• The cabinets are in place, fixed to the wall and level.
• The sketch is drawn from above, with the cabinet divisions marked.
• Lengths are measured along the wall and at the front edge, in millimetres.
• Depths are measured at both ends and in the middle.
• Corners are checked with the 3-4-5 rule and any deviation is written down.
• The largest gap along each wall is written down.
• The make and model of the sink, hob and tap are known.
• Cut-out centres are measured from an end and from the front edge.
• Sockets, switches, windows and the cooker hood are marked.
• Overhangs, open ends and visible edges are marked.
• The splashback height is measured in three places.
• The tape measure is visible in the photos.
• Your wishes for stone, thickness, edge and finish are noted, if you already know them.

What happens after you send the measurements?

We check the measurements, and before making starts you approve them in writing in the order confirmation. If something is missing or looks inconsistent, we ask. The order confirmation lists the measurements, stone, thickness, edges and cut-outs. You check it and accept it in writing, and only then does making start.

Written approval protects both sides. We make the piece to exactly the measurements you have seen and accepted, and if it differs from them, that is a defect we are responsible for. On the other hand, the Finnish Consumer Disputes Board held in decision D/6906/37/2023 that when a made-to-measure product matches the dimension drawing the buyer approved, the buyer carries the risk of the measurements they gave. So it is worth taking a moment to check the confirmation.

Making takes about 6 weeks. When a table, worktop or vanity top is ready, we agree a day and come to install it. Tiles are delivered and their installation is agreed separately; trays and chopping boards are sent or delivered. The whole process is described on how to order, and the terms are in our order terms.

If any measurement worries you, ask before you order.

Questions about ordering, installation and returns are also answered in the FAQ.