If you’re having a full kitchen renovation, one of the most common questions we hear is:

“When do we book templating for the worktops?”

Get it right, and your project runs smoothly.
Get it wrong, and you can add weeks of delay without meaning to.

Solid surface worktops — whether quartz, granite, porcelain or similar — are made to precise measurements. They’re not adjusted on the day like laminate. That means timing matters.

The good news? There’s a clear point in your project when templating should happen.

What Is Worktop Templating (And Why Does It Matter)?

Templating is the process where the worktop fabricator visits your home and creates an exact digital or physical template of your installed kitchen cabinets.

They measure:

• The exact cabinet positions
• Wall angles (which are rarely perfectly straight)
• Sink and hob positions
• Overhangs
• Cut-outs
• Joins

From that template, your worktops are fabricated off-site to millimetre precision.

Because solid surface worktops are rigid and heavy, they cannot be “tweaked” once made. If measurements are wrong, the worktop won’t fit.

That’s why cabinets must be fully installed, level and fixed before templating happens.

The Exact Moment You Should Book Templating

You’re ready to template when all of the following are true:

• All base cabinets are fully installed
• Cabinets are level, fixed and secure
• End panels are fitted
• The sink cabinet is in its final position
• Appliance housings that affect layout are installed
• Any tower units impacting worktop runs are fixed
• Walls are plastered and finished
• Wall tiles are not installed yet

If you tile before templating, you risk the worktop not sitting properly against the wall — or worse, needing tiles removed.

Cabinets first. Worktops second. Tiles after.

What Happens If You Book Templating Too Early?

If templating is done before cabinets are fully secure:

• The fabricator may refuse to template
• You may be charged for a second visit
• Measurements may change
• Fabrication gets delayed
• Your installation date moves
• Everything behind it shifts

Solid surface worktops typically take 5–10 working days to fabricate after templating. If you lose a week because cabinets weren’t quite ready, that delay compounds quickly.

It’s not dramatic — it’s just inconvenient and avoidable.

What Happens After Templating?

1. Final measurements are confirmed
2. Cut-outs for sink and hob are programmed
3. The slab is cut and polished
4. Edges are finished
5. Installation date is scheduled

Fabrication usually takes between one and two weeks depending on the supplier and material.

During that time:

• You can finish decorating
• Flooring can go down (if planned correctly)
• Appliances can be delivered
• Prep work continues

What you shouldn’t do is pre-cut anything yourself. Sinks, taps and hobs are cut during fabrication based on the final template.

How Templating Fits Into Your Kitchen Timeline

1. Rip out old kitchen
2. First fix electrics and plumbing
3. Plastering (if required)
4. Cabinets installed and levelled
5. Templating visit
6. Worktop fabrication (5–10 working days)
7. Worktop installation
8. Second fix plumbing and electrics
9. Tiling and finishing touches

The Bottom Line

Book your templating when the kitchen units are fully installed, fixed, and level — and not before.

That one decision prevents delays, extra costs and unnecessary stress.

The disruption is temporary. The finished kitchen lasts years. Plan the stages properly, stay patient, and it all comes together.