Start a Stone Countertop Cutting Workshop

Homeowners, kitchen and bathroom renovators, builders and interior designers.

A quoted price per project, usually based on square footage, edge profile and cut-outs for sinks and cooktops, with extra for installation.

• Accurate measuring and templating
• Skilled use of saws and polishing tools
• Quoting and dealing with customers and contractors

• Silica dust: check your provincial workplace health and safety rules on wet cutting, ventilation and respirators
• Commercial general liability insurance, plus WCB/WSIB coverage once you hire (rules vary by province)
• Zoning and any business licence for your unit, so check with your municipality
• Heavy slabs: plan lifting equipment and a second pair of hands for installs
• Expensive mistakes, since a cracked slab is a costly loss

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $20,000 to $90,000, depending on your equipment, the size of the rented unit and how much slab stock you buy. Saws, polishing tools, lifting gear and insurance are the main items to price first.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $6,000 to $30,000, depending on how many jobs you take, the stone you work with and whether you also fit the pieces. These are revenue estimates, not profit, so slab costs and rent come out of them.

Check your provincial workplace health and safety rules on silica dust, including wet cutting, ventilation and respirators. Also look into commercial general liability insurance, WCB/WSIB coverage once you hire, and zoning and business licence requirements with your municipality.