Granite Benchtops Information Required

[savage]

I watched the guys install my tops (full 40mm tops), the carcases where made with points of strength due to the thicker granite. the holes where cut with an angle grinder (outside), the resulting joints where filled with a resin and dried as hard as the top. We have an overhang at the breakfast bar (approx) 300mm and two big Islander fellas did the install. they where very particular with getting it level, they had little wedges of different colors which where of differing angles. A bonding stuff was put down in small dollops on the top edge of the cabinets and it was set in place. To me it is a specialized install, do it wrong it will be expensive.

[scottyk]

We had black pearl granite bench tops put it last week, i'll try and tell you about how we didit and supported it etc.
We had the doubled 40mm bull nose section all around with the largest over hang being 250mm along the breakfast bar and this is unsupported. The material was doubled all the way back to the cabinet along this side and they said the over hang would ne fine.
We made the cabinets ourselves and we did ensure a few things on this side to ensure it didnt sag. The cupboard side and back were doubled to ensure the weight was on the base rather that the screws going in to the base. We used Tas Oak for the toe space to ensure this remained stable should it get wet.
Most bench tops sit on there bull nose return from what I was told, I aproached the stone mason before I started the cabinets to verify this. So my tops are unsupported across the width of the 600mm cupboards. We had to fix a 20mm peice along the wall on top of the cupboard as this edge did not have the doubled edge.
They did all cutouts on site but that was because they were unsure of them and they could have doen them in the shop.
My advice for any one thinking of having these would be aproach the Stone guys and establish what size slabs they get and then you may be able to design your kitchen so you can avoid any long joins and they can all be done on the sink and stove corners.
What was saiod about hop pots on granite in the above replies, I though it didnt matter as long as it wasnt red hot?
One other thing, the look bloody lovely.

[silkwood]

I sell kitchen appliances and other building products, I deal with many kitchen manufacturers (who, funnily enough have a dozen different opinions on any question!). Not one has recommended 20mm granite for benchtops. 40mm edges are usually only for show. I went 30mm and it looks clean and it works well. Unsupported overhang for the breakfast bar. I asked as many knowledgeable persons as I could find.

Just one opinion.

Cheers,

Mark

[ian]

our bench was deliverd in two pieces with the cutouts already done. They were cut in the factory at the same time as a draining board was cut. The cooktop spans the join between the two slabs. The granite is supported on the front and rear edge of the cabinets, using an epoxy glue and little wedges to get it all level.


ian

[stemail23]

Thanks for all the advice and comments so far guys. The growing consensus seems to be that 20mm is not the best idea and that 40mm or 30mm would be a better solution. In addition to the cost saving, I'm actually in the seemingly small minority of people who prefer the aesthetics of the 20mm surface; to my eye, the 40mm edges look overly heavy, but that's a purely subjective opinion. Curriously only one of the considerable number of suppliers I've spoken to have even mentioned the issues with the 20mm surface.

I'm going to reconsider my decision and get some more quotes for thicker surfaces and thanks to the comments here I'm now armed with a few more questions to ask when I go for the quotes.

Thanks again for the suggestions, please keep them coming.

Cheers,
Steven

[spartan]

We went for full 30mm and save the 20mm for a cutting board.

We have a 300mm wide breakfast bar that was put on of a brick backing wall and it is solid as (as a rock!)

[ian]

I'm actually in the seemingly small minority of people who prefer the aesthetics of the 20mm surface; to my eye, the 40mm edges look overly heavy, but that's a purely subjective opinion.

Steven, what we did with our 40mm edge was to have it profiled at about 45°. So after a relatvely tight radius roll over the edge champhers back toward the cupboards. To our eyes it looks quite stylish, the strength of 40mm that looks lighter than a 20mm bull nose.

The otehr thing I should have mentioned is all our cutouts have rounded corners to reduce the likelihood of inducing a crack.

ian