Slabs of granite, marble, travertine, and even engineered stone basically come in two thicknesses: ¾” (2cm) and 1 ¼” (3cm). Used in their original form, without a lamination, we would refer to them as single thickness 2cm or 3cm counter tops.
When doing single thickness counter tops, there are some specific preparations that need to be made. If you are doing a remodel you want to be sure to remove the old tops down to the bare cabinet tops. If an under mount sink is to be used, plywood will need to be recessed in the sink cabinet to support the weight of the under mount sink. Supports or cleats will also be needed on the walls where there are no cabinets, like behind the dishwasher.
When 2cm or 3cm is to be laminated we refer to them as 4cm and 6cm edges. When doing laminated counter tops, plywood sub tops are required on the cabinet. The thickness of the plywood is determined by the laminated edge to be used.
Overhangs on raised bars, islands and peninsulas will need support depending on the amount of overhang and type of stone to be used, Typically 2cm granite can go out to 6” without support and 3cm granite can go 8”. However, 3cm Cambria quartz tops can overhang up to 15” without support. Supports are typically wooden or decorative corbels or steel brackets — or, if a corbel-less look is what you are going for, a steel frame can be made in place of the sub top which will also support the edges.
Edge details vary from a simple square edge to fancy edges like an Ogee Full Bullnose Step-out. Your designer or one of our designers can help you decide which edge is right for you.
Dick Bettencourt
Schumacher Tile & Stone
February 27th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
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