There is little or no difference in terms of design. The difference is in the way it is used. 3cm Granite is placed directly on top of the cabinets and requires no special support except in the case of a cantilever. 2cm granite requires a layer of plywood for support. This means that a second piece of granite must be expoxied at the edge in order to hide the plywood. This also gives the 2cm granite a thicker look.

The actual edge detail on either becomes a matter of choice.

Actually, sometimes 2 cm is done without the laminated edge. I've seen two kitchens with 2 cm without the laminated edge where the owners preferred the thinner look in one case and wanted to economize in the other. A piece of thin molding in the same wood as the cabinets covered the edge of the plywood subtop. Also, some fabricators put a subtop under both and some put one under neither.

Sometimes there isn't much of a choice between 2 and 3 cm. In our area (and generally near the West Coast), almost all of the granite is 2 cm. In the East, I've heard that almost all the granite is 3 cm.

Having our material in 2 cm was nice because we did a granite backsplash. 3 cm is kind of thick for a backsplash (though some use it anyway).

It may depend on what is available in you area.

going the other way, you can edge 2cm to make it look thinner as a deliberate strategy, and the brain sees both the thicker stone behind the thin front edge and this lets your brain say golly ok.

it's all a matter of perception and interpretation, and there is no need to overthink what will look the right look now or in the future as circumstances change and people say other things about what looks like a look that looks just so.

Read somewhere that 2 cm is "in." Really no reason to go for 3 cm especially if you have full plywood underneath. Just a "style" thing.

I think 2cm left as is without beefing up the edge looks kinda whimpy. I know it's "in" in Europe and, therefore, should be "in" here. It's just not me. This is coming from a woman who is using 4cm marble in her kitchen though, so take that for what it's worth.

I'm west coast and have hunted slab yards for more than a year now. I would say that in granite and marble, 2cm and 3cm are about equallly available. Some stones are available in both thicknesses.

Personally, from a "fastest job done" perspective, 3CM is the way to go - no laminations, just "whack-it and pack-it" BUT...... from an esthetic point of view, I DO like a "built up edge" like a 4CM (made from 2CM stock).....

The happy medium is for guys to stock 3CM and do a build up when a customer wants "sizzle" with a thicker - built up edge..... making the edge 2 1/2" (this looks good in full bullnose) or 3 3/4" with a two-lam edge

just my .02 cents here (not trying to be self promoting)

kevin

What is the cost difference between 2cm and 3cm?

How does a 7' long slab of granite disappear in a room 20' long?

I was concerned that our 2cm would look wimpy, but am SO happy with how beefy the edges look!

I like the way the sink looks too.

OK...I think you all are teaching me a lot about granite. Thank you!!!!
sandesurf...Thanks for sharing pics of your kitchen! I like that style, and you are right, it doesn't look whimpy at all. weedmeister...I just thought the 2cm might look off scale since the rooms are big...I like the look of 2cm granite tho. My problem is that I have a hard time visualizing what it will look like beforehand, so decisions are hard for ME...kevin, what is lamenization about? pros? cons? I am sure there is an additional cost for this... There is a cost difference between 2cm and 3, I am assuming. I am about to find out. Thanks again!

I, have and like 3cm better than 2cm because I, do not like to look under my counter, and see ply wood. It is ruff. My 3cm is nice and smooth to the touch under the counter. Iam in Arizona, and they have both here. I, do not like that big edge on the 2cm. Some do.

If you're looking to get a rich and classic look, you can do 2cm ogee over 2cm full bullnose. It's a substantial and super elegant edge.

Here is a link that might be useful: www.CountertopSolutionsFL.com

As a Fabricator - 2CM cost me less for the same Sq Ft than 3CM, however - 2CM takes me longer to fab because I have to cut lamination strips (vein matched of course) and prep them, glue the lam to the countertop, then grind off the excess and finish the edge.

3cm - all I have to do is cut the piece, then start working on my edge - hence the "whack-it and pack-it" terminology (less work for me, but a higher cost for the raw rock.

Some guys charge the same (finished out the door price) for either 2CM or 3CM - these days, you gotta be competitive price wise or some pretend fabricator that does not have the same operating costs (the "work on two saw horses in your front yard" variety) will eat our lunch, and give you (in many cases) a VERY substandard job - requiring a guy like me to come in and "fix" the first "attempt" - I cant tell you how many times I've had to do a re-do scenario because of these clowns that work for "Ray Charles Marble" or "Barnum & Bailey Granite" = they're either blind or a bunch of clowns in many cases - not all mind you, but many......

sorry for venting - not trying to be self promoting here - ok - gotts go to my shop now and make some more STONE MAGIC!!!

HTH

kevin

I am also researching replacing our kitchen countertops and a 36 square foot island.
I would suggest that people read the commentary provided at:
Www.cabinetryandstonedepot.com/2cmvs3cm.htm
In particular, the comment about the flexability of the 2 cm as compared with 3 cm makes engineering sense. That the 2 cm with a 3/4 plywood base will be much more stable for seams, provides additional reason to prefer the 2 cm installation.
I found the discussion above quite helpful.

I also asked this question a while back and less people spoke up in support of 2cm as a principle than you have received.

A couple of smaller fabricators suggested 2cm to save money but the more I learned about their particular install methods, I realized I didn't want to go with them. (Didn't want to have to call someone like Kevin for a rescue!)

Still, I wasn't opposed to 2cm as a general principle; it just didn't work out. One yard in particular had their 8 basic granites in 2cm in a separate area. The rest were all 3cm. A second yard told me the demand for 2cm is much lower so they don't stock it much anymore. I quit actively considering it at that point and just looked for what I liked. I live in the Northwest.

I found the argument made at dataq1's link to be a tad self-serving on the part of the business. I think Kevin, our stone guy, has it just about right and there isn't a "right" choice between 2 and 3 cm.

For fun, check the link below to see a super-cool video (3.5 minutes) on another business' Slabsmith. This thing lays out and cuts your slab. I especially like the laying out part. I've known about this place for months and I've even seen the machine in action, but I'd never seen the video before yesterday. Cool.

P.S. In the sidebar of the same site, there's a link for "Why 3 cm. Stone?".

Here is a link that might be useful: Slabsmith video

I was told a few years ago that two cm could not be used in the kitchen because it would not be strong enough for the sink and that we had to use 3 cm.

I have also been told that 2 cm is rarely used here anymore.

Is the 2cm vs 3cm just for granite slabs?

If I want to have Cambria quartz countertops, do I get a choice between 2cm vs 3cm? I can't tell from the Cambria web site.

Or do quartz countertops (because it's manufactured) come in more depths than granite? Or less, because it's manufactured, and so the manufacturers picked one to use? :-)

Thanks!

In Atlanta, almost all the stone yards I have been to have a majority of 3 cm. They almost say "here look at all these" and "oh, those over there are just 2 cm so don't bother looking at them."

I'm in a quandry b/c I like the 2 cm look around the sink but the 3 cm on the edge. Oh well - that is a small detail for me to deal with way, way in the future.

I'd also love to know the answer of Koala's question - what size thickness do the quartz products come in?

When we were looking at slabs, I saw a gorgeous slab of marble that I pointed out and the guy showing us around said that unless it was a new build you would have to add additional floor joist support because of the thickness of the marble. The slab did look very thick, but I don't know what the size was. Does anyone know at what thickness you'd have to add additional support? I'm assuming it isn't 3 cm since that's so common!

"I have also been told that 2 cm is rarely used here anymore." and ..."oh, those over there are just 2 cm so don't bother looking at them."

Not really. 2 cm is pretty much the standard on the west coast. I live in the very northern part of San Diego County and have been looking at granite for about 8 months. It turns out we live in Granite Yard City; there are at least 6 granite yards within 5 miles of my house and another 8 or so just 30 min. down the road towards San Diego. Lucky us, the closer ones seems to have a better selection. In any case, about 95% of what we've seen has been 2cm. The place I linked above is absolutely the exception in offering only 3 cm. In the end, our choice was made because we liked this outfit's work, not the thickness of the stone. There are benefits to each choice, but personally, I could readily go either way. I did see a 2 cm quartzite I loved, but it was pricey (!) and we would have needed 2 slabs to be sure there was enough to cut for the extra thickness on the edge. sigh The place we went with charges per square foot and they keep the leftovers. Had the quartzite people offered that, we would have seriously considered it.

2 cm or 3? Don't worry about it, just find one you like.

I'm in a quandry b/c I like the 2 cm look around the sink but the 3 cm on the edge.

Pretty normal here on the west coast to have 2cm over plywood and build up the edge. There are several ways to do that. Here's mine.

We had been trying to sell our house and finally decided to upgrade to Granite to see if that would help. We opted for 2cm because you see a lot of that in our area and it was cheaper. Our granite wasn't put on anything but the top of the open cabinets.
The house sold with the next showing after the granite was installed.
Should I be glad we are moving before it breaks???

Well, hopefully they won't do something dumb and stand on it to change a light bulb :)

I think I'm going to do it like this kitchen. It's the first photo with the dark base cabinets and the white counter and white wall cabinets. I believe that is 2 cm. It's all about what your style is.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen