I don't know about anywhere else but where I am 2cm (3/4") is pretty standard. Very few people opt for the 3cm thickness as then your cabinets have to be beefed up to hold the extra weight. What people tend to do is get a laminated edge profile to make the counters seem thicker.

Where do they get the extra piece to laminate to the edge? Can you see the seam?

They cut around the edge (from what I'm told by my fabricator). With some edge profiles the seam is in the middle of the vertical 'taller' edge, with some they miter it and the seam is on the edge/corner between the horizontal and vertical serface. . I think the mitered shows less. I've seen it with more square edge profiles. I like them better. DH wants a rounder one (bullnose?) and I've only seen it with the seam on the vertical surface. I'm not a fan. Not sure what we'll do.

I'm also in an area where 2cm (3/4") is the norm. Hard to find 3cm.

A good fabricator will match up the pattern so that the seam is not obvious. The mitred edge that cal_quail mentions is another option as well as the seam being hidden with a 'stepped out' edge profile.

I don't agree that you have to beef up your cabinets to hold 3cm countertops - they're standard everywhere but the west coast. In my last kitchen, I had 3cm on the perimeter and 2 cm with a laminated edge on the island. At the time, a straight seam was common and you could see it a little (getting a good seam is a talent). In my current kitchen and one bathroom I have 3cm but have 2 cm of the same material in the other bathroom, this time with a mitered edge that you can't see at all. It doesn't look cheap at all. I'll post 2 pictures so you can see the difference. First the 3 cm vanity.

And the 2cm with mitered edge (same vanity in a different size, same countertop material).

2 cm blanks at Surplus Warehouse are crap and not long enough for most kitchens without a lot of extra seams. The ''fabricators'' that work with that crap are usually not employable by a real granite fabricator who deserves that label. Either they have no actual skills, or they have a background check issue or substance abuse problem. Or all three at once. Yeah, I know some of ''those'' guys.

LOVE the pull-out cutting boards, badgergal.

The granite at the warehouse already has the edge rounded (waterfall style).

I have read that plywood is needed under the 2cm granite. So, if I understand correctly, a piece of granite is laminated to the bottom of the edge, and that will cover over the plywood so that it is not seen?

I am just a homeowner, not a professional who will likely be able to explain much better. But I had 2cm granite with a plywood underlay in my kitchen for the last 14 years with no problems at all in terms of durability. The granite was a very plain black with matching being almost a non issue for the laminated edge. It didn't look thin or cheap. With a granite that has a lot of pattern or movement, the matching can be more of an consideration, but it is such a common practice, any competent fabricator can handle it. When looking for our replacement granite, our fabricator factored in how much additional length we would need in a 2cm slab to get the extra needed to do a good match for the laminated edge. In the end, we actually ended up getting 3cm granite because those were the only extra long slabs we could find in the Typhoon Bordeaux that would allow us to have the seam where we wanted it. No regrets. And fortunately no issues at all with the extra weight on my existing cabinets which were in excellent condition, and I'm on a concrete slab. Not sure if you are talking new build or renovation, but I would think the condition of the cabinets and the infrastructure beneath them is a valid consideration.

hollysprings, our kitchen is u-shaped, so seams will be necessary anyway.

I do understand the concern about hiring a qualified installer. I would definitely make sure they were insured and bonded.

Other than that, do you know of a quality issue with Surplus Warehouse's granite? Honestly, this is our only option other than just getting laminate.

kimkg:

Granite is granite and cheap Chinese blanks are cheap Chinese blanks. That doesn't make them any better or worse than any other stone.

The problem you may encounter is hiring someone qualified with the right equipment and within your budget. I would be suspicious of any bid less than $500.00.

You've got to watch cost-effectiveness. I installed some recycled granite a woman paid $300.00 for on Craigslist and charged her $700.00. For as small as the kitchen was and as incredibly cheap as the granite guys work, she probably could have had new for a similar price.

Laminate is a heck of a lot better choice than having a felon with an angle grinder rough cutting stone in your kitchen. If you are near a Pro Source though, you should check out their granite. Not blanks. Cut from whole 3cm slabs. Around $40 a square foot, installed with a free sink. Licensed, insured, and background checked.

OP,
I wanted 3/4 for a section of my home, but it was not available. The difference between the thicknesses is a matter of style, not strength. Look around on GW and you will find thicker slabs crack if not installed correctly, too. Thinner slabs do not need an underlayment. I have one in a bath laid on the cabinet, no issues.

Granite has been around as a standard for many years now so even a budget can be satisfactory.

Gardenweb is a cross section of people with budgets that sometimes top 100K for just the kitchen. Even at half that, in many parts of the country it is just not good sense to spend 50K on a kitchen.

Given your budget, I would say go for it. I like granite better than laminate. It cleans up easier, it is a natural stone and has its own beauty and depth that you just cannot get from laminate. You will need seams in laminate or stone in a U shaped kitchen. There are differences in quality and workmanship, but a budget job is not necessarily poorly done.

Talk to the installers ahead of time, and review gardenweb for information on what a good install looks like. I think you will like stone better than laminate.

The one thing that will be more important with stone vs laminate is that the cabinets absolutely do not wiggle at all before the stone is installed. If they do wiggle when you try and move them, the seams will eventually split. To solve this, you may need to get a carpenter out to beef up the cabinets before setting the stone.

I have a 10x10 G-shaped kitchen with 2 cm Caesarstone, laminated edge. Because of the quartz's pattern, the seam along the edge is barely visible. There is 5/8" plywood underlayment and only one seam (middle of the sink). I stand on it from time to time (shoes off).

I'm currently awaiting a 2 cm slab of carrara from the fabricator to be installed on my bathroom vanity. I opted not to have a laminated edge. I don't think I need the heft in that space. The vanity has it's own inset top so didn't need extra plywood.

What steps can I take to make sure the person I hire is "legit"? I talked to a guy who is insured, but not bonded. I got his card from Surplus Warehouse, so I'm assuming they wouldn't advocate someone they knew did poor work.

I guess I'm confused. In many parts of the country you hire a fabricator and select a granite slab - some places have one stop shopping. I'm not familiar with Surplus Warehouse - but what exactly are they selling - i.e. what are "blanks" and how do they differ from slabs? If you hire your own fabricator, why would one assume you'd get a felon or is it generally the case that reputable fabricators won't work on blanks from Surplus Warehouse?

Prefabricated 2cm blanks and edged countertops are quite common in our section of the country. (2 cm slabs are the standard thickness here in California; 3 cm is available but more limited). For those who are not familiar, they either come in 8 to 10 foot lengths with no edge or with an edge on two sides, usually laminated bullnose or laminated eased edge. They even stock island size and prefab corner segments in the larger warehouses. Some stock well over 20 colors, including Carrara marble and soapstone.

The choice of prefab is pretty varied, and as the experts point out, it comes down to getting a good installer and having a layout that is conducive to not a lot of seaming. I've never had one installed, but the people that do seem to be pretty happy.

I am a fabricator in the upper midwest.

3/4" (actually 2CM) material is usually installed over a plywood subtop and the edges are laminated. Thickness tends to be a regional preference. Up here the vast majority of installs are 3CM with 2CM laminate actually more expensive due to the additional fabrication labor.

Around here you can buy blanks very inexpensively. We have replaced several such kitchens over the years (usually after a home changed owners) and every time the quality of the finish on the surface and edges of the stone was marginal. Installs were anywhere from horrible (1/8 crooked wide seams) to decent.

A cheap option but definitely not the same finished product as you would get from a competent fabricator. Think of a $299 paint job for a car and you'll have the right idea.

"What steps can I take to make sure the person I hire is "legit"? I talked to a guy who is insured, but not bonded. I got his card from Surplus Warehouse, so I'm assuming they wouldn't advocate someone they knew did poor work."

kimkg:

I am a licensed contractor in two states, carry $2,000,000.00 in liability insurance, and have never been bonded in 30 years. Bonding is generally job completion insurance that is used on larger projects.

I suggest you look at www.homeadvisor for a reputable contractor. You can read their customer ratings before hiring.

Surplus Warehouse is an regional EC Barton company that imports Chinese cabinets and poor quality prefab blanks among other low quality import construction materials. Reputable fabricators don't work with them, or fabricate blanks from them. Reputable local fabricators use places like Pacific Shores, Natural Stone, or Triton (wholesale stone yards) to purchase whole slabs that you seleced. Reputable fabricators have their own shops that you can tour, not garden sheds or the garage at their house.

Business has really picked up, so if you're dealing with an individual who doesn't own his own shop, or isn't employed by one of the local reputable places, then you're dealing with someone that they won't hire. And that might even fake a certificate of insurance on a Saturday when you couldn't call and verify.

trebruchet, thanks for the homeadvisor page. Unfortunately only one came up in my area.

I don't think it's fair to say that any good fabricator must be working for a big company to be good or trusted, do you? Is that true for granite work? I know several private contractors, drywallers, etc. that do great work. Is granite any different?

I would just like to know what questions to ask and what to look for. Should I go so far as demanding to look at completed jobs (which may be difficult to get people to agree to)?

Felon with a angle grinder, no actual skills, a background check issue or substance abuse problem, and they are going to forge a certificate of insuranceâ¦.geez Hollysprings how do you really feel!

There are good and bad contractors in every trade, including kitchen design. Of course it is unfair to paint them all with the same brush. It's also a logical fallacy of grammatical analogy, composition, to be specific. That's like saying "Atoms are invisible. My teacup is made of atoms, therefore my teacup is invisible." You can't draw a conclusion about fabricators based on the actions of a few.

I'm just another GW reader & poster. We've had quite a few bad install jobs here but most have been resolved by either the fabricator fixing the issue or the stone being removed & replaced or removed & a refund received.
I'd ask the fabricator & supplier what happens in that type of situation. If you can't see jobs he's done, how about pictures? There's a fairly current thread about what things you need to educate yourself about & be aware of before & during install.
Do you get to pick your slab? Can you be present for templating? How does he handle walls that are not straight (most aren't), sink cutout?, faucet holes?, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Smooth countertop install

This post was edited by romy718 on Sun, Jun 15, 14 at 0:45

When we needed a small piece of black granite for our hearth, my husband found it in a prefab slab. Our fabricator had no problem with fabricating with that in addition to cutting the remnants from our kitchen slabs for the fireplace surround. There wasn't any issue with the quality of the granite or the polish.

Our kids recently remodeled the kitchen in a house they bought. They had a tight budget. The kitchen had two straight runs and an island. They found a nice slab of galaxy blue granite for the island. For the two straight runs on the perimeter, they found a mostly white with black markings at the prefab place which was kind of the inverse of the island slab.

I'm glad they didn't use the prefab place to fabricate the prefab counters. They wanted to but when they were ready for fab the wait was going to be too long so the fabricator for the island slab did them as well. I'm glad it turned out that way as I didn't have confidence in the prefab place doing a good job on the fab and install. There weren't any quality issues with the prefab slabs.