Countertop Finishes, Edge Profiles and Thickness

Two kitchens with the same slab can look and wear quite differently. The finish on the surface, the shape of the edge and the thickness of the top change how a counter reflects light, how it hides marks, where it chips and what it costs to fabricate. These are the decisions your fabricator will ask you to make at or before the template appointment, so it helps to arrive with answers.

Surface finishes

Names are not standardized. One shop's "leathered" is another's "brushed", and engineered materials have their own names for matte and textured faces. Judge by a physical sample of the actual material, wet it, put a greasy fingerprint on it and look at it at a low angle.

Some practical guidance:

• Dark stone in a polished finish shows dust, spots and prints more than any other combination. A leathered finish on the same stone hides most of it.
• Marble is usually better honed, for reasons explained in marble in the kitchen.
• Not every stone takes every finish. Leathering works well on many granites and quartzites and poorly on very uniform or very soft stones. The fabricator or slab yard will tell you what is available for a given slab.
• Sealing matters more on honed and textured natural stone. The Natural Stone Institute describes sealers as repellents that make stone more stain resistant, not stain proof.
• Matte quartz looks calm and modern and can hold smudges that need more than a quick wipe. Ask for the care instructions for that specific finish.

Edge profiles

Three points homeowners often miss:

• The edge decides chipping more than the material does. A crisp square edge on any stone will chip sooner than a rounded one. Around the sink and dishwasher, where pots swing, a softened edge earns its keep.
• Rounded bottoms drip. A full bullnose lets a spill curl under the edge and run down the cabinet face. A half bullnose or eased edge sheds it forward.
• Corners are separate from edges. The NKBA's planning guidelines recommend clipped or rounded corners on counters. Ask for a radius on the outside corners of islands and peninsulas, where hips and children's heads meet them.

A waterfall end uses extra slab and a long miter, and with veined material the pattern should be planned to flow over the corner. It also covers the end panel of the island, so decide it before the island cabinets are ordered.

Thickness: 2 cm and 3 cm slabs

Stone and quartz slabs are sold mainly in two nominal thicknesses, 2 centimeters and 3 centimeters. Which one a region uses is partly local habit, and availability differs by material and color.

Porcelain and sintered slabs are thinner again and rely on mitered edges for visual weight, which is covered on the porcelain and sintered stone page. If you want an extra-thick look, a mitered edge of any height can be built on any of these.

Thickness also changes finished counter height slightly, which matters where the counter meets a window sill, a slide-in range or an existing backsplash. Tell the cabinet designer which thickness you plan to use.

Overhangs and support

A standard counter projects a little past the cabinet face so drips fall clear of the doors and drawers. That small overhang needs no special support. Seating overhangs are a different matter. The NKBA's knee-space guidelines for each seating height are set out on the kitchen islands page, and they are deep enough that support has to be considered.

How far a slab can cantilever without help depends on the material, its thickness, natural fissures, the size and position of cutouts and how much of the slab stays on the cabinets as a counterweight. Published rules of thumb differ and should not be relied on for your slab. In general:

• Thicker slabs carry more overhang than thinner ones, and dense unfissured stone more than a stone with natural veins and fissures.
• Deeper seating overhangs are normally supported by flat steel bars or plates let into the cabinet tops, by a plywood substrate, by brackets or corbels, or by legs or panels.
• Hidden steel is the cleanest look and has to be planned before the cabinets are installed, since the cabinet tops are notched for it.
• A person will eventually sit or lean on any overhang. Design for that, not for the weight of the stone alone.

Your fabricator sets the limit for the specific slab and should put the required support in writing. If the fabricator and the cabinet installer are different companies, make sure one of them owns the support detail.

Backsplash options at the counter

• A short matching upstand (commonly about 4 inches) in the countertop material, with paint or tile above. Simple and economical; reads as dated in some styles.
• No upstand, with tile brought down to the counter and a flexible sealant joint where they meet. The usual choice with a tile backsplash.
• Full-height slab in the countertop material, to the underside of the upper cabinets or hood. No grout, strong visual effect. JDI Construction's published planning range for a quartz or stone slab backsplash add-on is $3,000-$8,000.
• Coved, integral backsplash, where the counter curves up the wall with no joint. Available in solid surface and stainless steel.

Tile and wall choices are covered in kitchen backsplashes and wall finishes.

Sink and cooktop cutouts

• Undermount: the cutout edge is polished and exposed. Choose a positive, negative or flush reveal.
• Drop-in: a rough cutout hidden by the sink rim. The least costly and the right choice for laminate.
• Apron-front (farmhouse): the counter is cut to stop at each side of the sink, and the cabinet below is built for it.
• Integral: the sink is formed from or bonded into the counter material with no rim, in solid surface, stainless steel and concrete.
• Cooktop: a drop-in cutout to the manufacturer's dimensions, or a recessed flush mount where the material and fabricator allow it.

The narrow strips of counter in front of and behind a cutout are the weakest part of the top, so fabricators often reinforce them and avoid placing seams there. Sink styles and their cabinet requirements are covered in sink styles and configurations.

What to decide before the template appointment

1. Finish, confirmed on a sample of your own slab or color.
2. Edge profile for the perimeter, and a different one for the island if you want it.
3. Corner radius on exposed corners.
4. Slab thickness and whether the edge is built up or mitered.
5. Overhang depth at seating and the support method.
6. Backsplash type and height.
7. Sink model, mounting style and reveal; faucet and accessory holes.
8. Cooktop or range model.
9. Seam locations, approved on a drawing.

Material choice comes first; if you are still deciding, start with quartz versus granite. JDI Construction settles these details with you during design and shows them in the 3D layout, so the template appointment confirms decisions instead of forcing them. To get started, see our Vancouver kitchen remodeling page.