L shaped counter with Costa Esmeralda?

16 years ago

Anyone ave an L shaped granite with CS so I can see how the change in direction can/should look? This is my layout:

Everyone wants to put a seam right at the "L" corner becuase the 137" length is too long and they could make the piece only 112" long by putting it there. There is a dishwasher to the right of the sink, so no seam there. I am really concerned about how it will look with a seam and a change in direction right in the middle of that expanse of countertop. What would be the best way to do it visually? How will I know if they are doing it the best way possible? I don't want to spend this much money and hate the way it is done afterwards so I want to address this in advance. Personally, I would rather it be close to the sink, but I don't know how much they have to go beyond the sink to make the piece stable so it won't crack, which I have been told is a higher risk with CS anyway.

Thanks for all the help!

Sue

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Comments (15)

azstoneconsulting
16 years ago
Sue-
The solution to your situation will depend on a couple
of variables that need to be plugged into the mix:

1.what are the dimensions of your slabs?
2.what is the predominant orientation of vein direction-running the length or the width?
3.where are the fissures located?
4.have you looked at putting a seam in the middle of the sink?
5.which way do you want all of the veins to run?
6.do you want the veins to run parallel with the main lengths (137" & 100") of the runs?

If I were your Fabricator - I'd want to know your opinions
on these so I could suggest the best approach to maintain
aesthetic integritty and guaraantee your satisfaction with
the finished product - because you knew what was coming.

let us know...OK?

kevin

Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA
Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry
www.azschoolofrock.com
azstoneconsulting
16 years ago
Here's a couple of suggestions:

Based on your dimensional info from your drawing, here's
what I came up with - I have made some basic presumtions
such as you are using a true slide in range with no strap
in the back, 32 inch wide sink base (pop-out dimension is
29" from finished edge to back wall), Undermount Sink -
I used a Kohler S/S 3356 for this example.

I did this on CAD, so this is accurate down to a thousandth
of an inch......

This would be as most people are telling you to consider:

This would be if you did a 45degree miter in the corner and put a seam in the center of the sink

Given that your material in this exercise in Costa Esmeralda,
I would not suggest making an "L" piece at all - CS is LOADED
with fissures and is really delicate - I do not make "L's"
if I do not have to....

just some food for thought

let us know your particulars

kevin

Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA
Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry
www.azschoolofrock.com
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sue_ct
Original Author
16 years ago
I haven't picked a slab yet. I want any strong movement running length wise if possible. No slab, no fissures to locate. I would LOVE a seam in the middle of a sink, so far no one I talked to will do it. I have discussed seam detail only with Tristate, my kitchen installer who is pretty sure ATZ will want to put the seam there, and the quartz people. None are open to putting seams at the sink. I might talk to Tedeschi about it. I would like to know what the range of slab sizes are for CS. I actually thought of looking for the smallest possible slabs, so they cant put the seam there, but I would bet all slabs are least that big. :) A slab about 75" x 75" or smaller might be hard to find. They might also just send me back to pick another one.

Is it preferable to put a seam at a fissure or as far away from as possible? Would it be better to put the seam at the sink if any fissures were towards the middle of the slab rather than one end or another? I could have someone at the granite yard/wharehouse help examine the slabs for fissures before I tag one.

Many of the Costa Esmeralda slabs and photos of slabs on the internet that I have seen seem to have a more random all over pattern instead of waves with an obvious direction. Maybe I need to look for a slab like that and it won't be too bad either way. I would still really rather have that smooth unbroken area of countertop to work on, though, since that is where I do ALL of my prep and cooking.

By the way is there a difference betweeen Costa Esmeralda and Costa Smeralda?

Sue
sue_ct
Original Author
16 years ago
This is a more accurate drawing - the scale on both sides of the slide in were off - with some additional measurements. It is a 36"w sink base with turn posts on either side and a filler behind each turn post. The sink base is standard 24" depth but just pulled forward a bit. The slide is is a true slide in, I just bought it for this purpose because I was told the granite had to be cut to match and this could not be done later.

Thanks for the great drawings, that is exactly the issue. I didn't realize if there was a seam at the sink there would still need to be a mitered seam at the "L". Is it not possible or advisable to make the "L" a single piece from stove edge to sink edge or stove edge to the middle of the sink? That would make the "L" piece about 28" long x 82.5, I think, as measured along the wall, if the seam were in the center of the sink. I thought most slabs would be able to handle a piece that size without any problem, but I don't know about the risk of cracking or other fabrication problems it would create. I want what will look and work best but I also want to be realistic in my expectations of the fabricators.

Sue
theresab1
16 years ago
I looked seriously at costa esmerelda before landing on azul macaubas.but our azul has a lot of movement and we had a similar layout- with an l shape and a corner. we were guided to have the seam at the sink, which I am really happy about. so clearly not an expert but just wanted to share our experience. I also found wide variations in costa esmerelda, some with a lot of movement and some with speckles- very interesting and beautiful stone.
sue_ct
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you Theresa. I wish I could find people in this area willing to do a seam at the sink. But it sounds like no one likes to do an "L" shape without a seam at the "L", at least a mitered seam, regardless of the sink seam. Kevin included. Do you have an unbroken area at your "L" or do you have seam at the "L" as well as at the sink? I guess the best solution for me may be to find someone willing to do a mitered corner and sink seam or go with one of the CS slabs without strong movement.

Sue
azstoneconsulting
16 years ago
Sue-

Seams in the ecnter of a sink are not a taboo thing,
BUT, many Fabricators do not want to do them for various
reasons - biggest one - they've never done it before,
so they don't want to try it out on you...

In all fairness to your Fabricator (I am one too) seams
in the center if a sink are a lot more detail work and there's
a bigger risk in chippage on either side of the seam if they
do not have the right equipment to decrease the risk of chippage.

We do them (not as a rule), but in situations like yours,
it's nice to pull that trump card out and "win the game"
so to speak.

As far as doing an "L" piece - it CAN be done, BUT, the
risk factor goes up because "L's" are not really stable
while in transport, and can break if not handled correctly -
most guys (including me) prefer to avoid that agrivation...

hope that helps

kevin

Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA
Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry
www.azschoolofrock.com
theresab1
16 years ago
Sue- my L does not have a seam in it. The only seam is at the sink. Here are some pics- I unfortunately do not have a close up. but you can get an idea of the scale of the size of our counters I think.

this was at installation:

this is now, hope this helps
glad
16 years ago
here's a picture i saved when i was considering it; counter is short, but has the corner you're looking for. click on the "previous" picture for close-up.

Here is a link that might be useful: Costa Kitchen
raehelen
16 years ago
Glad,

That's gorgeous, looks just like marble!
esmerelda23
16 years ago
Hi Sue from Ct, it's Esmerelda from CT again.

Our layout is not too different from yours. I'm going to repost a photo from the day of our installation. We have the non-directional costa. Can you tell where the seams are?

We unwittingly picked very small slabs - what did we know? The fabricators weren't happy, but they made it work beautifully. We have two seams in the sink wall, and we do have the L-shaped piece at the end going to the stove. Here's the first seam:

Here's an extreme closeup of the second seam, the one with the directional change:

My personal preference would be to accept some directional change over having a seam in the sink.

I didn't know L pieces would be more difficult to transport. Guess we're lucky ours came out well. Now, if we could just solve the problem of the crooked old wall veering off behind the counter.....
sue_ct
Original Author
16 years ago
Theresa and Esmeralda, THAT's I am talking about! THAT is what I want! Esmeralda, did you mention already in a previous thread, WHO did your stonework since you are in CT? Awesome seam work on both of those! I hope I get anywhere near as good.
Makes my lil heart just go pitter patter! :) You be sure to post when I save up enough money again about year from now and ask about what to use for a backsplash. I LOVE that white kitchen with the Costa Esmeralda!
I SWEAR in 10 years when I am tired of my dark cabinets I am going paint them white right around that Costa Esmeralda and have THAT kitchen next!

Sue
esmerelda23
16 years ago
Sue, our fabricator was Salem Stone Design of Waterford CT. Great guys, but a long way away from you. Slabs were chosen at Marble and Granite, Inc. of Milford. We have about the same footage as you, and it took two slabs, which limits your selection.

I think if you choose Costa with an all-over pattern you should be OK wherever they put the seams. I forgot to mention earlier, you should get a chance to see the templating and approve the cuts beforehand. They make outline templates and place them on the stone for you. It's one of the fun parts of the process.

Were you referring to our kitchen being white? It's not, but white was one of the looks we considered. There was a beautiful white/costa kitchen with almost our identical layout pictured here last year. I can't find the post anymore, but I saved one of the pictures:

Enjoy!
glad
16 years ago
esmerelda23, that kitchen is pretty much the look i was going for also. nice to see how well the white appliances fit in since that's what i went with exc for ss hood. i need to stay out of this thread or i may start regreting going with the yellow river over the costa!!!
sue_ct
Original Author
16 years ago
No, when I said "thats what I am talking about", I meant the nice job with the granite, tight seams, and esp the lack of a seam at the L, not the cabinet color. I think the white cabinets were in the link glad posted. I know yours are not painted, and neither are mine. I just love this stone. I hope it looks nice with very dark cabinets as well. It really helps to know you needed 2 slabs for a counter top the same size as mine, because that eliminates one possible fabricator for me.

Sue