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2cm granite: plywood underlayment or plexiglass?

14 years ago

I have always thought that plywood 5/8 ACX was to be used for 2cm granite plywood underlayment. I have recently learned that plexiglass can also be used. I had never heard of this method. Does anyone else know anything about the pros and cons of using plexiglass? I was told that the plexiglass come in thickness up to 2".

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Comments (6)

azstoneconsulting
14 years ago
I have not tried Plexiglass or the bullet proof version known as Lexan -

Historically - either product has been more expensive than 5/8 inch
ACX grade plywood - and I don't know of any benefits to using Plexilass
or Lexan - but would like to hear the reasoning for either product's use..

Personally - I think that cost would be more than 5/8" ACX..........

kevin
User
14 years ago
It's pretty flexible, more so than plywood, so to have either lexan of plexi used as an underlayment, it'd have to be pretty thick. Thick stock would be more expensive than the stone topping it.

I can see zero benefit to using plexi or lexan and only more expense. I'd rather have 3 cm granite than 2 cm with 1" plexi underneath. It'd be stronger and far far cheaper.
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Kayl- Plywood alone WILL NOT PREVENT cracks in the tops!!! Your fabricator (IMHO) needs to re-think their logic in what they are doing in relationship to using 2CM thick stone and people sitting on the countertops.... OF COURSE THE STONE IS GOING TO FRACTURE IF A TEENAGER SITS ON IT!!! Here's the saying I have for this scenario: "Countertops are made for Plates & Glasses NOT for FEET and DIRTY ARSES!!!" People hve to realize that a countertop is NOT a seating surface! I will venture a guess that the top that cracked was an overhang like a breakfast bar - or an area where chairs were under it for a dining application, and the kid sat on the unsupported top and the stone cracked where the cabinet line was - I see this all the time on jobsite inspections that I get called on to do - and have to write an "industry expert opinion" on WHY the countertop fractured - kind of like CSI for countertops..... HA! This can be prevented by the proper use of corbels and support of the assembly with either corbles or counterbalance plates spaced out no more than 16 inches on center. Whenever a consumer is going to use 2CM thick stone - IT MUST HAVE A SUBTOP - and the subtop should be 5/8 inches thick - PLYWOOD - ACX grade... This has worked for me flawlessly for over 25 years - no failures!!! Plywood should be used as the subtop in lieu of OXB, Particle Board, Masonite, etc. It should be screwed down to the cabinets- sanded side down where there is an overhang - sanded side up on conventional cabinet applications where the countertop is the depth of the cabinets (plus an overhang of 1 1/2" from the FACE of the Cabinet frame) hth kevin
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sheila99
Original Author
14 years ago
azstonecothensulting and live wire oak, thank you both for your opnions. Kevin, I did call the two names you sent me, it seems like the job site is too far for both. They referred me to a third place and they said they use plexiglass, they glue it to the granite and bring the whole thing to the jobsite and glue it to the cabinets. Is it possible to call you for consulting? I am out of ideas! It is the underlayment that has the fabricators here baffled, they can do the lamination and fabrication of the 2cm, just the underlayment they have no experience doing.
poppy09
14 years ago
Is it possible to use 2 cm with no underlayment? Sorry to hijack--I'm asking because I had a fabricator tell me it is totally okay to use 2 cm stone without underlayment and sufficient cabinet support. ?? Would love to know from GW experts!
azstoneconsulting
14 years ago
Sheila - you know how to et a hold of me...HA!

Poppy09 - do NOT use 2CM without a subtop - if you do - I'll hunt you down
and give you proper batch of NOOGIES!!! (ala Bill Murray) ..HA

Your "fabricator" is a pretender... ALL - I SAY AGAIN - ALL 2CM stone
that is used as a countertop on cabinets - MUST - I SAY AGAIN - MUST HAVE SUBTOPS
of 5/8 inch ACX plywood.....THIS is NOT NEGOTIABLE!!!!

If you do things the way he's telling you - the job WILL FAIL!!!
I get called to look at failures all the time - I have nothing to gain here by
telling you the truth.. the job should NOT be done the way the guy there is
telling you he does all the rest of 'em.... I can pretty much assure you that
the guy you're talking to has not been in business very long, and won't be
for long either if this is the way he does his installs......

It's just that simple.... any person that is calling themselves a Fabricator
(with a capital "F") should know that - otherwise - they're just a pretender...

I make no apologies when it comes to this kind of scenario - there's the right
way to do things or not at all - Mercedes Benz says it this way:

"Das Beste Oder Nichts" (The BEST or NOTHING)

Poppy09 - where are you located? I could refer you to some "more qualified" personnel that
do things the way they're supposed to be done - the right way...

hth

kevin
poppy09
14 years ago
First: sheila99: Again, I'm sorry for hijacking. I'm happy you had this question so I can learn.
Kevin: I'm in ATL, GA. I was told by a 'local' fabricator that installing 2 cm stone (any stone: granite, marble, quartz) was totally okay without a subtop--as long as the cabinet had supports (braces added to the frame). I specifically asked about this because I like the look of 2 cm (w/o a laminated edge), I'm shorter and like the countertop lower, and because I wanted to know if it was possible to put a subtop within the cabinet frame instead of using a plywood subtop on top of the cabinet frame that would have to be covered with a laminated edge.

(The fabricator I spoke with came highly recommended, and says he has been in the business for more than 20 years.) However, I wanted to take this opportunity to ask, because one never knows. So ist das leben, nicht var?

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