I am looking for input from those of you who have 2 cm silestone countertops with an overhang, and used only steel bars (no plywood) on top of the base cabinets to support the overhang. Can you tell me the amount of your overhang, and the dimensions and spacing of the steel bars? I have a 2 cm silestone countertop for my kitchen island that is ready to be installed. It is 6.5 feet long, with 27 inches of overhang on one end and 11" of overhang on the other end. If necessary I will have two legs fabricated for the ends, but even with that I feel I need to put some steel bars at intermediate points along the 6.5 foot length thanks for any input.

I only wanted Verde Fuoco, and the 3cm slabs were too pink. We have an eased laminated edge. There really isn't a reason for concern: If you want no laminated edge you can have it; if you want a thicker look you can have it. Lily's kitchen is brilliant and she hated the look initially, but realizes that there is no reason to sweat it. BTW I'm a west coaster and found plenty of 3 and 2 cm slabs. Maybe on the east coast there isn't any 2cm rock, but I didn't find it typical at all that there was only 2cm. In fact I found a lot of 3 cm rock (Portland and Seattle). My rock is a little hard to find, so the slab I wanted happened to be in 2cm. no problem (but you need a plywood underlayment).

And even if they have the same "type" of granite--believe me, I doubt that is is the same stone-- if you are using any type of dramatic pattern you will regret it--and might even with something relatively static and uniform like Santa Cecilia... Personally I think you are better off using a tile or even painted glass...

Real stone is overrated IMO. It has man-made processes applied to it to make it suitable for residential kitchens, as well as sealers, so being more ‘real’ is just marketing in my book, particularly for a surface you’re going to be cooking and eating off of. A sterile man-made product that is easy to clean makes more sense in a kitchen environment to me personally, which is why we chose white solid surface for our remodel. Our second choice was white quartz. It’s easy to tell if it’s clean and maintenance is a breeze. There are many many threads here on quartzite getting water ‘stains’ around the sink, seems, and stove, issues with sealing, issues with food stains and etching, poultices being applied, etc. The pale colors can be unforgiving. I personally think real stone is not a great choice for residential kitchen applications, at least not for working kitchens in the suburbs. In kitchens that see limited use where it’s all for show, or in old traditional working kitchens that utilize marble and embrace the patina, I can see the appeal more.