My 'slabs' are here!
My slabs were installed this weekend. I really think they look nice with the cabinets
I like their flat matte finish too
The counter was done flush mount to the sink
How it all looks together
P.S. Yes, my "slabs" are laminate (Arborite, Black Grit). Originally, I had planned on going with a leathered black granite, because like many, I like the look of soapstone but I don't think I could live with the patina. In the end, I realized that although the feel of natural stone is far superior to any laminate in my mind, my laminate counters have always been very functional, easy to care for, and a good value for the money. My husband build these, so in total we spent around $500-even using plywood instead of MDF for the substrate material. I have 77 sq. feet of counter, so the cheapest granite would have been over $6,000 for that space. So, for me, it was a good decision. I hope my "slabs" inspire others who are considering laminate!
Comments (56)
senator13
12 years agoflwrs_n_co
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Found the perfect calcutta slab for my backsplash BUT!
Comments (12)Not, wanting to hi-jack, but some more explanation too! Hi Brooke! So nice to see you around the boards...I'm not here that much any more either. Hey, I'd love to bounce some dining room decorating ideas on you sometime though! I do get it, especially with the economy and what you said about declining home values almost everywhere. I think you have a beautiful space to be proud of, so I hope you don't have too distracting of regrets because I so love what you've done! How are the little ones? We saved money on our backsplash that's for certain - we installed it ourselves and saved there, too. Yes, the countertop slabs were a lot of money, if it were now - not last year, would I have had the guts to do it with this economy? Quite possibly not! We might not even have done the kitchen at all and kept waiting. But, we are planning on staying in this house for at least the next 22 years, possibly longer and I know I will love the marble that long -it's classic. Also, I try to remember "accept the things we cannot change...." I can't change the fact we spent the money, so I can't regret/stress/worry about it now either. Best of luck to you kittymerr - your kitchen - and rest of your home, is gorgeous so far, so you'll make the right decision for you and move on! Check out those tiles too, they would be beautiful in your space and I'm fairly certain you will be able to track down AKDO in your area!...See MoreFinally!! Chose my counter; picked out my marble slab!
Comments (15)Mine is on the diagonal and I can say it does not look busy. The veining is irregular, too, though it mostly flows in one direction. My kitchen has a lot going on and that was one more thing! I fretted over that, but it's fine. I'm sure you've got great fabricators...but I didn't get the warm and fuzzies from mine so I insisted on seeing the templates laid on the stone as they planned to cut them BEFORE they actually cut them. It took 4 visits for them to get it right. I am very glad I made them take that extra step. I was adamant about the fact that I wanted all the flow to go in the same direction across the kitchen. Initially, they had everything laid on the marble every which way. If they had cut it like that, I would have had seams come together like a V and that's not how the stone flows. So it meant jockeying some pieces around. It seemed like an obvious request to me, but they thought I was crazy! You can stand in one corner and look across all perimeters and the islands and see that the veins of the stone all go the same way...not zigzag at seams. You may want the zigzags, however, so be sure you plan it out that way. Plan out your pieces on graph paper and shade in your "pattern." Cut and place your pieces like you want them. That's the only way it will flow the way YOU want. (In fact, I would scale counter cutouts to an 8 x 10 print of the slab and template the print!) I apologize if I'm overstepping my bounds and telling you something you already know! :) You have a gorgeous slab! I really hope you can capture that chunk of veining in the upper lefthand corner (island?)...and I hope you get a counter out of that mid-right to lower middle-running vein. Mmmm. Mmmm. Scrumptious!!...See MoreCan I use my concrete slab as my shower floor?
Comments (59)Quite the thread. Unfortunately some important basic information seems to have been overlooked. I) Gypsum board has not been allowed in wet areas since 2006. 2) Schluter Kerdi membrane is not recommended over moisture resistant dry wall due to the waxy finish. They are ok with regular drywall. 3) Adhering membrane to taping compound and paint. Big no no. 4) Most Important - Drywall manufacturers do not want their products in a wet area period. USG makes drywall and a waterproof membrane far superior to Schluter Kerdi and they will not allow it installed over drywall in a wet area. Schluter and others say it's Ok. (Actually they are only saying they can adhere to it.) Funny how they think they can over ride what another product manufacturer states their products limitations are and consider it a acceptable substrate. What is getting overlooked here is possible condensation in the wall cavity itself. This can destroy the gypsum board from behind where cement board or a foam panel would not be affected. Perhaps a drip in the control valve, poor seal on the gasket or elsewhere will break that gypsum board down. Now you have no recourse as Schluter and others will say the shower system worked fine it's the wall which it is attached to that failed. mca330 I do hope none of these issues will occur on your project and all goes well. There are some such as myself that would have walked away or insisted all manufacturer instructions and proper methods involved in the shower assembly were followed. Best...See MoreHere is our slab of Taj Mahal. We need support with paint for cabinets
Comments (0)...See Moresenator13
12 years agoelba1
12 years agoLori Ryan
12 years agofrancoise47
12 years agosenator13
12 years agoThanks, everyone. Here are some pictures of them being built. We use 2 plywood boards (3/4" thick) to build them up to 1 1/2". Then they applied the contact cement, laid the Arborite Black Grit, rolled it and used a router to cut the edges. The edges were the tricky part, but it got easier as they went I think. There are a couple of areas that could be a little better, but to most people, they will go unnoticed, especially since I will have dirty dishes on them most of the time :)
From Finished counter
From Finished counter
From Finished counter
ellendi
12 years agoboylanite2
12 years agosenator13
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12 years agogbsim1
12 years agosenator13
12 years agoWe used the sheet in Caribbean. We have one seam in the kitchen which is not at all noticible. Even to me,and I saw them put it in!
At the bottom (left) you can see where the plywood is showing. That is where the seam is. In the next picture it is covered with the marmoleum, but the seam is undetectable. We did not have our seams welded.
From Marmo floor
From Marmo floor
palimpsest
12 years agotimber.j
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12 years agoLake_Girl
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12 years agosenator13
12 years agoLake_Girl,
Here are some pictures of how we handled the sink and the edges.
The sink cabinet was built so that the sink rests on it. Obiously, the cabinet maker knew this when he built it so it could support the 135 lb cast iron sink. Also, the Kohler Dickinson sink that we bought is a tile-in, so it could be flush mounted. We had him build it so that the sink would be 1/8" higher than the counters. My husband then ran a thin bead of clear silicone around the sink. He also made the counters out of plywood instead of MDF so there would be less issues if water got in the seams somehow.
As for the edges, it helps that we have a dark counter. All I did was the "sharpie" treatment on them. Although I think if I have to do touch-up, I may try the Martha Stewart charcoal. The black is a little too dark, but it really is not noticible unless you have your eyeballs up to it to see it. The seams have always bothered me too, which is why we used postform in our current kitchen. However, because the exposed ends, postform wasn't going to work as well in this kitchen.
I took the pictures at approximately 2 ft, 1 + ft and 8" away.
Again, it might not be perfect, but it is definitely good enough for me!
From Sink and laminate edges
From Sink and laminate edges
From Sink and laminate edges
From Sink and laminate edges
From Sink and laminate edges
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senator13Original Author