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soapstone counter edge detail?

16 years ago

The soapstone counters I've seen in magazine are always just a plain 1" or so slab, with no bullnose or other edge detail, and that's what I planned for my kitchen. But now my husband points out that there will be a layer of plywood under the soapstone, and the bullnose or whatever is necessary to cover that.

Has anybody installed a plain slab counter without edge detail? How did you do it?

LauraG

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Comments (8)

fightingoverfinishes
16 years ago
My soapstone isn't on plywood. It sits directly on the cabinets. Why do you have to have plywood? I donÂt think I have ever seen a soapstone countertop with anything other than an eased/pencil edge. Hopefully one of the stone experts can help you with this.
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grannabelle
16 years ago
our ss is just on top of the cabinets, no plywood - eased edge
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I think the most worrisome issue here would be adequately protecting the rest of your kitchen, including all the new drawer glides, floor, etc, from the stone grinding dust. It's an awfully messy process and you'll want to make sure that everything is well sealed beforehand. I don't have first-hand experience, but have read of others here requiring new drawer glide hardware after stone has been refinished on site without careful protection. It's dreadful gritty awful stuff that goes everywhere. But in terms of "should you have them do it?", I'm with cheri127: try it and see how you like it. I wouldn't personally miss 1/8" of counter overhang at all, but only you can know what you're willing to live with. Sorry about the fabricator's screwup, and best of luck!
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coleen3201118
16 years ago
Ditto
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Katalina
16 years ago
Mine is on plywood because we had to do it that way. Long story. To cover the ply, I put a small molding piece all around just under the soapstone. It looks fine as it's painted the same color as the cabinets.
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sharon_sd
16 years ago
How wide is your overhang and how far back can you stand to look at the cabinets? You may or may not see the plywood. If it shows, moulding to match the cabinet may be the solution.

The plywood top on our cabinets is hidden by the front frame of the cabinet.

I wouldn't recommend putting a detailed edge on soapstone, because it is a vulnerable spot and when a detail becomes chipped it will be more difficult to disguise than damage to a slightly eased edge.

I have not heard of it being done, but if you really feel that you need it, perhaps your counter fabricator could add a strip of soapstone to the lower front edge, in the same manner as when they do a bullnose. To my eye, this would make the soapstone look way too thick, but you may like it.
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emmie9999
16 years ago
I have soapstone, and have no plywood beneath it. I have always been told that soapstone is installed without the plywood underlay. I am not sure why this is the case. Perhaps florida joshua or stone girl will reply here and be able to explain better. (I think it's because soapstone is usually thick enough to be supported on the cabinet frames and not need the plywood beneath it, but I could be wrong.)

Good luck,
Emmie
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woleile
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks, everybody! You've been so helpful. I think my husband was expecting to use the plywood layer b/c that's what you do with tile. I'll tell him the ladies on GardenWeb said we don't need it!

LauraG
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pharaoh
16 years ago
In anticipation of using marble for my counters, I built my cabs with a full 3/4" plywood top. So they are not hollow like store made cabinets. The slabs then simply sit on the cab tops.

I ended up doing a laminated edge on the counters for a thicker look.
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