Eased edge counters - owners/stone pros - chipping? regrets?

8 years ago

Woke up in the middle of the night, second guessing our counter edge decision. I know, in the grand scheme of things, it's a trivial matter but that's what remodeling does to one's sanity.

I prefer the look of an eased edge but I've heard and read the warnings about chipping with a straighter edge so we picked 1/2" top radius because that's the safer choice. We also looked at the crescent edge but DH prefers the top radius over that so I went with his choice (he's really been a gem about this remodel).

But now I'm awake in the middle of the night, wondering "should I have gone with my heart's preference?" Followed quickly by "it's just a counter edge, for crying out loud!" lol

Still, I'd love to hear from those of you who live with eased edge counters as well as stone pros: how big a deal is chipping? How long have you had your counters, how many chips have you had? Would you do it again?

We're going with 1/8" positive reveal around the sink (got a sink with accessories, need a positive reveal), which is one place I've heard can be prone to chipping. That edge will be eased since that's what the fabricator does.

We had porcelain tile on our island and never broke a dish or glass or
chipped the counter edge in 21 yrs so perhaps we've already learned good habits and will have fewer chipping issues.

One caveat: we learned today that it's harder to repair chips in honed surfaces. In all the research I've done over the years - including quizzing fabricators, KDs and other kitchen pros - no one has told me this until today. Granted, this fabricator tends to be cautious about honed surfaces in general because they've been burned over the years by honed Absolute Black. I get that completely. But we're not choosing AB plua I've tested a honed sample for months. I haven't seen any of the issues they warned about. Ditto for a friend with honed granite, in for 5 or more years. Anyhoo, I don't know if the fabricators warning about repairing chips in a honed counter is because they're cautious about honed surfaces in general or if repairs are trickier.

Changing the finish isn't an option. We're not shiny surface people. We considered leathered finish but that was still second place to honed. I really love honed stones - can't stop "petting" honed stones - as does DH, so I know choosing another finish would be a regret.

Please help save my sanity! I need to give them our final decision today.

Featured Answer

PRO

Joseph Corlett, LLC

8 years ago

"I wondered about redoing the edge profile after installation. Is that possible with honed surfaces, too?"

It is possible, but not the most cost effective way to go. Tell your fabricator to buy a bit and give you the edge you want at your sink.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

ekscrunchy
8 years ago
I've had honed granite with an eased edge in my heavily used kitchen for more than 10 years. Never sealed the granite, never had a chip or any other issue. I am embarking on a new remodel soon and I will do the same: Honed granite with an eased edge.
anitamo
8 years ago
No chips either in my eased edge, but it's only been in use for six months. I have polished granite, though.
Related Discussions
Beautiful, natural stone or dyed blobs of plastic with rock chips
Q
Comments (32)
I think the first clue to the intent of oldryder's post was his first sentence, "This is a teaser." The second, which actually appeared first was "dyed blobs of plastic with rock chips." Personally, I thought it was funny and not the least bit serious. We can get way too solemn here sometimes. A good twist of the tail every now and then can put things back in perspective. We've talked about stone vs. quartz before (just a little ;-) ), but I think both palimpsest and GreenDesigns added new thoughts to the conversation. I'd never seen the ceramic product GreenDesigns mentioned as a potential contender, and really appreciated barthelemy's contribution on that subject. I wonder if it would be practical for shower walls? And second place for funny (after dried blobs...) goes to may_flowers for "Granite is for those still in the stone age; quartz is for us hipsters who love technology. " Made me smile. *snort*
...See More
Quartz owners: chipped edges
Q
Comments (154)
I am a fabricator. "Brand has no bearing on chipping; it's all the same stuff." for quartz this is exactly correct. For the harder natural stones a well rounded edge provides substantial protection from chipping. You really have to whack a rounded edge to chip it. Occasionally, even in hard stones, an inclusion can pop out. If you manage to save the popped out piece the repair is simple. For other chips the repair is also relatively simple with the fillers and tools available to the fabricator AS LONG AS the customer has realistic expectations. If you follow Joe you know he spends a lot of effort making sure the customers expectations are realistic before he starts a job. For softer stones like marble and travertine chipping is a greater risk simply because the mechanical integrity of the stone is much less than granite or quartz. Repairs can also be more challenging as matching light colors or white is more difficult. A trick is to grind up a bit of the stone and use it to color a clear adhesive but you have to have a scrap piece of the stone for this to be an option. All that said rounded edges are much less prone to chipping on any material. A competent fabricator has this discussion with a customer automatically as part of the edge selection process. My 2 cents.
...See More
Soapstone owners: any regrets?
Q
Comments (10)
I'll admit to not loving my soapstone as much as I expected. My variety does not hold the oil very well so to keep the dark preferred color (IMO) I have to oil it constantly. So then I stop oiling and just let it dry out and then I'm dealing with water rings and dark spots. (I think water rings are a problem with the oil too.) I also wish my soapstone had at least one area with a wider white vein - mine are fairly minimal. I wanted minimal but with just a touch of pizzaz and the original piece I chose had one great white vein slashing through. That piece got returned for a bookmatched piece. : ( But my fabricator did such a phenomenal job with the stone that I can't fault him for that. If I had to do it again?? I still think I'd lean towards soapstone. A lot of the granites just didn't do it for me. I looked at paperstone and it just seemed too flat... The stone does look perfect in my kitchen so I definitely don't regret it - it's just more work than I thought. I've had it in for about 2.5 months and am very pleased with it's scratch resistance. I chipped it for the first time when I dropped a large ceramic vase near the sink. It slightly chipped the edge - not that anyone would notice. The vase and a dish in the sink didn't fare so well!
...See More
quartz counter rounding edges to avoid chip
Q
Comments (7)
Roundover edges do chip less. So far, my squared off sink cutout is chip-free....but I'm just waiting for the day. I prefer the look of the square for a sink cut out, but you really only have 2 options at this point and I don't think either is right or wrong, just your choice. 1. Be more careful from now on and just repair the chips as they come 2. Have him round it over. I'm not a fabricator, just wondering how he's going to do that while it's already installed. By hand? Sounds difficult AND messy! Maybe some top pros here on GW can advise on this. Me personally, I would choose to repair and just try to be careful with heavy pans from now on. I could only find one photo with a rounded edge on a sink cutout. See link below. Here is a link that might be useful:
...See More
badgergal
8 years ago
I have an eased edge on my granite which is 4 years old. I do have one teeny, little chip on the sink edge and one on the edge above my dishwasher. Neither of these chips are really visible but I can feel them if I run my finger across the edge. I have a husband who is like a bull in a china shop so I think he is responsible for the chips ( and a couple tiny dings in my cabinets) and I think he could probably manage to chip any type of edge. I don't regret the eased edge and would still chose it again.
Bunny
8 years ago
3.5 years old Caesarstone eased edge. No chips anywhere.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
8 years ago
I make a nice living from folks picking eased edges, especially at sinks. I'm all for 'em.

I recently fixed another chip for a previous customer. She could have had the edge reprofiled for what I've charged her for the two repairs, but she declined again.
johnsoro25
8 years ago
We were warned against eased edge, especially with Alaska White. But I just couldn't help myself- it looks so pretty! Six months without an issue, and I've knocked plates in front of the dishwashers quite a few times. I would be ok with chip repairs- I think your choice would depend on how you feel about having to do a repair if needed.
Jancy
8 years ago
I have eased edge for over a year and no chips. I also have it around the sink. I love the look of the eased edge too
cookncarpenter
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Two and a half years of good hard use with eased edge on my medium soft soapstone, no chips.

Although a little sandpaper would remove any chips anyway. I wonder if sanding might be an option on a honed granite because of the matte finish?
lisa_a
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you, everyone! I'll talk to DH and head back to the fabricators and figure this out. I hope!

Joseph, I knew what your advice would be and I do value your opinion, truly, but it sounds like the bigger issue is chips around the sink. Our fabricator doesn't offer anything but an eased edge there. We are going with a positive reveal, not a negative reveal but I also know that chips may still happen. We had 2 very tiny chips in our 21 yr old cast iron sink but that was it and I would expect the granite might behave the same way.

I wondered about redoing the edge profile after installation. Is that possible with honed surfaces, too? Thank you!
lisa_a
Original Author
8 years ago
I wish that were possible, Joseph, but they are honing and cutting for install next Tuesday. Doubtful they could get a bit in time, if they were willing to buy a bit at all, and I'm not willing to delay the timeline.

I stopped at the fabricators again. Their eased edge is barely eased, a 1/16" at most so it's really square and sharper than I'd like. I'd much rather something between 1/8" and 3/8" but that's not possible, unfortunately. We chose this fabricator because they could hone slabs for us at a reasonable cost and their seams are incredible (as is their reputation). The co-owner told me that 80% of their customers chose 1/2" top radius with crescent the next popular choice. The only customers who chose their eased edge have very modern kitchens. That's not us.

So, after all this angst, we'll likely go with the top radius. It's nearly the same as the 3/8" radius we put in 2 bathrooms and we like it there. 1/8" really won't be that noticeable after all is said and done. It won't make or break our kitchen.

Eased edge counters - owners/stone pros - chipping? regrets?

Joseph Corlett, LLC

Comments (11)

ekscrunchy

anitamo

Related Discussions

badgergal

Bunny

Joseph Corlett, LLC

johnsoro25

Jancy

cookncarpenter

lisa_a
Original Author

lisa_a
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Eased edge counters - owners/stone pros - chipping? regrets?

Comments (11)

Related Discussions

lisa_aOriginal Author

lisa_aOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

lisa_a
Original Author

lisa_a
Original Author