threeapples- I was trying to match existing granite in my kitchen, but the only match was 2cm, which was thinner than the existing countertops. When I told my fabricator that I was concerned about the seam in the middle from a built-up edge, he said: "No problem, we'll cut all the pieces at a 45 degree angle and the seams will be along the edges where you can't see them." Take a look at these photos and see what you think: He even showed me samples where he had done this with highly figured marble, and he just matched the cut pieces at the seam line so it looked like the pattern wrapped over the edge and down the sides as if it were a solid 4cm slab. If you can find a fabricator who has the skill to do this properly, it's amazing, and they can give you whatever perceived thickness you want without obvious seams.

There is a product being released by Cosentino ( manufacturer of Silestone quartz) in the next 90 days which is called an ultra compact surface and is the first surface of its kind ever made. It is comprised mainly of porcelain but also has quartz and refined glass in it as well. It is extremely impact resistant and heat resistant up to 1400 F. The other great thing about the product is that it's available in both 2cm ( 3/4") and 3cm (1 1/4") thicknesses. Check it out: Dekton.com

Everyone is asking for a porcelain slab fabricator close to where they live. What I did was search on Houzz to find local contractors with porcelain slab installations. Then viewing work that they did a few years ago for any cracking particularly around the sink faucets. I did not have good experiences asking the material vendor for contractors for other projects I have done.

So I am looking at floor and decor 48x24 large porcelain tile. My shower is smidge over 48 in wide and goes to ceiling. The depth is 36 inches. Can someone explain the difficulties. Is it cumbersome Since each piece heavy, does it crack more, issues around cutouts for faucets?. do I need to buy a lot more to allow breakage with the large tile. Seems like the back wall would need no cuts as the tile is exact size when u add in grout on each end. Why is it so much more to install? Sorry I keep reading the difficulty of install and was hoping to understand a bit more. Also didn’t understand the comments about” problem when shower guy shows up 😊