Countertop Edge & Corner Radius???

last year

We are upgrading our builder grade laminate & trying to figure out what edge & corner radius for our new Calacatta Azai quartz kitchen countertops we should pick.

1) In store, the eased edged, which is more squared off, felt a bit 'sharp' so I leaned towards a 1/4" bevel edge. Originally it felt like the bevel added a bit more of a finished look, but now I'm hearing it's considered dated & it's hard to find recent pictures of anyone using it. We have a pretty simple white and gold kitchen (the new undermount sink will be stainless and we are doing a gold faucet to match the cabinet pulls) so it felt like the countertops could handle a bevel without it being one of the more overly ornate edges.

Bevel edge:

2) The template guy said more radius for the corners is better to prevent chips, but I like the more squared off look. There seems to not be the best standardization between fabricators on naming, but all the 'eased' square radius options online have a little roundness so its never a true 90 degree corner.

Our current laminate has huge rounded corners and he showed me a little plastic overlay of the smaller rounded radius he suggested & it was a great improvement from what we have. Then I see pics like below and love the clean square corners! It feels more modern (though a Google search claims rounded edges are 'in'??? to me its the opposite - the more round and bulbous the more dated it would be?).

We have decent room around our island compared to other homes we have been in where the island is more cramped, so I'm not super worried about hitting corners. Don't remember ever hitting myself on previous islands or peninsulas.

Can I get opinions on:

1) whether prioritizing defense against possible chips is more important to you than the corner radius aesthetic & your experiences with quartz chipping at the corners? (Ex: chips are inevitable so pick what you like?)

2) what edge do you think is better for resale (basic eased/squared, bevel, or something else)?

3) if you have pictures of bevel and bevel with rounded corner radius vs an eased/more pointed radius that would be super helpful since i am horrible at visualizing

Thanks

bevel edge & eased radius

eased edge & eased radius

bevel edge & round (1/8-1/4") radius

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PRO

JAN MOYER

last year

last modified: last year

Joe,

I don't know wth people do in Florida, but that is just BS.

I've got square eased everywhere in kitchens nearing 14 years. We don't chew up edges here.

Or the eighty year olds in their condos have the dropsies with cast iron skillets.

But that is...sorry. Not True. Here.

I wouldn't put a rounded edge anywhere, it screams 1980.

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Comments (18)

acm
last year
I think about it differently -- if you walk too close to the corner and catch yourself, a little rounding means a lot less pain! Similarly, a bevel adds jusst a little chance that you or a guest will mis-judge where the countertop "ends" and have something tilt off the edge. So I'm for eased edge and rounded corners. (Similarly, no knobs or bar pulls at waist height, or you'll find yourself with torn belt loops or pockets!)
Jennifer Svensson
last year
What does your kitchen look like? What style is it?
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Joseph Corlett - I think the posters on this thread advocating being present at the templating are not talking about the homeowner being at the house while the fabricator copies cabinets and walls. We are talking about the subsequent process of choosing which parts of the slab go where. This occurs at the fabricator's shop. So for example if there is a colorful chunky part of the stone that the homeowner wants showcased on the kitchen island, the homeowner and the fabricator will outline that during the templating process at the fabricator's. Conversely if there is a part the homeowner does not want, such as a resin pool on a slab of quartz, that part can be cut out for the sink or simply not used. Here is a pic of what I mean, though it's not mine, just a photo on the Internet. I've done this sort of layout several times for different kitchens. It's taken place at the fabricator's shop. In this photo it appears the homeowner wanted a long expanse of counter without the chunky colorful part, and the layout was done accordingly. That slab could have been cut completely differently; if the homeowner is present during this layout, his/her preferences are made clear and it's a collaborative effort. We have seen many times on this forum that when a homeowner doesn't take part in this part of the templating, there are often problems. Even if the fabricator has a lot of integrity and wants to correct any issues, it may require locating another slab and starting over.
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I love your countertops with the clean lines and square corners i just had quartz countertops installed with curved corners after i had specifically ordered squared. Sadly, they tell me i have to pay and will not replace it. I even hired their designer and we went over all the details including straight clean cut sides and square corners. Not once did they ask me what radius I wanted. She only showed me the buffet in their showroom with squared corners. She then did up drawings with square corners which I signed and they still installed rounded corners. i want to have it replaced, as it isnt what i ordered but now they want to take action if i dont pay the balance owing :( I feel I need to stand my ground as this is a huge investment. Thoughts?
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kculbers
last year
I also went through the same dilemma when I had my kitchen renovated. I have a modified galley styled kitchen. I knew I wanted a simple eased edge as my cabinetry is simple Shaker style. I thought wanted a square sharp edge, but my experienced kitchen designer talked me out of that. We chose a slightly rounded edge. I am so glad too, as as on occasion you bump into the edge of the counter; a rounded edge is better than a sharp edge. I also think it is esthetically pleasing to the eye.
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
Square ease and polish is universally attractive. Nobody really worries about bumping corners with minimal radius, either.

You can have one of at least fifty possibilities, but generally? This makes the counter feel thick, substantial , works everywhere and is likely 99% of all finished edges produced in any shop, anywhere: )
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
The more rounded the edge, the less likely the chipping. Do you want to look mahvelous or feel mahvelous dahling?

Don't use the square eased edge at your sink please; it will convert itself into the ubiquitous chew-mark edge within a year, I promise.
carrierebekah
Original Author
last year
@Jennifer Svensson

Do you not see the photo of the kitchen?
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
Yes..... and I wouldn't round an edge. I don't round edges or corners unless I was doing perhaps a round table top in a solid surface , which still would not have a round bulbous edge : )
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
Jan:

With all due respect, you simply don't know what you're talking about.

I make a living replacing kitchen sinks. Virtually every single pencil edge at a sink has chew marks. Every one. It is pointless to repair them; they're just going to repeat.

Go ahead and specify your fancy-pants designer edges that chip. I'll keep fixing 'em. And removing them for people that think chew marks at sinks are much less desirable than the pencil you insisted upon.
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
last modified: last year
Joe,

Forgive me, please. What did I just say?

I have no beat up, chipped up sink edges. Not on quartz, quartzite, or granite, or Corian.

" Ms. Fancy Pants" has earned a design living for 32 years. I didn't earn that sustaining income giving people junk, or product or finishes that don't work in their homes.

Btw....... I did NOT say "you don't know what you are talking about". I DID say "I don't know what people do in Florida". .....

Maybe we're not that prone to abuse or clumsiness way up here.. I've no clue. Next you'll be telling me people don't wash their pots and pans in the north?
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
Jan:

If you've been telling clients that a pencil edge at their sink works, you've been giving bad advice for 32 years. It's not the kind of thing you'd get a callback about; I get your callbacks. If you have a pencil edge at a sink, you have chew marks after a year unless you don't use your sink. It's not up for debate.
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
last modified: last year
Darling.....I WOULD get call backs. I get call backs asking if a damn dish towel matches a chair! I have clients four and five times over again! "I want to REFRESH!" "UH OH..... my cat chewed the cord on my 12 year old shade!!!"

" Can we get another of these chairs from ten years ago?, We loooove them" Do not tell me my own darn business, please. It needs no "debate". Let's cease the thread highjack too.
herbflavor
last year
last modified: last year
if the pic shown is your kitchen I would add some detail to the edge. the larger size needs it. ...along with lack of details generally...Is painting the island an option??? maybe later???
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detail to layer in some aesthetic since this is your opportunity now..easy to do with shaker and transitional post style.....more artsy/crafty than colonial....you can choose.......if you paint the island you'll get a nicer personalized look w these details.

heres the minimal amt of upgrade to the island itself which would elevate the situation above "builder grade" as you describe : panels/ toe moulding /paint. all giving a transitional /not boring kitchen w good solid details for more personalized space.
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tdemonti
last year
I'm not a pro but am very visual and see that the eased edge looks good with the squareness of shaker cabinets. I have slab cabinets with these radii.
theresa21
last year
last modified: last year
I don't think you should choose bevel because a beveled edge has two sharp edges that could potentially chip and because it is a dated look.

I chose 1/8" countertop edge (Cambria's Ridgeline), slightly rounded ourside corners (I think 1/4") and 90 degrees sharp inside corners--which required a J-seam.

I've never bumped into my outside corner, even though my kitchen is very tight and the corner is in a heavy traffic area. IMO I think a slightly rounded outside corner looks more finished than an eased corner.

My sink has a positive reveal (thank you @Joseph Corlett, LLC for educating all of us on the benefits of a positive-reveal sink), a ledge, and very rounded inside corners (see photo). The sink was cut to Kohler's template. I think my sink is well-protected because of the positive reveal and because the countertop is offset by the ledge, with a good amount of spacing between the interior of the sink and the edge of the countertop.

No chipping so far.
PRO
Granite City Services
last year
I am a fabricator. I prefer rounded edges because of the number of times we've been asked by a customer to repair a chipped edge. Our standard is a 3/8" radius for a sink cutout. Regarding corner radius, I recommend a minimum of 2"; consider the normal height of a countertop is just right to deliver a nasty bruise or cut to the head of a child. my 2 cents..
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
Jan:

Readers benefit from our respectful back-and-forth; it's the whole point of the place. You've told them what's in style and what's not, directly answering the carrierebekah's question(s). My information directly helps her weigh her chips vs. edge profile analysis. I'm not seeing a lot of thread drift here.
Christina Baker
last month
Jan: I just joined H and this is the third thread I’ve seen you be so rude to other people commenting. I don’t think this is in the spirit of the app. Hopefully by 2024, you are using better etiquette.