Marble floating shelves anyone?

14 years ago

Hoping some of the stone/ marble experts in the forum can comment on this idea.

I am planning a couple of open shelves in my kitchen. KD and GC are suggesting that we use marble for the shelves as it is not combustible material and therefore can be mounted lower than 18". Before I sign of on this, can you please comment on whether this sounds viable?

Is it possible to drill a hole in the side of the marble for about 6-8" that will fit a steel rod? The idea is to screw/ embed the rods into solid backing in the wall behind the cabinet which is 8" thick and fit the marble shelves with the hole "pockets" into the rods with some strong adhesive.

thanks for your advice!

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Comments (4)

mama goose_gw zn6OH
14 years ago
I considered marble shelves before going with a glass front cabinet. Here's a picture that I remember, along with the link to the decorpad page:

There's no info on how they're secured. Try googling 'floating marble shelves' or 'marble shelves'.

Here is a link that might be useful: Decorpad
User
14 years ago
It's possible to do as you suggest, BUT the weight of the marble and the expansion/contraction of them in relation to the heat from a range would not be a good idea at all. I'd bet they'd end up cracking in short order, especially if they were epoxied in place. If they were not so close to your range, then they would be under less temperature induced stress and would work better.

There is only one material that should be used in such close proximity to a range and that is stainless steel.
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Madeline616
14 years ago
At the bottom of this post is a pic of Christopher Peacock's own kitchen. Another GWer posted it recently.

If you look closely, it looks like the shelves on either side of his range are marble.

live wire, I'm urious about people who instally slab marble backsplashes--or even marble tile--behind a high BTU range or cooktop. I've never heard of cracking from heat...is that something you've seen in that application?
User
14 years ago
When a stone slab is installed behind a cooktop, it's installed with flexible silicone adhesive, and there is a small gap between the counter and the backsplash slab that is also caulked with flexible silicone adhesive. The flexible silicone allows the entire stone slab to expand and contract with the temperature changes without binding.

When you drill holes in any stone slab, whether horizontal boring or vertical through holes, you create weak points--areas that are prone to cracking in the presence of stress on the stone. That stress can come in the form of weight, as with someone standing on the sink area. It can come from heat expansion, as in over a DW that exhausts directly under it. It can come from it's inability to flex, as on an overhang.

When you drill the marble for the shelves, put it in a wide temperature swing environment, and then restrict it's expansion/contraction by epoxying it to the internal steel supports, you are adding stresses beyond a stone's tolerance to deal with. If the stone wasn't drilled, and if it were supported by being adhered stone and steel corbels, it would be fine. But, that wouldn't be "floating" shelves, which is what the OP is looking to do.