The edges are 3 inch top and 3 inch side to be clear. This is just the buildup.

The sides will be built-up to be solid 3 inch. Question is does top need to be solid or can it just be a 3 inch edge. You won't notice unless you look at it from below ...

Only the edge gets built up.

Even for the sides? You will see if standing in front that the sides are not 3 inch thick

Make the sides look 3 inches thick with a drop edge.

Sorry if you do a drop edge on top that is fine but on the vertical side you can build out edge but if you’re standing in middle and looking at it from the wide, you will see edge protrudes then the stone goes right back in?

You are already needing 3 bookmatched jumbo slabs of stone. Do you really want a 16K-20K island countertop instead of a 10-15K one?

Ok so it’s perfectly normal to do that? Where the side has a lip? I just looked around and don’t see anything like that. We won’t need book matched since our stone doesn’t necessarily have continuous veining

Famous last words until you gripe about the seams not matching. Plus the whole thing will be a logistical nightmare. Better hope you live on a ground floor with easy access in from outside. Or there’ll be another seam in the middle just to get it in the house.

So what is your advice? Do the edge? Don’t do edge and don’t do thick? A bit confused. Ok it has to match veins (check). What about the thickness question. You’re saying edge without buildup inside is ok. I ask this bc I wanted just edge but my contractor offered to build it up

Your contractor's idea to laminate dissimilar materials is particularly bad. Don't do it, please.

First thing, find a different KD and a different fabricator. If your Kitchen Designer hasn’t talked to you about the impact of all of the consequences of your want list, and this fabricator obviously hasn’t either, then you need at least one actual Professional in the mix advising you. The logistics and budget needed to do this is major. The cheap fabricator and nonexistent designer isn’t how this gets done unless you want to set money on fire.

I don't get it. Won't the 3" drop impact drawers and cabinets? Or you just want the waterfall ends thicker? I'm not sure they can fabricate that in your home.

Sorry why hasn’t anyone talked to me about impact and consequences? I have and I have a quote. I know it isn’t cheap. I’m trying to figure out what looks best. Anyway, what is laminate dissimilar material? Do you mean the stone wood stone combination?

It’s not a 3 inch drop. The KD designer and contractors are saying a 3 inch slab (comprising plywood in between 2 3/4 inch stone slabs with mitered edges) that sits on the island that is then joined to similarly constructed waterfall ends.

Seems like the group here is suggesting just doing edges

There’s a lot of random judgment when my question is simply if someone can layout how they would achieve the optimal result

Below is an example

https://raimarble.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/mont-blanc-quartzite-countertop-and-back-splash-month-blanc-quartzite-island-5inch-thick-build-up-waterfall-edge-1.jpg

"Anyway, what is laminate dissimilar material? Do you mean the stone wood stone combination?"

Yes.

"Won't the 3" drop impact drawers and cabinets?"

No, because the underlayment holds the bottom of the drop edge flush with the top of the cabinets.

I told him the wood stone wood combo doesn’t work because wood will warp and shrink over time. Is there any other reason

Joseph, how would you go about accomplishing the look of the sample picture above?

Miter the dropped edges and use plywood underlayment on edge or custom steel to support the deck.

How would you make the stone inside on the waterfall look nice? Just paint the wood? So it won’t be stone inside?

Mitering will get finished stone on each side of the waterfall. There will be no exposed wood.

Oh didn’t know that. Isn’t mitering a 45 degree cut at the edge? How would we build up to 3inches or we shouldn’t bothet

You can build up as large as you please.

arethere any online resources to read about this? Not picturing this in my head

Your different fabricator should be the one educating you. You have the wrong fabricator. Find that different one.

Dude - just stop. Your comments are not helpful. What is the point? You want me to feel bad? I will sort that out but honestly - stuff it mate. I’m trying to learn and all you’re doing is heckling. Stfu

I agree your fabricator is not understanding this simple idea.

And I don’t buy this industry knowledge should stay in industry. I’m try to see if people will get me up to speed. If you don’t want to the. Fine but take your comments elsewhere

Ok so we’ve established my fabricator is not right. What’s the point? I should not try to learn? It’s a bit ridiculous these commebts

If you want to learn industry knowledge, get hired in a stone shop, Academic head scratching doesn’t hold a candle to wearing a respirator and wet sanding for hours. You’ll learn much more than a thing or two.

Here’s 1K worth of literature for your education. Buy it all. You still won’t learn as much as getting your hands dirty in conjunction with the literature. http://pubs.naturalstoneinstitute.org/resources/library/index.cfm 

Lol so you’ve never read Wikipedia? So if you want to learn anything you need to take on an apprenticeship? Ok. This is ridiculous. No one is asking you to opine here. Take your unhelpful comments elsewhere. I pity your cliebts

That’s like saying if I ask why airplanes fly I have to go become a pilot. Seriously bro, what is your problem?

Eric- it can be a tough crowd here. Nothing wrong with you trying to learn! I think the pros’ point is that if you have to tell your fabricator how to do it you have the wrong fabricator for the job. Looking at the pic to which you linked gives some insight into the approach used for that install as the far end is not yet attached. You can see how it’s built (the whole end section) and how they are about to join it with a mitered edge.

Thank you Susan. Very helpful. There’s this view that because they’re in the industry and they charge for the advice there’s this need to protect it from us lay people. Anyway, there’s more than one way to skin a cat and I’m trying to learn so I can come to an independent conclusion about what is best. That’s what I thought this forum was for.

Susan I see that that’s a mitered edge my question is the construction of that edge. How is that thing that thing. I assume it’s stone on both sides? Is it hollow in the middle?

I understand you want to learn but what does your fabricator suggest? He/she is the one who will be doing the work.

I am shopping around fabricators and hence sanity checking their various responses.

1 said to do 3 inch top mitered with the side waterfalls. Construction of top is solid with stone, wood, stone laminated together. His reasoning is you don't want to see wood from the bottom. Same construction from the side because you don't want to see wood and/or steel and/or the fact that the side walls are not in fact "thick".

The other guy said to just do stone with wood underlayment and just paint the wood (which I agree with). BUT, the other guy said to do an edge buildup only of the waterfall sides with no backing so its just stone and he'll polish the stone but basically you will see that the stone isn't in fact solid if you look at it from the inside (i.e., stand in middle of island and look at either side).

Are people saying that the 3 inch thick waterfall side is effectively hollow and is a "box"? and the top is just stone on top of wood?

Ren

Or to use jargon, one wants to do a "drop edge" where the edge is thick but rest is thin and the other wants to make everything 3 inch thick and solid by sandwiching a piece of stone with 2 pieces of stone around it.

Sorry its not "laminated" - the wood piece in between the stone isn't a big piece of wood. It's hollow in some places. So basically its like a solid surface stone box with wooden supports inside it ...