Software
Houzz Logo Print
alisia_alyas

Will quartzite wrapped range hood fall off?

2 years ago

Background: new construction built home/kitchen, our cabinetry guy installed a box surrounding the hood, supposedly well mounted. Our fabricator wrapped it with quartzite slab as shown in photo using epoxy glue. We based design off previously found photos on Instagram of stone wrapped hoods. Now I'm a little concerned if this was good idea given heavy weight of the slab. Can someone give reassurance because I'm getting different opinions.
The slab size is about: 52x40inch (front), side slabs are: 52x21inch each!
Quartzite thickness is 3/4 inch.
The underneath box is plywood, not sure of exact dimensions but we were told it's well mounted and will hold any weight.
Can someone please reassure me that thing isn't going to slide off and hurt someone in the future?
Tya

Comments (10)

  • PRO
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    What specific material is the box made from? If ply, what type, thickness, and brand? What type of joinery holds the box together? How is the box hung on the walls? Using what? There are no mechanical fasteners holding the quartz to the box? Just adhesive? What type of adhesive?

    There is no room for error here when having 1000 pounds above your head. The weak link is the box material, how it is joined, and how it is fastened to the walls. Adhesive can also be a weak link without additional mechanical studs into the quartzite, or a L channel as support.

  • PRO
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    I would want some sort of mechanical fasteners to secure the stone in place. It should not be a problem, but wear a hard hat and steel toed shoes when you cook. Make sure your cabinet guy's and fabricator's insurance is always paid and up to date.

  • 2 years ago

    It's definitely gorgeous! It's after the fact, but still I'd do some research on how your inspiration hoods were constructed. Here's an old thread (link) from a forumite who did a very large marble range hood. The thread shows pictures of the framing used to support the stone. It was no small feat.

  • 2 years ago

    You are wise to be concerned. Google says quartzite is about 2700 kg/m3, so it looks like you have about 300 lbs of stone above head height - easily enough to be lethal if it fails.


    I would also want mechanical fasteners between the slabs and the structure underneath, and I would want to see the structure underneath including how it is attached to the studs. Can you open up the wall on the other side to take a look? Or remove the insert?


    Short of dismantling it, there is no way to verify how much epoxy is contact with both the plywood and the stone, so even knowing the epoxy’s shear strength wouldn’t tell us if this is safe. So again, I would advise mechanical fasteners (bolts, presumably - though I would then start to worry about tear-out in the plywood; I would hope a professional would have a good solution but if that expertise were on hand you wouldn’t have had to post here)



  • PRO
    2 years ago

    The chances of this being lethal are slim. Even if it let go, it would probably bind between the cabinets well before hitting the floor. I would do a bit more non-invasive research and base my worrying on that.

  • 2 years ago

    @Joseph Corlett, LLC the front slab (150 lbs or so) would be my main worry.

  • 2 years ago

    The fact that ther is no L channels at the bottom, or throgh material bolts of some kind, and no one knows how anything is mounted to the wall, or constructed? That would give me a whole lot of concerns about a whole lot of the build out.

  • 2 years ago

    Im an engineer and there isnt enough info to give a definitive answer.

    You need to know specifics of:

    What plywood is the box made of.

    How are the box joints held together

    What is the box mounted to on the wall

    What fasteners are used on the box

    Are there any brackets/screws/etc for the stone that are hidden behind the trim pieces

    What epoxy was used

    What is the total weight


    The contractor should be able to easily answer these questions. If they give you the run around, that would be a huge red flag to me.

  • last year

    where did you find the 3/4 slab ? it is goergous