Hello Maurizio, I just purchased and read your guide on purchasing kitchen countertops. I'm curious to know your opinion on 2cm vs. 3cm stones and what you think about prefabricated slabs that come in standard counter width, and lengths up to 9 feet? My local fabricators compete fairly reasonably against the pre-fab slabs for materials such as Verde Labrador, but there is a significant price difference on pricier colors such as Emerald Pearl. If the installer knows what he is doing, and the number of seams will be similar, is there any reason not to consider prefabricated slabs?

 

Dear Muhammed:

3 cm. is sturdier; 2 cm. is just as good if the stone is “right”. #cm. is 50% heavier than 2 cm. and that could take a toll in the long run on the joists supporting the floor, especially in the cas e of an island. 2cm. with laminated edge (which becomes 4 cm.) may look better, depending on the stone.

As for the prefab, there's nothing wrong with them. Of course, like you already pointed out, the human factor is paramount.

No matter what your choice will end up being, remember, it's never too early to think about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is – as it should be intuitive – vastly more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about routine care from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at:   http://www.mbstone.com/HH_promo/helpful_hints.htm, you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 7-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay-per-download format in our Educational Literature section at:   http://www.mbstone.com/literature/literature.htm.  

And remember, every single penny of the cost of the literature will be used to support this site and its cause: your cause.

While you are in the “Helpful Hints” section, do spend some time reading all of the interesting FREE articles you'll find in there!

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Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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