FANCY KITCHEN COUNTERTOP EDGES… let’s talk ogee, laminate, and CRAZY thick.
Because I am a feisty prairie woman of grit and determination, I have hauled home a stoneyard’s worth of marble and slate.
here is our slate
here is our marble
I prize it.
Along with my fine collection of burlap sacks.
But because I married a fancypants townman… every time I try to talk to him about gettin’ this here stone ogeed… his eyes roll back in his head and he gets the vapors.
Men.
Ain’t good for nothin’.
One of the three marble slabs we salvaged is JUST perfect for our grand piano kitchen island.
But the edges are unfinished.
Paul was all– bullnose?
The hopeful tone.
lol
havewemet
no
I thought I wanted Ogee… probably because that was the only word I knew.
An ogee is a curve (often used in molding), shaped like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite directions.
Fortunately for Paul, they make plenty of DIY edge/profile grinding thing bits and attachments for stone!
I explained it to him, in case he didn’t understand: you just put the bit router thingy on the grinder machine doohickey… and just zip it along the edge… VOILLA!
Paul looked… enthused.
But before I ordered my professional countertop fabrication tools for my new career as Directrice of Stone… I remembered that the internet is full of rich people.
And they PAY people to think of ways to BE FANCY… in this case, STACKING fancy countertops, ON TOP OF MORE FANCY COUNTERTOPS.
The fact that I needed to be TOLD this.
Is DEEPLY embarrassing.
Self was like— oh. yes.
Those are my people.
Take me to them.
They (the rich people) add a piece of marble (or granite or quartz or whateverstone) under/along the edge of the actual countertop slab; stacking it, or even more invisible, a mitered edge.
They call it “laminating” the edges… which is a fancy way of saying glued, and shouldn’t be confused with actual laminate/formica countertops.
And for what it’s worth, WE HAVE SO MUCH MARBLE I COULD STACK LIKE 15 PIECES.
Roman Elite over Ogee, Elite over Full Bullnose, Elite over Ogee, Double Chisel, Ogee over Full Bullnose, any over Eased, Ogee over Half Bullnose, and Ogee over Ogee.
The options are endless.
I assume that if I stack more than 6 it will be fine to name it myself.
HOWEVER.
I could find no DIY.
None.
Zero.
Why must I be the one to think of EVERYTHING?
Important aside:
at first, the above photo, seemed to me, to be the bathroom of a person in the grip of a psychotic break; someone who wished to have chaos in every visual way possible.
But the more I looked at it, the more I was awed by their commitment TO HAVING AS MUCH FANCY AS POSSIBLE.
And actually, it’s outstanding.
Also outstanding:
this bathroom cost what?
Let’s say 12 million dollars…
… and they have vessel sinks.
lol
12 million dollars and you cannot wash your face without wanting to transform into a green bulging muscle monster while roaring: HULK NOT LIKE VESSEL SINK.
WHO DO THIS
ROAR
alsoonelastthingPaulsaysthatyoushouldrememberthepianoedgesarecurvedsowearetalkingjigsandpiecesandsomethingelseIforgetnowohwellit’sprobablynotimportant
Ok.
Now it is time for you to give back.
SURELY one of you has done this yourself and will tell me how simple!
Please begin.
Thanks!
Here is youtube of grinder wheel in action!
whichPaulsaysdoesnotcountbecuaseisbullnoseandnotogeeandwhenyoudoogeebutidontrememberwhyohwell
Here is video evidence of Paul’s ability to apply the laws of electricity to stone.
If you feel like weighing in on whether polishing the edge should happen all-as-one… to me, it seems our amateur skills would be better applied to two pieces separately… and stacking them visibly. That seems easier than trying to get one seamless surface.
Apparently, miter is out of the question because when I mentioned to Paul about a REALLY THICK MITER… he didn’t even use words, he just started laughing.
PS- one last thing: my next post is far too long… because, as the historian of The Nuclear War of Fanciness, I am required to record it in its entirety… I have edited and edited and edited… and I have arrived at a place where I simply am not permitted to remove any more.
This makes me sad, because this coming-post is my finest and most important work… my LIFE’S WORK… and it is simply TOO LONG BECAUSE INTERNET.
If this were 1867, on the other hand, people would be all– HAVE YOU READ THIS MAN VICTOR ELIZA BARNES?
SO MUCH MORE FUN THAN TOLSTOY AND HE GETS TO THE POINT ALREADY.
May 4, 2018 @ 10:48 am
who knew???
May 4, 2018 @ 10:51 am
This is it. This is my new favorite VEB Kitchen-saga post.
May 4, 2018 @ 10:53 am
I think it is wonderfully ironic that one of the fanciest things you can do with your counters had the same name as one of the cheapest options. Good luck on your quest!
xAllie
http://www.theallthatglittersblog.com
May 4, 2018 @ 10:58 am
Fancy edges are nothing more than expensive crumb catchers. Beware!
May 4, 2018 @ 11:57 am
Definitely agree. Bullnose is clean and forever in style.
May 6, 2018 @ 4:17 am
And far less likely to chip when accidentally banging pots and stuff on them. Edges around my sink are chipped, but my bullnose edges are perfect.
May 4, 2018 @ 12:49 pm
True! And they require additional cleaning that may even
involve Q-tips if dripping chocolate sauce is involved.
May 4, 2018 @ 1:47 pm
And dust sitters.
May 4, 2018 @ 11:03 pm
Agree. Crumbs, dust, etc. Sometimes less is more, VEB, especially in a work space. Pencil edge with radius corners would look great, especially with that great apron sink! Not to mention, much less work for dear, incredulously patient, and skilled Paul.
May 7, 2018 @ 7:20 pm
I have fancy edges, and I have no problems with them-crumbs, or chips. I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!! Bullnose is just thick and coarse and whenever I see them my face turns sour! LOL
May 4, 2018 @ 11:00 am
I love you. That is all
May 4, 2018 @ 11:06 am
I didn’t even know all of this existed! And hey, I know Paul can easily do this…. 🙂
There is just one tiny devil showing his horns and bothering my lazy mind: Who would want to clean all these fancy, complicated finishings? A kitchen needs to be beautiful AND practical, no? Cleaning all these millions of indents and what-nots with a Q-tip would definitely drive me around the bend on which I’m hovering already anyway. Good luck my darling!
May 4, 2018 @ 11:08 am
Pat is 100% right: those voluptuous edges are gorgeous, but if you do more in your kitchen than merely look at it, you will slowly (or quickly) go insane when wiping your countertops. They catch / collect everything and are reluctant to let go.
I wanted a gorgeous kitchen for hard cooking (as I’ve mentioned before: we have calacatta slab counters / backsplash, cabs with fancy details which would have driven me insane except one of my children loves picking, so he’ll get in to those crevices [or crevasses] with a toothpick to get out all the gunge), and luckily in a previous house our counters had the most beautiful edge … which was just for looking at and for having daily hired help — not weekly, daily (the only daily help is me).
So all our counters here are an eased edge. Note the word “eased,” which is basically EASY.
May 4, 2018 @ 11:09 am
Wow-your expertise in leading Paul down your Garden Path to your version of The Emerald City is surpassed only by the genius of your writing and your wit. I dread the day when you abandon this kyak of writing and find your true destiny far far away in some New York penthouse where you will abandon us to the dreaded drivel and snark of the -sob- Russian Bloggo-sphere. Where we can enjoy the numerous exchanges of evermore violent virulent nonsense.
Please don’t?
May 4, 2018 @ 11:13 am
Okay… I get that you love to dazzle us all with DIY brilliance. (Really, you do, you’re fantastic!) I do wonder though, how much a countertop company would charge to cut your stone to shape, polish it, and make the edge profiles? There are times when I must relinquish control and let the pros have at it. In our new kitchen, we are planning to top the island with ogeed marble, but we are using a leathered Ubatuba with a simple eased profile on the perimeter cabinets. It is an inexpensive black stone, with few features, and when leathered it looks like soapstone and vintage slate science lab tables had a love child. It also makes it feel almost soft to the touch. You just want to caress the surface all day long. This finish doesn’t make the stone porous either, which means that zillion-degree pasta sauce will still wipe away just fine. Photos don’t do it justice: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/436004807649119318/
May 4, 2018 @ 11:54 am
I don’t know specifically about her local stoneworkers, as I’m on the opposite side of the country. But based on the quotes I just received for doing an ogee edge on a tiny piece of granite for a shelf, it could be A LOT. I just paid $250 to simply add an edge around a 12″ x 28″ piece. Yes, that’s INCHES, and that was the lowest quote by a significant amount – the next closest quote was over $400. Multiply that by the size of her island and countertops….. Eeek.
May 4, 2018 @ 12:51 pm
Fabulous!!!! VEB seems too fancy for this finish- Although – wish I had come up with that solution! I also did the dark on perimeter & a fanciful gorgeous slab on the island. So many choices- One thing was certain: no ogee edges for me. Thought it would look dated – I love the straight edge. Classic.
December 30, 2020 @ 11:11 pm
Oh DL. The 2018 date helps explain but the countertop is hids. Who would want to roll out a pie crust on this dark, scary looking countertop. Not classic, not pretty, not a lot of things. please stop commenting if you have bad style.
May 4, 2018 @ 11:15 am
Brilliant idea. I can’t wait to see what you do with the mountains of marble you got!
May 4, 2018 @ 11:15 am
ok…please….pick your battles…..pay a professional to do this for you and be done with that part. Then you don’t have to worry about not knowing what you are doing.
Just my opinion.
May 4, 2018 @ 11:15 am
I don’t have any experience with countertops except the granite one my husband broke in half last year trying to do it himself, but I felt obligated to weigh in and say OUT WITH VESSEL SINKS! If I wanted to break my nose every time I bend over to spit toothpaste, then maybe.
May 4, 2018 @ 11:23 am
Please don’t DIY stone work! I am sure there are plenty of contractors who can do it for a nominal fee. I am totally a do it yourselfer but have learned when something is beyond my capability and need to just hire someone to do it. Can’t wait for the next post!
May 4, 2018 @ 11:28 am
Let the fancy be what the countertops are made of not their crumb-catching, dust-catching edges. Choose just one step above boring (i guess that would be ogee?) and go with it and move on to aquiring fancy to go around / under / on it.
May 4, 2018 @ 11:31 am
I would definitely go with an ogee edge because it is more in keeping with the detail (especially the piano island) and the period of your house and they look much more expensive. The straight edges to me are more modern and fine in a modern house, but not your fancy place!
May 4, 2018 @ 11:37 am
Victoria: just remember to make sure whatever faucet you’re going to use will work with the thickness of countertop you go with. I tend to think a pro would be a good choice for the edging.
May 4, 2018 @ 11:41 am
So to stack the stone you want to use epoxy. There is probably one specially formulated for laminating stone; I’ve been out of the building stuff business for over a decade and didn’t specialise in stone work after I finished my training, so I have no idea what it’s called, but it will probably be expensive and you should pay for it. And you DEFINITELY want to laminate before polishing, because a) polishing creates a really smooth surface that gives the epoxy less to grip on to and increases the chances of failure and b) when you clamp the slabs together to laminate them, some epoxy will squeeze out and since “polishing” is a fancy word for “sanding over and over and over again with progressively higher grits of sandpaper”, well, the polishing process should take care of that residue better than scraping epoxy off the surface of your already polished counter edge.
The curved edges on the island will be a pain, but a “need to build a jig” sort of pain, not an “abandon hope all ye who enter here” sort of pain. The biggest issue is that marble is brittle, and there is a nozero risk of a non-expert without industrial equipment trying to put a fancy shape on the edge of a slab actually chipping the edge instead, so keep that in mind–maybe a design that has a square or bullnose edge on the *top* and an ogee on the bottom would help mitigate that risk a bit?
May 4, 2018 @ 1:52 pm
You got that right! A professional who was doing a marble hearth surround for me had a piece of marble blow up on his saw. That stuff is touchy to work with. Let the pros take the risks.
May 4, 2018 @ 5:39 pm
I’ve heard of that happening too! Danger! Danger! I would NOT DIY this edge-work in a million years! They make it look easy on that video, but I’m sure the guy was a pro at the work. I would go for a more simplified edge too, and if fancy is what you want, do the combined edges and glued slabs. I personally would have a squared, flat edge for ease of keeping clean. I’m kinda becoming a germ-o-phobe lately, so I did the quartz counters!
May 4, 2018 @ 11:42 am
I have a teensy tiny weenie petite eat in kitchen I remodeled last year. It has a quartz countertop and not one crumb has found it’s resting place on the Ogee edge. Yes, I cook all my meals. I picked out a fancy (to me) faucet. When the plumbers opened the box, one said…I swear. “This is fancy”….yes, he said the “f” word about my faucet. I looked at my best friend, who was holding fort in the living room, and I mouthed the word, fancy to her. Bliss.
May 4, 2018 @ 11:51 am
I’ve been a fan for over 3 years when I bought my Queen Ann Victorian and started following your blogg for inspiration. Turns out today, I see a picture of my own house on your page in a Peerspace add! TOO FUNNY!
May 4, 2018 @ 11:54 am
I have a simple ogee edge on 3cm quartz and it is not a dust catcher. I have heard ogee can chip easier, but I have not had that problem. I have seen some stacked edges where the seam was really noticeable, so I agree, this might not be a DIY for the first time type of project.
While I am not overly fond of the minimalist type kitchens and prefer some “fancy”, simplicity in something innately pretty can bring out the real beauty.