Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Nov 03, 2013 4:56 pm Hi all, I'm not a very active member but I have always found these forums very helpful! I'm having a problem with my house build. Our Caesarstone has gone in ... it is a 40mm top with no waterfall ends. Apparently the 40mm thickness has been achieved by "butt joining" two 20mm thicknesses together. This is also called "laminating". We understood this would be the case but were under the impression that the layers would be virtually seamless. We have looked at plenty of display homes and have closely observed the joins, and never found them noticeable. Our problem is that the line between the two layers on our bench is very visible. You can see it from eye level several metres away. It appears as a lighter line all around the edges of the benchtops. My husband and I are sick about it. Do any of you have 40mm Caesar that has been joined in this way? If so, would you mind posting a nice closeup photo of the edges? Our builder has deemed them "acceptable" and the stonemason has said that they are "as good as it gets" with this technique. I have never seen Caesarstone that looks like this so I am a bit baffled how I was supposed to know that this would appear this way? By the way, our benches are "Oyster". Examples of this colour would be extra helpful. Thanks for any help you can provide. Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 2Nov 03, 2013 5:42 pm The display homes you saw probably had Mitred edges so the join is on the corner and not through the middle of the edge of the bench. Apparently costs a lot more? The join in my bench was perfect when first done but after a few days it's like the stuff used to join them shrank and now it sticks out really bad. I'm confident that they can fill it again though. Is the line noticeable due to this or is it completely flat? Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 3Nov 03, 2013 6:01 pm It is completely flat, I think. Thanks for your reply xxkatxx. I know what you mean about the mitred join. Unfortunately this option wasn't offered to us and in fact the builder has said that his stonemason wouldn't have agreed to do it if we asked. My neighbour has the "butt joined" approach and while you can see a faint line, it has no thickness and is only visible at close inspection. The "line" on hers is really only the interruption of the pattern and you can't see the glue at all. I was expecting to be able to maybe see a line but that I wouldn't be able to see it if I was standing across the room. It sounds like with your problem, it is very fixable. Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 4Nov 03, 2013 8:01 pm The caesarstone fabrication manual for your reference? http://media.caesarstoneus.com/pdf/CS_F ... l_0910.pdf Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 5Nov 04, 2013 6:10 am Some colours show laminated joins far more than others. Some colours will hide the join really well but others it can really stand out. I can also be a thickened glue line that you are seeing?? Sometimes the two pieces are not clamped together properly and the glue line is a lot thicker than it should be. I have 40mm stone in my kitchen with a waterfall that has a 300mm overhang. I had to have laminated edges on the waterfall to be able to get a full thickness return. You can see the join in my stone from about 1m away if you are looking for it. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 7Nov 04, 2013 7:51 am I'll try to get my husband to email me the photos today.
CuttingEdgeKitchens ... is there an industry standard for how thick the glue line should be? As I mentioned, it is the thickness of the line that I am concerned about. On my neighbour's bench it looks like there is no glue at all ... you can see the interruption in the pattern but no thickness. Can you also post a pic of yours? Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 9Nov 04, 2013 12:38 pm Unfortunately that is one of the colours that shows up the joins more than others. Yes they have done the corners completely wrong, I wouldn't be happy with that and would want them replaced or a discount! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 10Nov 04, 2013 4:10 pm CEK - do you know where I might find a copy of the Australian version of the installation guide so I can show my builder? I've been in the "Professional" area of their website but I can't find it. Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 11Nov 04, 2013 5:18 pm bdn CEK - do you know where I might find a copy of the Australian version of the installation guide so I can show my builder? I've been in the "Professional" area of their website but I can't find it. No sorry I have never needed it. My stone mason mitres the corners as standard. I have only seen one other top that has been done like yours. I wouldn't be happy with it. Have you had a conversation with the stone masons yet? Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 12Nov 04, 2013 7:24 pm CEK - I've only spoken to the builder, who has spoken to the stonemason. The stonemason says it's "as good as it gets" and the builder has deemed it "acceptable". The builder keeps telling us that "laminated edges are in the spec" but that's not really the point if the laminated edges aren't done to the standard that is expected. Although we are also disappointed that no one offered us mitred edges or explained the difference. When we said this, the builder told us that the stonemason "wouldn't have done it anyway" because it is a full slab of Caesarstone and it's too high of a risk that it will get ruined. Or something like that. I'm very disappointed because it is a custom build, not cheap, and this bench top is a major feature of our home. We chose this builder because he bangs on about quality CONSTANTLY and we've probably paid twice what we would've paid for a project home. The whole thing has degraded into emails back and forth and it's very unproductive. I'm going to insist that the builder meet us on site to discuss it. My husband and I haven't even had a proper look at the whole bench ... I only saw it for about a minute before the SS moved me along to other matters. Do you think there is any point in asking if we can request that a Caesarstone rep come have a look? Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 13Nov 04, 2013 8:47 pm bdn , the builder told us that the stonemason "wouldn't have done it anyway" because it is a full slab of Caesarstone and it's too high of a risk that it will get ruined. Or something like that. Do you think there is any point in asking if we can request that a Caesarstone rep come have a look? What a load of crap!! Mitred edges are done in the industry every day of the week. There is absolutely no risk what so ever! Personally its the vertical joins that really annoy me. They just shouldn't be there. It doesn't matter if the 40mm thickness is mitred or laminated the vertical joins should always be mitred. The caesarstone rep will tell you the laminated join is within spec but would will probably tell you that the vertical joins are terrible and not required! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 14Nov 06, 2013 7:42 am Hi CEK, Thank you very much for you help in this. I really appreciate it. I have sent a photo of the corner to Caesarstone and hopefully they can advise. Meanwhile, if anyone has any photos of laminated joins, especially in Oyster, for comparison, I would love to see them. Cheers. Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 15Nov 06, 2013 2:52 pm I thought I would update with the outcome. I've had another look with the builder, site supervisor, and stonemason present and (A) having another look after getting used to the idea that there would be a line, it doesn't look as bad as I thought it did ... I had built it up a bit in my mind I think and (B) the stonemason was able to buff in a bit of black wax that also improved the appearance of the line. He did this in a test patch and we were pretty happy with the result. I'm still not too impressed with the blocked corners but the stonemason insists that it is the way he does it, and that it is stronger that way ... yadda yadda. Unless I can get Caesarstone to say straight out that it is wrong, I have no way to argue. Overall, it's not that bad and I think the wax will improve that as well. All in all it is something we can live with - in fact if the wax works as well through the whole kitchen as it did on the test patch, I think I will be quite stoked with it in the end. Breathing a little bit easier now. Certainly it is a compromise from the perfect, seamless finish we were expecting but I guess sometimes it is our expectations that need to be adjusted. Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 16Nov 06, 2013 3:30 pm bdn I'm still not too impressed with the blocked corners but the stonemason insists that it is the way he does it, and that it is stronger that way ... yadda yadda. Unless I can get Caesarstone to say straight out that it is wrong, I have no way to argue. Overall, it's not that bad and I think the wax will improve that as well. . What a load of garbage! Caesarstone will tell you there is no difference in strength between blocked or mitred. He is just a lazy tradesman that does things the cheap easy way and he is trying to cover his behind!! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Do you have 40mm Caesarstone Edges? Please help me :( 17Nov 07, 2013 7:38 am Probably, CEK. I wasn't too impressed with him at all. He said a few things that contradicted everything I've heard and read elsewhere. Luckily the corners don't bother me too terribly much. It was the bright uninterrupted line that worried me most, and that has been resolved. I have to assume it will eventually wear off but I suppose I can always get it redone. I did email Caesarstone about the corners but they haven't gotten back to me. Caesarstone in Australia will not provide me with their fabrication manual. The US fabrication manual says in the text not to do butt joined corners, but there is a diagram straight after that, showing it as "Correct". So I doubt I would win that argument. My builder is a small family owned business and we actually like them a lot, so I think we're pretty motivated to resolve this amicably. Maybe I'm a sucker. In any case we have made peace with it. Thanks mate. Yeah good points! Leaning towards Option 3 to get a bit extra space in the cabinets but not going too crazy high (and expensive). Would require a mini… 13 39760 A question. Im in Queensland and building a new home. We managed to reach practical completion 6 weeks ago but we haven't heard any date for handover yet. Who should we… 0 5814 Thankyou so much 😀 I've decided on White on white for doors and trims, White on white 50% on ceiling and Mt buller for walls. Fingers crossed it will look OK 😀 2 7171 |