I am putting in a marble counter. I am getting conflicting opinions on where to put the seam. One fabricator wants to put it in the middle of the sink. I am not crazy about this, and some other fabricators say they do not put it in the middle of the sink, as over time with exposure to water, the seam wil weaken and discolor. Your wisdom is apreciated.
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Wolf
Do what you want to do and are comfortable with.
Personally, many marble's are a stain waiting to happen-much more so than granite.
If you don't want a small seam at the sink-go with the larger seam wherever else the size of the slab permits it.
From the fabricator/installer's standpoint, if the seam isn't in the middle of the sink, the sink hole must be cut out and kept from breaking while the slab is installed. This is certainly possible but requires more work and adds more risk of a botched job and need for an expensive redo. But that's not your problem, it's theirs.
How does a seam in the middle work with the faucet being in the middle? Or am I missing something? I would absolutely not want a seam running through the sink. I had custom cabinets made and installed, and then a granite countertop and stainless steel sink installed. I had to fight with everybody involved at every turn. I had to take the floor cabinets out and reinstall them to get them level. I had the sink set back a bit further to get about 4" of granite width in front. The granite installers worked like a drill team, and did a good job, but you have to keep an eye on the silicone work.
seam in marble
Thanks for the respnses. As it is now, the seam will not be in the middle of the sink. It just worked out that way due to the size of the slab. I am happy, as I am convinced that although the seam is smaller by the sink, it will discolor and be somewhat weaker at this point, thouhg I am sure otherswill disagree.
Seams take 10 minutes to redue if it turns color over time, but I don't see many seams that need to be redone even years after installation so I think you're over thinking this. Seams at the sink cutout are very common and not a big sourse of problems so I wouldn't worry about it either.
Seam Centered on sink
Ditto what Don said......also IF your seam DID discolor over time, it would be far more noticible running
the full depth of the counter and require more time and effort to clean and re-seam.
Geoff
Celebrating 10 yrs... tonite! :)
The seam is much less likely to discolor if it's not right at the sink. And a seam at the sink draws attention to itself -- far less noticeable elsewhere.
Installers usually put seams in the middle of the sink because that's where they are most invisible. The part behind the faucet is almost completely out of sight and the front seam is only 2 inches long. Since the pieces are expoxied together it isn't going to crack or discolor. But I'm equally sure your installer will be glad to make the seam wherever you want to pay for it to be.
Personally I would try to avoid placing a seam in sink. I have marble and limestone throught my house. I used marble in the kitchen and contrary to what some have posted no stains.
As for the seam in the sink, what thickness are you using for counters? A 2cm or 3cm? If you place a seam in the sink you need to worry about the seam breaking there's not a lot go stone sitting with 3.5 to 4.5 inches of stone on the front and about 4-5 inches of stone on the back. Not to mention you will most likely have a disposal and my case I ended using a larger size. The vibration of the disposal is not helping. If your using a single faucet, your drilling into the seam, which will cause problems down the road. Also key item is your cabinet installation are they flat and level?
Getting a counter run with a sink cutout is not difficult it does require a bit more handling any qualified fabricator can do it. Don't let them tell you otherwise. It may require a different seam layout depending on the size slab pieces you are working with. If the current fabricator can't do it, you may want to look elsewhere.
When my kitchen was done, my island counter is 169" with two sink cutouts. So no marble existed in one piece. We ended placing a seam between our sinks and the fabricator lined up the seams, kind of butterfly the joint. To this day I still receive many compliments.
Good luck and enjoy that counter top!
Cheers,
Marc