The edge profile of the countertop is a small detail among many in the kitchen. And that little shape might at first seem a purely aesthetic concern. But it's not, trust me:
The shape of your countertop's edge can have a huge effect on function, impacting everything from cleaning to safety. It's the surface you'll come into contact with most as you move through and use your kitchen, so its shape matters. Here are a couple of examples of some drastically different countertop edge profiles.
This granite countertop has a bullnosed edge profile.
It's a common complaint that a bull-nosed edge profile like the one above can make it difficult to wipe crumbs from the countertop. Have you had this experience? I know I have.
This concrete countertop still looks square with its slightly eased edges.
A completely square edge can be downright dangerous. A truly square countertop edge would be razor sharp! Even if you want a perfectly square-looking profile, most installers will provide a small "kerf" to ease the edge a bit. This serves a dual purpose: to make it less sharp and to prevent chipping and breakage. A sharp corner is much more prone to breaks than a slightly eased corner like the one above.
Some common countertop edge profiles.
What is the edge profile of your kitchen countertop at home? What do you like/dislike about it?
Related: Concrete With Soul: Richard Holschuh's Countertops
(Images: Jill Slater / The Kitchn, StoneNet, Inc., Trueform, The Stone Shop)
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flat, flat, flat, and nothing but flat.
We're getting granite installed soon and chose what looks like to be between a flat and eased edge. It just looks more contemporary than the others.
I prefer flat. simple, classic, sleek. I sell countertops and you would not believe the discussion over what edge profile to choose. "we'll think about it over the weekend" oh my gosh, really?
alicia13z- feel your pain.
Flat all the way and there is nothing uglier than granite with a big fat bullnose edge.
My brother recently remodeled his kitchen and now has granite counters with a big bullnose edge and he asked me what I thought, the only thing that came to mind was are you sure we are from the same litter.
I have the flat, standard. I don't hate it but I like the reverse bevel or eased much more. Some of the others look like dust/grime catchers.
Interesting. As a male I generally like the bullnose edge. However, when I got laminate countertops near a water source I chose the "no-drip" edge which is very similar to the radius but curves up first to prevent small amounts of water from running off the countertop.
I can't imagine why anyone would pay more money for a fancy edge profile on a kitchen counter - Seems that it's not anything that's going to add value or make it easier to use.
bepsf-- I'm surprised at you... are "add value" or "easier to use" the only household criteria you use to make decisions?
I highly doubt it!
We have granite with what you call an eased edge. Our fabricator called it "double pencil" because the ease is like the roundness of a pencil. It was also a standard edge treatment for them. I love it... it has good "hand-feel". The other thing I really like is the underside of the granite is finished smoothly (but not polished). It's simple, elegant and contemporary.
Our friends have the same type of granite but with 1/4 bevel and the underside is quite rough. Theirs looks more traditional. My husband is always concerned that his wine glass will fall if he places it too close to the edge.
We have pencil edge -- it feels richer than a lot of the other options, and perfectly easy to keep clean.
Our granite has a waterfall edge. It's a huge annoyance when baking, if you spill any flour/sugar/baking soda/etc. It's impossible to just sweep it off the counter, you need to go over it three times, and the cloth needs to be damp. Very, very, frustrating sometimes.
It's very pretty to look at, though. And the undermount sink has an eased edge around it, so it makes up for it a little in that respect.
We just settled our granite order Tuesday and I picked the flat/eased edge everyone likes! Is it sad that I'm this relieved?
We got something between eased and bullnose. Never had a problem with wiping up crumbs. Flat looks very contemporary but our kitchen is not, and it feels sharp when you lean on it.
We used to have laminate counters with the no-drip edge - I didn't notice it until the new counter was installed and the no-drip edge was gone. I don't think it ever saved me from any spills though so I guess I don't miss it.
Lizliterarius, not sad at all! I was also relieved since I decided on the flat edge for counter tops I ordered on Friday.
Kerf refers to a slot or notch. The word you might be thinking of is chamfer.
I really wanted solid white corian counters, but decided they might be a little *too* boring. I saw a sandwich edge (one color stripe between the main color on top and bottom) on a flat edge sample at Home Depot and thought it was the ugliest, tackiest thing I'd ever seen. But the sample in the store used two speckled beige-y colors and it was nasty. I did the edge but in solid white and a deep, dark brown color to match the cabinets. I love it. It's unique and clean looking and gives a really streamlined look around the island and peninsula.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36263456@N08/4493132709/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36263456@N08/4493769716/in/photostream/
I love your counters-teeze. I also have corian. have never thought about the sandwiched edge.
Patrick--
I see what you're saying - I'm typically the one to opt for the opulent details, aren't i?
But for a kitchen counter, it seems to me that the shape of the edge is a fairly minor detail where one can incur some serious additional costs - and a standard flat edge looks just as good as a bullnose.
Flat, flat, flat. We went as sharp as they would let us! And we love it.
Thanks Alicia. I didn't think of it either till I saw that sample. In general, I think corian gets a bad rap. I like how clean and not fussy looking it is (like so many of the granites) and I truly abuse it- I've let tomato sauce spills sit overnight and it just wipes away the next day with no stain, no tints, no evidence it was ever there. and it is solid flat white. Everytime I cLean it (which is probably not often enough) I remember why I'm so glad I got it.