My cabinet guy told me I was overbuilding the kitchen island frame

He said he's been doing this 22 years and never seen someone use 2x6 joists on a 4 foot span, but after I showed him how my last countertop cracked from a 250 pound granite slab, he just nodded and handed me his nail gun, so has anyone else had a contractor push back on structural overkill?

2 comments

2 Comments

blaker759d ago

That 250 pound figure is the part that sticks out to me. A typical granite slab for a kitchen island is more like 150 to 200 pounds depending on thickness and size, so if yours really was 250, that must have been a monster piece. Still, the real issue isnt just the weight, its how the weight sits on the frame. If the old counter cracked, it was probably more about uneven support underneath than the wood size. A solid 3/4 inch plywood base with a couple of 2x4s on a span that short would hold just fine.

emma_young9d ago

Yeah, I used to think you needed some massive support system for any stone countertop. But you're right, the way the weight is distributed matters way more than just the total pounds. I'll definitely stop overbuilding my frames now that I've seen it broken down like this.