Living on the Edge: A guide to stone worktop edging

The devil is in the detail, so they say. This is certainly the case when you are making choices for your kitchen. Perhaps you will spend hours deliberating over whether granite or quartz will be the perfect stone for your kitchen worktop. Or whether your marble sink surround should be brilliantly white or elegantly patterned. 

The edge of your surface can sometimes come as an afterthought. However, with due thought and consideration, it can add another dimension of clarity to your kitchen or bathroom concept.

For natural stones such as granite and marble, raw slabs do not have clean edges that are practically useable in a kitchen. In this way, the decision about edging must always be made.

Bevel Edge

This is a flexible look with which you can’t really go wrong. Indeed, all slabs need to have some level of bevelling in order to get rid of the marks made from cutting the worktop pieces. So an absolutely square edge is not possible. Nor is it desirable, as it makes the edge prone to chipping and will be uncomfortable for anyone leaning on it. 

To give a squarer look, bevelling can be extremely minimal. This gives a harder and more industrial look which can be great in modernist kitchens. A more acute bevel provides a fantastic mirroring of shape for shaker style cabinets. So whether you’ve gone for a traditional country or a bright New England design, a bevel edging can provide cohesion to your concept.

Pencil Round

A soft curve that is a modern look without touching on the industrial. Choosing a curved edge such as this is ideal for designs which feature rounded contours elsewhere in the room. This could be on cabinet door panels, handles, or even free standing furniture. The extent of the curve is variable, with a ‘double’ pencil round edge available when you choose the Shell edge.

Half and Full Bullnose

These edges look great as part of most kitchen or bathroom designs. The noticeably rounded curve is a discreet look which lends it flexibility. They are also great for those who are practically minded. Perhaps you foresee that your kitchen island will be frequently leaned on or across? A half or full bullnose allows for enhanced comfort. 

Or maybe you know that your bathroom and kitchen will be subject to the rushing tiny legs of small children, whose heads are at perfect worktop height. There is far less chance, having chosen a full bullnose edge, that painful bonks on the head will occur.

Shark Nose

This is the ideal edge for masters of illusion! The tapering of this edge style means that a worktop can be made to appear much thinner than it is. It can even create a floating countertop effect. There are practical aspects to this edge too. For super modern kitchens with handleless cabinets, access to open cabinets from the top of the door is eased by the shape of a shark nose edge.

Ogee Edge

For those traditional designs, this more textured curve is great in granite. It’s a more labour intensive edge, simply because the shape is more complex. As such, it can appear less popular since a design concept usually has to very specifically require this edge. However, its appeal should not be overlooked. If your kitchen seeks to showcase your stone, or your kitchen island is designed as a talking point, or even if your bathroom is all geared up to be a luxurious sanctuary, this edge will make the difference.

So, once you have made your choice of stone, start to think about what look you want that stone to radiate. If you’re still unsure, just give us a call. We’ve seen edges of all varieties employed within a massive range of design schemes and we use this experience in guiding our clients to make the edging decision that will bring a concept to perfect fruition.