When you see natural stone worktops in a showroom or even in photos, you will notice just how smooth and perfect they look. Of course, the one thing that these pictures will not show you and something you will not necessarily notice when viewing them at a showroom, is that the underside can be quite rough. The texture will depend on the type of stone and, there are some cases when underside polishing is a good idea.
Granite and quartz
Granite can be really rough on the underside and this is because of the way that it is cut. Sometimes a plastic mesh is glued to the underside of the worktop which adds to that rough texture. Quartz are a bit smoother because they are made in moulds. This means that they are not cut like granite. Of course, the underside will still not be as smooth as the polished top.
When should you polish the underside of your worktops?
If you are using your worktops on top of cabinets and you don’t really see or feel the underside, then it’s not necessarily worth going to the trouble of polishing it. Of course, if you are planning on creating the increasingly popular waterfall downstand effect, then you need all sides of the stone to be polished. These designs involve one or both ends of the surface running down until it meets the floor. So, the ‘underside’ of the surface will clearly be visible. This is why it is so important to make sure that it looks good.
Another incentive to polish
Rough surfaces and edges are not only unsightly. If you take a seat at the kitchen island or similar counter seating, your legs will slide in under the worktop which hangs over the edge. No matter what type of clothing your are wearing, the rough stone can cause damage. Especially if you are wearing pantihose or something similarly delicate. Polished undersides will make sure that this does not happen.
So, while some might immediately write off underside stone polishing as unnecessary, it’s good to keep an open mind and remember that there are certain circumstances that make this the better choice than simply leaving the stone in its rough state.