Yacht Countertop

A yacht countertop differs from one on land at two fundamental points: weight and movement. On a yacht every kilogram is charged against fuel consumption and trim; and the boat is constantly in motion, so an installation detail that is no problem on land will produce cracks at sea.

The standard way of reducing weight is a thin slab on honeycomb backing. Instead of a 2 cm slab, a slab of 1 cm or thinner is cut and an aluminium honeycomb panel is bonded to its back. The result is a top that gives the same appearance at half the weight per square metre. Where a thicker appearance is wanted at the edge, a strip of the same stone is bonded to the slab edge (a laminated edge) to achieve a 3-4 cm look; a thick countertop appearance thus emerges without a thick countertop's weight.

Installation cannot follow the logic used on land. A boat's hull flexes and twists in a swell; when a countertop is fixed with rigid adhesive that movement passes into the stone and the stone cracks. The countertop is therefore installed with elastic adhesive and, where required, a flexible interlayer. Flexible filler is used at the edge joints rather than hard epoxy. These details are invisible to the eye, yet they determine whether the work survives a season at sea.

Salt and moisture are the third constraint. When seawater and salt-laden moisture penetrate the stone's pores they leave limescale and salt marks on the surface, and they cause corrosion in the metal fittings used beneath. Impregnation therefore cannot be neglected in marine work, and stainless fixings are used. A honed finish is preferred: a polished surface shows salt marks and water staining more distinctly, and it is more slippery underfoot when wet.

The marine work in this catalogue was made in white marble and covers the yacht's interior bar counter. Dimensions were taken from the boat's own geometry; on a boat there is almost no straight wall or square corner, so a separate template was made for every piece.