Our kitchen island will have a quartz worktop with one waterfall end and an end panel at the other end.

The kitchen company have proposed that the worktop should overhang the cabinets below by 5mm as standard. Although on the back side of the island we have some open shelving and therefore dispensing with the overhang altogether and having the worktop flush with the shelving unit on this side will likely look sharper.

 

However we have realised that the waterfall end has to match the worktop in width. Therefore the waterfall piece will not match the width of the end panel at the other end of the island to the extent of any overhang. That is, End Panel is 980mm wide. But with two 5mm overhangs the waterfall end would need to be 990mm wide, or with one side flush and one with a 5mm overhang it would need to be 985mm.

(Note we have no barstools or breakfast bar overhang anywhere on the island)

 

So how have others dealt with this ? Just accept one end of the island being slightly wider than the other ? Have no overhang on the backside of the island to keep that room facing side nice and flush ?

 

(We have templating tomorrow)

No better people the ask than the worktop template people, they’ll have come across is many times I’m sure.

 

I couldn’t recommend anything as I don’t have an island unit

Do a Google image search or Pinterest to find examples. I would be inclined to make the worktop 5-10mm overhang all round including overhanging the end panel. It is a different material/element, wouldn’t look right if it is flush.

The overhang is there to protect the kitchen units from damage from spills and reduce the accumulation of food debris - breadcrumbs, flour and the like. However 5mm is scarcely going to make a difference - choose zero if you prefer aesthetics over practicality, or 20mm or more otherwise.

 

Actually, perhaps the 5mm is to cover for any units / drawers being out of alignment.

 

Edited September 8Sep 8 by Mike