How to secure a granite island worktop

[AA]

Hi all, I am creating a simple kitchen island with two 600mm base units + back and side panels and a rectangular granite worktop to plonk on top (with a few cm overhang on all edges). What is the normal way to secure the top? I am guessing some silicone sealant squeezed along the top edges of the base units and the top lowered onto it would be sufficient to grip it and given the weight of the granite it won't be going anywhere? Or do I need epoxy glue? Or something totally different? Any suggestions most welcome. Thanks, AA.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Car body filler?

[TheOldFellow]

[newshound]

I'd go for silicone

[Dave Liquorice]

I suspect that will be a right barsteward should you ever wnat to move or remove the worktop for any reason. As you say the granite will be very heavy and you don't want silly shreds of silicone trying to pull it in odd directions when you come to lift it. The weight will ensure you don't have a decent thickness to cut through either.

I think I'd use the normal little metal worktop fixing brackets and drill some holes for small plugs in the granite.

[Donwill]

I had a kitchen top done in granite in Spain and the chaps who came to fit it used silicone sealant exclusively to fix it down on cabinets and to stick

3 inch upstands at the back and sides. Admittedly it was not an island bench, however you could silicone small blocks of wood or if you have some small pieces of granite to the underside such that they would locate within the cabinet(s) and thereby stopping it sliding about. That way you could lift it at any time without having to remove shreds of silicone. Good luck Don

[aaron.aardvark]

Thanks for all the ideas (except maybe the angle grinder one:). I had been thinking of fixing batons to the underside of the worktop inside the cabinet frame so it is good to hear a similar suggestion. I am thinking that is the way to go. The thought of drilling holes as per Dave's suggestion, however small, scares me so I'll give that one a miss!

[Dave Liquorice]

Yuk, strikes me as "poor craftsmanship".

That does seem a good solution if you can get 'em securely stuck. I guess a gripfill/no more nails type goope would be the stuff to use rather than silicone.

'twould worry me as well but 5mm holes 12mm deep shouldn't be to bad taken slowly with the slab well supported. Getting the position right would be the hard bit without putting the slab on marking, taking off to drill then putting back on again. When we are talking about something weighing 50kg or more (at a guess).