Moving granite kitchen island countertop

[Cody Kemble]

My wife wants a kitchen island for our new house. I was planning on building one but she just found one in the classifieds cheaper than the cost of materials. We went and looked at it and it's great. I just have no idea how to transport the granite tow without it breaking. It is a 3cm thick slab 37.5" x 59.5". Which should weigh in around 275 lbs. the weight doesn't scare me as much as it shattering on the drive home in my truck. My thought is to sandwich it between 2 pieces of mdf for support. Does anyone have any experience with this?
thanks,
Cody

[Dave Zellers]

I would assume it's going to be similar to glass and should be transported on edge.

[George Bokros]

I second Dave's thought.

[Cody Kemble]

I'm sitting here drawing up some kind of a-frame thing for the truck bed. It may be overkill.

[Randy Red Bemont]

It has to go on edge. Picture a van than delivers glass. You can make a simple (don't go crazy) rack to hold it slightly angled on edge. The ride in the back of a truck should be no problem. Granite is tough. Getting it off the island could be the trickiest part. Good luck.

Red

[William A Johnston]

You need an "A" frame to transport the slab. You might check with a fabricator to see if they would rent one. You can build a wood frame and cover with carpet and use "C" clamp to hold the stone to the frame. Do not transport flat. If it is attached to a cabinet get some piano or guitar strings with two pieces of wood so you can cut the silicone. Only use a good quality clear silicone when attaching to your new cabinet. A 3cm granite will weigh between 18-22 lbs per square foot. Clean it with a mild bleach and water solution to disinfect, this will not hurt the sealer if it has a sealer on it. If it does not have a sealer I wouldn't worry as it is really hard to stain a stone. Stones worst enemy are acidicts such as red wine or fruit juices. If you spill them on it simply wipe it up. It takes a number of days for stone to etch. Good luck with ur purchase every slab is unique.

[Cody Kemble]

I was amazed at how many different types of silicone caulk are out there. I see ge makes one for granite. I think I'll give it a try.

[mike mcilroy]

Not only transport on edge but carrying to and from vehicle too. It can break from its own weight if carried flat.

[Neil Gaskin]

I'm assuming you are using the silicone to glue the top to the island?

If that's the case you can use just about any adhesive silicone. The stuff we use we pick up at our glass supplier. As an alternative, you can use epoxy, we've use to use 1x1 wood blocks about 4in long and epoxy on two sides.

[Ed Aumiller]

Recommend you DO NOT use a C-clamp to hold it to the A-frame... Use strong bungy cords or rope... if you hit a bump and the A-frame twists or moves, the top needs to be able to move without any stress on it...

[Cody Kemble]

309235
Installed after a safe trip. I still have the frame I built to haul it set up in the truck. I'll get some pictures tomorrow. Thanks everybody for your help.

[John Sanford]

309235
Installed after a safe trip. I still have the frame I built to haul it set up in the truck. I'll get some pictures tomorrow. Thanks everybody for your help.

You can repurpose the frame for either a clamp rack or plywood rollabout.

[Steve Peterson]

309235
Installed after a safe trip. I still have the frame I built to haul it set up in the truck. I'll get some pictures tomorrow. Thanks everybody for your help.

I see you took everyone's advice about keeping it vertical at ALL times. :)

Steve

[Von Bickley]

309235
Installed after a safe trip. I still have the frame I built to haul it set up in the truck. I'll get some pictures tomorrow. Thanks everybody for your help.

Looks Good......