faux marble table top material

[mshel]

Getting ready to quote a couple of pieces of furniture, one of which is a hall table which the client wants to use a marble lookalike material for a top. It has to be a minimum of 1 1/4" thick and preferably be of a material that can be molded on the edges. Don't know if this animal lives but thought I would run it by you all and maybe someone would know if it is available or not. The client doesn't want to go for the real deal due to cost constraints so they asked if there was an alternative. If anyone knows of any such material I would appreciate a pm.

Thanks,
Mike

[Big Mike]

Any thought to using a lamination of Corian or something like that or is that too soft for the application. Probably wouldn't be any cheaper than marble but is more readily machined. Should be able to get some looks something like marble I would think. Just a thought....

[Steve D]

Another option is wood - faux painted. There are some folks that do very realistic marble work and that may be cheaper.

[mshel]

Originally Posted by Big Mike

Any thought to using a lamination of Corian or something like that or is that too soft for the application. Probably wouldn't be any cheaper than marble but is more readily machined. Should be able to get some looks something like marble I would think. Just a thought....

I have been searching the web looking for something like corian but not sure if the client would go for that or not. It's probably going to come down to "either get marble or let me make the top out of Mahogany". At the price of Mahogany these days, they will probably $hit at the quote price anyway. Oh well, I can't eat the cost of the wood. Know of any good suppliers of Mahogany? Usually get what I need from EWH in Zebulon but might look elsewhere if the price is decent.

Mike

[ChrisC]

Mike, outside of Corian, Fountianhead, etc. I can't think of anything right off hand.

But, I might suggest giving Bill's Outlet(919-365-6124) in Wendell a call, tell them what you are looking for, and they might can help you.

Originally Posted by mshel

Getting ready to quote a couple of pieces of furniture, one of which is a hall table which the client wants to use a marble lookalike material for a top. It has to be a minimum of 1 1/4" thick and preferably be of a material that can be molded on the edges. Don't know if this animal lives but thought I would run it by you all and maybe someone would know if it is available or not. The client doesn't want to go for the real deal due to cost constraints so they asked if there was an alternative. If anyone knows of any such material I would appreciate a pm.

Thanks,
Mike

[Big Mike]

Mike, Raleigh Hardwoods over on Poole Road usually has some mahogany. People's Building Supply just south of Rocky Mount on 301 usually has some mahogany up to 8/4 in stock but they will expect a child or two in return. I haven't been in there lately so I would call before making the trip. And of course if you have any contacts at Stephenson's Millwork in Wilson, they will have all you could ever need but are reluctant to sell in small quantities.

If you could find a nice piece of sapele with a ribbon grain that would make a fine table top.

Steve is also right. There are some unbelievable faux artists out there that can paint anything to look like marble.

[chris99z71]

Another alternative...
Use faux marble formica over some sort of support (mdf, plywood, whatever) then edge it all the way around with your Mahogany. This is similar to what I did with my bar top. But with my bar top, I made the wood around the edge stand higher than the formica by the thickness of a piece of glass. Then I had a piece of glass cut to sit flush with the top of the wood edging. The biggest reason why I did this is because the faux marble formica is very glossy and scratches pretty easily.
Can't see it very well in this picture, in fact, all you can see is how dusty the top was at the time. If you'd like, I can get a better picture of it tonight when I get home from work.

[mshel]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I have to give the client a quote tomorrow and since he already told me he thought someone in Raleigh had what he wanted, I am going to leave that aspect up to him. I will concentrate on building the base and let him get what he wants to put on top. I believe I am going to suggest I make it out of Sapele because compared to today's mahogany, it has far better grain characteristics and to me it is much prettier when finished. Again, thanks to all who responded.

Mike