What's Under the Porcelain?
Roberto Colonetti of European Ceramics in Perth, Australia, holds a worldwide reputation as a skilled porcelain artist for his use of large-format sheets in challenging and eye-catching installations. As part of Stone Update's look at thin-material subtops, he shared a project that isn't exactly a standard job -- or a countertop, for that matter -- but shows the versatility of foam-backed board.
Colonetti likened the the construction to putting together a Lego puzzle in that "you just need to follow the instructions on the drawing." As you can see, it's a matter of fitting the pieces together ... but a paint-by-numbers exercise, it's not.
(All photos courtesy Roberto Colonetti)
Colonetti used WEDI board for this project; it's his go-to for porcelain installations. Depending on placement, boards are either 50mm or 12.5mm in thickness.
Colonetti used a waterjet to cut all of the WEDI boards (as well as the porcelain). To glue the pieces together, he used Cercol F47. To avoid any movement, Colonetti also used screws for reinforcement.
The result: A marble-arch look that integrates with the bar with a sturdy-looking (but not weight-bearing) wall.