On 12 Oct 2004 06:05:02 -0700, (Andy
Bernard) wrote:

As part of the long overdue kitchen revamp, we are looking at an
induction hob mounted on a granite worktop. It is a De Dietrich hob,
glass with no frame round it, and we would like to embed this into the
granite so that the glass hob surface is at the same level as the
granite.

I have been told that we would have to leave about a 5 - 10 mm gap
around the glass to allow for expansion; I do not believe this to be
true as glass does not expand very much and it is an induction hob
with small, localised hot spots. I would have thought a 1 - 2 mm gap
around the hob, probably filled with a black silicone compound would
have sufficed.

Hi,

If the granite isn't cut perfectly straight it will be a lot more
noticable with a 1mm seam than with a 5mm seam.

Also if the hob expands 1mm into a 2mm seam it will be more likely to
squash the sealant out than with a 5mm seam, plus the hob itself will
get much more compression stress.

Finally if you ever need to get the hob out you'll have a devil of a
job with a 1 or 2mm seam compared to a 5mm seam.

cheers,
Pete.