A reception counter is a commercial fitting that has to look like a piece of furniture. It is the first surface a visitor sees, it is leaned on all day, and it is cleaned with whatever the housekeeping contract supplies. Those three requirements pull in different directions, and the material choice is where they are reconciled.
Granite and quartz are the defensible answers. Both survive commercial cleaning products, both resist the scratching that comes from bags, keys and card machines being put down thousands of times, and neither will etch when someone puts a coffee cup down without a coaster. Marble looks better on day one and will show its history within a year in a busy lobby — which is a legitimate choice, but it should be a choice rather than a surprise.
The construction is usually a 20 mm top with a mitred front apron dropping to whatever depth the design calls for — 100 mm is common, 200 mm and more where the counter needs presence. The transaction shelf, if there is one, is a separate piece at a lower level, and the joint between the two is the detail most worth getting right.
Two things are decided before cutting and cannot be changed after: cable management and the accessible section. Power and data have to come up through the counter somewhere, and that grommet position must be set out on the drawing. And in most public buildings a section of the counter has to be at a lower height for wheelchair users — check the requirement that applies to your building before the stone is cut.
Specification at a glance
- 20 mm top with mitred front apron
- Granite and quartz recommended for commercial traffic
- Cable grommets and cut-outs set out before cutting
- Lower accessible section where required
- Curved and segmented fronts cut on the CNC
- Logo inlay and lettering possible in contrasting stone
Work out what you need
Send the joinery drawing and K2 will price the stone element and coordinate with your fit-out contractor.