It is a matter of personal choice, how much a join would bother you. I suspect if the idea of it already does, then it may continue to do so. Had you considered granite as an alternative for the island? Depending on the piece, they may come in longer slabs than manufactured stone. It would not be unusual to have a granite island bench and the other benches in manufactured stone. Otherwise, Corian may be an option, although I do not know how it measures up to stone as far as durability, etc. maybe worth looking into that.

Hi Em House With your Island being 3000 mm long and 930 mm high you will need a slab that is made around 4980 mm long (with cuts) if you want to use something like Caesarstone Calacatta Nuvo and you want Waterfall Ends and want to match the veining. You are probably already aware though that this Reconstituted Stone sheet material (and even Marble for that matter) is not made this long where the Largest Format Sheets are still only 3200 mm long. Even though Mick Jagger said it best, there are still however a few options available which you may like to consider. Stone Masons have for centuries been addressing this issue by sudo matching the veins in Marble as best they can at junctions, where a good Kitchen Manufacturer's Stone Mason (like ours) should be able to take the time and select pieces for such a project that come close and still look the part. Here is a photo of such psudo matching. The Waterfall End Style is usually paired with Modern Style cabinetry and so another option availableto you and one you may like to consider is to use a Broken Line Waterfall End in your Design. This works particularly well with Recessed Handle Kitchen Designs, where the Drop End also lines up with the top of your Doors & Drawers. Here is a photo of this type of Broken Line Waterfall End. This island has also continued the Stone cladding around the face where you may note that the veining does not follow perfectly on every surface; but still looks great. I hope that some of this information is of help as well as allaying any concerns. Regards Malcolm

I wouldn't leave it to the pool renovators and their concretors to decide. If they misjudge and it cracks open in a few years then will they be around to pay for relaying new limestone? I would engage an engineer to assess the condition of the concrete under the brick coping and design the joint (possibly with rods and chemset), allowing for adequate expansion joints for the new concrete and the new limestone. Engineers tend to be more conservative than concretors when it comes to design. Engaging an engineer to design this joint will cost you more in the short term, but nothing will be left to chance. Who knows there may be a better way to connect than rods and chemset - let your engineer advise. You can then get a competitive quote from the two pool companies for the same thing. Just dont go with timber decking around a pool as it looks so dated and needs lots of maintenance. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

I had the same dilemma so I bought samples of both to test out before making a decision. Porcelain is less likely to scratch and is more stain resistant, but is more likely to break or chip. I ended up using an engineered stone.