Looking for someone to fit a wooden counter top

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monkey0804

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Hi, we are fitting the kitchen ourselves but have been advised that we should get someone to fit the kitchen wooden counter top for us - to get the joins really tight and also as there are different colour wood glues that joe bloggs like us wouldn't have.

Anyone have a recommendation - I'm based in Dublin west.

Thanks.
 
monkey0804 said:
and also as there are different colour wood glues that joe bloggs like us wouldn't have.
Click to expand...

A fitter wouldn't have them necessarily either.

IME guys like this buy what they need for a job and you the client are charged for it. If there are any products/leftover parts etc, unless they are valuable or very useful, the fitters tend not to hang onto them as far as I can see.
 
It sounds like a Formica type worktop.. i.e chipboard with a laminate surface.

(Solid wood costs about 350 minimum for 4 meters.. Formica type about 120 to 160 for 3 to 4 meters)

If it is a Formica type then you would probably be using covering strips.. these are metal and are bought with the worktop or could be got seperately later. You wouldn't have to be super accurate if using this method.

If it's a Formica type then the better method would be to make the joins using a worktop jig and a router.. both specialist tools you don't have. So it would be worth paying someone to do this.. but only if the work you have done yourself has been done to a high standard, and the fitter intends to use this better, second method. (And not the first method, with covering or joining strips.)

The Formica type covering strips would also be used on the exposed ends.. just a slightly different strip but more or less the same.

Moving and cutting worktops can be very hard.


If it is a solid wood worktop.. (cost would be a giveaway, and appearance if you know how to tell).. then you shouldn't be using glues.. or I don't know where you would be using them. However solid wood worktops are installed differently to the Formica type and should be able to expand and contract over the seasons.. so they should only be firmly fixed at either front or back and allowed to expand in the other direction. They have to be held down however... this can be done using 'buttons'... tricky for an amateur. A 'button' will hold the (solid wood) worktop down firmly but allow some slow front-to-back movement.


It sounds like your worktop may actually be something like Corian or something modern.. it doesn't really sound like it because you should know.. however there are colour coded filling compounds used which might be what you're on about... (I have very little experience with this type of worktop and can't really advise)


Sorry too on recommendations.. don't know anyone. But I think you should find out for definite what type of worktop it is, whether you'd be happy to use joining strips if formica... re-consider how you intend to install it if it is solid wood...

Cheers
 
Thanks for the answers. It is a solid wooden worktop. I was lead to believe that the cutting of the joins (we will have two joins - one unfortunately mid counter) has to be at an angle so that the "top" counter sits on the "bottom" counter. And this angle has to be spot on as any error means they won't sit together properly. Maybe I was ill advised re the glue - but perhaps it is glued to the wall (again no knowledge here, just guessing). I did assume until I read your post that these joins were glued together, but seems I am wrong.
 
No, not necessarily wrong at all. A join along a straight run could be glued..

It is quite unusual to have a join 'mid counter'.. i.e along a long straight run..

Your counter must be longer than 4.1 meters is it? Is it possible to lay it out differently in order to avoid this join?

That is a tricky join, one that I have never had to do. Cutting the worktops at an angle, i.e 45 degrees on each piece won't be easy, and I'm not sure if it is going to give better results.. I would have to think about this.

Possibly you consider making the join obvious.. it might be obvious in any event.. so you'd put in a small strip about 30mm to 80mm wide and the grain runs in the opposite direction to the rest of the worktop.. again this approach could cause problems as the main worktops would expand and contract differently to the joining strip. You could even use a different material for the join..

You could post a question on a site like Ukworkshops which is a dedicated cabinet making site in the UK, loads of experts there. Or contact a manufacturer of worktops maybe...

Cheers
 
I fitted our own wooden worktops recently. It came with some long bolts which enable you to clamp the pieces together on the underside.
Basically you drill a 35mm hole (like that for the door hinges) on the underside of each section and cut/drill a slot for the bolts. The worktops are then placed into position, the bolts fitted and tightened up. The result should be a nice solid, closed joint between sections.
I was lucky in so far as these joints were at right angles to each other and that the tiling has yet to be done. This left me with some margin for error and adjustment.

And it's holding up well so far. (touch wood)

Regards
Franm
ps I guess a carpenter would be the best person for this though as some plane-ing may need to be done somewhere in the process.
 
Thanks again for the replies. My worktops are 3m, and the total length of the counter right to the corner is 5.1 or so. One join will be on the corner/return so my other join will have to be mid counter. I plan to place it at a pier/jutting out part to minimise the break in flow. I'll check out that web site - thanks.
Franm, I think ours come with these under counter bolts too - so that was enough for you to get a tight join? Was any glueing required? Glad to hear it worked out! We have no tiling planned so no room for error...
 
Cuts won't be at an angle, the proper way to do these is using a router and [broken link removed]. Any good kitchen fitter will know what to do. Using the metal strips to cover a poor cut is an easy alternative for less skilled fitters.
Leo
 
I think the angled (90 degree) cuts should not be done using a postform jig if it is solid wood. All the instructions I have found on Google suggest straight butt joins.. not a masons miter which is what a postform jig produces. The masons mitre is great for laminate worktops.. but all manufacturers insist that solid wood must be allowed to move, and a 650mm deep worktop may vary from 650mm by 5mm to 10mm over the seasons.. so a masons miter isn't suitable.

(The grain direction is different on each piece on a 90 degree corner, and wood only moves across the grain, minimal to no movement along the grain)

If using the worktop joining things (in the 35mm holes) you should only use one if possible (on the 90 degree corners).. and a loose tongue placed in a groove if you can. Or else use several of the tightening pieces but cut a wider groove than is needed for the bar, this might allow for some movement as the hidden joining piece can move slightly.

The best way for your straight join is probably to use the 35mm joining strips,.. and a bit of silicone in between... at least you will be able to get a tight join. If one piece is turned upside down, (end to end), and both cuts are done at once then your cuts should match perfectly even if the cut isn't straight, or it's angled slightly. (Angled slightly means not cut at 90 degrees to the surface).
(Edited to add... I was wrong.. the cut must be at 90 degrees to the front edge, if it is slanted then the join WON'T be perfect.)

Movement isn't as much of an issue for the straight join.. because the grain is in the same orientation on both pieces.. and using the joiners allows you to pull the pieces together.

To be honest all the manufacturers have to insist on doing it their way.. in practice you'll often be alright doing it the best you can.

Cheers
 
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Hi,
No I didn't use any glue at all. Our joint was a right angle so the run of the grain would be perpindicular to each other. I've heard that using glue in this case is not advisable as there are different rates of movement across grain versus along the grain. The joint we managed to achieve is very tight which was helped by the fact that we were able to use the factory cut ends (of the worktops).
F.
 
Leo said:
Cuts won't be at an angle, the proper way to do these is using a router and [broken link removed]. Any good kitchen fitter will know what to do. Using the metal strips to cover a poor cut is an easy alternative for less skilled fitters.
Leo
Click to expand...

the metal strips are used mainly because of price not skill
 
try these guys D1 KITCHENS there in blanchdardstown, there no would be in the book. im only a satisfied customer
 
We recently got a new formica work top installed. This guy Paul is very good, neat job done.

hes a kitchen installer/carpenter by trade, young guy but very friendly and competitive pricing.

Paul - 086 8070106
 
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