Countertops

tallyho8 · Jan 21, 2018

civilian said:
Did you buy pre assembled, or did you assemlble them? Jon

I took the easy way out and bought pre-assembled.

Oaktree · Jan 21, 2018

Been following this thread, wife's been bugging me to finish remodeling our kitchen this year. Was probably last done in the 70s by the PO. Gotta admit, it's (over)due.

One thing we're considering for countertop is wood with epoxy sealer, similar to what's used in bars or "rustic" restaurants. I have a lot of cherry tongue-and-groove flooring, was figuring on gluing them together then using the epoxy to seal it and fill the seams. Has anyone done this?

I did build some cabinets for the other side of the room a few years ago and used ceramic tile for the counters. Good for there since these are on either side of the stove where we're likely to set hot pots/pans, but I'm concerned about breakage if one of us sets a dish or glass down a bit too hard, also keeping the grout looking nice. It's an option I'd consider for this half of the room, but it's not my first choice. I don't really like granite, it's heavy, expensive, not DIY and I think it's a fad that down the road will look as dated as avocado or stainless steel appliances. Not that we really care, we plan to live here the rest of our lives.

Anyway, I'd be interested in anyone else's experiences with wood counters.

goeduck · Jan 21, 2018

Oaktree said:
. I don't really like granite, it's heavy, expensive, not DIY and I think it's a fad that down the road will look as dated as avocado or stainless steel appliances. .

Stainless has gone out of style?

CADplans · Jan 21, 2018

Oaktree said:
Been following this thread, wife's been bugging me to finish remodeling our kitchen this year. Was probably last done in the 70s by the PO. Gotta admit, it's (over)due.

One thing we're considering for countertop is wood with epoxy sealer, similar to what's used in bars or "rustic" restaurants. I have a lot of cherry tongue-and-groove flooring, was figuring on gluing them together then using the epoxy to seal it and fill the seams. Has anyone done this?

Since this is not a "high volume" type counter top,,,
no matter how nice you finish the job, it will be considered DIY instead of professional.

You will enjoy it, but, resale will take a big hit.
There are so many granite kitchens, it will never go out of style.
Just due to the shear volume,,, granite will be in homes forever.

I can name ten granite installers in Roanoke VA,,,
other than Lowes, or HD,,,, I doubt I could find two Formica installers.

tjkubota93 · Jan 21, 2018

We just dropped 10k on rta cabinets from cabinet joint. Plywood boxes the rest hard maple. All blum hinges and slides. Each custom sized to our measurements. Made in usa.

Stimw · Jan 21, 2018

aczlan said:
Hmmm, we have some well worn Formica countertops and some laminate sections. Any tricks to it? I assume that you glue it down to what's there and then trim the edges to match?

Aaron Z

If there are no uneven areas and it is still fastened solid and straight my best guess is you rough the old up with fine sander.
The laminate is applied to partical board with contact cement so attaching to old laminate should work.
You apply glue to both sides then let it tack.
With a bunch of things (I used 1/2" sticks cut on table saw) to keep them separate, you line up and remove sticks as you go burping as you go.
You use a router to trim edges but you always add the edge strip first, route even, then apply top. This lets top overhang the side.
There are a bunch of utube videos showing/explaining it.

aczlan · Jan 21, 2018

They say a picture is worth a thousand words right?

It's pretty smooth except for some dings at the edge as you can see in the picture above.

Aaron Z

tjkubota93 · Jan 22, 2018

buickanddeere said:
Anyone aware that a granite or marble counter top is a wee bit radioactive ?

Probably no more than those quartz counters, if they are made in China

no telling what those dudes would put in the mix.

Just kidding, kinda.

Wakey · Jan 22, 2018

While I was researching our remodel I considered pouring an epoxy over the formica that would look like granite or quartz.

These videos are fascinating. This is the link for the channel. StoneCoatCountertops
- YouTube

quicksandfarmer · Jan 22, 2018

Wakey said:
While I was researching our remodel I considered pouring an epoxy over the formica that would look like granite or quartz.

These videos are fascinating. This is the link for the channel. StoneCoatCountertops
- YouTube

That looks really cool. Looks like you could do a good job with just hand tools, something I've been looking for. Thanks for posting.