Kitchen worktop advice

[wallace]

hi all, I've been promising me lady a new kitchen for 2 years now but keep finding machines to restore. I think she has been more than patient.
She would like granite but that's beyond the budget, she quite liked a worktop called Exillis which is paper bonded in resin. Has anyone used this stuff before, how does it join and whats the finish like when you cut out for a Belfast?
Her next choice would be oak but she does not like the orangey colour, is it feasible to remove any finish, stain to desired colour and then oil?
I don't really like the way oak worktops are made from small blocks, I would prefer it with a full stave.
Has anyone bought in oak and made their own tops, is it cost effective?
Thanks

 

[deema]

You can cheat if your making the oak worktops! Base with say 1/4" of oak on top with a thick lipping of oak. I.e make your own engineered oak top. Very very cost effective, and unless you take the work tops off no one will know they arnt solid oak. It's my preferred solution. Qtr sawm to reveal the 'tiger' strip looks brilliant.

You can steam bend the strips to go around corners , round units, which looks stunning and something quite unique as you create a worktop that has no join.

 

[wallace]

Thanks for that, whats best as a core? maybe that moisture resistant chip board stuff used for lofts.

 

[Beau]

Did some constructional veneer walnut for our tops. Laid on 2 sheets of 18mm ply. Been great and just have a solid front

 

[deema]

WBP ply, preferably marine would be my first choice if it were for my kitchen, you can use MRMDF or chipboard.

There are three approaches, since the underside is never seen. The first is to have a solid base, and as suggested use two layer of say 18mm base material. The second is to just batton the front edge to allow you to apply the lipping and only use a single layer of base creating the elusion of a thick top. The third, if your at all worried about the top sagging and also to keep the base cost down, is to make the base a torsion box. You can go down to say 12mm top and 9mm bottom with only the top being top quality ply to keep the cost of ply low. (Could be any base material)

The thing to consider is that if the veneer becomes sufficiently soaked that the moisture has got down to affect the base, the likelihood is that the top will need replacing anyway!

 

[beech1948]

The idea of soaked veneer bleeding through to MRMDF just let me think about using epoxy to glue the veneers on and also form a waterproof layer between veneer and MRMDF or Ply.

Would that work.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

For price comparison -
http://www.worktop-express.co.uk/wood-w ... k-worktops