solid wood worktops

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StewieH

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3 May 2005
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stirlingshire, central scotland
hi guys, ive just been asked to install a kitchen with solid wood worktops, having ( so far) only fitted stanndard laminate tops is there any special techniques or anything in particular to look out for?

Any help much appreciated.

cheers guys,

Stu.
 
Let them aclimatize in the property for a couple of weeks

Assuming they will have an oil finish then make sure you oil the underside as well as the top

A butt joint works better than a jig cut masons mitre or do a full mitre joint right across the corner

If there is a buttlers sink then route a drip edge

They usually require sanding as they come straight out of a thicknesser

Seal endgrain inside cutouts as you would for laminate.

Jason
 
Add to what Jason said- warn the customer that almost certainly some shakes will form in the edges of the cutout for the hob or freestanding cooker. These are caused by the heat and I have yet to see a wooden worktop that didn't have any, even if they were only small.

John
 
The one thing that I would recommend is to alternate the direction of the grain if you laminate it together (I have forgot the term for this). That is if you make the worktops yourself.

I made the mistake of forgetting about this for a piece 640 deep x 700 wide fitted over a floor standing central heating unit. I made it from two planks. Over the time of about 4 months I had to plane the front and back on the under side twice to counter act the severe bowing of the wood as it dried out.

Still looks OK, although onions, potatoes etc tend to roll off. :roll:

Cheers,
Ray.
 
Stu, i presume that as you do not know whether the tops will come either bare or finished the client has ordered them? Well if this is the case you should make it clear to the client that you will not be held responsible if any of them warp after they are fitted.
It may not sound like the sort of thing you want to be telling a client, but as you do not know the quaility of the product ordered, you can really become unstuck if you do not make it clear from the start. After all they only have to call you back a couple of times to put the fault right, before your profit margin takes a turn for the worse.

Regards

Woody
 
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