Thread: Kitchen Bench top

Goldy,
This has been kicked around a bit in a previous thread.
Whatever your design, allow for some seasonal movement (slotted screw holes, or metal/wood buttons to hold the top on, etc.). It can be a bit tricky if you have rightangle joins. Mitres open and close seasonally quite markedly over those distances. My solution to that problem on one job which had a narrower (450) top between two 'standard' widths (600) was to tuck the narrow top under the other two. It worked visually, and was easy to set up neatly using the plastic feet that are all the go now for kitchen cupboards.
Another method I used with reasonable success was to butt join, using a spline to keep the top registered. I put a bit of clear silicone in the top of the join (not in the spline) and snugged them up, then tied them down in a way that allowed movement across the grain, but not between the joint, if you can picture that...
As far as finish goes, one-pack poly is all I've tried. Went with that because it would be easier to re-finish than two-pack, which would have to all come off before recoating. The oldest job I still see regularly is over 8 yrs since new, and still looks excellent (Silky Oak top).
But there are lots of other opinions about this....
Cheers,

are you referring to a solid timber benchtop? If so, I am yet to see one done at that width successfully - our premier woodworker here in Melbourne (rep'd in Sydney too) -Nicholas Dattner, made a solid benchtop for a kitchen that I saw - it was of Redgum construction and while it looked incredible, everyone was pretty concerned about its performance .... I "believe" the top was eventually replaced with laminated 120mm wide Redgum, due to cupping. I have successfuly made kitchen benchtops from Douglas Fir (called Oregon here) using three 200mm wide boards 4.8 metres long and four 30mm wide board 1500mm long ..... after 11 yrs they are still in-situ and while showing age due to their constant use, are still totally serviceable and not suffering splits or warping. There's a pic of them on my www, which can be accessed thru my profile page

BTW the above project was finished using flooring laquer after being aged then stained with cabot's dark oak...... the whole lot was then black waxed

cheers

That's for the replies spent today running around looking at slabs for bench tops and most were split bowed etc, right would take allot of work to bring them to reasonable flatness and would be asking for trouble in the future, bowing splitting etc.
Cleared a few things up lengths would be easier and more durable.

regards goldy

Goldy

Just to reinforce what has been said before, I imagine that the rooms/areas that you most want to avoid solid timber tops, especially one-piece, without very careful consideration to the joints for expansion and contaction, would be those in which there is likely to be moisture, humidity, heat, and the like. Such as kitchen, bathrooms, and laundries.

And even if you use a laminate, don't forget to equalise the tensions on both sides of the substructure (e.g. plywood, MDF or chipboard) by veneering both sides.

Regards from Perth

Derek

All the bench tops I've done (for kitchens AND bathrooms) were laminated from stock I selected to be at least roughly quartered.
And yes, Derek, I was careful to ensure both sides of the top were covered with the same finishing material.
I wouldn't contemplate a slab for several reasons, one of them being stability. However, I have seen a number of places where people seem to have gotten away with it when reason said they shouldn't have. All but one was NOT in a high moisture-cycle area. BTW, it's the cyclic humidity changes that are the killer - if your piece has stabilised at a higher moisture content and remains at about that %, then obviously you are not in trouble. There are a few places in Aust. where the moisture cycle isn't as fierce as it is in the southern half.......
Cheers,

I too have seen single slab redgum bench tops move all over the place, but this is red gum its unstable. I built a bench top from elm a 700mm single slab with a 600mm slab mitred on either side. Been in 3 years and has not moved. Have a table made from cypress (macrocarpa) slabs these also do not move. If you want a slab bench use something stable.

In regards to Cypress did look at some great slabs about 1500 x 400-500 2off wanted $400 for the pair. They had been cut 4 years ago so should be dry. Might try cypress, end of the day if if dosnt work out can always just make remake a new top.

regards goldy

Cypress only has about 1% shrinkage wet to dry which is why it is so stable. I had a slab 600mm wide dressed and stored at a friends I went to pick it up and found that it had been put out in the weather for 6 months it had cupped 5mm. Not many woods could stand sun and rain for 6 months and not crack.

Originally Posted by glenn k

Not many woods could stand sun and rain for 6 months and not crack.

nor many friendships

FWIW a friend of mine has an 1200mm wide benchtop made from two live-edge Lebanese Cedar slabs joined up the middle. It seems to be stable enough but there are no turns in it - ie. it's a straight run.

People here have tried it with woolybutt and other red hardwoods but it rarely works. One I saw had lifted the bench an inch or two off the floor.

Might I jump on here as well?

This is out of my 'Comfort Zone'
so I'll throw a few Qs at you lot.
I'm looking to put a bench along one side of a wall in the 'to be' Study
Kids call it the Play room :mad:

I'd like the bench the full length of the room, about 480cm
An assembled DIY "flat pack" with door(s) in each corner,
and one in the middle. What widths [Lengths] you suggest????
with Voids between them. [Study area] :eek: :eek:

Then a Benchtop the full length of the wall, 480cm.
Anything to be aware of, or look out for?
Where to try for the DIY "flat packs" other that Yellow Pages,
Ditto for the Benchtop.
I'm in, sorry, I'm near Toowoomba, SEQld

Is 480cm to long????

Oh!! Do I tile before or after the benches go in?

Anyone on board do this/make these who is in Toowoomba???

Hi Ivan - reasonable question for a separate thread I reckon.

have fun