diggerdog36 wrote:I thought worktops were normally 4m!
Trade ones like Bushboard are - the DIY sheds and Ikea normally sell 3 metre lengths. My local supplier of beech tops aso sells 4 metre lumps, square edged, as his norm
diggerdog36 wrote:I would need to cut out the sink, hob and rout the drainer out, if I screw it up it's £200 down the netty, I'd rather pay for it to be done properly!!
Any idea on a price??
Measure twice, cut once? Up here I would budget a day's work + fastenings + sealant - say £175 to £200. Down in London, I dunno.
You've done well so far to build your kitchen so I don't see why you couldn't install your own. I'm not in agreement with the suggested technique for jointing, though, because with solid wood tops one of those joints means installing it "trapped" and it might prove very difficult to get the end piece to run parallel with your units, especially if the walls aren't square (and I also think the suggested joints might look a bit "unbalanced"):
I'd go for the green ones (1610, 2410 and 2020mm). Installing the end one gets all the really awkward stuff out of the way in one hit and allows you to set that worktop square to the tops of the cabinets before aligning the longer side pieces. If the walls are a really long way out it might be best to make-up a cutting template from hardboard or 6mm MDF like the granite and solid surface lads do. One more step, I know, but better than boogering up yer worktops. Presumably you'll be tiling over the worktop or installing an upstand so that gives you 5 to 10mm leeway to play with at eacjh end and along the back (personally I tend to install the tops
before the upper cabs as it gives me more room to manouvre the tops in and fit stuff like sinks, taps, etc - they can always be protected with bubblewrap once they're installed whilst you are installing the upper cabs).
The long pieces are then cut over length, say 50 mm if you can, and the butting ends of the can then be cut to fit the installed end (at an angle if needs be - not all buildings are that square). Finally they can be trimmed to length. That all assumes that the outer ends aren't trapped. If they are it becomes much more of a judgement call to get a decent fit and is one reason why I have a Festool rail saw. Of course worktops always have to be sealed and oiled before they are finally fixed in place
One thing you haven't mentioned is whether or not the worktops you are buying have a radiused edge or not. If they have that makes butt jointing a bit more of an issue. My own preference is to turn them round and put the radius at the back/underside if possible - makes jointing easier and I can always rout a chamfer or radius on afterwards if I like
I tend to mark out and make my cutouts only after installing the tops. It is a far easier job with a rail saw than it is with a jigsaw. Belfasts are particularly awkward because the edges are all exposed, unlike, say, built-in hobs. For them (Belfasts) I make-up a jig (strips of MDF), jigsaw away the waste, attach the jig (screw to the underside of the worktop where holes won't be seen) and rout out the recess using a
template trim bit. You may need a couple of sizes to do the job and you shouldn't let the cutter pause if at all possible - end grain beech can scorch easily. The falling drainer is routed next with a bought-in jig like
these. After all that's been done the worktop can be fixed.
Finally, because timber worktops can be slightly cupped across their length you may need to sand or even plane-in the joints slightly (very, very sharp low angle block plane) to finish them level
