Correct way to fit L shaped worktop, what should I ask for?

[crobar]

Hi All,

I'm getting a new kitchen soon from Howdens, but am fitting the units myself. I don't plan on fitting the worktops however since it is L shaped, has an odd cut out in one corner and I have an old tenement flat with no doubt wonky walls, at least on one wall (the other is a stud wall).

My question therefore is, what should I be expecting my worktop fitter to do? The kitchen is L shaped and I want a nice join in these sections, how should I be specifying they join it? The worktop will be laminate, and I've seen various things on line.

I want to be clear in my spec so fitters can quote appropriately and also so there is comback if they bodge it.

Thanks!

[ayjay]

My question therefore is, what should I be expecting my worktop fitter to do? The kitchen is L shaped and I want a nice join in these sections, how should I be specifying they join it? The worktop will be laminate, and I've seen various things on line.

A Mason's mitre is the neatest way for a laminate top, also ensure that any cut-outs are sealed.

[crobar]

Thanks, is this the same thing as a 'butt scribe and mitre joint'?

What sealent (if any) should be used at the join?

[MSX]

I did an L-shaped kitchen about two weeks back on a housebashing site and we had a similar problem. The walls were miles out so the worktops were scribed to them. The two worktops (laminate) were joined by a butt & scribe as mentioned above.

What sealent (if any) should be used at the join?

I'm only an apprentice joiner but I've fitted quite a lot of kitchens (not alone -two of us altogether, me and the fella I work for). A tube of color fill which is specifically to seal/join worktops aswell as fill any small[ish] gaps should come with your ordered worktop (along with the tape stuff you put on the end of cut worktops). If he's a kitchen fitter then I'd assume he'd use this

[joinerjohn]

MSX, you have a lot to learn. Quite a lot of worktops don't come with the laminate strip for putting on ends. A lot of suppliers now sell this separately (more money for them) And I have yet to see a laminate worktop supplied with a tube of colorfill. (also available separately)

[royaloakcarpentry]

MSX........You are now getting less and less with kitchens and having to order and pay extra for bits that did come with it.

Colourfill is not the only product for use when doing butt joints, partial or complete masons mitres. Coloured and clear silicone is also available for use.

Walls being out of square would normally mean that the base units are scribed either along one or both walls to bring the kitchen back into square. Although this is something you probably won't learn on site due to kitchens being chucked in.



Crobar..Unfortunately your worktop guy will have to apply them to a kitchen you have fitted. I would expect to survey it once you have the base units in and then give you a price which would depend on how well you have installed them.

[crobar]

Thanks for all the info, I will be fitting the units very carefully, and with help from someone who's done it before, so I hope this will be ok. I'm pretty thorough at this kind of thing generally. Also the howdens units come assembled so this should help.

As I'm just back from the pub I won't try to add much more right now!

[joinerjohn]

Just make sure their all level, plumb and square (ish) If your walls in the corner are out of square (not unusual) , but not too far out of square, you can fit the units to suit the walls. A good joiner/ kitchen fitter, can make the corner joint "out of square" to suit the units, by offsetting the jig slightly. More than anything ,, make sure the units are level (in relation to each other)

[MSX]

MSX........You are now getting less and less with kitchens and having to order and pay extra for bits that did come with it.

Ah, I never knew Of the 10 or so kitchens I've fitted we've always had colorfill and the end strip provided by the supplier. Howdens supplied the first lot we did then the others were domestic kitchens in houses, homebase I think?

Walls being out of square would normally mean that the base units are scribed either along one or both walls to bring the kitchen back into square. Although this is something you probably won't learn on site due to kitchens being chucked in.

The worktops we did were scribed to the wall but the units were thrown in. They were all level and plumb but they had massive gaps in so the site manager got the labourer to just put caulk in the gaps after noticing them whilst snagging (the caulk looked p*ss poor in the end) The kitchen was a white gloss one (this one I think from Howdens, and it was on a Redrow site which is why it was thrown in so quickly!

[philprime]

Iv fitted kitchen for nearly 15 years and I totally agree with ROC about getting less things with kitchen it's all about making money out of people I'm sure if they could charge you extra for hinges they would

[royaloakcarpentry]

Just make sure their all level, plumb and square (ish) If your walls in the corner are out of square (not unusual) , but not too far out of square, you can fit the units to suit the walls. A good joiner/ kitchen fitter, can make the corner joint "out of square" to suit the units, by offsetting the jig slightly. More than anything ,, make sure the units are level (in relation to each other)

As MSX is on here and learning..............all be it, inorrectly on site!

A good kitchen carpenter/kitchen fitter can indeed cut an out of square masons mitre. Agree with you 100% and should be able to do so with a router or freehand.

However, kitchens are all about surveying and setting out before a unit is placed into position, especially in a domestic non new build situation. ( We all know they don't give a 5hit on site).

All kithens should be fitted square. If there would be insuffiient tolerance in cutting the back of the unit down or the worktop is not deep enough to compensate, then it is obvious that deeper worktops are needed.

If they are not fitted squarely then I bet the tile line running under the plinths is going to now look out of square, 100% certainty. Only option would be to run them in line and pi55ed along one or two walls.......Nice finish. All because the carpenter/kitchen fitter hasn't done a proper job.

These same slack tradesmen (not pointing fingers due to comments) in general, are the same ones who don't mind a 42mm overhang of worktop to one end of a run of units and 45mm at the other end. Plus a different overhang, again, on the other run. That is dog 5hit. Exactly the same in principle as an electrician having a socket 2mm out of level. Client would be pulling that and wanting it changed all day and every day. Would the kitchen fitters reply be..........fcuk me mate it is on 2mm!

Standards are acheivable, especially for a DIY'er, if they have the skill set and stanards is what MSX should be learning in theory even if he isn't in practice.

[joinerjohn]

ROC, I'm assuming the OP is having a new kitchen for an existing property. In an ideal world, all walls are flat, plumb and square with each other. (but that world doesn't exist). I've had to take 50mm to nothing on a 3m run of units, just so they have been square to the units round the corner. The OP perhaps doesn't have the skills to do this? (how many DIYer's do? )

Last kitchen I did had a 5.6m run of units on a wall and the wall bowed inwards. Holding a straight edge showed a gap of about 30mm at either end. To compound the issue the walls were out of plumb and there was a full height, built in fridge /freezer enclosure at the start of the run. For me, this was fairly easy to overcome, but for a DIYer, they'd have struggled to get their heads round it.

MSX, the kitchens you have fitted, have probably been ordered by someone else and they'll probably have ordered the colorfill and edging strips. I'm sure the colorfill isn't generally supplied gratis, although some worktops do come with the edging strips. As philprime says, it's all about money these days. I remember when B&Q worktops always came with the edging strip, then some years ago they realised they could make more money selling the edging strip separately. ( I hate the fact that it's rolled up tight too)

[royaloakcarpentry]

Joinerjohn.............exactly why I did state the reply was partly because MSX was watching the thread and he is an apprentice, so should be educated about the right way. In theory, if not in practice.

Also why, I said the reply wasn't a dig at any previous comments on here.

Rolled up edging.......reminds me. I have had some under the bed for a year straightening out because it is for a curve which opposes the way it was rolled up, so it snaps when trying to apply it. The wife will be well happy when I finally finish.

[joinerjohn]

Quite agree ROC, my pet hate is rolled up edging. Was much better when it came taped to the worktop. Nice and flat. Some of that rolled up rubbish actually rolls and twists even more when adhesive is applied to it.

[pennine]

a few biscuits in the joint won't do any harm