In the previous couple of years, kitchen DIYs have gotten extremely popular. They don’t need to be excessive they usually additionally don’t have to interrupt your pockets. In the event you’re wanting so as to add an inexpensive strategy to get some strong counter tops then you definitely’re studying the precise weblog. Take a look at my countertop plans and observe alongside!
Supplies I Used to Construct the Countertop
Step 1: Transferring Materials to the Store and Chopping Edges
The very first thing I did was transfer my cellular cart to the aspect of my miter noticed stand. That is so I can flip out the wing and pull materials immediately from the cart to the noticed and minimize the ends. Everytime you’re becoming a member of boards collectively you want all the sides and ends to be at a 90 and straight. The miter takes care of all of the ends. It’s additionally at this step that you may minimize your boards to size. I like to recommend taking the measurement your prime must be then leaving your self and additional 1” or 2. You’ll minimize it down completely afterward.
Step 2: Rounding The Edges of the Materials
Subsequent is to knock off the rounded edges of the fabric. If in case you have a jointer, then you need to use it to get one edge flat…..and one face flat. Subsequent I transfer the gorgeous massive pile to my desk noticed. Right here I be certain that to position the jointed edge up in opposition to the tablesaw fence to get the second edge parallel. Then I exploit the thickness planer to get the second face flat.
Now when you don’t have a jointer then I’ll depart you a hyperlink to 2 movies I’ve performed the place I present the right way to use a desk noticed or a router as a jointer. However you’ll be able to undoubtedly preserve this mission easy and let it’s a bit of imperfect. In the event you solely have a tablesaw, you need to use it to chop off every rounded edge, then depart the face alone. This methodology would require extra sanding and also you would possibly find yourself with a number of small gaps, however you’ll be able to nonetheless construct your self some counter tops.
Step 3: Creating the Countertop Sample
Okay after getting all the fabric sq. and straight, I subsequent laid out my boards to get the depth my countertop and shelf wanted then began rearranging them. The very first thing I do is line up one aspect of the boards to be in keeping with each other. Now my completed countertop will land about right here but it surely’s aways finest to make an even bigger than wanted slab then minimize it down ultimately.
Subsequent I take a look at the tree ring path and attempt to stagger them. See how these rings curve down? This one is fairly middle however this one curves up, this one down, What you need you keep away from is all of the rings dealing with the identical path as that can promote the complete slab to cup in that path whereas alternating them will oppose forces.
The following factor I take a look at is the place all of the seams line up, see how most all land proper on this zone? I need a bit of extra selection so what you are able to do is take smaller boards and place them on the entrance. Simply flip flop the 2 boards and that can push the seam away from the others. To the place after I did that with a number of different rows, now my seams have been spaced out all throughout the slab.
Okay then very last thing I checked out earlier than sticking issues collectively, was the butt joints. You may see this joint doesn’t shut properly. If it doesn’t shut properly now, it undoubtedly gained’t one you place glue on it so take the time to re minimize each ends right here on the miter noticed.
Step 4: Assembling the Countertop
Okay now lets do the factor that I’d wager causes probably the most stress in woodworking. I’m speaking about glue up! It’s common whenever you’re first beginning to construct to make an enormous slab like this and attempt to glue up all of the boards at one time. Nevertheless, you study actually fast that it’s means higher to do a number of small glue ups so they arrive out proper reasonably than rush it and mess it up or stress your self out.
While you’re glueing issues along with yellow wooden glue, my go to is DAPS Weldwood, you usually have about 3-4 minutes of working time, which isn’t quite a bit. So have as many issues able to go as you’ll be able to corresponding to clamps, brushes, mallets, and bisquets in my case. Which lets discuss subsequent. You may undoubtedly minimize all of your boards and simply glue then clamp them collectively however the place bisquets assistance is with aligning the tops.
When you apply glue to 2 surfaces they’ll slip and slide and getting a superbly flush prime is sort of unimaginable. By slicing in bisquets slots…. this instrument references the highest of every board to chop in a slot on every edge in order that whenever you insert a biscuit, it’ll mechanically align every board and never permit it to slide round whereas making use of stress. Options that obtain the identical factor are dowels or a domino however keep in mind you’ll be able to undoubtedly simply glue up the boards when you don’t have something, it’ll simply require extra flattening within the subsequent step.
Step 5: Altering the Countertop Thickness (optionally available)
Really, I added in a step. See after milling my boards, my 2x4s turned out to be only one 1/4” thick. Which is nice however I personally needed the look to be nearer to 2”. To realize this, I minimize a nostril that’s the thickness I need and easily connected it to the very entrance. So know it is a trick you need to use to make your glue up look thicker.
Step 6: Scaling down the Countertop
Okay, now lets flattening this factor. Like all the pieces in constructing, there are a number of methods to do all the pieces. The countertop is simply too huge for my thickness planer so I simply did this by hand with my 4” belt sander. You need to select the widest belt sander you will have so it’s simpler to maintain it flat and never create divots. I additionally like to show my sander to a forty five within the first move to hog away materials sooner, then I sand out the scuffs this creates within the decrease grits. For my skinner matching shelf, I threw this by way of the drum sander and this makes fast work of it.
Step 7: Chopping the Countertop to Size
I now minimize my prime and shelf to their actual wanted size. I selected the sliding portion of my tablesaw to verify this minimize was at an ideal 90 however a monitor noticed or round noticed with a fence would work as properly. Subsequent I needed to set the countertop in place and see the way it was going to lookup in opposition to my wall. No wall is ever completely straight so count on to have some gaps in your set up.
You may cowl up this hole with a backsplash board or you’ll be able to hint the precise form of your wall onto the countertop, that is referred to as scribing. I did this with a washer however you need to use absolutely anything. As soon as I had my line established I used my sander as soon as once more to remove materials as much as it. If in case you have an enormous hole you’ll be able to at all times use one thing like a multi instrument to chop away extra materials up entrance then refine it with a sander.
Step 8: Making use of End
Okay and that’s it for the method constructing half, I now have a countertop prepared to put in however earlier than doing that I completed it. I’m utilizing Complete Boat’s Gleam 2.0 which is a Spar Varnish that’s tremendous straightforward to make use of, a excessive gloss (precisely what I used to be going for right here), and my favourite function: it’s quick drying. I like to make use of their Wooden Sealer varnish primer earlier than hand which fills within the grain to create a smoother end.
Ending Tip:
Have you ever ever seen white washed objects earlier than? Effectively I needed a slight gray tint so I did the identical factor the place you’ll be able to take latex paint and dilute it with water to create a extra translucent stain type of end, however I did it with gray. The extra water you add, the extra translucent it is going to be. I used a foam brush to wipe it on, then nearly instantly wiped it off. After letting that dry I utilized a transparent coat to guard all the pieces.
Step 9: Putting in the Countertop
To put in the countertop I merely crawled inside and screwed by way of some wood scrap strips I screwed into place…and you’ll see how taking the time to scribe the 2 edges actually makes a distinction. Then for the shelf up right here I screwed a cleat to the nook the place there may be framing, then minimize in a receiving notch so my shelf may sit on prime and permit me one thing to screw down onto. The left terminates into the cupboards so I may go to the within and go immediately into the top grain.
Annnnd I’m going to name that one other mission performed. I’ll depart you hyperlinks to the movies displaying you the right way to construct cupboards and likewise me putting in these in case you’re . I hope this video has given you some good suggestions or inspiration if making low-cost counter tops is in your to do.
