In the previous couple of years, kitchen DIYs have gotten extremely popular. They don’t should be excessive and so they additionally don’t have to interrupt your pockets. When you’re wanting so as to add an affordable option to get some stable counter tops then you definately’re studying the proper weblog. Try my countertop plans and observe alongside!
Supplies I Used to Construct the Countertop
Step 1: Shifting Materials to the Store and Chopping Edges
The very first thing I did was transfer my cell cart to the facet 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 lower the ends. Everytime you’re becoming a member of boards collectively you want all the perimeters and ends to be at a 90 and straight. The miter takes care of all of the ends. It’s additionally at this step which you could lower your boards to size. I like to recommend taking the measurement your high must be then leaving your self and additional 1” or 2. You’ll lower it down completely afterward.
Step 2: Rounding The Edges of the Materials
Subsequent is to knock off the rounded edges of the fabric. 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 beautiful massive pile to my desk noticed. Right here I make sure 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 executed the place I present find out how to use a desk noticed or a router as a jointer. However you may undoubtedly maintain this mission easy and let it’s slightly imperfect. When 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 may find yourself with just a few small gaps, however you may 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 facet of the boards to be consistent with each other. Now my completed countertop will land about right here nevertheless it’s aways finest to make a much bigger than wanted slab then lower it down in the long run.
Subsequent I take a look at the tree ring route 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 route as that may promote your complete slab to cup in that route 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 would like slightly 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 may push the seam away from the others. To the place after I did that with just a few different rows, now my seams have been spaced out all throughout the slab.
Okay then final thing I checked out earlier than sticking issues collectively, was the butt joints. You’ll be able to see this joint doesn’t shut properly. If it doesn’t shut properly now, it undoubtedly received’t one you place glue on it so take the time to re lower each ends right here on the miter noticed.
Step 4: Assembling the Countertop
Okay now lets do the factor that I might guess causes essentially the most stress in woodworking. I’m speaking about glue up! It’s common once 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 be taught actually fast that it’s manner higher to do a number of small glue ups so they arrive out proper relatively than rush it and mess it up or stress your self out.
Once 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 lots. So have as many issues able to go as you may equivalent to clamps, brushes, mallets, and bisquets in my case. Which lets speak about subsequent. You’ll be able to undoubtedly lower 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 are going to slip and slide and getting a wonderfully flush high is sort of unattainable. By chopping in bisquets slots…. this device references the highest of every board to chop in a slot on every edge in order that once you insert a biscuit, it’s going to routinely align every board and never permit it to slide round whereas making use of strain. Options that obtain the identical factor are dowels or a domino however keep in mind you may undoubtedly simply glue up the boards when you don’t have something, it’s going to simply require extra flattening within the subsequent step.
Step 5: Altering the Countertop Thickness (elective)
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 wished the look to be nearer to 2”. To attain this, I lower a nostril that’s the thickness I would like and easily hooked up 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 just too vast 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’ve 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 the drum sander and this makes fast work of it.
Step 7: Chopping the Countertop to Size
I now lower my high and shelf to their actual wanted size. I selected the sliding portion of my tablesaw to ensure this lower was at an ideal 90 however a observe noticed or round noticed with a fence would work as effectively. Subsequent I wished to set the countertop in place and see the way it was going to search for in opposition to my wall. No wall is ever completely straight so anticipate to have some gaps in your set up.
You’ll be able to cowl up this hole with a backsplash board or you may hint the precise form of your wall onto the countertop, that is known 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. In case you have an enormous hole you may all the time use one thing like a multi device 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 gadgets earlier than? Effectively I wished a slight gray tint so I did the identical factor the place you may take latex paint and dilute it with water to create a extra translucent stain kind of end, however I did it with gray. The extra water you add, the extra translucent will probably be. I used a foam brush to wipe it on, then virtually 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 some picket scrap strips I screwed into place…and you may 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 lower in a receiving notch so my shelf may sit on high 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 tip grain.
Annnnd I’m going to name that one other mission executed. I’ll depart you hyperlinks to the movies exhibiting you find out how 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.
Issues I Used to Construct The Low-cost Countertop:
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