Making countertop with 4\4 walnut

[Jason Winterrowd]

I want to make a countertop with some 4\4 walnut I have and was going to use a domino to attach an edge on the front so it looks thicker. should I also use a plywood backing so it is more substantial? If so how should I attached the top to the plywood ?

[Richard Coers]

You should never glue hardwood to plywood. One seasonally moves, the other doesn't. You can use wood screws through slots, but a lot of work.

[johnny means]

Dominoes are totally unnecessary. The long grain joint will be plenty strong. I use a plywood substrate for tops built like this, but I don't use glue and very few screws. The solid wood needs to be able to expand and contract independent of the plywood.

[Jason Winterrowd]

Thank you for the advice !

[Stewart Lang]

Actually you can easily use a plywood substrate. Use the domino to make elongated holes in it and then you can screw it to underside of the walnut top while allowing for proper expansion.

Also dominoes aren't totally unnecessary for attaching your border. For strength, yes they're unnecessary. But for alignment they can prove very valuable. I domino a lot of glue-ups, not for strength, but for easy alignment purposes.

[Robert Engel]

A solid wood countertop can certainly be done, but you have to understand the risk of 1) dealing with wood movement and 2) hot pots and wood don't do well together!

I really like johnny's suggestion!!

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Jason,

My daughter and son in law put in walnut countertops when they redid their kitchen. After a few years she isn't thrilled with how well they've held up. I understand they'll look really nice, but for how long. Walnut isn't the hardest wood and will show dings and scratches easily.

Just something to consider.

Cliff

[Mel Fulks]

I think kitchens are in an era of too much emphasis on expensive materials and not enough on cheerful comfort. When
inlaid laminate finally comes back it will blow out a lot of what we have now. And with CNC it would be so easy compared
to what it took years ago.

[johnny means]

You have to be someone that likes "character building" to appreciate wooden countertops. I like how wood takes on stains, dings, scratches, and burns. It adds warmth and life to a room.

[Jason Winterrowd]

The walnut is $7 a board foot so I think it will be less expensive than other options. I am trying to think of ways to do it myself and was considering wood or epoxy. We really like the look of walnut and I expect there will be dings and dents. I agree with Johnny that it just adds character

[Jason Winterrowd]

Actually you can easily use a plywood substrate. Use the domino to make elongated holes in it and then you can screw it to underside of the walnut top while allowing for proper expansion.

Also dominoes aren't totally unnecessary for attaching your border. For strength, yes they're unnecessary. But for alignment they can prove very valuable. I domino a lot of glue-ups, not for strength, but for easy alignment purposes.

that is a good idea. I like to look for other ways to use my domino.

[Dave Sabo]

Actually you can easily use a plywood substrate. Use the domino to make elongated holes in it and then you can screw it to underside of the walnut top while allowing for proper expansion.

Also dominoes aren't totally unnecessary for attaching your border. For strength, yes they're unnecessary. But for alignment they can prove very valuable. I domino a lot of glue-ups, not for strength, but for easy alignment purposes.

That makes it useful.............but still unnecessary :D

Joiners got by for centuries without biscuit joiners, dominoes, and dowel jigs for making wooden tops. I've seen butcher blocks in Paris go for more money than many of you paid for your first car and they were worn out and made before electricity was even available.

[Curt Harms]

A solid wood countertop can certainly be done, but you have to understand the risk of 1) dealing with wood movement and 2) hot pots and wood don't do well together!

I really like johnny's suggestion!!

I saw a possible solution to #2 for solid surface tops that should work for wooden counter tops as well. Inlet a stone or ceramic tile into the top so the tile is slightly proud of the top. Make it a design element. Maybe clear caulk if required so it doesn't collect dirt.

[bill epstein]

I saw a lot of upscale kitchens in the U.K. with solid wood countertops and they were mostly Teak. Far better properties than Walnut. Long after you've forgotten the difference you paid for a more suitable wood, you'll be glad you did.

The designs I saw had routed drainboards and ceramic where water was heavily used for vegetable cleaning, etc. A slight angle built in for drainage is also a necessary feature. Also, they didn't have our convention of extra thickness on the front edges.

[Patrick Kane]

I think wood surfaces add a lot to a kitchen. Personally, i would stick with something innate and hard for my wet counters, but i dont know how you choose anything other than wood for an island. The aesthetic weight a wood island carries far outweighs any durability concerns. Frankly, if you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, i think anything less than end grain for your island is a missed opportunity. I see a lot of waterfall edge marble islands, and think to myself, how much more marble do you want in the kitchen? Marble counters, marble island, marble backsplash. They have no life or soul to the look and feel.

Trivets are the solution to hot pans and countertops. I have quartz counters and i still use trivets. Also, your pan needs to be screaming hot to burn most hardwoods. The only time i burned my end grain cutting board is when i initially seasoned a few vintage griswold cast iron skillets years ago. Didnt think anything of setting the skillets on my cutting board after taking them out of the oven for a quick wipe down with oil. 500° cast iron will leave a mark on cherry/ipe! Over the years anything around 400° doesnt leave any blemishes.

[Joe Jensen]

The book "Understanding Wood" will teach you how wood moves with changes in relative humidity in the room. I assume your walnut would be plain sliced which moves a lot more than quarter sawn. You can look up the movement factors online too. I would guess for most parts of the country the humidity would be a low of 5-10% in the winter and maybe 50% in the summer. So assume a 40% swing and look up. I'd bet walnut will move 1/4" to 3/8" between the seasons. You will read a lot about sealing with finish on all sides to prevent this but it does not work. Wood finish is not hermetic (means it is not vapor proof). You need to plan for the movement. Something like fasten solidly at the back splash and use slots in the substrate so the counter top can move. Your other issue is the wood moves differently with the grain (radially) or across the grain (Tangentially). The makes the wood cup when the humidity changes. To mitigate the engineering says to never have any piece more than 3X wider than the thickness. But that means ugly narrow strips. You also need to alternate the way the growth rings angle when looking at end grain. Some will say if you fasten well enough you can keep the wood from cupping, but if fastened tightly enough and the wood wants to cup it will crack. These are the reasons why you rarely see countertops made this way. 8/4 would be much more stable.

[John Goodin]

436549
436550

436551

This is 6/4 walnut edge grain counter top in my laundry room. It has a coat or two of garnet shellac and Waterlox topcoat. The garnet shellac was advice from someone on the forum and really makes a difference in the visual depth of the walnut.

[Tom Bender]

If the cabinets are wood then wood countertops may be too much wood. Dark Corian may provide some balance. It has a better feel than stone.

[Jim Matthews]

Is resawing possible?

A thinner "face cut" applied to 3/4 Birch plywood - fastened to cabinetry should resist warp.

If you're in a home with high swings in humidity, the plywood could be press fit or pin nailed to allow some flex.