Wood Flooring for a wet bar countertop?

[Dan Mages]

I posted this idea a while back and want to revisit it. I am about to put in the cabinets (probably tonight) for the wet bar and will soon after need a counter top for it. Here are my options.

1. Go to the Borg and get a prefinished laminate countertop (BORING!)
2. Do a granite countertop. at 6.5 ft long and a 25" sink, I will need approx 12 tiles to make it work. 12x$4 per tile = $48, plus backerboard and thinset. This will be a pain due to the need to set up the wet saw and cut out for the sink.
3. Use the 1 leftover box of Jatoba that cost me $35.

So to me, most interesting option is to use the leftover Jatoba. I think the best way to put this together is use the sheet of 1/2 plywood I have in the shed as a base, assemble the jatoba on top, and then spot glue it to the plywood with some liquid nail or other adhesive. the front edge can be covered with some window stop.

Any thoughts on this? Am I marginally insane for doing this? Will it even work?

Thoughts, opinions, criticisms, and insults welcome ;)

Dan

[Per Swenson]

Sure it will work.

By the way, I like your comment in the other thread about

how holes and such add character. Our Phrase,

" Lady, that is the beauty of wood"

Back to you. We use Behlens rock hard table top varnish

on all our tops.

Alcohol, water, soda....no problem and we sell to some hard drinkers.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=17615&highlight=shameless+festool


Per
see here.....

[Howard Acheson]

>> I think the best way to put this together is use the sheet of 1/2 plywood I have in the shed as a base, assemble the jatoba on top, and then spot glue it to the plywood with some liquid nail or other adhesive.

Not a good choice. The solid wood jatoba will expand/contract with seasonal changes in relative humidity while the plywood will not. This will cause the combined assembly to want to warp and/or break itself apart.

You could do it by nailing the jatoba on as you would flooring and only glueing the front board. This would allow the other boards to move back sliding on the plywood with seasonal changes. You would have to design a way of hiding the movement in the back...ie: a piece of trim. But, if it is going to be a bar, the hiding piece will allow water to get under it as you wipe the bar--or spill a beer, god forbid.

My point is that you must figure out a way to allow for the natural movement of solid wood. Nothing you can do will stop mother nature.

[Dan Mages]

Thanks Per! The flooring is prefinished, so I dont plan on adding anything to the top. Besides, this house will be for sale in the next two months (GULP!), so I dont want to put too much work into it.


Dan

[Stan Welborn]

I used some surplus oak stair treads when I built mine. stained, multi coats of hand rubbed urathane.... worked good. Nice deep finish. Don't see why many materials wouldn't work if sealed real good.

[Per Swenson]

Ok,

No problem.

Glue the flooring together, don't glue it to the base.
Instead screw it with washer head screws into oval holes in the ply
across the grain.

Work like a champ.

Per