Kitchen countertops

[Todd Burch]

Another countertop option would be soapstone. And, it machines well with a router and handtools. I don't know what colors it comes in besides green, but I have seen some almost black soapstone, but it might have just been the standard green stuff with lots of oil on it.

Todd.

[Howard Barlow]

LOML wants granite or concrete. I may give concrete a shot, but I also am considering granite floor tiles.

[Keith Zavodney]

I thought about granite floor tiles but the joint would probably catch food or salmonella bacteria from chicken. Whether you grout (and seal) or caulk the joints... I'm thinking that a solid countertop is the way to go. I can't afford to pay someone so it's looking like it might have to be formica or concrete. Right now I'm leaning towards formica.

Keith Z.

[Howard Barlow]

I saw a thread on a tile forum where a guy sealed the seam with CA glue. It filled the seam, though not the depression formed by the small beveled edge. However, this area wouldn't be a problem to clean. Or it didn't look like it.

If you took a tile saw to the edge and eliminated the bevel, I think the seam could be dealt with successfully, like any other joint, i.e. laminates.

[Phil Phelps]

..Keith, I just answered a post about making seams in laminate, Friday. There are hundreds of colors and designs from which to choose. Most use MDF as a substraight and I'll tell you how it won't leak if you decide to go that route. You build your counters in the shop and install in one unit. Lots of options. Granite, solid surface, marble, soapstone, tile, concrete, wood. You can spend up to $80 a foot if you care to go "hog wild". It's your house.

[Keith Zavodney]

Costwise I'm leaning towards laminate. It's probably the cheapest to prepare the surface for. I just had to replace our stove ($$$) since the glass top broke. About $400 just for the top and it was on backorder for 2-3 weeks. Ended up buying a new stove. Factor in the money I spent on my truck a few months ago (about $3500 replacing the engine and paying someone to take care of the body) and I'm broke. It seems every time we start to get ahead that Mr. Murphy pays us a visit. I haven't been able to buy a tool in a long time I'm not sure I could build and install the countertop in 1 piece. I've got about 21 linear ft of countertop... sorta shaped like a funny 'U'. 8' leg with a 5' base at 90 degrees to the leg and then another 8' leg coming off at an angle away from the other leg. Does that make sense to you??? it does to me!!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help.

Keith Z.

[jack duren]

best bet is to put in a field joint. this will make it much easier to install. either way you go you will have a joint somewhere. best to keep away from the sink as much as possible. considering it is a "U" shape top, put the fiekld joint where you would have seamed the plastic anyway. here is a picture of the bottom side of a field joint...jack

[Keith Zavodney]

Thanks for the suggestion. I recognize your drill ... I still have one, also. I guess I'll have to plan my joints around where the wife wants the sink unless I can put the sink around the most economical use of the formica. Maybe if I save money on the formica I can buy a new tool... I'll definately have to get a few new router bits !!!

[Jim Becker]

Unless you make your countertops out of wood, "cutting" on them is not going to be a good idea, no matter what the material! You'll either damage the counter or damage the knives, depending on what the counter is made of... Consider a nice large cutting board or three that can be moved and cleaned easily as a workshop project to enhance your new kitchen.

For our upcoming kitchen renovation, my wife and I have narrowed things down to slate or soapstone. The latter just got an edge as I found a place in NJ that will sell to the DIY market...and soapstone can be easily worked with woodworking tools. That gets the cost down to about $50 sq ft, rather than the $80-90 sq ft for an installed price. Cut to size only adds $10 sq ft for self-installation enthusiasts.

[Steve Clardy]

out back and burn it. Maybe ol Ken would do that as I heard he was a firebug. Maybe that would end some of your problems. lol. Steve

[Captbill3]

Kevin Gersty:
Tile countertops can be very nice but I agree with you about bacteria. A new(?)substance on the market will solve this problem of bacteria in the grout.
What is it? Epoxy Grout.. A bit more expensive then the run of the mill grout but worth every penny. Got to be careful in application as it is a bit runny. Edges must be masked off to prevent runoff of the runny epoxy grout.
Bill Kirk

[Hal Flynt]

3 years ago, I built a concrete vanity top before the Fine Homebuilding article. I used a Quickrete (sp?) sand topping mix I believe (it was for relatively shallow depths and didn't contain any gravel.

I built a 3/4" plywood top, cut the hole for the sink with a Roto zip tool and uses 1/8" scrap door skins to form the edge at the sink hole. (Roto Zip left an 1/8" kerf, so I cut strips of skin the same width as the desired height of the opening [same width as the 1x stock that I made the outside forms from] and forced the pieces of door skin into the kerf. ) When all the skins were in place, I put a length of duct tape around the inside perimeter to smooth out the form and sorta act as a release for the concrete. Then I screwed the outside 1x forms all around.

Next I mixed up a batch of concrete in one of those $20 "Odd Job" roll around mixers with some black concrete dye powder in it. Poured it into the form and spent quite some time working it and getting the bubbles out. As fortune would have it, I had some plastic sheeting that something came wrapped in the was translucent and kinda crinkly in texture so I placed this on top of the concrete for 2 purposes; 1 to slow the drying and 2 to impart a texture similar to slate. I left it covered for about 5 days in the shop. When I removed the plastic, it was slate gray ok. But there were some bubbles that looked like little craters. It didn’t look bad, but I knew it was a dirt trap.

I got some black un-sanded grout and mixed up about a quarts worth and troweled it over the surface and work it to the slate contour fairly easy. This created an almost black charcoal color that I liked very much. Then I removed the forms (inside and outside) and replaced the outside forms with some nice Walnut edges on the 2 exposed sides and two 3/4" ply back splash pieces that I tiled with black tiles and black grout.

Note, I left the Plywood base in place for support and something to screw into from below.

I sealed it with a special sealer for concrete, but after a year I covered it with 3 coats of satin water based poly which holds up better than the sealer.

Easy to keep clean, still looks new. I would definitely consider a kitchen counter top made the same way. I did read the Fine Homebuilding article later and wondered whether or not the steel reinforcing was necessary. Maybe the ply base well supported every 2 feet is enough. I do like the texture from the plastic I used and would do it again. I would most likely use a lighter shade of dye for a kitchen and sink a cutting board in as I poured the mix. I like the Hardwood edging and find it easier to build that way.

Anyway good luck and be careful finishing a project, SWMBO is already thinking. She is now pressing me to hurry and get the JTAS10XL 3 hp Jet table saw so I can finish putting up crown molding