# Forum Home Renovation Kitchens  Timber kitchen benchtops-making them myself ??

## Nitram Ztilad

Hi,
This is my first posting here, so...........hope I'm not covering old ground, and thanks to anyone who reads my posting and can offer some advice. 
I'm doing a bit of an overhaul on the kitchen and I'm up to making the benchtops. It's not a huge job-around 3 sq. metres, and it's all a bit rustic-I'm using secondhand stuff when I can.  My plan is to get some 19mm formply, cut it pretty well to the size of the benchtops needed, and then laminate its top surface with some hardwood tongue and groove flooring- also around 20mm. Then put some of the same flooring on it's edge to cover plywood along the side. 
My questions are:
1.  I figured I'd have to put screws up from the underside through the ply and into the flooring. Is this necessary, or are glues such Liquid Nails etc. sufficient for the job ?
2.  As far as the hardwood goes, does anyone know of a good supplier of second hand flooring within striking distance of Western Sydney- I'm in the Blue Mountains- Springwood area.
3.  If I can't find anything second hand for the hardwood tops and have to go for new timber,  is there anytimber to AVOID as far as it's propensity to warp with time ?  It'd be a shame to go to all this effort and have if twist and buckle in a few months.
4. Anything else I need to know. 
Thanks in advance, 
Martin

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## shauck

I made a benchtop like this about a year and a half ago. I used second hand vic ash floor boards because they were free but lots of hardwood out there.  
If boards are not same thickness, run them through a thicknesser if you can.  
You have to be ready with everything in place so you can move quickly before any glue dries.  
I used glue in all tongue and grooves and painted it on the entire backside of boards and top of chipboard. So lots of glue.  
Then lots of long clamps to pull boards together and several timber braces perpendicular to boards also clamped down at either end to stop bowing up of boards as the other clamps will push the middle up.  
While clamped, 2 screws per board spaced about 450mm apart. Drill pilot hole first. If you can clean any surface glue off that squeezes up while it's wet, do it.  
You may be able to get it all pretty square but I made mine in a joinery shop so was able to trim it to square after dried. All depends on tools and equipment you have available.  
Then sand. For cutouts (sink, stove) after you mark them, ensure no screws in way (remove), cut and put more screws around the cutout where you have created ends of boards. You may have to touch up your sanding a bit if marked form circ saw, jigsaw, etc.  
Make sure you use a sealer on all surfaces, top, underneath, sides, cutouts. I forget how many coats of clear I used but it was a single pac polyeuraethane. About 4 or 5 coats I think. I can't notice much movement in the benchtop. Not even around the sink (water) or stove (heat). The coatings are holding up well too.  
Also, when fitting the sink, smear some of the silicone on the cutout.  
I recommend being pretty fastidious about keeping water off the surface, especially around the sink edge. No harm in being cautious.

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## Nitram Ztilad

Hi Shauk,
Thanks for your very comprehensive reply-Much appreciated ! 
I found some new 130mm t & g flooring at the local timber place today-mixed hardwood but I managed to get enough for the job in much the same colour tonings.  $2.00 a l/m- couldn't go past ! 
Anyway, a couple more questions if you have a minute more. 
What kind of glue is best ?  I had planned Liquid Nails or something similar, but I wondered if basic  Aquahere, being thinner from the bottle might be less likely to sort of keep the flooring off the backing, and cause bulges etc. ? 
Did you assemble your boards with glued joins, with sash clamps to keep them together and clamped planks to keep them from bowing, and then, after the glue has dried etc, screw and glue it to to the backing ?  Or were you saying it's better to do the whole lot together-like glue and screw one board at a time ? 
My original plan was to use formply for the backing (partly because it's so rigid, but mostly because I hate working with chipboard.......) but someone has suggested to me that waterproof chipboard flooring might be the best thing in a kitchen application, where inevitably some water will eventually reach the backing.  Any thoughts ?? 
Thanks again for your time. 
Martin

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## shauck

Firstly the wider the board, the more chance of cupping/bowing. At a guess, I would go three screws for a 130 board. Can't guarantee same result.  
The glue I used was the same used in kitchen manufacturing. It's  name I can't remember. Aquadhere is similar I think. Someone may be able to comment on this. Using high moisture resistant board is good. You still seal the entire underside with a sealer tho. I can't remember if I did 2 coats of sealer on the underside but the idea is to protect all surfaces from moisture.  
I glued and clamped the whole lot, quickly. Using a squirt bottle and a brush to coat all surfaces including the tongue and groove. Clamp it down. Then screwed as it was drying.  
I used a large bench to work on and then transferred it to two small tables. Saw horses or something similar is good. Sit the whole lot on those so you can get underneath. So you will need a hand ready to help you move it. Then lay it flat somewhere. Probably on bearers. I'm saying all this stuff just so you give it all some thought. You wan't to be ready for the whole process to happen smoothly by having everything ready.   
Do a dry run. Put all the boards together first to see how it all looks. Choose which boards will go where, based on aesthetic, colour variation, grain, etc. If you have to trim one down to make it fit the width of benchtop (which your base will be cut to - minus the edge strip width of course), make it the back one.  
Trying to make at least one straight edge where the board and first row of flooring were flush. You may find that by the time you clamp it all together the last row may not ine up perfectly parallel and flush with the other edge. You may have to square it off (and the ends) somehow, after it has dried.  
I have a glass backsplash which was installed after the benchtop. Theses edges were sealed with silicone. Also the sink cutout smeared with silicone and bead around the edge of sink. I didn't put the hotplate in. Plumber did that and I wasn't there so don't know what his method is. Sealing tiles to benchtop may be different. Not sure. Someone else will know. I have used no more gaps (was taught to) on job sites when installing bathroom vanity benchtops. The other guy I worked with did the kitchen benchtops tho. There may be better ways tho.  
Basically get it well sealed. Look after it, don't allow water to sit on it. I've had no problems so far.

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## Belair_Boy

> My original plan was to use formply for the backing (partly because it's so rigid, but mostly because I hate working with chipboard.......) but someone has suggested to me that waterproof chipboard flooring might be the best thing in a kitchen application, where inevitably some water will eventually reach the backing.  Any thoughts ??Martin

  G'day Martin 
I would not be using form ply in this situation for the pure reason that the smooth surface is designed to impart a good finish on concrete and for it not to stick.  If you are trying to glue the top timber boards to it you may not get as good a bond as if you were using chipboard or MDF as your base.  Personally I don't like either chipboard or MDF so in your situation I would use a structural plywood (just not form ply).  Seal the edges of the plywood well as any water getting down between the bench top and the wall could get into the cut edge of the ply and cause it to swell.  If you do use MDF or chip board make sure it is a moisture resistant grade. 
You have received good advice from shauck, good luck.

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## Godzilla73

G'day, 
Use a Polyurethane Glue, Sika brand or similar. Easier to sand and sticks like you know what... Might also be worth trying to find a place with a wide belt sander that will sand them for you down to say a 180 grit finish. You won't regret it, trust me... We used to do them all time at work, now we get 1-2 a year...

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## Gaza

here is one we made,
130x19mm tallowood floor boards
19mm ply
40x20 steel RHS frame
T&G boards glued together with modified PVA, clamped in sections.
sections of top sanded on the wide belt, 
sections then trowel glued to ply with skia T55, flooring glue & screwed fromk underside.

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## Godzilla73

Nice, like the edge detail, what finish did you use Gaza?

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## spencer411

Gluing and screwing timber onto a stable substrate like ply isn't the best of ideas, reason for this is timber moves and you need to allow for that. If you do screw it from underneath, consider slot screwing it, this will allow for seasonal movement. Keep in mind timber moves in width and thickness, not in length. Although not the cheapest option I would go solid, thick timber for the lot.

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## shauck

Well FWIW, with the small amount of movement I've had in my benchtop, I'm pretty happy with it.

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