Choosing the right counter tops is crucial when transforming your kitchen into a functional and aesthetically pleasing space. Laminate and wooden kitchen worktops are popular for homeowners seeking durability, style and affordability. Whether renovating your kitchen or building a new one, installing laminate or wooden kitchen worktops requires careful planning and execution to ensure a seamless and long-lasting finish.
This guide will walk you through the steps and considerations involved in installing these versatile and beautiful kitchen worktops, helping you achieve the perfect look and functionality for your culinary haven.
1. Preparation is key
Before embarking on this DIY adventure, ensure your kitchen floor units are solidly anchored and impeccably levelled. An uneven base can complicate the worktop installation, leading to potential wobbling or misalignments.
This guide focuses on easily cuttable materials: laminate and solid wood. Professional assistance is essential if you’re considering granite, quartz or other solid surfaces. They’ll ensure the precision of your kitchen’s template and handle the off-site worktop preparation.
Before the installation, cleanliness is pivotal. Remove any sawdust or residue from your floor units. Also, the surfaces, especially the rear walls, should be smooth and even.
2. Essential tools
For a seamless installation, gather:
- The kitchen worktop (laminate, wood or butcher’s block)
- Joining strips for the worktop
- A timber baton
- Two G-clamps
- A circular saw
- Safety equipment: eye goggles and gloves
- Measuring tools: tape, utility square, pencil
- Electric or Phillips screwdriver
- Sandpaper for finishing touches
- Hacksaw
- Electric drill with drill bits
- Masking tape and scissors
- Screws for securing
3. The art of setting out
Strategising or ‘setting out’ ensures you minimise cuts and optimise the factory-cut edges of the worktops, providing a neat, consistent look. Ideal installations should have minimal joints, presenting a single continuous surface illusion.
The longer worktop sections should align with the lengthier walls for kitchens with an L or U shape, while the shorter sections cover the adjoining areas. Aim to position the joining strips inconspicuously to preserve the worktop’s aesthetic integrity.
4. Measuring and precision cutting
Start with your kitchen’s longest wall. Remember to account for an overhang (around 20mm) beyond the edge of the kitchen units when measuring the worktop length. Accurately mark this on the underside of the worktop using your measuring tools.
Affix a timber baton to the worktop to guide precise cutting, ensuring alignment with your pencil markings. This strategy guarantees straight, neat cuts. When cutting, prioritise safety by wearing goggles and gloves. Maintain a steady pace, avoiding stops that could cause splintering.
Post-cutting, lightly sandpaper the edges to eliminate imperfections, ensuring you focus only on the sides and not the main surfaces.
5. Installing the worktop
Position the cut worktop over the base units, aligning it perfectly. Ensure the overhangs are uniform and rest snugly against the rear wall. Use G-clamps to anchor the worktop to the base units below temporarily.
The attachment mechanism may vary, but typically, you’ll need to drill pilot holes from the base units into the worktop without breaching the top surface. These holes facilitate the screwing process. After drilling, join the worktop and base units with screws at both the front and back to ensure stability.
This procedure remains consistent for all subsequent worktop sections.
For adjoining sections, employ joining strips to achieve a cohesive finish. Measure the required length and trim it with a hacksaw. Secure this strip to the worktop edge and slide it into its desired position. Once you’re satisfied, anchor it to the base units.
6. Finishing flourishes
Exposed edges of materials like laminate might necessitate the application of a finishing strip. Measure, tape and template this strip according to your worktop’s profile, then trim it accordingly. Apply the supplied glue (in a well-ventilated room) to the end strip and the worktop edge. Allow it to cure briefly, then position the end strip and hold it in place with masking tape until the adhesive solidifies. If any protrusions or inconsistencies appear, gently sand them for a polished finish.
With these steps at your fingertips, you can fit the rest of your kitchen worktops with precision and confidence.
