I had just finished a kitchen cabinet for a colleague and we were talking about redoing kitchens, specifically  countertops.  So this is a quick post about the refurbishment of our kitchen – done a few years ago.

Existing Counter

The old Corian counter needed to go.  It was badly scored and chipped and several burn marks. 

Ripping out the Corian

Plumbing Repairs

Better to do it now – the original was pretty much cobbled together with some very odd hardware

Oak Hardwood Flooring

We have always wanted a wooden counter top and Oak is pretty durable.  Just make sure it is really water tight around the sink – Oak is notorious for blackening when exposed to water.

Oak Being Installed

Rather than nailing I opted to screw – but using the same technique, screws are driven in at about 45 degrees – however, because I wanted a flat surface to attach the front edge, I opted to screw into the groove.

Corner Construction

The corner is jointed using herring bone.

Corner Joint Finished

The joint nicely came together – I made the counter 1-1/2″ deeper by overlapping the original edge of the counter. It was supported by adding a 1″ x 1-1/2″ batten under the front edge.

Finished countertop

The countertop took about a day to install.  The sink was removed and the whole surface was sanded with 180 grit and then wiped clean with Mineral Spirits.  The surface was then flooded with gloss polyurethane and again sanded into the surface using 100 grit.  the surface was wiped again and left to dry.   there were 4 subsequent  layers of vanish which were sanded with 220. and then a final coat – making 6 in all.

Tiles Going Up

Years ago I re-tiled an entire bathroom – in the UK there is a product called PolyCell that is a waterproof tile grout and adhesive – my local hardware store at the time had never heard of such a thing and so I was left with the 3 step process… I hate tiling!  Note to self

– don’t do tiling again!!!!!!