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27mm thick kitchen worktop ok ?


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Going to put in solid beech kitchen worktop - is 27mm thickness ok ?, do they warp too easily ?

Or, in practice are they ok ?. Would prefer to do 27mm rather than 40mm thickness as lighter and cheaper ?

Any experience from kitchen / boat fitters appreciated 

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Oil it as soon as it’s installed and keep oiling it every 3 to 6 months for life. 
 

Only install it with sliding brackets that will allow it to expand and contract. And allow a 5mm expansion gap at the rear. 
 

Fit it as soon as you buy it. If you MUST store it for a few days, store it flat, in its original packaging, with battens beneath it to allow it to breath. NEVER store it on its side leaning against a wall. 
 

Fit a moisture barrier if it’s going to be covering anything like a fridge, microwave, washing machine etc. 
 

Fit a heat barrier or end cap if it’s going to be close to an oven or hob. 

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1 minute ago, WotEver said:

Oil it as soon as it’s installed and keep oiling it every 3 to 6 months for life. 
 

Only install it with sliding brackets that will allow it to expand and contract. And allow a 5mm expansion gap at the rear. 
 

Fit it as soon as you buy it. If you MUST store it for a few days, store it flat, in its original packaging, with battens beneath it to allow it to breath. NEVER store it on its side leaning against a wall. 
 

Fit a moisture barrier if it’s going to be covering anything like a fridge, microwave, washing machine etc. 
 

Fit a heat barrier or end cap if it’s going to be close to an oven or hob. 

 

Do not use in an area with potentially moist air, or, within 2 metres of any water.

Keep social distancing.

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Thanks. Do you mean this sort of bracket ? Is 27mm a false economy then ? - are there sig less wood expansion warp issues with 40mm ?

... would like wood top so I can do some fancy radius shapes, cant afford acrylic, cant do that sort of thing with laminate...

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5 minutes ago, Sassy Lass said:

Thanks. Do you mean this sort of bracket ? 

That's fine, as long as the slots are orientated across the grain (not along it). 

 

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Do not use in an area with potentially moist air, or, within 2 metres of any water.

Keep social distancing.

Bit of an exaggeration, but you do need to mop up any liquid spills before they have a chance to soak in.

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7 minutes ago, Sassy Lass said:

Thanks. Do you mean this sort of bracket ? Is 27mm a false economy then ? - are there sig less wood expansion warp issues with 40mm ?

... would like wood top so I can do some fancy radius shapes, cant afford acrylic, cant do that sort of thing with laminate...

40mm will be more stable but even so, you could run into trouble with cutting a radius into it. It will very likely be vulnerable to pieces being knocked out.

  An option could be a reclaimed iroko top, not cheap and normally requiring some refinishing but bulletproof and stable.

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49 minutes ago, Sassy Lass said:

are there sig less wood expansion warp issues with 40mm ?

Less yes. Significantly less, difficult to say. 

Expansion would be the same whatever thickness, tendency to warp would be less with the thicker top. 

51 minutes ago, Sassy Lass said:

would like wood top so I can do some fancy radius shapes, cant afford acrylic, cant do that sort of thing with laminate.

Sure you can, but you need a router and template, just like you do with solid wood. 

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3 hours ago, WotEver said:

Oil it as soon as it’s installed and keep oiling it every 3 to 6 months for life. 
 

Only install it with sliding brackets that will allow it to expand and contract. And allow a 5mm expansion gap at the rear. 
 

Fit it as soon as you buy it. If you MUST store it for a few days, store it flat, in its original packaging, with battens beneath it to allow it to breath. NEVER store it on its side leaning against a wall. 
 

Fit a moisture barrier if it’s going to be covering anything like a fridge, microwave, washing machine etc. 
 

Fit a heat barrier or end cap if it’s going to be close to an oven or hob. 

I have a wooden worktop in my kitchen, no expansion gap at the back, no sliding fittings, it has a washing machine and a tumble dryer underneath it with no moisture barrier, and a microwave, toaster and kettle sitting on it. There is no heat barrier by the hob which is fitted into my wooden worktop, and after the first 3 or 4 coats of oil, it gets one per year to keep it fresh and water repellant. It was delivered on it's side in the lorry which brought it from Scotland, and as I had 4 pieces some stayed on it's side in the hall for a few days. I must be very lucky because 11 years later it still looks good. It even has the stainless steel sink set into it, but I would not try with a set under sink and would be cautious with a butler type, wet endgrain is not good. Mine is Cherry, anything but Oak seems OK, Oak marks from tins sitting on it and anything steel tends to make it go black as does water.

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Thanks Detling. Thats reassuring !. 

 

Iroko looks v.nice... a bit of googling suggests I can get the 3.5 linear m I need for kitchen and dinette table for just under £300 new in 27mm (cheaper than reclaimed !?)... so Im tempted !. 

 

Ive got a makita 1/4" hand router which Im hoping will cope if I take my time

 

I dont like square edge laminate  - dont see how I could do an internal radius with 38mm bullnose variety 

and as Im doing dinette table as well there would be a lot of edging to peel away in due course ?

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20 minutes ago, Sassy Lass said:

b*ll*ck$ - my 1/4 palm router isnt going to work for a 30+ mm cut is it

 

I trimmed our 40mm oak worktops using a cheap B&Q 1/2" router. But I did have to buy a long router bit that was deep enough fort the 40mm. These are square edged, but it would have been perfectly possible to use a bearing-guided roundover or other moulding bit afterwards to mould the top and bottom corners.

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4 hours ago, Detling said:

I must be very lucky because 11 years later it still looks good.

I was merely giving best advice. Everyone is free to ignore any advice from anyone. 

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4 hours ago, Sassy Lass said:

Thanks Detling. Thats reassuring !. 

 

Iroko looks v.nice... a bit of googling suggests I can get the 3.5 linear m I need for kitchen and dinette table for just under £300 new in 27mm (cheaper than reclaimed !?)... so Im tempted !. 

 

Ive got a makita 1/4" hand router which Im hoping will cope if I take my time

 

I dont like square edge laminate  - dont see how I could do an internal radius with 38mm bullnose variety 

and as Im doing dinette table as well there would be a lot of edging to peel away in due course ?

The new iroko worktops are of a similar glued batton construction, whereas the reclaimed is made from wide planks. This is better if you are profiling it as there will be no tiny ends of batton left on the edge of the cut which can dislodge over time. The older iroko is often of a lighter colour than the modern composite with amazing grain patterns when finished well.

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17 hours ago, Detling said:

I have a wooden worktop in my kitchen, no expansion gap at the back, no sliding fittings, it has a washing machine and a tumble dryer underneath it with no moisture barrier, and a microwave, toaster and kettle sitting on it. There is no heat barrier by the hob which is fitted into my wooden worktop, and after the first 3 or 4 coats of oil, it gets one per year to keep it fresh and water repellant. It was delivered on it's side in the lorry which brought it from Scotland, and as I had 4 pieces some stayed on it's side in the hall for a few days. I must be very lucky because 11 years later it still looks good. It even has the stainless steel sink set into it, but I would not try with a set under sink and would be cautious with a butler type, wet endgrain is not good. Mine is Cherry, anything but Oak seems OK, Oak marks from tins sitting on it and anything steel tends to make it go black as does water.

Can pretty much repeat this.  I have wooden worktops at home and on the boat.  Shaped ends with a decent jigsaw followed by a bit of sanding.

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  • 1 year later...
On 31/05/2020 at 14:57, WotEver said:

Oil it as soon as it’s installed and keep oiling it every 3 to 6 months for life. 
 

Only install it with sliding brackets that will allow it to expand and contract. And allow a 5mm expansion gap at the rear. 
 

Fit it as soon as you buy it. If you MUST store it for a few days, store it flat, in its original packaging, with battens beneath it to allow it to breath. NEVER store it on its side leaning against a wall. 
 

Fit a moisture barrier if it’s going to be covering anything like a fridge, microwave, washing machine etc. 
 

Fit a heat barrier or end cap if it’s going to be close to an oven or hob. 

 

Blimey! I didn't do any of that when I installed my worktops nearly 17 years ago. I wonder if they are going to be ok? 

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On 29/09/2021 at 10:49, calfehon said:

There`s no right or wrong answer that works for everyone… 27mm isn`t the minimum thickness.

While even a budget solid wood countertop will last a very long time and look great for years with proper care, it's reasonable to expect the thicker countertop option to last largely a lifetime. By being able to sand and treat the thicker work surface several times, you have less to worry about small spills and stains that you don't get in time. If you're really good at DIY, you can add edges to a thinner work surface to make it look thicker. I can also suggest considering this option Quartz Worktops Leeds I bought one for myself, I understand it's stone, but might be interested as an extra option.      

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