The Counters Blog

Most of my large tops are laminated in the field after the top is put on, so only the laminate joint has to be real good. The preparation to make a decent joint and putting it together will easily negate any savings in time, plus the joint will be second rate. I then install a 3/4″ flakeboard cleat that overlaps the seam approximately 8″ on each side, on the underside of one of the pieces to be jointed and glue and staple in place. Are you mirror image routing the laminate, substrate and build up after the tops have been completed? And it is a lot easier for the installer to unwrap the top, scribe, and install.It’s just as quick to do the laminate on site as to do it in the shop. This of course relies on the job not being halfway across the country with the boss unwilling to spring for travel time for a counterguy. It is the fastest, easiest, most efficient way to put two pieces of countertops together. And we’re talking about joining two pieces of countertop, not two pieces of substrate. I have used drawbolts in the past and they do work well, as this is what they are made for. I use a surface-mounted connector that draws the pieces together and has a vertical adjusting screw to fine-tune the surface.I sometimes use a corbel coming at 45 degrees out of such a corner rather than drawbolts (this of course assumes it’s a desk surface rather than a kitchen). We lay up the splashes oversize, rip on the table saw, and use 2″ screws around 6″ on center to attach to decks. The key seems to be a good cut on the splash edges – if you rip the splash net, laminate, then rout the laminate to the splash width, then the joints aren’t going to be as good as ripping pre-laminated pieces. I can see, now that you point it out, that your method will give a better result. If they’re good, flip them upside down and route slots for the drawbolts. It holds pretty well and levels up the joint pretty good too. If you’re talking about joining tops that are already laminated, you can put cleats on both sides of the joint, leaving gaps in the cleat so that you can put draw bolts or “dog bones” in to clamp the joint tight. I leave one old router set up all the time with a spline bit. I never actually join tops together that are already laminated. I then cut biscuit slots on 6″ centers along the seamed joint on each side. Then belt sand the seam area on top to make sure it is level and smooth. I will clean up the glue after trimming the seam with reducer, but will leave the laminate a little long. I have made up countertops over 40′ long in this manner and then fit them together on the job site and have gotten a good seam. The joints are never quite as good as if you staggered substrate and laminate, though. I also use spray contact adhesive and on the job site the odor and flammability are an issue. The tops are then test fitted together to make sure the fit is correct. The joints end up invisible from a few feet away and they stay that way. Then laminate, lining the laminate seam up with the substrate seam. All this makes me wonder if it’s really worth the effort? Are the rest of you guys making tops for a living or just a few tops to go along with your cabinets? Do you build the countertop slightly oversized, and do a mirror cut on it at the break? It doesn’t require any clamps, it’s gives you some flexibility as far as aligning your joint, and in the end, all your doing is using the bolts to hold the joint together and in place until the glue dries. For straight tops in line we laminate the butting ends (after checking the raw substrates for fit). Same thing applies if you miter into a corner, as with a wood grain pattern. We are a two-man shop with limited tools as you are. Color matched caulk where the match is really good, or clear caulk the rest of the time works for us. See how much must be scribed off the tops to make them fit tight to the wall.

How To Connect Laminate Countertops In The Corners by homeguides.sfgate.com

Place the two sections of countertop on top of the sawhorses so the laminate side is facing up and the corners are together. Check the underside of the miter joints to ensure the mortise joints align as well. The miter bolts that fasten the pieces together fit inside the mortise joints. Next place a miter bolt in the mortise closest to the back of the countertop and tighten it until it remains in place. Avoid getting water in the joint or it might affect the glue’s bonding capacity. Some mitered corners have an additional spline that fits between the two pieces of laminate. If there is a corner in the room, you need to purchase countertop material that already has the corners miter-cut based on your kitchen measurements.

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Countertop 31 Joining The Seams | Duration 4 Minutes 53 Seconds Then it’s a simple matter to join the two pieces of countertop together and set them in place on the cabinets. Cover the sawhorses with old sheets or other material to protect the laminate pieces and to keep glue from dripping onto the floor. Check that the fronts and backs of each piece align with each other. There are usually three or more of these cut into both sides of the joints. Separate the sections far enough apart so you can run a generous bead of waterproof wood glue on both sides of the miter. Use a 7/16-inch wrench to tighten the bolt enough so it doesn’t fall out of the mortise. Wipe glue from the countertop’s surface with a damp cloth before the glue dries. The manufacturers create a routed opening parallel to and slightly below the countertop’s surface on both mitered edges.

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Srb Ct Easiest Way Of Joining Kitchen Counter Tops Zipbolt | Duration 26 Seconds Its primary function is to help keep the corner’s surface joint flat.

How To Join Wood Countertops by doityourself.com

Put them together, and then use your saw to make both sides of the angle fit together without leaving a seam. Slide the two countertops towards each other, and then use a temporary screw to hold them in place. When the glue is dry, remove the screw and fix the countertops to the bases. Once you have cut the side on one half of your countertops, you should then measure the same angle on your other.

How To Join Seams In Granite Countertops by todayshomeowner.com

The two sections are then pulled together with lever operated clamps until the glue sets. We are going to use silicone sealant for joints of big granite building. The installer separated the seam by heating the seam from underneath using a propane torch, this basically melted the epoxy in the seam until it dripped like wax & any remaining epoxy was ground off before reinstallation of the granite. You could probably add a bit of powdered universal colorant to the glue to make the seam less noticeable.A special clamping system, known as a seam puller, uses a vacuum pump to attach blocks to each half of the countertop. It is less obvious, inconspicuous and it hides the seam better because it’s simply shorter. The installer wants the seam to be in the middle of the sink opening. Where is the best place for a seam on a long countertop? We are redoing our kitchen and working with a very tight budget so we are going to do the installations ourself. Is there a way to separate the seams to move the tops?

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Diy Wood Countertop | Butcher Block Anyone Can Make | Duration 6 Minutes 34 Seconds What is best way to remove granite tops that are seamed together so as not to break granite.