Island units and worktops

MarkZ

For an island unit, since all 4 sides are showing, can I do a laminate worktop that is finished on all 4 sites requiring no metal 'end cap' pieces.

I suspect that to do this, I would need to think about a more expensive worktop - eg granite/wood/corian so that of the 4 sides of the island worktop is identical..

Thanks for any info

looksee

Yes, you can get laminate edging - I have a corner of a counter cut off and the diagonal edge is laminated. I dont know whether you can get one with a laminate curve though.

Buford T Justice

Yeah. You can generally get a laminate edging wherever you get the worktop from. Get a good contact adhesive and a flat file, and you can make good the edges around it.

You're worktop would be standard 600MM thick, and you would need a deeper one for an island generally, but should also be double nosed, so only the ends would need to be finished off.

antiskeptic

MarkZ wrote: »

For an island unit, since all 4 sides are showing, can I do a laminate worktop that is finished on all 4 sites requiring no metal 'end cap' pieces.

I suspect that to do this, I would need to think about a more expensive worktop - eg granite/wood/corian so that of the 4 sides of the island worktop is identical..

Thanks for any info

You could pop into the likes of Chadwicks or some flooring company and pick up some end-of-line solid flooring and use it to make a nice countertop. Mines cherry.

Buford T Justice

antiskeptic wrote: »

You could pop into the likes of Chadwicks or some flooring company and pick up some end-of-line solid flooring and use it to make a nice countertop. Mines cherry.

Not a bad idea.... Incidentally, how thick is it?

antiskeptic

Fingers McGee wrote: »

Not a bad idea.... Incidentally, how thick is it?

About 18mm. I laid a sheet of MDF over the carcasses - letting it overhang the front by 20mm or so. Then built the flooring up on top - gluing and screwing - from back to front, letting it overhang the MDF by 5mm or so. In my case I got a piece of stainless folded into a piece of angle to hide the MDF edge but it could be painted instead.

4 or 5 coats of Diamond Coat floor varnish on top and it's bulletproof. Even the surround around the sink is like new 8 years on (although I take care to wipe it dry and don't let it puddles sit)

The material was a remnant of a remnant bought from Chadwicks to do a floor

galwaydude18

The laminate edging always comes with the worktop. It does be loose in the packaging. You need contact adhesive applied to the worktop edge and the laminate. Let it go tacky but completly dry. Press both surfaces together taking care to apply even pressure and work the laminate along as once its stuck it's stuck.

Once that is done get a really sharp block plane and plane the excess off then file the edges until its completly level making sure not to file off too much as you could eat into the worktop laminate and have a black mark(s) that you will not be able to hide unless it's black worktop of course.

Just take your time and don't rush the job.

shelby_500

Markz,

You can get island tops with finished edges in laminate, however i found the top edge sharp, esspecially when it is curved, i also quality was poor in laminate cheaper looking, id choose granite or corian as wood is hard to keep and will need alot of maintance,
the cost between corian and granite not much in diffrence so granite would be good choice as the finish is better and looks very nice, my kitchen was recently done in
granite including island in centre and looks terrific.