Forming Countertops

This phase of the kitchen remodel the hardest part is building the butcher block countertops. There are 3 options for building butcher block - edge grain, end grain, or face grain.

For end grain, you glue up blocks and cut squares so that then you can then glue the squares together. Getting the squares the same thickness is really hard, as is getting that many tight glue joints. The benefit is in the cutting surface, it's easier on knives and doesn't show scratches or cut marks. But to do something the size of an entire kitchen countertop? really tough. That's a lot of glue work.

Edge grain is the one that I see the most often. Basically you cut a bunch of boards to random lengths but make sure they are all the same width & thickness. It's a good idea to mix color & species of wood for an interesting visual effect. The time all goes into the prep work, if one board is too thick then you won't get a clean glue joint. You glue the faces together so you can get any length & thickness you want in the butcher block, so it is appropriate for a countertop. Plane the boards to between .75" and 1" thick, rip to about 1.5" wide, and you end up with a 1.5" thick countertop in any length you want.

I went with face grain. The local sawmill sells rough sawn oak 2x6 lumber $20 for a 16 foot long board. I bought 5 of them and had my countertops for only $100. First I cut them to length for the sections I needed, total was only about 13', but I had to pick the best parts out of each board. Then I ran through the table saw to get the boards ripped to width, I needed a 25" countertop so I cut 5 of each length and ripped to just over 5" wide. Then I ran them through the planer to finish dressing. Then it's time to glue up!

Notice the long boards on the back left

That's a nice tight glue joint

That is not going to add up to a nice tight glue joint

Plan 2 for the big section with a sink hole

Glue 2 pieces at a time

The 2nd largest piece

Only hit one real snag. The longest boards had a tough time getting through the table saw for some reason. So I didn't get a good edge for a glue joint. Also I was kind of wondering how to cut out the hole for the sink. So I actually got some decent measurements for the sides of the sink and cut those boards shorter so they would have an easier time in the table saw. Then I was able to get some decent glue joints.

After getting a reasonable glue up there is a lot of finishing to do for these. Scrape and sand everything flat, get the edges treated....

Starting phase 2 of the kitchen

We're launching into a kitchen remodel, phase 2. It starts with before pictures

The smallest piece of cabinet ever

This green inside paint is actually the new color - I was late

These cabinets are also supposed to get the same upgrades

The plan for this phase is pretty straightforward. We want to replace the tile countertops with butcher block, that is the part that takes the most work for me. We are also going to paint the cabinets and change out the cabinet hardware. The sink is pretty beat up too, so we're looking at a single basin undermount model and a new faucet as well. Fancy stuff there! We're going to finish it off by replacing that mirror backsplash with some ceramic tile.

First step for me is to glue up the countertops. Got to get those formed and ready to install. Then, demo of those tile. Kelley has hated the tile since we moved in here 10 years ago and really wants something flat. This is going to be a ride.

Couple of Pictures

I uncovered the boat! Proof that it still exists.

I am standing on top of the quad twin bunk bed, and got taller than the power cord going into the house

Got the family down to the beach for a night the weekend after installing the quad

Still haven't figured out how the cat got up on top of the door

Quads are a go!

I sold a set of quad twin beds, needed to be built in an L shape. Let's make some more beds!

It starts as a massive pile of wood

I got the supports and slats cut to length

Assembled the supports and started the first frame

Got 2 of the 4 frames built up

Got it standing!Those supports are super tall

All 4 are standing

And they need to come down. They were too tall

Replaced all of the supports and got it standing again

Got the ladder in place and the safety rails

And that's how you build a quad twin bed setup. That's all it takes!

The client was very concerned about headroom under the top bunk, and wanted extra room underneath the beds for suitcases. This one is getting installed into a VRBO out on the NC coast. The room was very small, but has a high ceiling. Unfortunately, I still made the beds too tall, so had to buy new supports, then move the ladder rungs to the outside.

Eventually, I had to take the whole thing apart, number everything so I could put it back together, paint it and get it down to the coast. I actually ran out of time, and got really lucky that the client was very fun. He had a buddy down there. I was able to take it all down primed, install onsite, and paint it there!

That's a lot of parts to prime. About 16, really. Usually these things come down to 4 parts

The ocean view from the condo at install

Installed and painted!

The view from the top. That fan is a bit close.

When it was all said and done, I got drove back to Raleigh and got home at 2 am. Still had to work the next day. ugh. But the client sent this picture of the finished product. And that sunset picture actually made the local news! So cool.

SO COOL Thanks Wes!

This turned out to be a great product. The client loved it. It fit in the room with about an inch to spare on each side. And this entire thing was designed, built, rebuilt, and installed in 2 weeks.