I'm fairly new to diy, but have (maybe foolishly) decided to refurbish my kitchen. The biggest thing I'll be doing is replacing the worktops, and am trying to find the best information on how to do this. I've read the posts on here which I've found useful, but wondered if there was a good idiots guide that anyone could recommend. I've got the standard Collins and Readers Digest DIY Manuals, but these don't have anything on fitting worktops.
Also, I've bought the tools (router, jigsaw, circular sawl) but again am a complete novice when it comes to using them. Any good books on best way to use them?
If you've got a proper news reader you might want to visit us direct at uk.d-i-y rather than through diybanter.com which is just a web page wrapped around the newsgroup proper, and is likely to muck about with the order of messages and replies :-(
I've just been doing this, and am somewhat more experienced at diy than I was when I started! There are many more experienced people here, but here are my views.
Assuming you have a clue (about things in general, like how to use a spirit level and so forth) it's basically straight forward, and will take three times longer than however long you estimated it would take. It will also generate 10 times more dust.
Experience is best. I was a novice with a router when I started. I still am, but I managed a successful mitred join (you need a jig for this too). The router will need to be a 1/2" one to cut a worktop, and you will need a 30mm bush.
If you've never used any of the tools before, then I suggest trying them out on some scrap wood before doing a real cut, if only to get the feel for them. You'll want some earplugs and a mask for using the router. I have some protective glasses too, but to be honest they're not much good, and the sawdust gets under them in any case.
When cutting, make sure you cut along a line, and that you know where the blade is cutting. Plenty of things to get wrong here - for example, don't draw a line, decide that the proper cut needs to be 5mm away from it, and attempt to eyeball it. If your saw has the ability to cut at an angle (and I've never seen one which doesn't) then make sure you have it in the straight cut position. In general, cut with the worktop face down, and cut into the front of the worktop to avoid pushing the laminate out.
For cutting worktop to length, I used a circular saw. The finish isn't great, but I was fitting protective endcaps on in any case, so it didn't matter.
I cut the sink cutout with a jigsaw. A fine pitch blade takes forever - whereas a nice jagged blade is *much* quicker, and perfectly adequate. I was quite surprised at how effective it was - expected it to be much harder work! As you approach the corners, turn early rather than late! I turned a bit late, overshot the corner, and my sink only
*just* covers the cutout in the corners....
The biggest thing you'll be doing is fitting the sink, not fitting the worktop, and this is not the time or the place to learn how to plumb (constricted space!), so you might want to practice this on something first! You can actually do this non-destructively. For example, use a washing machine hose connected at one end to a washing machine tap, piece of pipe, any connections you fancy practicing with, and terminated in a stop end. Connect the other end of your w/m pipe to the tap where your actual washing machine is currently connected. Open the supply and see what leaks....
Oh yes. You'll want to buy quite a lot of Tesco's value kitchen roll, for mopping up, checking for leaks, and so forth...
Did you cut the cut-out for the sink before fitting the worktop, or once it was in place? I can see the advantage of cutting it with the worktop well away from the units (less dust, etc) but how safe is it to move a heavy worktop around when there's a great big hole in it almost as wide as the worktop is? Isn't there a danger that it will snap?
Yes, if you're not careful. I always cut the hole with the worktop in situ but not fixed, i.e. I can slide it around so that cupboard edges support the bit being removed. Stantons of Weybridge who did the mitres and edging on my new tops will not deliver tops with cutouts: if you want them to do the cutouts you have to collect.
Beforehand. I'd have needed a blade that cut on the downstroke to do it afterwards? Though I'm not convinced how much risk there really is of pulling the laminate away - my worktop seems pretty tough so far!
I put the worktop on the units, put the sink upside down on top (symmetrical sink), decided where I wanted it, drilled a hole through the centre of the plug hole. turned the worktop over, and put the sink back on to mark out where I needed to cut.
As for snapping - in my case the cutout was close to the end, so I had a solid piece of worktop, cutout, and then not much. The little bit and the end didn't weigh much, so I held the worktop at one end of the solid section, and my wife held the other end of the solid bit, and the cutout section looked after itself. I was much more worried about the cutout ripping away from the main worktop as I was cutting it, so I clamped some timber underneath it to support it.
The worktop still isn't fitted properly anyway - as I haven't yet done the hot water plumbing for the sink. Wanted to get a tap - even with just cold water - and some drainage in for this week, as I'm not going to be able to do any more work on the kitchen for another week and a half. So the tap wobbles (because the pipes under aren't clipped), the worktop can be shoved, etc, but it's a whole lot better than no sink at all!
As for fiting the worktop, you are taking on a great deal for a newbie. I suggest you run through the steps perhaps more than once until you are a little more adept.
Get some shuttering-ply cut to the width of the worktops and use them as your first attempt.
You will find that you can not cut the ends square to a perfect fit. At least in most homes that is true. That is because the walls will probably not be square. The trick used in getting around this is to hack off a 2" strip of plaster deep enough to accomodate the tops and leave no gaps. Bear in mind that a tiled splash-back will hide some 1/4" or so. Another alternative is to scribe the back. Difficult for the edge though!
Then you need to mark where abutting tops overlap so you can mark where the angle has to be cut.
This is for units that run around to adjoining walls. They are very unlikely to meet at 90 degrees.
When all is ready for the sink unit, you are going to have to lay the sink inverted over the top at the place where it is going to be fitted, run a pencil line around it and cut out some 1/2" inch or so inside this. You will now be able to see how much of the cupboards need to be removed to accomodate the basin.
Just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have replied so far. This info is really useful stuff. I'm happy to get stuck in to mos things, but it's not knowing how to start that's the scary bit. Already figured out I'd made my first big mistake yesterday when realised I needed a 1/2 inch router - and I've bought a 1/ inch....Still, it's a learning curve. Please feel free to give all th advice you can. I'll be reading with interest and will keep you poste on progress
I suggest you cut large holes at the corners first using a holesaw, then jigsaw between them (I did a worktop recently this way with a 60-65mm diameter holecutter and it worked excellently). If lacking a holecutter - though they are cheap - you could I suppose use the largest drill you've got but it is unlikely to be as satisfactory. NB never be tempted to use the jigsaw against a straight-edge! For reasons I can't understand but which are well recognised, the blade goes awry and messes up the cut something rotten. Just scribe or draw a line and cut freehand, carefully. The whole job (inc. routing mitred joins with a jig) looks daunting to a newbie but in my case was far easier than I had expected. Just measure everything twice then once again for luck...
trip (They didn't have them in Wickes. However I found them unbearably slow to use. When I used the normal rough cut ones these were fine, especially as the lip of the sink covers the cut. However there was really very minor chipping anyway. I think you probably only need these for something where the cut will be on display.
BTW I also got found out due to Germanic efficiency when I went through the x-ray machine at the airport and ended up having to put my bag in the baggage hold!
trip (They didn't have them in Wickes. However I found them unbearably slow to use. When I used the normal rough cut ones these were fine, especially as the lip of the sink covers the cut. However there was really very minor chipping anyway. I think you probably only need these for something where the cut will be on display.
BTW I also got found out due to Germanic efficiency when I went through the x-ray machine at the airport and ended up having to put my bag in the baggage hold!
I'm intrigued by these references to routing a mitred worktop join, and don't really understand where the routing comes in and what exactly has to be done.
I will be fitting worktops to an L-shaped run of base units. Which is recommended, making a 45-degree join across the corner, or running one worktop wall-to-wall and butting the other up against the edge of it? Presumably it's the 45-degree join and this where the routing is required - but what routing and how are the two bits of worktop fixed together?
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