Joining kitchen worktop to tall cupboard

[Steve Wilson]

I need to join a kitchen worktop to a tall cabinet. I can't use a sturdy wooden batten because this would get in the way of the washing machine which is to sit under the worktop at this point. I will use a few very small right-angled fixing brackets, but to get some more strengh I was thinking of driving long screws through the side wall of the tall cabinet and directly into the worktop end. Any views on whether this makes sense, or alternative thoughts? Many thanks, Steve

[PoP]

You might like to think about dowels. Or if you feel up to it search for "cam dowel" on Screwfix - those are the fixings used by MFI and other furniture manufacturers, and would make it relatively painless to decouple the worktop in the future. You'd need to be quite handy with a router to position these though.

Screwing into the end of a worktop is okay, but I'd be tempted to go one step further and drill bigger holes, then stick rawlplugs in with araldite or similar - the rawlplugs will spread the load over a greater area. The load bearing of a screwed hole on the end of chipboard isn't that great, and sometimes worktops can take quite a bit of weight - or thumps with a mallet as SWMBO prepares your evening meal and tenderises your steak.

PoP

[Set Square]

It's ok to screw into the end of the worktop - as long as you're accurate and don't break out above or below!

Rather than angle brackets, I think I would use a strip of aluminium 1" angle, nearly as long as the width of the worktop. Use several screws to screw it to the cupboard, and several more to screw it to the underside of the worktop. This will give better support than brackets - and shouldn't get in the way of the washing machine unless you've got literally zero clearance.

[Mike P]

I'm sure I have seen an anodized metal strip that screws to the cupboard and has a lip that can support the worktop and sits discreetly between the both, else you could mould a wooden baton to go on the top of the worktop.

Mike P.

[BigWallop]

B&Q have a large range of "L" shaped bracket which would be ideal for this job. Just remember to screw the brackets to the worktop first, and have them facing downward to the floor when you offer the edge of the worktop to the cabinet. Also, squirt some silicone sealant across the cut edge of the worktop before tightening it fully against the cabinet, and you won't get as much moisture ingress when it's wiped with a wet cloth.

[Steve Wilson]

Thanks all...

[Lobster]

Another approach (which you could use in addition to, not instead of, the other suggestions) would be to attach a couple of stonking big, standard angle brackets to the wall behind the washing machine, and let that take the bulk of the weight of the worktop, rather than whatever fixing you attach to your tall cabinet. I've done this myself successfully in the past when I had a very similar problem.

David

[PoP]

Well, SWMBO might be tenderising something else if you mess up the worktop ;)

PoP

[RichardS]

Well, you could always cut a rebate in the worktop of the same depth as a batten that is fixed to the tall cupboard - so that the bottom of the batten is flush with the bottom of the worktop. If you only rebate to within 5cm or so of the front of the worktop you can slide it in and the postformed/finished front of the worktop won't be disturbed.

I'd want to seal the cut end/rebate of the worktop with pva or similar to make sure it's strength isn't compromised too much though.

-- Richard Sampson

email me at richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk