Compact laminate butt joint

[enzo808]

Hello all, would appreciate some advice here.
I have a contractor doing house renovations.
Bought a u shaped kitchen which he is fitting but he is struggling with the Compact Laminate joints (butt joint).
The joints have a visible gap which is an eyesore and far from the seamless look I expected. I've expressed I'm not happy with it and so far he's tried the biscuit with glue method. But the kitchen retailer have also supplied zipbolt connectors to join the worktops with, which I've suggested he uses in combination with the biscuits and glue.

I've attached images of what it looks like but does anyone have any advice on how to resolve this? I came across Colorfill worktop compound, would this do the trick or is the gap too large?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

If you wanted completely seamless then you should have gone to solid surface (Corian, Staron, etc), and even there some colourways show a (faintly) visible joint if you look carefully. The supplied Zipbolts plus biscuits and Colorfill will give a good joint, but it will still be faintly visible. What did the showroom have?

 

[enzo808]

If you wanted completely seamless then you should have gone to solid surface (Corian, Staron, etc), and even there some colourways show a (faintly) visible joint if you look carefully. The supplied Zipbolts plus biscuits and Colorfill will give a good joint, but it will still be faintly visible. What did the showroom have?

Faintly visible I can deal with. Wasn't aware this would be an issue before deciding as it's my first time buying a kitchen. The store had laminate, compact laminate and quartz. Not sure if they offer solid surface I actually thought it's the same as compact laminate but reading now SS is made out of acrylic.

 

[Stuart981]

Faintly visible I can deal with. Wasn't aware this would be an issue before deciding as it's my first time buying a kitchen. The store had laminate, compact laminate and quartz. Not sure if they offer solid surface I actually thought it's the same as compact laminate but reading now SS is made out of acrylic.

When I did my worktops I used biscuits joints and clamp bolts. It needs some serious skill to do all that and easy to mess up. Don't really see how you can get a decent tight joint without clamping.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

The store had laminate, compact laminate and quartz. Not sure if they offer solid surface I actually thought it's the same as compact laminate but reading now SS is made out of acrylic.

Laminate is basically phenolic plastic. A lot of quartz seems to be an acrylic/quartz amalgam. Solid surface is either acrylic or an acrylic copolymer with something like polyurethane added in

Some years back solid surface fitters started to use the same type of suction seaming clamps that the granite and glass kads have used for maybe 25 years or so. They look like this:

and allow the user to not only pull the worktops together, but also to level them through the joint so you don't get a lip. Half decent versions of these are nowadays about £150 a pair (they used to.be a lot more expensive), so TBH I'd expect a kitchen fitter, as opposed to a joiner or builder, to either own a pair or at least to hire them for tight flush joints on compact laminate, solid surface, etc

Don't really see how you can get a decent tight joint without clamping.

Of course you can't. With Zip bolts and care you should be able to get an acceptable result, but with the right tools (i.e. seam clamps) it is easier and faster to get a good result. I have used this type of clamp a few times on standard laminate top joints where the laminate was slightly cupped, and they were really good for that, too

 

[haringey_sash_w]

I find even the top kitchen fitters tend to step back from the install of the counter tops and leave it to the suppliers. They have the experience and as some of them are so expensive makes sense to leave it to the specialists.

 

[Justin Passing]

That's silly. The bloke doesn't know what he's doing.
You use a carbide or diamond bit, slowly, normal 1/2" router and a jig designed to allow a 3mm deep slice, so it's a skinny version of the laminated chipboard mitre. The joint should be almost invisible. There must be a youtube....

Checked - yes there are plenty.


I have one straight diamond bit. Quite expensive. (£100 ish?) Got it when a bathroom fitter said he couldn't get round a basin. He probably "fitted" your kitchen.

 

[blup]

A plunge saw with new blade should be fine, the scribe has to be accurate and the as j and k says use the suction clamps.

The only other question is where is j and k?

Blup

 

[Justin Passing]

A plunge saw with new blade should be fine, ........
Blup

If there's the usual small radius on the top edge though, you need a small mitre. True you can use a file or hand saw though .

 

[muryashar]

I think it is already fitted and the the color fill may have already cured. As far as I knew you needed simply a cookie to level the two worktops up and to use a 2-component epoxy glue to bind the two compact laminate worktops. I believe that this method could have done a similar job less the suction cups. Any comments?

 

[enzo808]

Thanks all for your replies. Have bought some Top Seal from unika. Will see if that does the trick.