Worktop joins for a DIY'er

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Jupiter01

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I have a laminate worktop going into a U-shaped kitchen.

I don't own a router and the process of implementing this type of join looks pretty daunting. On the other extreme, is the option to use the metal strips on top of the worktop - where this join meets.

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Is there any middle ground, where I can dispense with the worktop join strips and not run the risk of ruining the worktop?

Thanks in advance.
 
I'm definately a diyer and i've done a few worktop joints with a worktop jig and a router. Its not as hard as it first looks.
 
the metal strips will always irritate you and its a dead giveaway for a DIY fitted kitchen

As Lower says, its not that hard, hire or buy a router and a jig and do it your self

you need: a 30mm template guide and a 1/2" x 50mm router bit

and you will need some sealant for the joint


these are great:
www.screwfix.com

Erbauer 1/2" Shank Double-Flute Straight Router Cutter 12.7 x 50.8mm - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. High quality, durable design. Produce a smooth edge on a workpiece and precise, flat bottomed grooves. Suitable for kitchen worktops. Recommended for use with hand-held routers. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.
www.screwfix.com www.screwfix.com
 
johnny2007 said:
Hire someone to do it for you.
I used to do them for £60/cut if it was local.
Well worth the money if you don't have the tools and don't know how to do it.
Click to expand...

Agreed, there are outfits called things like Mr Mitre. The guy will turn up and do it for you.

Doing it yourself is not as difficult as it might initially seem, but if you make a mistake, it could prove to be very expensive. I have no idea how much they charge, but £300 for someone to come along and do the first set of meeting profiled edges and then trimming the next one, plus routing out the underside for the connector bars, strikes me as being reasonable.

For you to do it yourself. You need a router with the correct sized bush and router bit, plus a template. You can get that for less than the number I made up (£300) but then you need to learn how to use those tools. That said, a decent template is gonna be more than £100
 
johnny2007 said:
Hire someone to do it for you.
I used to do them for £60/cut if it was local.
Well worth the money if you don't have the tools and don't know how to do it.
Click to expand...
Likewise. I haven't done any for a few years, but up here it was £50 a pop ten years ago, which when you condsider the amount of gear that I had to own to do the job (and maintain it), plus the new cutter that was purchased every 2 or 3 joints, I don't think was too bad. Especially given that if b@llsed up a worktop the cost of the new one was coming out of my pocket. The other thing I always had to do was to check the cabinets to ensure that they were all level - and I'd say that 1 in 4 or 5 kitchens was off and needed adjustment.

opps said:
For you to do it yourself. You need a router with the correct sized bush and router bit, plus a template. You can get that for less than the number I made up (£300) but then you need to learn how to use those tools. That said, a decent template is gonna be more than £100
Click to expand...
A decent 1/2in router is a minimum of £200 (mine was actually nearer to £600 - Festool), guide bush (£15), centring mandrel (£15), fresh cutter (£12), template jig (£100 plus, again mine, which can do a lot more including out of square corners was over £250), trestles - ideally 4 no (£80+), circular or jig saw (for rough cutting to length), etc - which runs to over £350 in anyone's money. I reckon with things like the vacuum joint pullers, falling drainer grooving jigs, Belfast jig, etc my expenditure was well over £1500 (at today's prices) before adding in the solid surface gear for things Corian tops, sanders for solid wood tops, etc. A laminate top is probably one of the easier jobs to do, requiring a modest tool kit in comparison to solid surface work. But then again a trade fitter is supposed to be able to handle anything which comes their way...
 
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Thanks for the replies. Having it done by someone makes most sense. Economical sense too. I am unlikely to use this specific equipment again, even if I did decide to purchase this.

However, not sure how this works practically. After the worktop has been cut and joined, I need to do the cut out for sink and hob. This will need me to take the worktop out again and cut these out??
 
Jupiter01 said:
After the worktop has been cut and joined, I need to do the cut out for sink and hob. This will need me to take the worktop out again and cut these out??
Click to expand...
You can often do the cut outs with the tops in-situ but not yet fixed (just in case there are any obstructions below the worktop). Most cut outs in standard laminate worktops can be done with a circular saw (fine tooth blade, starting with a plunge cut) set to the right depth You'l need a sharp hand saw or jig saw to deal with the corners of the cuts. Don't forget to seal the cut edges around the cut-outs with something like silicone or an oil-based gloss paint. You also need to do the same with unlaminated cut ends, even if they end up butted to walls. Visible ends need to be laminated and flush trimmed (there should be one or two lengths of matching laminate/edging tape supplied with the worktop, although some manufacturers do charge a bit extra for it - normally fixed in place with contact adhesive)
 
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