Open Up The Kitchen Please!

Sometimes the biggest changes to your home aren't the most expensive. For example, you could spend $10k remodeling your kitchen and upgrade everything and still feel cramped in a small room. For these homeowners in the Brentwood area, their budget was much lower, but the change was remarkable.

The split-level home was built with a kitchen wall that divided the kitchen from the living room. The problem was that the wall seemed to 'stick out' and make the rooms feel too divided. The homeowners also wanted more room for setting up a large dining room table for family gatherings. The solution was to remove part of the wall.

Unlike a couple of my other recent projects, this wall was load-bearing, supporting the ceiling joists from the two adjacent rooms. This meant that I would have to carefully build temporary walls along each side before tearing out the old framing and putting in a beefy 2x10 header. The header would extend all the way across the space to the outside wall. To save a little money, we decided to leave the header exposed and covered with drywall than to cut out ceiling joists and conceal it in the ceiling.

There was very little trim to do because I finished all the edges with drywall, however, I did make a small shelf for the serving window out of nice piece of 1x6 poplar. I notched the ends so that the board would seem to extend wider than the opening and give the effect of a window sill.

After removing around 32" of the wall, there was a little bit of hardwood flooring to patch in. It's always tricky to match the color of 50 year old hardwood floors perfectly, but this one seemed to blend in well with a coat of "natural" stain on some red oak.

The change made an incredible difference in this kitchen which now seems more integrated into the living room and ready for family!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Inglewood Cottage Kitchen- Before and After

The kitchen at my Inglewood Cottage project needed some creativity to get to the shape it's in today- fabulous!!

(Professional photos by Zach Goodyear.)

Here are some of the challenges that were overcome:
1. Open the wall up between the kitchen and dining area and make it an arch to match the other doorways in the home (this post).
2. Make a spot to install a dishwasher next to the sink (this post).
3. Add counterspace on the wall next to the range where there previously was none.
4. Build a cabinet next to the dishwasher and over the range to hold the new hood (this post).
5. Level the floor around the back door (this post).
6. Make it all look like it fits with the character of the house.

I'd say we accomplished our goals.


The old kitchen had some good parts, namely, the cabinets. They were build to last and there was no reason to replace them. Instead, everything else is new- floors, counters, backsplash- but the cabinets just got some fresh paint and new hardware. Actually the cabinets are probably better built than many of the budget cabinets available today.

The subway tile backsplash is one of my favorite parts of the renovation, as well as the cabinets I got to build for above the range and next to the dishwasher. Nothing fancy, but it was fun to build a new cabinet and try to make it match the old so well that you wouldn't think it was new.

In addition to the cosmetic changes, the kitchen also got all new wiring and plumbing. It's ready for business!

By the way, when we got finished the homeowners listed the home for sale on a Friday and had it under contract before the open house on Sunday! Wow! I new it would get some attention, but that's an amazing story, especially in our current real estate market.


Check out all the articles related to this project at this link.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Tips for Cutting and Installing a Laminate Countertop

It's pretty amazing to consider the options you have available for countertops these days. From some of the most beautiful polished stone designs and custom concrete to solid surface or less-expensive laminate.

For my Inglewood Cottage project we wanted the high-end look without the price tag (who doesn't, right?) so the homeowners chose a textured black custom laminate top that had the look of a natural stone. My job was to install it. Here are some tips for cutting and installing a laminate counter.

CUT THE COUNTER LENGTH
This was a simple galley kitchen that would be just a matter of cutting the counter to the right length and then making a place for the sink. I measured the space and cut the counter around 3/8" short so that I have enough wiggle room to side it in.

To make the cut I first put painters tape across the counter. This serves two purposes: 1) It helps me see my pencil line on the black counter & 2) It helps prevent any chipping or scratches from my saw while I'm making the cut. I use a jig saw to first cut through the backsplash and the back corner. Then I cut the rest from the front.

After the counter is in place on the cabinets, it's very important to get it level. This is especially important because I'm tiling the backsplash and I want it to be level along the top of the counter. Leveling is a matter of securing the counter at the high point and then shimming the low points to bring them up to level before adding screws in those areas. It's worth the time to make sure it's level both left-to-right and front-to-back.

CUT OUT THE SINK

Cutting out the sink is a time to measure at least twice. If anything, make the hole a little small. You can always make it bigger... :) Usually, it is centered on the sink cabinet. Look inside and see if there are any braces that will get in the way. In my case, I wanted the sink to be as far back on the counter as possible. This would give me just enough room to get the sink in these particular cabinets.

I like to start by using a hole saw to make a hole in each corner. Sink corners are normally not square, so this allows for more of the counter to support the sink. I then use a reciprocal saw and carefully cut along the back before I use the jig saw to cut out the rest. However, before you completely cut out the sink hole, place a board across the opening and screw it to the piece that's in the way of the sink. This keeps it from falling or breaking off before you're ready.

Mounting the sink requires a little silicone caulk under the lip and sink mounting clips underneath. You can usually get these wherever you buy sinks, but make sure they fit your particular sink. I've had cases when I'm reusing an old sink and they need a unique sink mounting clip. Unfortunately, they aren't one-size-fits-all.

With the counter and sink in, I'm ready to think about the upcoming subway tile backsplash. Stay tuned for that,

Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Build a Basic Cabinet

After removing some kitchen cabinets next to the sink to make room for the new dishwasher, (see this post), I had a 36" space to work with. The dishwasher is only 24" wide, so what should we do with the extra 12"?

Let's build a cabinet.

The homeowners wanted something simple so I thought I could make a 12" cabinet to match the originals in the kitchen, except it would have two open shelves rather than any doors or drawers. Here's the basic process:

CABINET FACE

1. The hardest part is to make the face of the cabinet. Before you start, consider the exact width and height and exactly where you want the shelves and toe kick. For this project, I could easily measure the existing cabinets and design mine to match.

2. Once I had the dimensions in mind, I ripped some old boards that came from the house that were the same thickness as the original 7/8" thick cabinet faces.

3. Make the joints. The original cabinets were assembled using something called a half-lap joint. It's made by removing half of each piece so that when they are joined the surfaces are flush. It's sort of like working with Lincoln Logs... :)

I cut the joints on my table saw by setting the fence to the maximum depth of the joint, in my case, 1 1/2". I set the saw depth so that it would cut exactly half-way through the piece. After the first cut, make successive cuts from that point all the way to the end of the piece or as wide as the notch needs to be. (By the way, use all the appropriate safety precautions so you keep your fingers.) It's a great idea to test fit a couple pieces and adjust the height and fence until you're sure that the pieces will fit snugly and flush with each other.



4. I dry-fit the face of the cabinet to make sure it was right and then assembled it with glue and clamped it in place until it was dry.

CABINET BODY
5. Next, I needed to make the body of the cabinet which would consist of plywood sides and back. I cut the sides first out of cabinet-grade 3/4" plywood which is sanded smooth and free of knots, etc. The quality for this is not all that important because it will be hidden. Mainly, for this cabinet, I'm trying to match the quality of the original cabinets that were 70 years old...

6. The last piece would be the plywood for the back. This adds strength and holds it all together. Usually, some 1/4" plywood is fine for this.

7. With a smaller cabinet, this is a good time to think about shelf supports because it's easier to install them before the cabinet is assembled. Usually, a simple piece 3/4" plywood along the side is enough to hold the shelves. Make sure that you adjust the height of the supports so that the shelf height is flush with the face frame. This allows the face piece to hide the edge of the shelf and makes it look much better.

LET'S ASSEMBLE
8. This cabinet would be painted, so It wasn't as important to hide all the fasteners and get too fancy. Remember, I'm trying to keep it simple and not spend to much time (and money) to get this cabinet done. So, instead of assembling with biscuits or even pocket screws, I stood the pieces up, made sure everything was square, glued and nailed them in place with my finish nailer. With a little putty those nail holes will disappear after it's painted.

9. All that's left is to cut a couple shelves to the right size and add the toe kick. I suppose you wouldn't have to nail the shelves in place, but I like to secure them unless they are adjustable.

10. Lastly, add a corner brace or two in the places where the countertop will be secured. You'll be happy you did when you go to screw down the countertop.

Paint it and you're done! For mine, the paint will come later. It was still fun to create a functional piece like this that will get a lot of use and match the original cabinets.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Open Up The Kitchen Wall

After seeing the results of one of my recent projects where I opened up the wall in one of their neighbor's kitchens (this project), these homeowners decided to have me do the same to their home. It's always a rewarding project when you get to be part of such a dramatic transformation in such a short amount of time.

This a newer neighborhood so the homes, although somewhat different, are built with nearly the same layout, making this job very similar to the other one that I did. This was NOT a load-bearing wall, which helps speed things up and saves a little money as well.


The countertop was made by my friend Chris Barber over at Barber Woodworking. It's made out of red oak and stained with an "Early American" stain color to nearly perfectly match the cabinets throughout the kitchen. As always, Chris does great work and created a wonderful centerpiece for this entertaining space.


In this picture you can see where Chris was scribing the end that would butt up to the wall so that he could cut it to fit perfectly. He used the same bolting system as last time to secure the countertop to the framing. (See this post.)

I also installed three art-glass pendant lights that not only provide a lot of light to show off the new countertop, but also bring out some of the homeowner's character in the project.

With a Thanksgiving gathering coming up, I'm sure these clients will enjoy sharing their transformed kitchen with friends and family who will gather there.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Final Touches for the Kitchen Tile

As I mentioned before, this was a quick tile job because I had to get it done before the homeowners got back from their short vacation. I made it by my deadline and all were happy...

I grouted the floor on Saturday with a sanded grout color called cinnamon. When it was wet it had a deep red tint to it but darkened to more of a reddish brown as it dried. The homeowners picked it out and it matches the red hues in this ceramic tile very well and looks great with the red accents in their kitchen and dining room.

My job today was to just install the transition trim in the doorways as well as shoe moulding around the walls. This was fairly straight-forward except for a couple tricky angles under a small cabinet.

I was pleased with the results, and thankfully, so were my clients... :)

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Layout for the Kitchen Tile

After getting all the Hardibacker down (this post), I spent some time laying out a plan. The tile that I was using was 13 1/8" square and we would use 1/4" grout lines. This means that each tile plus one grout line takes up 13 3/8" or 13.375".

Using this dimension I measured the walls of the room to see how best to lay the tile. I was hoping to start with a full piece at the doorway and end up with around a half a piece at the opposite wall. This plan worked well and I could tell by dividing the length or width of the room by 13.375.

I wanted to end with a full piece at the doorway, however, these would be the last pieces that I install so I don't tile myself into a corner. I would have to start somewhere in the kitchen and work my way into the dining room.

To figure out a good starting point I considered how many full pieces it would take to reach the kitchen. I did the math and 8 full pieces would end at 107" from the doorway that I wanted to end at (8 x 13.375"). I made my horizontal guideline a 107" and parallel to the dining room wall. (Thankfully, the walls in this home were nearly perfectly parallel and square which helps my layout a lot!)

I found the position of my vertical guideline in much the same way, figuring out where the tiles would line up if I wanted the edge pieces under the kitchen cabinets to be large and the ones along the walls to be at least half a piece of tile. I used a framing square to get started and then snapped a chalk-line. I like to go over the chalk-lines with a Sharpie marker so they're a little more permanent. Otherwise the lines might fade from me walking on them, etc.

With all of that work done, it was time to start with the real work! As you can see in the picture above I started tiling in the kitchen doorway and did the entire kitchen first. Then I worked down one side of the dining room and then the other.

No matter how much planning I do, I'm always amazed when it comes out perfectly. When I got to my last pieces at the door, they were in the perfect spot and I didn't even have to cut them! (I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but... :)

BTW, the owner had bought the tile for me ahead of time and I ended up with only ONE extra piece! Talk about feeling the pressure to not crack a piece or cut one incorrectly!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Replacing the Kitchen Laminate with Tile

I'm taking a short break from my garage conversion project (these posts) to help some folks with their kitchen floor while they are out of town on a brief vacation. They were ready to replace the laminate floating floor that (sort of) looked like tile, with the real thing.

The first step was to remove the shoe moulding and take up the old flooring. These floating floors are not attached to the subfloor, they are just 'snapped' together. The main thing is to find the last piece that was installed and start un-snapping it from there. It worked well for me to tilt the entire row upward to free it from the adjacent row and then tilt each individual piece up to un-lock the joints.

With the old flooring out of the way I cleaned everything up and installed 1/2" Hardibacker through the kitchen/dining room over a layer of thinset. This will give us a solid surface to act as a foundation for the 13" ceramic tile. If you're doing very much, you'll be glad to have a roofing nailer on hand to put all those nails in. Galvanized roofing nails are acceptable for securing the Hardibacker, as well as special Hardibacker screws.

I was able to cut most pieces with the score-and-snap technique similar to drywall except you need a special scoring tool with a carbide tip. Your utility knife will not work for this and may drive you to insanity if you try it.

For notches and odd cuts, I like using a carbide tip (like you use for cutting tile) in my jigsaw. Make sure you do it outside because it does create a lot of toxic dust that you don't want to breathe. For this unusual piece (below) I snapped the long angle off and then used the jigsaw to cut out the notch for the doorjamb.

The clock is counting down. I have to be completely finished by Monday at 2:00...

No problem, right? :)

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Adding Pendant Lights to the Bar

As I was widening the doorway (these posts) between this kitchen and dining room I had to keep in mind that the homeowner's wanted some pendant lights installed above the new countertop. This isn't very difficult, as long as I plan ahead.

I did the rough wiring before I even put the header in. This included adding a switch on the adjacent wall where I moved the other switches to. Then, I left a couple gaps in between the filler pieces of 1/2" plywood in the center of the header where the wires would go.

Under the header, I would install a very thin 'pancake' electrical box. I put these in place next and then marked the locations on a poplar board that I would be using to trim across the top of the opening.

With the locations marked I traced around one of the pancake boxes and cut out the hole with my jigsaw. Now the board fit perfectly and those thin boxes were nearly flush with the face.

Installing the lights and determining the best height was all that was left. We decided on a height that was around 22" off of the countertop, but they can be easily raised if the homeowner decides that they are too low. It's a matter of personal taste, I suppose.

The finished lights really helped to show off that heart pine countertop.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

The Story Behind the Heart Pine Countertop

Wanting to have more counter space for entertaining, my clients wanted me to open up the wall in their kitchen and install an 8 foot bar countertop (see these posts). For the counter I turned to a friend of mine who is also an artisan when it comes to making specialty wood items like cabinets, built-ins and an occasional countertop. His name is Chris Barber of Barber Woodworking. Here's the story, straight from Chris...

"Peter recently commissioned me to build a heart pine bar top. The final dimensions would be 15" wide, 100" long, and 1.5" thick. Heart pine is old growth pine, and although 60 - 80 years ago it was as common as regular southern yellow pine is today, it is no longer available in the lumber yard.

So, the first step in this process was selecting and buying the lumber from a local reclaimed lumber supplier. They specialize in reclaiming beams and boards, mostly heart pine and white oak, from old turn-of-the-century factories and buildings. This particular beam had been a framing support member at a Washington Manufacturing plant that made Dee Cee overalls in Columbia, TN. The factory was built in 1884 and was dismantled after the company filed bankruptcy in 1988. (read about this here)

Peter's client had mentioned wanting the top to look like one board, so I wanted the color and grain to be consistent throughout. The best way to do this is to get two boards from the same log, and luckily, dealing with a specialty lumber supplier allows more freedom to do this. I selected a nice looking beam that was about 10" x 9" and 10' long.

The supplier had a portable band-saw mill, so he sliced two planks off of the beam, each about 1.75" thick . The great thing is, not only does this technique ensure consistent color, it allowed me to book-match the top's grain from two alike pieces.


The next step was milling these two planks to rough dimensions and gluing them together, using Titebond II wood glue. Once the glue had dried, I used a thickness sander to level out the top to a rough thickness, about 1 5/8". Then came final dimensioning and cutting the radius for the end of the top.

After this step, I needed to address how the counter would be supported. The solution involved milling three 4"wide x 9" long x 3/4" deep cutouts on the bottom of the piece to accommodate the brackets for attaching the top to the wall. This is a little tedious, but can be done using a template jig with a router. The brackets would first be attached to the support framing, then the counter could be installed over the brackets and secured.



With all of the milling completed, I began smoothing and finishing the top. After a light surfacing with a #4 smoothing plane, I rough sanded the top with 120 grit sandpaper in a random orbit sander. I then put an 1/2" radius round-over profile around the top edge to give it a finished look, and progressed with final sanding to 180 grit sandpaper. The top was finished with 5 coats of Minwax Satin Wipe-on Polyurethane, a very durable, easy-to-apply finish.

For the installation, I met Peter at the client's home as he was stabilizing the wall for the top. I cut the top to length to fit the wall, and marked the spots where my brackets would need to go. After removing the top, I bolted the brackets to the top plate of the wall, making sure to shim them level where needed. Once the brackets were properly secured, the top clicked back in place like a giant Lego brick. For final securing, I used 1.25" washer head screws to screw up through the bracket into the top (making extra sure they weren't too long!).

The final result was a handsome top with an interesting history. I hope it will serve the customer for many years to come and perhaps even provide a frequent topic of conversation."

-Chris Barber

Contact Chris or see galleries of his work at:
www.BarberWoodworking.com

Removing Part of the Kitchen Wall Part 1

A common project on many people's wish list is to open up their kitchen by removing a wall, or at least making an opening in a wall. That's the goal at my current project where I will be removing much of the wall between a kitchen and dining room, installing a beautiful wood serving counter that will be the new centerpiece for this entertaining space.

Today was demolition day. Maybe I should say careful demolition. The trick with this project is to keep the mess to a minimum and reduce the amount of drywall repairs to make as well.

So, how do you widen a doorway? This home was only a couple years old, so it will make a great candidate to cover the basic steps to the process.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a NON-Load bearing wall.

1. Carefully remove trim. Once again, carefully. Much of the casing from the old door will be reused around the new, wider opening so I want to carefully save as much as possible. See this post to learn how to not ruin every piece as you remove it.

2. After the trim is off, I removed the door jamb. It's often easiest to cut the nails around a door jamb with a reciprocal saw. Then, the jamb comes out as one unit that you can disassemble. If you just start prying on it you're more likely to damage it. I'll need those pieces later and boards aren't cheap these days!

3. Think, then remove drywall. Thinking this all the way through will save you time and suffering from cutting something you shouldn't. My new header will be at the same height as the old one, except extend all the way across the room. The header will be 2x6, so I added 5 1/2" to the height of the cripple stud, marked a level line and cut all the way across on one side.

I will need to slide the header in from one side, but the drywall on the back can stay intact. If I can keep from damaging it, that will save me some work down the line. I used my little drywall saw for most of these cuts because power tools make so much more dust.

Before pulling drywall off, score the corners with a utility knife and cut around the perimeter with a hand saw or reciprocal saw. Then you can pull the drywall off in pieces.

4. Move any electrical. With the drywall removed I can easily see any wiring that needs to be dealt with. This home was fairly easy in that there was only a couple light switches and all the wires ran up to the attic. I was able to put a junction box in the attic where I could extend the wires enough to reach new switches on an adjacent wall.

Next we start removing lumber. I'll cover that tomorrow...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Travertine Subway Tile Backsplash

I'm a big fan of subway tile. I'm not sure why, but it's just cool. The backsplash I was working on today was using travertine subway tiles (approx. 3" x 6") mixed with a stone mosaic.

The mosaic tiles come in 12" x 12" sheets with 10 rows on it. I cut it into rows of two to add some visual interest and break up the subway tile a little. This is less expensive than doing the entire backsplash with mosaic, and has a custom feel to it.

The entire backsplash is around 24 linear feet. It's long, but mostly only around 11 inches high except under the windows where there's only 3" of tile. The largest tiled area is behind the range.

For this I turned the mosaic tile up and around to frame the larger area a little bit. It was tricky to do the subway tile around this and make the grout lines match as much as possible.

Whenever you're mixing types of tile you should consider the dimensions and how they'll match up. For example, it's often nice to mix 12" floor tiles with smaller 6" tiles to come up with a pattern. You just have to think about the grout lines and make sure that they'll really line up right.

What's Underneath?

When I started the walls were covered with 3/4" boards that were previously covered with linoleum. This was strong enough, but the surface wasn't very smooth. I covered the boards with a layer of thinset and then 1/4" Hardibacker cementboard to have a flat solid surface to cover with the travertine tiles.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

How To Add a Dishwasher to Your Kitchen

A Dishwasher can be a huge time saver and add convenience to your life. However, if you don't have one, it can be quite inconvenient to put one in. I installed one from scratch at my kitchen project in Inglewood and thought I'd cover the basics for you.

1. Make a spot for it. Dishwashers need a 24" wide hole in your cabinets, hopefully right next to the sink for easy access both for the user and for the plumbing hookups. This kitchen had a 24" wide base cabinet that was the perfect location for a new dishwasher. I removed the doors, drawer & shelf and then carefully started removing the cross pieces.

If you have room for the jigsaw, use that, but for removing the floor of the cabinet I needed my reciprocal saw. Get the dishwasher out and measure it to make sure of the exact dimensions. Drill at least a 3/4" hole from the new cavity into the sink cabinet. Sometimes you'll need two of them.

2. Add the Electrical connections. Dishwashers need to be on their own dedicated 20 amp circuit. Sometimes you can get away with including the garbage disposal on this circuit. If you're doing this, now's the time to take care of it while you can get to the wall to add the switch, etc. It's best to have a licensed (and competent :) electrician handle the electrical work.

My project had an open basement underneath which greatly reduced the difficutly in running the new circuit. I know this not always the case. You may have to get creative, but don't try to cheat and add the dishwasher to the countertop circuits.

3. Connect the plumbing. Usually, a dishwasher has a flexible pipe that goes through a hole into the sink cabinet to connect to the sink supply lines. A 3/8" compression fitting is standard, though it may have 1/2". This particular dishwasher was supposed to be connected to the hot water line. I installed a two-way valve that would control both the faucet and the dishwasher flow. (There were no valves there when I started. Crazy, I know.)

Hmm... Should you connect your dishwasher to the hot or cold water line??
This is a good question. It turns out that the answer is: "It depends." The best way to find out is to look in the installation manual from the manufacturer. If you don't have one try a search for your dishwasher model online.

Newer dishwashers are able to heat the water so they are classified as "cold-fill". They are connected to the cold supply line. However, older dishwashers don't have this feature and will need to connect to the hot water line in order to have hot water washing the dishes.

Go ahead and connect the water line under the dishwasher while you can easily access it. In addition to the supply line hookup, you'll need a drain tailpiece that has a dishwasher spout like in the picture above. That's where the dishwasher drain will connect to the sink drain.

4. Add the dishwasher. Having made these preparations, it's time to slide the dishwasher into its new home. As you do, pull the drain and supply line through those holes you made into the sink cabinet. Push the dishwasher all the way back and level it using the adjustable feet on the front. I like it to be fairly snug with the countertop, but make sure the door opens and closes freely.

5. Make the connections. The panels below the dishwasher remove to give you access to the connections. The electrical wire will enter the small box on the right through a clamp-connector that screws down to keep the wire from moving. Then you connect white to white, black to black and ground to ground. Sometimes the ground will also connect to a screw mounted somewhere in the box.

If you didn't already connect the supply line you can do this now as well as attaching the drain hose to the kitchen drain under the sink.

6. Test. Before you cover everything up take time to turn the water and electrical on and go through a cleaning cycle. Check for any drips and adjust as necessary.

It may take a day to get it all installed from scratch, but think of all that time you'll save by not hand-washing dishes!

Guys, you may score some points with the wife as well... :)

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Make A Hidden Butcher Block Cutting Board

We had a nice chunk of butcher block left when I cut out the hole for the sink. (More about the Ikea counters at this post.) The homeowner had the idea of making it a cutting board that would extend from the cabinets to add a little more counter space.

At first, I thought there wouldn't be enough space above the top drawer on this cabinet. There was about 1 3/4" available, but the butcher block was 1 1/2". That would only leave 1/8" margin above and below. In the end, it was perfect, but it was a tight fit.

The cutting board would be attached using 20" heavy duty drawer slides. They are supposed to hold 100 lbs which might be nice if someone decided to lean on the cutting board when it was extended.

I started the installation by cutting out the top cross piece so the opening would match the drawer below. Next, I built out the sides to match this opening so that the drawer slides would have a place to attach. After attaching the rails I was ready to cut the butcher block to fit.

The homeowner also had the idea of making the face of the cutting board wider so that it would cover the end of the drawer slides and match the drawers below. This was a great idea, but required some extra thinking before I made any cuts. The board would set back into the cabinet 20", but would need an extra 1/2" for the lip on the front.

I made some careful cuts trying to keep everything square so that it would slide right once installed. It took some adjustments, but it did fit and looked great. There's about 1/8" clearance between the cutting board and the countertop above. That's plenty to make sure there's no interference. These counters overhang quite a bit, so even with the lip on the cutting board it will be hidden until someone needs it.

We'll have to find some kind of drawer pull to put on the end after I've sanded and sealed it so that you have an easy way to pull it out.

It's fun to work with clients to see their ideas become reality, especially something that will be so functional- as long as you remember it's there!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Upgrade with Ikea Butcher Block Countertops

I started a new kitchen project today. By the time I'm finished there will be a glass mini-block backsplash and travertine floors throughout this character-filled East Nashville home. In addition, I'm installing butcher block counters from Ikea.

I tackled the counters first because they'll take a couple days to seal. The stock comes from IKEA in several different lengths. They are solid birch and come unfinished.

Working with the butcher block was fairly easy. This kitchen is divided into three sections with no 90 degree turns so that was helpful. To cut, I bought a Diablo finishing blade for my circular saw. (A finishing blade has more teeth so that it makes a cleaner cut.) I made the cuts so that the factory edges would be the only ones seen.

After making the measurements, I fastened a straight edge to the butcher block using clamps so that I'd have a solid edge to run the circular saw against. This extra precaution ensures that the ends will be square and straight- as long as I measured it right!

Cutting out the sink was the same as with a laminate top. I marked the sink and removed the piece with my jigsaw. You want to have a couple long boards under the butcher block while you're cutting it so that parts don't break off while you're cutting.

(Remember, today was the first day of this project. The pictures will get better as things progress! :)

Once the cuts were made I lightly sanded with 150 grit sandpaper and got ready to finish them. (Remember to sand with the grain.) Thankfully the block was fairly smooth and didn't need major sanding.

I did quite a bit of reading to see what was recommended to finish the butcher block. Of course, Ikea has their own sealer, but, by far, most people seem to recommend using a product called Waterlox.

Waterlox is a tung-oil based sealer that is non-toxic and food safe according to the manufacturer, as long as it's applied correctly. It should be allowed to dry overnight between coats and these counters will probably get 4 coats with at least 2 coats on the bottoms. Waterlox can be a little tricky to locate. I found it at the Woodcraft store in Franklin.

All the butcher block in this kitchen cost around $200. Not much more than stock laminate from the home stores. If you don't live near an Ikea the shipping costs will eat you alive. This homeowner was able to pick up the counters on a trip through Atlanta so it made sense for him.

So far, I'm impressed, but the real test will be after a few years of use.

BTW- If you want more info about installing Ikea butcher block check out: www.IkeaFans.com.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com