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On Saturday, I finally tackled a project I had been dreading and putting off for months. I wasn’t afraid of this project because it was difficult, or because I thought it would require skills beyond my skill level. No, I’m scared because the last time I did this project, it completely destroyed my skin for months.
If you’ve been around for a while, you know the project I’m talking about is a DIY countertop made from laminate flooring. I don’t know why my skin reacted to the dust from cutting and cutting these laminate flooring boards, but it was horrible. I have shared more details here.
The countertop was great, but after doing a 20-foot countertop on the mural wall, I had enough laminate flooring left over to put the countertop in the office area of the studio. Here’s how a 20-foot countertop turned out…
So naturally, since the cabinets in both sections are the same, I wanted the countertops to be the same as well. But I dreaded this project because I was afraid of getting dust on my skin again and having to go through that pain again. All my safety precautions seem to have worked. So far I have not had any pain or itching. I don’t feel like shards of glass are embedded in my skin. So that’s good!
This countertop poses another small challenge. The front of the countertop cabinets needed to be extended 1.25 inches, which meant I had this very small return on each side.
To make the countertop as seamless as possible, the pieces attached to the front edge of the plywood should be fitted to the top edge and the laminate tops that sit against the front edge pieces should also be joined to fit. Against the front edge pieces.
This countertop differs from the first one in one small way. The other countertop sits between two walls perpendicular to the countertop wall, so the project is pretty straightforward. But since this countertop is between two tall cabinets on either side, the plywood base for this countertop is 3/4-inch farther than the cabinets. This meant that I had to cut the ends of the top front pieces so that the front 1/2-inch would fit the mitered edge pieces that would wrap around that small corner, but the remaining side edge of the top front pieces would fit inside both cabinets.
I’ll admit it took me a long time to figure this out. I spent most of my time trying to figure out the easiest way to do this, but I finally realized that there is only one way. The nerve wracking thing is that I don’t have any boards. I have enough to cover this countertop with nothing. If I make a mistake, I like a crack up.
I managed to get it right. Using my table saw, I cut the front edge and one side at a 45-degree angle, then set my table saw blade at 90 degrees and cut all but the front 1/2-inch on the mitered edge. towards the board.
Here’s another look at the cuts from the bottom of the board…
And here is the top view…
So with this top front board, you can see that the front 3/4-inch is glued and wrapped around the cabinet with a 45-degree mitered edge, while the rest of the board hugs the cabinet.
You can see that my cuts left small cracks between the countertop boards and the cabinets, so I used the same paint-and-caulk mixture to fill those cracks as well as the small cracks between the boards. I took one of the boards to Home Depot and matched them with one of the many colors of laminate boards. I mixed it with the same DAP Alex Fast Dry Caulk I always use.
Have a good look at the crack here before I fill it in…
I used my finger to smoosh the caulk/paint mixture into the cracks and then wiped off the excess with a damp cloth. Here’s how it looked later. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty close!
After finishing the countertop, I spend about 30 minutes prepping and re-cutting the trim for the window. I reused the trim that was there before, so I had a lot of 16-gauge nails to pull out (and don’t want those things coming out!!), and then I had to re-cut the boards to fit the new height. . The window is slightly lower due to the height of the countertop. I still have a lot to finish on the window trim. None of the window trim has been wooded, sanded, or painted yet. But look at that beautiful countertop!
I’m really happy with how it turned out and I’m glad it’s done!
To cut the boards, I didn’t buy one of those bunny suits. Instead, I decided to cover myself with layers of clothes from below my eyes to my feet. So the only areas not covered are my forehead and my arms. But someone else said their allergist should make sure to protect all your layers — eye drops in the eyes, nasal spray in the nose, lotion all over the skin, etc. So before fitting with layers of fabric, I did exactly that. The last time I had such a bad reaction on the areas of my skin – face, neck and chest – I smeared my skin with castor oil, a thick oil I had on hand.
So after coating with castor oil, layering the clothes, making sure everything covered (except my hands and forehead) and turning on a very powerful fan to blow the dust away from me as I cut them, I cut all the boards, immediately removed them and put all the clothes in a plastic bag. , took a cold bath. All that effort seems to have paid off. I did all the cutting on Saturday, and today (Monday) and I still don’t feel any discomfort. So I hope I’m safe through this project.
And just check the small returns in the corners. I’m really proud of how they turned out.
And I think the countertop turned out beautifully!
So these cabinets are almost done. I still need to finish the window trim, order the window shade (now I can take measurements with the trim attached), cover the cracks between the cabinets and the wall with a little trim, get the paint and clear coat, then install the gold leaf and sconces. Oh, and the doors and drawers still need their beautiful jewelry! I keep forgetting about those door and drawer pulls, but they add the perfect finishing touch. Here it comes!!
Addicted 2 Decorating shares my DIY and decorating journey as I renovate and decorate the 1948 Fixer Upper that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has MS and is unable to do physical activity, so I do most of the housework myself. You can learn more about me here.
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