Hi all,
Looking for some advice or thoughts on wood countertops made from dimensional lumber or 3/4 in. Maple Plywood for a kitchen island.
Now, before you tell me this isn't a great idea, I realize that, but I need something fairly cheap for now. My wife has been wanting this done since we bought our house 4 years ago, but between other projects and hospital stays our budget has been fairly tight. I'm trying to get the cabinets and countertops done for under $500. If needed, I'm willing to replace the countertops a year from now with something better if this doesn't hold up.
I'll be installing the island along a half wall that currently separates my kitchen from my dining room. Stock cabinets that match my current cabinetry will be used for the base. The countertop will go on top of these, in between two support posts that flank the wall, and overhang on the other side by appx 10 inches.
Overall dimensions will be roughly 61" x 41" and counters will be 1.5" deep. If I use plywood, the depth will be "faked" and edges veneered with Maple banding.
My concerns with the lumber:
Movement, of course, but I think I can work around most of that using angle brackets to attach the top to the cabinets. I'm also considering ripping the planks and constructing an edge grain top out of the lumber, but don't own a table saw and only have hand plans, so not sure if that's a better solution.
My concerns with the plywood:
The Maple veneer is very thin and not sure it will last even for a year, plus the it will look like plywood. I will probably finish with several coats of polyurethane, so not sure if my concern with the veneer is legitimate and I'm considering ripping the plywood into 6 inch planks and reconfiguring them to make them look more like real Maple planks.
All that said, I'd appreciate any thoughts or other solutions I should consider.
Looking for some advice or thoughts on wood countertops made from dimensional lumber or 3/4 in. Maple Plywood for a kitchen island.
Now, before you tell me this isn't a great idea, I realize that, but I need something fairly cheap for now. My wife has been wanting this done since we bought our house 4 years ago, but between other projects and hospital stays our budget has been fairly tight. I'm trying to get the cabinets and countertops done for under $500. If needed, I'm willing to replace the countertops a year from now with something better if this doesn't hold up.
I'll be installing the island along a half wall that currently separates my kitchen from my dining room. Stock cabinets that match my current cabinetry will be used for the base. The countertop will go on top of these, in between two support posts that flank the wall, and overhang on the other side by appx 10 inches.
Overall dimensions will be roughly 61" x 41" and counters will be 1.5" deep. If I use plywood, the depth will be "faked" and edges veneered with Maple banding.
My concerns with the lumber:
Movement, of course, but I think I can work around most of that using angle brackets to attach the top to the cabinets. I'm also considering ripping the planks and constructing an edge grain top out of the lumber, but don't own a table saw and only have hand plans, so not sure if that's a better solution.
My concerns with the plywood:
The Maple veneer is very thin and not sure it will last even for a year, plus the it will look like plywood. I will probably finish with several coats of polyurethane, so not sure if my concern with the veneer is legitimate and I'm considering ripping the plywood into 6 inch planks and reconfiguring them to make them look more like real Maple planks.
All that said, I'd appreciate any thoughts or other solutions I should consider.
