How to attach a countertop to kitchen floor cabinets

Replacing the countertop during a redevelopment or installing the upper part of the table of new kitchen furniture can be done independently. To do this, you need to have small skills with a metalwork and electric tool.

How to fix tabletops made of wood and MDF

Installing the working surface of the table from materials based on timber or other wood components, such as shavings or cardboard, has the same order and principle of action.

Preparation and fitting

Depending on the wishes of the consumer, they choose the material, thickness and degree of protection against moisture. For example, chipboard for countertops, come in different thicknesses and designs, both moisture-proof material and simple. The thickness of wood and other products is also different. An important element of the working surface of the kitchen table will be a coating that should not be exposed to moisture. For this, particleboard and MDF products are laminated with special decorative materials, and wooden ones are varnished.

Dimensional worktops are made in accordance with the dimensions of the kitchen cabinets. The width is made more by 40-50 mm than this value for the pedestals installed on the floor. This is due to the need to protect the facades of the furniture of the lower row from the ingress of drops of water accidentally draining from the working surface of the table.

The length of the countertops is made larger than the size of one or more assembled cabinets by 20-40 mm. But this is only in the case when the working surface of the table does not rest against anything and has free side walls. If the kitchen table is coupled with a stove, refrigerator or angled, then the size should correspond to the distance to the adjacent attribute and have a gap (2-4 mm) for installing an aluminum strip that will protect the end of the countertop from moisture and dirt.

ATTENTION! If the desktop has an external side wall, it is recommended that the countertop be made with rounding so as not to be injured when moving around the kitchen!

Creating a sink hole

The installation of a countertop is associated with the need to insert a sink into it, and sometimes a hob. This work will require:

• marking tool;
• drills;
• jigsaw.

IMPORTANT! Using a power tool may scratch the surface of your desktop. To prevent this, put cellophane under the working support of the jigsaw!

Inserting the sink into the working surface of the table is a very responsible job, requiring the passage of the following steps:

1. First of all, mark the installation location. To do this, turn the sink upside down, place it in the desired place and outline the contours with a pencil or marker. Then they draw another contour, 10-20 mm (depending on the shape of the side of the product), smaller than the outer size of the sink.
2. The inner contour is the boundary along which the cut is made. First, three holes with a diameter of 3-5 mm are drilled in this line for free placement of the power tool blade.
3. Carefully cut out the marked part using a jigsaw. Before the end of this stage of work, it is necessary to fasten the internal cavity with the countertop in such a way as to avoid the occurrence of possible chips at the end of the cut. Or resort to the help of a second person who will support the part being cut.
4. The butt ends of the countertops are treated with silicone sealant, the sink is inserted into the prepared place and fixed using special clamps. This stage of work is performed after installing the work surface in a regular place of the kitchen.

REFERENCE! Sinks made of artificial stone do not have clamping fasteners. The heavy weight of the products allows fixing the sink with sealant.

If the design of the sink does not provide for the placement of the mixer and it needs to be installed separately, then a core drill (crown) is used for this on a tree of the required diameter.

Mounting countertops

Before setting the working surface of the table, the floor stands are leveled using a 2-meter rule with a water level. Adjustment is made with the help of legs, and in their absence - gaskets made of wood or plastic. Horizontality is checked not only along the countertop, but also across.

REFERENCE! Alignment of floor cabinets is carried out after connecting all cabinet modules to each other with self-tapping screws!

After that proceed to the installation of the work surface:

1. To the ends, which will dock with other elements of the upper part, aluminum pads are fastened with screws.
2. In the upper levels of the floor cabinets, holes are drilled to connect to the countertop. In the absence of such horizontal surfaces, metal corners are installed in the inner cavity of the cabinets, the horizontal support of which will correspond to the lower plane of the working table.
3. The countertop is moved to the desired place, while leaving a gap from the wall of several millimeters. When moving the product, observe safety precautions, especially carefully with the cut-out under the sink: heavy weight can cause damage to the entire product.
4. Using self-tapping screws, they fix the working surface of the table. The length of the fasteners is selected less than the size of the parts to be joined: a horizontal bar or corner with a tabletop by 8-12 mm.
5. After that, the sink is installed and fixed.

It remains to supplement the desktop with a mixer and install the siphon with a connection to the sewer.

How to install a concrete worktop to a kitchen floor cabinet

When installing a finished working surface of artificial stone, the planks and corners located inside the floor pedestals are generously lubricated with two-component polymer glue and the product is placed in the required place. After the adhesive has hardened, a sink is installed.

With the independent production of concrete countertops, you must:

• on floor cabinets install a horizontal base of plywood or other material;
• make and seal the formwork around the perimeter;
• reinforce the internal cavity of the working surface, allocating a place under the sink with a metal ring;
• prepare a solution with the addition of plasticizer and pour into the prepared formwork;
• the upper plane is leveled and covered with cellophane until it dries completely (about a week);
• they grind or cover the working table with finishing material, then install a sink.

ATTENTION! Finishing the concrete worktops with tiled seams will allow you to use the product after the grout has dried. After grinding, polymer coatings are used in order to protect the product material from moisture.

When you should not mount it yourself

Certain conditions allow you to refuse to install a work surface with your own hands. These circumstances include:

• product installation is included in its price;
• unjustified risk of damage to countertops made of expensive material;
• lack of skills with a bench tool;
• when installing a new headset, when its cost includes the installation of countertops.

Having studied the features of installation and the method of fixing the working surface of furniture in the kitchen, the consumer independently determines the possibility of doing such work with his own hands.