Hi
After several failed attempts to arrange a joiner or kitchen fitter to cut some replacement kitchen worktop I'm now considering doing this myself. I can get the use of a router and hire a cutting jig...is this something strictly for professionals with practice or if I am careful enough would be achievable?
Pretty much just need to cut out a sink space and one join for an L shaped bit of worktop.
Just cant get a joiner for love nor money!
I guess the quality of the join might be the only area of concern.
Sink and cooker cutout was easy enough but I wouldn’t have attempted a join and expected it to look good first time.
Cutting holes in worktops is fairly simple. Proper joints take skill and experience. Check out some youtube videos but remember there is no such thing as a straight wall or a 90 degree corner.
If they are cheap worktops then practice on the old one before giving the real one a go.
Just echoing the above really. Hole for the sink is very easy. Jigsaw is fine as the edge is covered. The tricky bit is the join. Possible to DIY if you go steady and double check everything and do a couple of practice cuts on an offcut. How big a deal to you would it be if didn't look perfect? I'd certainly have a go. The first and only one I did looks ok.
If the jig comes with comprehensive instructions, you have a powerful router 1500w or more and a half inch capacity, a new 12.7 mm cutter and a 35mm collar, a couple of good clamps and a sufficiently large work area you'll be fine. Not all of the instructions will make sense at first but they will after your first false start. Be prepared to take nearly all day and don't be tempted to adjust the angle for out of true walls. Stick to 90 degrees.
I DIY'd two joins in a kitchen, hired the router (it needs to be fairly meaty and big enough to accept the correct size cutter for the jig) and the jig. Jig came with a short video... Watched it about 5 times, measured everything about 5 times, did it fine. So yes it's doable, take your time.
don’t be tempted to adjust the angle for out of true walls. Stick to 90 degrees.
this, unless you'll end up with centimetres of gap at one end of the worktop just accept that you can over a small gap with an upstand or tiling.
I'd say it's doable if you're fairly confident with a bigger router and know how to use it in a safe way(cutting direction etc)
As above, when the walls are bumpy or the corners are not square, which is oh........always. It becomes a bit more tricky.
I'm a cabinetmaker by trade but still would rather not ever have to do kitchen worktop joins if possible. 😉
Big, heavy, cumbersome pieces and small spaces and wobbly walls....ugh!
But yeah, loads of Youtube watching and a healthy dose of givin' it a bash, should see you right.
Worktop jig, 1/2" router and 1/2" cutters, 30mm guide bush and practise.
Have you used a router before?
They can do a lot of damage very, very quickly to both you and the worktop.
Wear safety specs and ear defenders.
Use 1 bit for the sink/cooker hob cutouts and then a new unused cutter for the joint cut, in order to keep a sharp corner to the joint and avoid chipping the visible surface.
Laminate worktops are 90% glue, and will blunt a router bit fairly quickly. Sharp bit = clean cut. And don't try and do it in one pass. I'd recommend at least 3 or you will kill the bit even quicker.
I also struggled to find a joiner and purchased all the gear for about the same price as getting someone in. Just take it steady and watch plenty of videos. The bits soon blunt so saw off the excess wood to leave about 10mm . That way the bit is only cutting half its diameter. Must admit to bricking it initially and was only using cheap Howdens worktops.
Where are you?
I’m a kitchen fitter so cutting worktops day in day out. It’s perfectly do-able DIY, with the right kit. You won’t of course have all the tricks of the trade.
Read the instructions thoroughly and know how to use your kit. A big router blade spins very quickly and can easily cause a lot of damage/hang you with your hoody drawer strings 😉
Tips -
- cut the longest piece 1st ideally, that way if you cock it up you can reduce it for the short bits.
- think about where your joints need to go, supports etc and near sink and hob cut outs.
- the ‘female’ mitre should always be cut 90deg and in the right place. The male end can be cut out of square for walls that aren’t. Lay the long piece over the female mitred one and scribe the line to be cut, this allows you to see where the cut needs to be before you set everything up.
- make a dry pass without the blade spinning/set to depth to make sure it looks right, you’re only gonna get 1 go to get it right!
- make 1 pass on the scrap side of the jig slot, then jigsaw out the bulk, then make 4 or 5 passes getting deeper each time. The final pass should be at full depth against the front side of the slot.
A rail saw is the dogs bollocks for doing the cutouts, you get a square cut unlike a jigsaw, minimal dust unlike a router and you can set the depth to let you do the cut Insitu without damaging the units underneath.
Shame router cutters aren't 19mm rather than 12.7 as they trim much better... don't try that on the jig though!
Where are you? If you’re anywhere near Darlington I’ll come and do them for you. I am a kitchen fitter mind, not just someone who fancies a crack at it 😂
i seem to remember doing 3 joins with one cutter, so 6 cuts. the finish was fine but the last few i had to go sooooo slow. I'd buy a couple of cutters for that many joins now
DO NOT LIFT THE ROUTER UNTIL THE CUTTER HAS STOPPED....unless you want to take a chunk out the jig.
Cut my own worktops back when I was Uni. Used a cheap Silverline router and I pinched from Dad and a cheap MDF jig from ebay. I was re-jigging the kitchen and it needed a U shaped layout and didnt want any metal strips.
1st corner short side to central long side went perfect. Next short side cut perfect but then we realised the wall was >90deg so couldnt even trim it to make it fit. Popped out for a new short section of worktop and practised the new angle with a piece of MDF before cutting it.
In the end was really impressed for a first attempt but if I wouldnt do it on expensive worktops again myself and certainly wouldnt buy a cheap router like that.
I remember one tip when I did mine.
when you cut out the sink hole, leave the bit you are cutting out in place, cut all the way around, but leave one small connecting piece on each side. this is so as you are manoeuvring it into place that the thin bits dont break, and just take the middle bit out once its in place.
