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Installation Guide to Solid Wood Countertops
Tips on Installing Solid Wood Countertops to
Prevent Cracking, Warping and Splits
By: Mark J. Donovan
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Solid wood countertops are
manufactured from trees that are very old, at least 100 years in age. Solid
wood countertops are natural and beautiful however they are a living and
breathing animal, in the extent that they expand and contract with the
humidity levels within the home. For best results in manufacturing and
installing solid wood countertops the raw wood countertop lumber should have
been previously kiln dried to a level of approximately 6%. In addition, if
you plan to install solid wood countertops you will need to ensure that the
countertop is not exposed to high levels of moisture.
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Consequently the normal 50 to 70% humidity levels that
are found in a kitchen will need to be a bit lower in a kitchen that includes
solid wood countertops.
Solid wood countertops should be screwed, but not glued to, the kitchen cabinet
boxes. The cabinet boxes and solid wood countertop will typically expand and
contract at different rates, thus if glue is used, you will eventually observe
cracking on the solid wood countertop surface. So consequently screws, along
with washers, should only be used to fasten the solid wood countertop to the
cabinet boxes.
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To properly mount a solid wood countertop to the
kitchen cabinets, metal support strips should first be fastened to the top of
the cabinet boxes approximately every 12 to 18 inches, across and along the row
of cabinets. It is important that the metal support strips be installed
perfectly level with one another, as otherwise tension could form in the solid
wood countertop which can cause the wood to crack, cup and warp over time. |
The metal support strips will not only act as extra
support for the countertop, they’ll also act as mounting brackets to help screw
the solid wood countertop to from the underside of it. Three screws should be
attached to the countertop at each metal support strip, two on the ends and one
in the middle of the metal strip.
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countertop down to the metal support strips, the screw holes should be
predrilled into the wood. Pre-drilling will help to prevent splitting and
cracking. Also, it’s important to not over-tighten the screws, again to
prevent splits and cracks in the solid wood countertops. In addition, the
holes drilled in the metal support strips should be oval in shape. The
elongated end of the holes in the metal support strips should be orientated
with the natural lengthwise movement in the wood. |
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Finally, to also address expansion and contraction
concerns with the solid wood countertops, there should be about a ¼ to ½ inch
gap between the joint edge of the countertop and the wall that it abuts.
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