Idea for Very Inexpensive, Air-Friendly Countertop
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I’m considering making 24′ of kitchen countertop out of birch plywood covered by Formica or something like a hard polyurethane or epoxy. Finger-jointed boards might make a good backsplash. HD sells a 3/4″ birch plywood made of nothing but wood and a soy-based glue that emits no indoor pollutants for around $62 in a 2′ x 8′ sheet, which is roughly 1/2 of what a particleboard laminate countertop, roughly 1/4 or 1/5 of what butcher block, and roughly 1/8 of what a thin solid countertop HD carries of the same size would cost. Formica laminate is around $86 for a 4′ x 8′ sheet. Polyurethane would be less per square foot, and some of the water-based polyurethanes have very low odor when applied and none once dried. The edges of the plywood would need careful smoothing and sealing. As long as it performs well and looks decent, I’ll be happy.
Are there drawbacks I’m missing?
Can Formica be cut and applied reliably well with the right tools, temperature, etc.?
Is there a best liquid finish to use instead?
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Replies
I always thought formica was the ultimate counter material, cheap reasonable durable, at least to the point where it is out of style and you can rip up the plaid material you so loved and change it to lime green
WHen I was doing a kitchen to give to the future owners I chose Ikea butcher block, which us still reasonable, I am unsure of the glues used
I've done plywood kitchen insets. Maple vaneer ¾" ply. ¼" edge banding. And sealed with a marine grade (UV stabilized) catalyzed PU.
A much more practical use of material given the circumstance and the install. Find a commercial plywood supplier, especially if you need 10' long sheets.
If you're only doing counter tops though, cast in place concrete is another good and cost effective solution. If you don't have much experience with concrete, you can easily do some practice 2'x2' samples until you get your mix and finish right. I'd love to do a white concrete countertop for my next kitchen. Still lots of convincing needs to be done to get that to happen.
Jamie
That HD birch is not very water-resistant. Polyurethane isn't either. In a kitchen I think that would be a problem.
Good point on the polyurethane. Epoxy would likely be better for water resistance, but it can scratch. Pretty durable though.
I've always liked Corian (and similar resins) as a midlevel countertop. You can cut it with mostly regular tools, and you can router edges and solvent weld things. It's basically just an acrylic material and it's pretty easy to work with. It comes as 1/2" thick sheets. It's not the cheapest material around though, and you can damage it if you set a something really hot down, like a frying pan right off the burner.
Bill
Another bump for Corian - as you say it's not the lowest-budget material, but it sure is easy to work with. It's nice to be able to sand/buff out any scratches down the line with nothing more than an orbital sander.
I'm doing fir counters in a half-assed kitchen remodel at my own house. I planed and joined a bunch of circa 1960s fir 2x4s that I demo'ed from my shop, biscuit-joined them, and installed as normal. Before install I soaked them in a mineral oil bath, and since installing I've just been hitting it periodically with Howard's bitcher block wax. They're going to show lots of wear, but I'm good with it (something about "character"?). As long as I value my time at zero dollars an hour, I'm only out the cost of some glue, wood biscuits, and mineral oil.
If I were you I'd do linseed oil instead of mineral oil. Can still be food grade (if you buy food grade) but it is a drying oil, so it will build up a durable polymerized filling in the pores of the wood so you need less and less each time you apply it.
Thanks, all. The HD birch plywood can't be worse than particleboard in terms of water-resistance, and people commonly cut holes through the particleboard in laminate countertops to mount sinks, which are the wettest part of the kitchen, so those whose laminate countertops survive for many years must seal that cut particleboard around the sink with something. Any idea what?
Corian does look like a good choice for a bigger budget than mine.
Any tips on working with sheets of laminate?
The usual sealant to use on counters is clear silicone. If you can work it under the lip of the sink a bit so that it seals a little like a gasket, sandwiched between the sink and the counter, that will make a much better water seal than if you apply only externally to the edge of the sink.
You can get Corian "remnants" at a discount. You might be able to get those pieces from local counter shops, and there used to be a place selling them online -- not sure if that's still the case.
Cut laminate upside down, so finish side down. Set the blade to only barely break the surface. Use a blade made for cutting this material, Diablo makes a good one. Some people like to tape their cut line and cut through the tape to minimize chipping, but I've never found that makes much difference over careful setup and slow feed speeds.
BTW, measure lots of times before cutting. Ask me how I know...
Bill
Thank you, Bill. Yes, I would certainly seal underneath the lip of the sink as you suggest, but I've read that people also seal the exposed surface of the particleboard in the cutout hole; I just haven't found anyone specifying what they use to seal it yet. I expect many options would work, as it's not an area subject to wear. I'm still hoping there's something I can spread onto the top surface of the plywood that would be hard, waterproof, and air-friendly.
Good idea to check with the local shops for leftover higher-end materials. Really, just the area around the sink ever gets wet, so I could conceivably have one material there and something needing less water-resistance elsewhere.
Normally particle board is covered in laminate which is what provides the waterproofing. Where there are cut edges in wet areas the best sealer is Redguard. It's not very attractive so it's best for concealed areas.
There isn't a finish for wood that stands up to heavy use and water.
The birch plywood is problematic for two reasons. It's not made with a water resistant glue so it delaminates if it gets wet. And the birch layer is a small fraction of an inch thick, so unlike solid wood it can't be sanded down and refinished if it gets damaged.
I think your best bet is either laminate or finding remnants from a fabricator. Although 24' is going to be tough to do with remnants.
Thank you, DC. Your good points about the birch plywood prompted me to reconsider plywoods that have exposure ratings and a sanded side, but roughly 10% of their reviews cite poor quality control, mostly warping and delamination, whereas the PureBond plywoods get virtually no such complaints. The PureBond will suffer only if it gets wet, though, and I don't see why I couldn't seal it up very carefully. If the particleboard in laminate gets wet, it would do even worse, so it's at least as dependent on a good seal, mostly the laminate layer in its case, although its cuts and underside have completely exposed particleboard, which may also outgas. I'll comment separately about an epoxy I found that looks like an excellent seal.
HD and Lowes sell unfinished birch butcher block for +/- $18 sq ft. It’s the least expensive counter material I know of that’s worth installing. Most stores have in stock in 4, 6, 8, 10 ft lengths x 25 in widths. Island options too.
Otherwise, I have a fabricator I work with for granite and quartz. Not a box store for this stuff, fabricator is much less expensive. We use remnants for bathrooms and small kitchens- that helps too.
Box store formica is wretched, not worth the few bucks it costs.
Also, I’ve built cabinets and tops out of commercial stainless steel prep tables- these things are inexpensive and the top will last a lifetime with nearly no maintenance.
Here are a couple of photos. Incorporated birch butcher block into this one. Apartment grade work.
Thank you. The reviews I've read of butcher block cite lots of maintenance. What do you think of coating it with epoxy? Prompted by suggestions here, I searched for countertop shops around here to see where I might look for remnants, and I was surprised to find a couple of companies that do nothing but epoxy coatings. Their galleries show lots of kitchen counters with sinks. That led me to look further into epoxy coatings, and I found one, bestbartopepoxy.com, who say, "UltraClear Epoxy has been tested and verified to cure at a Shore D Hardness Rating of 98. This extreme hardness means more scratch resistance, more durability with high traffic use, and a much longer life span for your surfaces. In contrast, most epoxy products on the market typically cure at a Shore hardness level of 75-80. . . ."
I've tried a bunch of things, you can't really beat real stone like granite. I know it is out of fashion now, but it just works, holds up to wear and tear and no issues with heat.
Was stone (quartz) also works reasonably well and much more sturdy than real stone (you can use thinner/cheaper stone in most cases) but you have to watch heat. It is the go to for rentals as it does hold up.
Wood is nice but a maintaince item. It is a great option for a counter that isn't a main work surface. My beef is you always have to watch what you put on it as it can leave stains.
If I was going to do DIY, what I would look at is rectified solid (same pattern throughout, not printed) large format tiles. You can get these wide enough to cover a typical countertop and the edges can be ground to a nice bevel. With a color matched 1/16" grout line you will barely notice that it is tile. I've seen terrazzo pattern floor done this way and unless you looked closely it was hard to tell that it was tile at all.
Thank you, Akos. Tiles are an interesting idea, and they're more affordable than I expected, with some highly rated, although probably not rectified solid, less than $2 psf at HD. Weight may be a consideration, as each weighs around 16 pounds, and they seem to be fragile, so I wonder how difficult it would be to use them around a drop-in sink.
Thanks again, all, for your advice. I eventually found a solid surface similar to Corian at a very affordable price of $251.90 per 1/2" x 30" x 144" sheet, two of which will be enough for my whole kitchen, including backsplashes and drop-edges. https://wurthlac.com/product/156462/Solid-Surface-Sheet-Color-DM1001-Arctic-White-1-2-Thick-30-x-144