Replies

1. 
   Mongo_ | Dec 01, 2001 07:48am | #1

   *
   I used it in my kitchen and it's held up well...even with it surrounding the main kitchen sink (undermount).

   I used 8/4 and lagged it from beneath...secured at the back of the cabinets, allowed to float towards the front. Did that due to tile backsplash, I didn't want movement there.

   I used a very thinned epoxy on the end grain at the sink cutout. Don't think it was really neccessary, but I did it anyway.

   Oil it about once a month or more frequently if it's been given a good scrubbing.

1. 
   R._McCormick | Dec 01, 2001 08:37am | #2

   *Thanks for your advice. Did you use end grain / side grain (butcher block style)or glue up wider boards edge to edge which is my plan to show the grain and character of the wood. Any problem gluing teak with its natural oils? Good idea lagging from the back due to tile backsplash as I plan to do also. What oil do you use for your monthly tune-up? Thanks again!

1. 
   Mongo_ | Dec 01, 2001 06:31pm | #3

   *The teak is edge grain. The stock was 8/4 and varied from 8-12 inches in width. Depending on grain, I ripped the boards down into mostly 2-2.5" wide strips and oriented the grain for best stability.Consider using an an acetone wash to remove any oily residue before gluing up. Epoxy or polyurethane glues can be used. Consider how the glue line will blend with the wood.A marine oil finish can be used to start with, it gives pretty good protection. You can maintain it with that or with a butcher block dressing oil. I maintain w the butcher block oil.I do have a section of end-grain, butcher block countertop, roughly 4' square and 4" thick. Maple. On that I just used the butcher block dressing oil.A clarification to how I secured it to the cabinets...the countertop is lagged tightly at the rear of the cabinets, by the backsplash. It is also lagged in the middle and at the front, though the holes are elongated so the top can move if required. My tops are 30" deep, so I used 3 offset rows of bolts.

1. 
   R._McCormick | Dec 01, 2001 07:46pm | #4

   *Thanks much for your timely reply and info. We've been going back and forth for weeks trying to decide between tile and wood. We prefer the wood but concern has been with possible water rot at sink (how to seal), food contamination, and keeping the beautiful surface grain patterns looking good long term. Very good idea on ripping the wider boards into thin and re-gluing in order to keep the look of wide board grain. The counter is an "L" shape (two eight foot runs ((one with sink)) coming together at corner of room) so I have the challenge of joining a run of long grain against the end grain side of the counter connecting to it. Not sure whether to try to mitre the long joint or but it somehow tightly while alowing for movement. Thanks for your time and help!! Bet yours looks great!

1. 
   Michael_McK | Dec 07, 2001 09:44am | #5

   *If you go for the miter joint find a local top fabricator that has a counter top miter saw. These can cut perfect miters on a deep piece.Either way you should use some sort of draw bolt to snug up the seam. The local shop can help you with that too.Post a picture when you finish.Good luckMike

2. 
   Froed_ | Dec 07, 2001 06:07pm | #6

   *One kitchen in the Kitchens and Baths issue of FHB (#143)has an L-shaped island with a white oak top. They turned the corner using a herringbone, or zig-zag, pattern, shown on page 61. I don't think it would look good with thin strips, but glued into 6" "steps" or whatever suits your fancy, I think it'd look great. Just a thought.If you're worried about food contamination because of the wood, don't. Wood cutting boards have been shown to kill bacteria. If you want more detail, Knots (at Fine Woodworking) has lots of discussion on that.

3. 
   Joe_Hartman | Dec 07, 2001 09:03pm | #7

   *I've used teak as well. Didn't use large stock, but in my frugal period, I lived very close to a yacht builder in NJ. When they made moldings, they used a gang saw to make multiple rips from rough-cut teak boards. Whatever fell off the edges was considerd waste, and they'd give me as many of them as I could carry. I ripped the strips to 1'2" x 1", and glued the 1" sides. Once the entire piece was glued up, I re-inforced it by clamping some 2'4s over and under in multiple locations, so I could truck the entire section to a nearby production shop that had a large abrasive planer with a 3-foot wide belt. They ran both sides through using two different grits until I had about 7/8" thick. I only had to finish sand. One good think about gluing up your own stock is that you can leave rough openings for appliances without wasting so much wood. I used regular Titebond yellow, waterproof glue and when we sold the house ten years later had no delaminations. Teak is very oily, but I also used regular, old, Minwax gloss polyeurethane as the finish and never had any problems with that either. Gloss is much harder than satin.One thing - as with any other wood countertops, if you want to keep the finish nice, you can't cut directly on them. Between the oven and cooktop, I inlaid a 16" x 16" marble tile for a place to set hot stuff. I also made the backsplashes out of the same material and used epoxy to set them down onto the couter tops. Siliconed under the edges of the sinks and cooktop.I told the new owners to give the counters a coat of polyeurethane every two or three years.

2. 
   R._McCormick | Dec 07, 2001 09:03pm | #8

   *
   I'd like to use teak for a kitchen countertop in an a 1929 Bungalow rennovation and would like advice on installation, sink seal, and maintenance. Thanks much!