How to laminate gap in timber benchtop?

[Suzie3]

Hi all. We are getting rid of a freestanding oven in our kitchen, which is creating a 900mm gap in our solid timber benchtop. We're thinking about filling the gap with a 900mm piece of laminate benchtop. Are there any issues connecting the laminate to the wood on either end and how would you do it? Thanks in advance.

[Akanksha]

Hello @Suzie3,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're delighted to have you join us and hope you find this site a handy resource for all your home improvement and garden projects.

Many thanks for your question. I'm sure our resident D.I.Y. expert @EricL would be happy to assist once he's back online later today. To give him and other members a better idea of what you're working with, are you able to post any photos of your timber benchtop, along with those of the gap where the laminate benchtop would go? 

Let me also tag some of our helpful members @Brad and @Stuardo to see if they have any thoughts.

While waiting, you may also want to check out the Bunnings guide How to install a laminate benchtop in case it helps. 

Akanksha 

[EricL]

Hello @Suzie3 

Allow me to welcome you as well to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about your benchtop.

In order to give our members a better idea of the gap, would it be possible for you post a photo of the kitchen benchtop you are trying to fill in? I imagine you only wish to fill in the cutout of the cooktop and not cut away the benchtop itself. Please let me know if I understand this incorrectly.

If you are only trying to fill it in, it's definitely something that we should see, this will allow our members to assess the gap. We can then make recommendations on the type of benchtop you can use to fill the gap.

If you need a hand posting the photos, please let me know,

Eric

[Suzie3]

Hi @EricL 

Here's a photo of where the gap will be. We're planning to fill the hole with 2 x 150mm base cabinets either side of a 600mm base oven cabinet, and then a section of benchtop on top (with cooktop cut out). Thanks!

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Suzie3,

Typically you would use a benchtop joining kit to connect sections of benchtop. These brackets pull the sections together to ensure there are no gaps between them. Since the sections of the bench on either side are already in position, fixing the brackets would be difficult. If you can't use the benchtop brackets you'd need to ensure your cuts are particularly accurate and use PVA glue on glue joins. A filler of a similar colour to the laminate can be used to disguise any remaining gaps in the joint.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell