Replacing kitchen Island benchtop

[SimonD]

Hello,

We currently have a kitchen island with a benchtop measuring 2200mm x 800mm. The cabinet below is 2130mm x 595mm.
It has an even overhang on the short ends and an offset overhang on the long sides to allow for barstools on one side, however there isn't really the room for barstools, so the extended overhang is a bit of a waste of space.

We are thinking of getting something like https://www.bunnings.com.au/interbuild-2200-x-600-x-26mm-acacia-solid-oiled-hardwood-benchtop-panel_... to replace the existing benchtop, however the overhang on the long sides would be very minimal (2.5mm).
It is quite hard to visualise, and we obviosuly dont want to go to the effort of removing the existing benchtop to find that it doesnt work... Has anyone done something similar?

Cheers

Simon

[StevieB]

Wonderful to have you join the Bunnings Workshop community @SimonD, and thanks for already contributing to the community by starting a discussion.

Although you've done a great job of describing your dilemma, it would be fantastic to see a photo of the space to help our community visualise your project. It'll also serve as the before shot for members following along with your progress.

Our resident D.I.Y. expert @MitchellMc will be happy to help with your project when he's back on the site on Friday. Thanks for your patience in the meantime. Let me also tag the ever-helpful @redracer01 to see if he has any thoughts to share.

Thanks again for reaching out with your question, and please feel to hit the Start a discussion button anytime you have something to share or need a hand. We're here to help.

Stevie

[TedBear]

Hi @SimonD while waiting for detailed information from @redracer01, I have made my own kitchen benchtop, having not found a shop- made one that suited my needs. I used tongue & groove floor boards, but my main advice to you is that the coating of the top you are considering is likely to give poor service. I suggest, if you go with that product, that you sand it off and coat it with a clear floor-grade epoxy that will be hard enough to take the knocks and heat that bench tops endure. I used a strong, water based coating, first, and it formed a permanent white heat-ring mark within one week from ordinary use. Sanded it off and replaced with the floor grade and it then lasted years.

[redracer01]

Hello @SimonD 

Welcome to Bunnings Workshop! I totally understand your hesitancy to remove your existing bench top only to find that the new bench top you purchased is not ideal due to its size. When I say the common overhang for most bench tops is 20mm on all sides this is what most kitchen designers put in but it is not a fixed rule and some times some designers put more than that. Since the cabinetry depth is 595mm you will need in theory a bench top that is at least 2200mm x 640mm and the only way to achieve that is to go for a custom cut bench top which the store can provide. I suggest making an appointment with the kitchen designer and have a bench top quoted to your desired color and size. But if you prefer timber THINK bench tops make a 2400 x 900 x 33mm in Beech finish. You will just need to stain and lacquer it to your desired color and cut it down to size with your own tools. A bit more work but a very reasonable price for a quality timber top. You could consider modifying the cabinet back panel but that is a more involved option and may not come out the way you like it, specially if the finish on the panels are not easily reproduced. You could try the open market and you could get lucky finding a bench top at the correct size. These are some options available to you. If you have any more questions please post it here on workshop and we will try to answer them as best we can.

Cheers,

Red

[MitchellMc]

It's fantastic to have you join us @SimonD.

I'm pleased to see you've already received some helpful suggestions from both @TedBear and @redracer01.

What's the current benchtop made from? Is there a possibility of simply having it cut down to size?

Mitchell

[SimonD]

Thanks for the replies, guys..

We ended up going with the benchtop I linked, and did 2 coats of food grade oil from bunnings. It came up looking pretty nice.

It's a decent improvement over what was there.. The small overhang is somewhat noticable but probably because we are aware of it, It's not a show stopper, and considering we don't know what we are going to do with the kitchen in the long term, we are happy with it... Will see how it goes!

[MitchellMc]

We'd love to see some pictures of your result if you'd like to share them @SimonD. I trust any of our members wishing to use the same benchtop in their project would appreciate them.

Many thanks for the update.

Mitchell

[redracer01]

Hello @SimonD 

Would love to see a picture of the finished product! I'm sure other community members wanting to do the same project want to see how you did yours!

Cheers,

Red