Worktop Express Information Guides

“How do I know what worktop thickness my cupboards will support?”

We were recently sent in a query by Ann in Bicester, who wanted to know whether she should take worktop thickness into consideration when ordering surfaces to install onto her existing kitchen units.

QUESTION:

“I am just changing the worktops in my kitchen and keeping the existing cabinets. I would like to know how I can find out what worktop thickness my cabinets can support.”

ANSWER:

Hello Ann,

Thanks for sending in your query – I’m sure we can provide some information to help you make an informed choice on which new worktop to purchase.

It is important to make sure that your kitchen cabinets provide a strong and stable base on which to mount your new kitchen worktops. Our solid wood worktops can be quite heavy, so you should be sure that your cabinets are substantial enough to support their weight. If you are considering any of our laminate worktops, they should be suitable for any type of cabinet construction.

Generally, our 40mm-thick wood worktops are the heaviest choice in our collection, especially in dense timbers such as wenge or black American walnut. Many of our wooden worktops are available in a 27mm-thick option, which is most definitely a lighter choice if you want to reduce the amount of weight your cabinets will have to support.

Kitchen cabinets are available in a range of materials, though we recommend that any of our worktops are supported by a sturdy choice such as the oak kitchen units available from our sister company: Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets.

If your kitchen cabinets are older and are made from a laminated chipboard material, we would recommend that you thoroughly investigate the structural integrity of the units before fitting a new worktop. It is especially important to check areas around sinks and appliances, in case moisture has degraded the units.

We would not recommend using an adjacent wall to help support the weight of your worktops, as both the wall and the worktop might move slightly with changes in environmental temperature which could cause the worktop to bow or split.

Instead, we suggest that the worktops are attached directly to your kitchen cabinets using slotted angle brackets, which allow the worktop to expand and contract as required. A kitchen worktop upstand can also be used to hide the expansion gap we recommend between the worktop and the wall.

Whichever worktop type you choose, it is important to ensure that there are no unsupported overhangs larger than 300mm, to avoid any worktop distortion. We also recommend that any breakfast bars are supported by a leg for every metre of worktop.

For further information on worktop installation, I recommend you read our ‘Installing Our Wooden Work Surfaces’ Nutshell information guide.

If you have any other queries, don’t hesitate to contact us again.

All the best,

Ben @ Worktop Express

“I am confident at DIY, is joining kitchen worktops something I can do myself?”

Although we do offer a bespoke cutting service, our ‘Question of the Week’ is something customers regularly ask. This week, we responded to Mai in High Wycombe.

QUESTION:

“I’m planning my new kitchen and want to do as much of it as much as possible as I am fairly confident at DIY. I want an L-shaped kitchen and wondered joining kitchen worktops together is something I can do myself?”

ANSWER:

Hello Mai.

Thank you for sending in your query – we are happy to help assist in your kitchen planning and advise on joining kitchen worktops.

If you are looking to join two wood or laminate worktops together, it is a fairly straightforward task as long as you are comfortable using the correct equipment.

If joining wooden worktops, we would recommend using a butt joint to connect the two work surfaces together at a 90˚ angle using specialist worktop connector bolts. To accommodate the bolts, you would need to cut recesses into the underside of the worktop, which is easiest done with an electric router.

Further information about joining worktops using this joint can be found in our dedicated ‘Butt Joints’ Nutshell information guide.

Worktop connector bolts should also be used to connect two laminate worktops together, though rather than a straight butt joint, we would instead recommend a mason’s mitre joint. This can be cut using one of our worktop router jigs, which clamps to the worktop and provides a template for an electric router to make what is sometimes known as a ‘hockey stick’ joint.

You can learn more about fitting worktops using a jig by reading our ‘How to use Jigs with Kitchen Worktops’ guide. Further details on fitting laminate worktops is available in our ‘How to Install Laminate Kitchen Worktops’ Nutshell guide.

If you feel like joining kitchen worktops may be beyond your DIY skills, we offer a worktop cutting service which is very competitively priced. Amongst a range of bespoke services, we can cut worktops to size and prepare two worktops for a mason’s mitre joint or butt joint. If you decide to take advantage of this service, your worktops will be ready to install immediately following delivery, allowing you to concentrate on other parts of the kitchen installation you feel more comfortable completing.

I hope this provides you with enough information to decide how to proceed, but if you need any further assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us again via email, live chat or social media.

All the best,

Ben @ Worktop Express

“If I order cut-to-size worktops, will you send my laminate worktop offcuts?”

We were recently sent in a query from Tony in Malvern about receiving laminate worktop offcuts from cut-to-size worktops, which was chosen as our ‘Question of the Week’.

QUESTION:

“I’m going to order some cut-to-size laminate worktops off you and wondered if you would send me the offcuts, as I may want to use them in our utility room.”

ANSWER:

Hi Tony,

Thank you for your question – this is definitely something to consider as it would be a shame for any perfectly usable laminate worktop offcuts to go to waste.

When cutting worktops to size or creating cut-outs for sinks and hobs, there is often surplus material that could be repurposed in another area of the house.

If you would like to keep these offcuts, we simply ask that you notify us at the diagram confirmation stage when placing your bespoke laminate worktop order. We can only provide offcuts that can be safely delivered with your worktop without being damaged or lost, so very small offcuts may not be included.

At Worktop Express we take wastage and our environmental practices very seriously – which is why many of our laminate worktops are FSC certified, and made using sustainable fibre board that is created from material sourced in well managed European forests. If you would like to read more information about our environmental credentials, read our Environmental Policies page.

You can find out more information about the bespoke laminate services we provide on our ‘Laminate Worktop Cutting Service’ page.

For general information about our laminate worktops, you may find the following guide useful: ‘All About Laminate Kitchen Work Surfaces: A Worktop Express® Nutshell Guide’.

If you have any further questions about our cutting service or anything else, don’t hesitate to get in touch via live chat, email or telephone.

Best regards,

Ben @ Worktop Express