How to Join Wooden Worktops: A Worktop Express® Nutshell Guide

When creating the kitchen of your dreams, your worktops may need joining together for various reasons. We’ve compiled a few methods that you can use to make the joining and fitting your wooden worktops as easy as possible. Please read on for more information:

Butt Join

A butt join is our preferred method of joining worktops as the timber’s grain pattern is undisturbed. Connector slots are cut into the underside of the worktop, and the worktops are then butted together at a 90° angle and secured into place using worktop bolts.

How do I create a butt join?

First, trim your worktops down to the required length, oiling them so that they’re ready for installation (please view our aftercare guide for our oiling recommendations). Then, cut apertures into the underside of the worktop using a worktop jig. Once completed, spread ample sealant onto the end-grain of both worktops, place the worktops together and secure using worktop connector bolts. We sell a handy worktop installation kit that contains everything you require to complete one join. For further instructions view our wood worktop installation guide.

Alternatively, if you would like to make butting your worktops an even easier process, we can cut the apertures in for you with our bespoke cutting service.

Mitre Join

As a rule we would recommend only utilising butt joins to join your wooden worktops. However, if a mitre join must be used – on rare occasions such as if your worktop has a radius – you must ensure that the ‘hockey stick’ does not extend more than the 10mm bull-nose radius.

Biscuit Join

For worktops wider than 960mm, a extra-strong biscuit join is required. As it’s quite a technical process, we recommend you have such a ‘combined’ worktop professionally made – something we offer here at Worktop Express® as a bespoke service.

How do we biscuit join worktops?
We use a biscuit joiner to rout biscuit shaped holes into the side of your worktops. This is repeated approximately every 10cm down the entire length to maximise strength and stability. Glue is applied to small ‘biscuit’ shaped pieces of timber that are then inserted into the worktop to create a seamless appearance.

As the glue dries, the moisture causes the biscuit to expand, wedging between the worktops and thus creating a sturdy, wide worktop.

And finally…

These recommendations are based on our own extensive experience in handling, preparing and fitting solid wood. Each method has its own benefits but it ultimately comes down to your personal preference; and if you’d rather leave the technical stuff to us, our fabrication team are able to professionally manufacture both joins for you right here in our warehouse.

If this is something of interest, please feel free to contact us and we can begin to create the kitchen of your dreams!