# newbie - Finishing a kitchen worktop



## Anonymous (15 Apr 2004)

Hi all, hope you can give a little advice to a newbie. 

I am in the process of fitting a new kitchen, I purchased a router and jig for jointing the worktops, which worked very well. 

I also used the router to round off a corner of a worktop ( from the left hand side to the bullnose), this worktop will be used for a breakfast bar. 

I have now realised that when I apply the edging strip to the worktop edge, it will look messy, ie the edging strip will be proud of the bullnose as it is applied and finishes on the front of the worktop at the start of the bullnose. I hope that is clear ! 

My question is - how can I make the finish between the edging strip and the front (bullnose) of the worktop look really neat ? All help greatly accepted.

Found the FAQ - hope this link to the pics works ....


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## Aragorn (15 Apr 2004)

Hi Tony
No problems here, but it's one of those where you may wish you new the answer before you started!
What you need to do is cut the rounded corner so that it finishes _in _from the front edge by the thickness of the edging strip. In other words, you're recessing the cut _away _from the front instead of making it flush.
Tidy the radius'd front edge with a sharp chisel so that it will accept the edging strip.
Now glue the strip in place with contact adhesive making sure you get a good tidy join where it meets the bullnose (start at this end when applying the strip). Once you're happy that it's all fixed in place and the glue has taken, get to work with a new stanley blade and carefully trim it to fit.
Hope that's clear. Good luck!


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## Chris Knight (15 Apr 2004)

I start by presuming this does not have to fit inside a mating recess and that you can tolerate the width of the worktop being reduced by say an
eighth of an inch?

Use a rebate bit to cut a one eighth or so rebate along the top to near the bullnose. Now use a top bearing guided trimming bit to cut the "underpart" of the worktop to match the rebate you have just made. Finish the area into the bullnose by hand (chisels mainly).

You now have somewhere to apply your edging strip. You have not said what you are using for this (I would use a one eighth strip of hard wood) but if it's thin enough you can bend it around the corner you have just made. If the worktop is not fixed in postion you could use long clamps (Besseys or sash cramps) to clamp the edging at the curve, otherwise you have a great excuse to buy the fancy and expensive Bessey edging clamps.


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## Anonymous (16 Apr 2004)

Thanks for the help gents. I now have a couple of options to consider. 

I have added a further picture to clarify the profile of the front of the worktop - the "tongue" is an effect of the bull nose profile, it was cut with a straight router bit. 

The edging strip is a matching laminate - and very thin - maybe 2mm or so. Therefore any rebate would need to be very small.

If anything else comes to mind please let me know.

Thanks once again for your help.


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## Aragorn (16 Apr 2004)

Hi Woodworm
I was with you the first time!
I use the method I described above to finish this kind of worktop curve such as on breakfast bars and peninsulars.
To make the recess for the edging strip, we're talking above routing off a very slim bit just the thickness of the strip. That's all!
Whatever template you used to cut the curve, just remount it, set it back from the front edge by the thickness of the strip and cut it again.
Then the strip will fit flush to the front edge.

Good luck


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## Anonymous (16 Apr 2004)

Thanks once again, I feel a trip to the local tool shop coming on, for a couple of sharp chisels, and a book on how to use them! I'll let you know how I get on - probably do some work on this over the weekend.


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