Countertop Extension (cont)

Bob Landry · 05-12-2014, 05:53 AM

This weekend I got the countertop extension cut out, put together and fitted, ready to laminate. I made a couple mistakes, but nothing that's not easily covered, and with the laminate on it, no one but me will know what happened. The mark of a good craftsman is how well he can cover mistakes and God knows I have lot of experience doing that.

The flip up brackets are made by K&V, available everywhere. They will be mounted on the face of the cabinet on each side of the silverware drawer. Since the extension can't be left in place and simply flipped down when not in use, it has to be removable. I'll do that by installing pins on the bottom of the shelf that will mate with the holes in the bracket arms to keep it from sliding around. When the extension is not needed it gets stored and the brackets lowered to the down position.
Because of how the cabinet is built I'll have to trim the ends off the drawer face so it doesn't interfere with the brackets and will open and close. When the brackets are up, the raw ends are going to be exposed, so there's yet another project, making a drawer face that will fit between the two brackets that won't look like a chop job.
I was able to find the exact laminate that was used on my Outback's countertops, so I think it's going to end up being a pretty decent looking project, and the DW will certainly appreciate having some countertop workspace for a change.
I'll add photos when I get it covered and start on the actual installation.

jesse_h · 05-12-2014, 06:31 AM

Nice start, anxious to see the rest of the project. I have the same brackets sitting in a box at home waiting for me to figure out how I am going to do the extension. Definitely looking forward to some more pics so I can get some ideas!
Thanks.

Bob Landry · 05-12-2014, 06:35 AM

All in all, it should be an easy project for you. What complicated mine was that there is only one place to have an extension and there is a silverware drawer there that we have to have access to.

Jay Pat · 05-12-2014, 08:27 AM

Bob,
Have you done the stove top/chopping block modification?
Pat

Bob Landry · 05-12-2014, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay Pat

Bob,
Have you done the stove top/chopping block modification?
Pat

No I have not. That's the reason for doing this one, so that the stove doesn't get tied up with a cutting board.

gregrc75 · 05-14-2014, 05:17 PM

Looks good so far.

Steve S · 05-14-2014, 05:43 PM

Looks great Bob, I'll have a couple questions for you when you're done.

Bob Landry · 05-14-2014, 05:59 PM

Go ahead and ask if you like. I already know how it's going to work..

Steve S · 05-14-2014, 08:46 PM

I'm just waiting till you have it hinged then I'll fire a question at you.

Bob Landry · 06-12-2014, 03:20 PM

I got the laminate put on the counter extension. After all of the trouble I went to trying to track it down and get it shipped to me, my excitement has been somewhat tempered. The shelf turned out OK, but the quality of the laminate itself left a lot to be desired. This stuff was a bear to work with, and I've done my share of laying laminate. This was about half the thickness of the standard stuff like Wilson Art or Formica, and very brittle. It was very hard to bend it very much without it splitting and cracking. All I can say is that I'm happy that I ordered a full sheet of it because factoring in goof ups, it took almost all of it to get the useable size pieces I needed. At the end of the day, DW is happy with it and that's what counts. My recommendation is that anyone wishing to do a project like this, strip off all of the cheap laminate that Keystone used and go with the good stuff. Anyway, on with this project. I'probably go out this weekend and hang the flip up brackets on the cabinet face. The top of the bracket has holes in it and the plan is to use pieces of dowel inserted in the bottom that will insert into the holes and keep it from sliding.Then when it' not in use, it will lift off and the brackets will fold down.
I don't have a lot of space to work with between the brackets, so the drawer face will have to be trimmed to fit until I have time to make a new drawer facing.

Ken / Claudia · 06-12-2014, 03:43 PM

Bob, that project looks like it came out great. My DW wanted a extention matching the counter top also. So far I have found alot of other projects at home etc. not to try. The dealer said they asked keystone for a piece and it was not available.

gregrc75 · 06-12-2014, 03:51 PM

It looks great in the photos!

Bob Landry · 06-12-2014, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia

Bob, that project looks like it came out great. My DW wanted a extention matching the counter top also. So far I have found alot of other projects at home etc. not to try. The dealer said they asked keystone for a piece and it was not available.

Go to Trekwood and look up decor for your year and model. You should be able to find the name of the laminate used in your trailer. Go to decotonesurfaces.com , do a search on the name you found and they should have it.

Keystone does not manufacture their own countertops or cabinets. They are made by a company called Patrick Industries. Part of my research looking for the laminate.

Ken / Claudia · 06-12-2014, 06:30 PM

Thanks, I will give them a call.

Bob Landry · 06-13-2014, 03:33 AM

You'll still have to have the name of the color used in your trailer. Patrick Industries will not sell to private individuals and will refer you to decotones surfaces.

zrxfishing · 06-13-2014, 04:41 AM

Came out nice!!

Bob Landry · 06-28-2014, 03:28 PM

I got the flip-up brackets mounted today for the countertop extension. The photos are out of order, but that's just the way Photobucket gave them to me and I didn't want to mess with moving them around.

The first one is the extension sitting on the brackets the way it's going to look. I'm going to use 1/4" dowel pegs on the bottom to fit in the bracket's top holes to keep it from sliding around. The face of the silverware drawer was in the way of the right side bracket, so I took it off and brought it home to do some "modification" to it. I sliced off the end that was interfering with the bracket, sliced off enough of the remaining piece to make it the right length and glued the end with the routed edge back onto it. I'll touch up the seam with some stain because it chipped a little bit, thanks to my cheap saw blade. It's under the counter top so it won't be noticible. For those wondering why I did this, the drawer wasn't centered in the cabinet face so I ran out of room on the right side. Long story short, it will work. The other problem I had is that the cabinet face isn't plumb with the floor. Surprise, surprise.. The extension contacted the entire bracket on the left side, but was a little high in one corner so that if you press down on it, it wobbles. The fix will be to take an assortment of shims in various thickness, and when I find the combination that stops the wobble, I'll glue them to the underside of the extension.

The second photo shows the brackets attached to the cabinet face and extended as they will be with the countertop sitting on them.

The third photo shows how I held the new piece at the needed height to get the correct placement of the flip-up brackets, since the exiting countertop and the new piece are of different thicknesses.

Really fun project and DW loves it. I just wish the silverware drawer had been in a different location so I wouldn't have to cut up the drawer face. I also tore up the actual front of the drawer box removing the face, thanks to Keystone's staples, so I had to cut a new piece for that and I'll go out tomorrow with glue and clamps and put that back together. I thought about just using my finish nailer, but thought, naw.. That's how Keystone would have done it

Vet4jdc · 07-04-2014, 06:04 AM

FANTASTIC job you did there Bob!!!

Bob Landry · 07-04-2014, 06:32 AM

Thanks.. DW really likes it..

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