The tabletop is the upper part of the table, which is its main component, which determines the possibility of using this type of furniture.
In the manufacture of countertops, various types of natural and artificial materials can be used, such as: wood, stone, various types of plastics. When using wood and materials made from wood waste (chipboard, plywood, OSB), the easiest to process , the countertop can be made with your own hands at home.
Pros of wooden countertops
Wooden countertop
The undoubted advantage of using wood is that it is an environmentally friendly material, which in addition has a number of undeniable advantages, these are:
- Easy to process, allowing you to make a wooden tabletop with your own hands, of various geometric shapes and sizes.
- The variety of wood species used in manufacturing makes it possible to combine such products with various types of other finishing materials: glass, tile, metal, etc.
- The beauty and warmth of natural material allow it to be used in the design of tables of various types (kitchen, dining, work, etc.).
- Easy to maintain and maintain, and with proper care, long service life.
- Possibility of performing local, local repairs and reconstruction.
- The cost is lower than that of analogues made from natural stone.
Having said about the advantages, we cannot forget about the disadvantages, which are:
- Low resistance to external influences, such as: high temperature, humidity, mechanical damage (cuts, scratches).
- When caring, special products are required that do not damage the outer surface.
- If damaged, special treatment and repair are required (grinding, varnishing, waxing, etc.).
Pouring the solution
Reinforcing bars are placed in the formwork and fastened together. Prepare a concrete solution: mix cement, sand, crushed stone in a ratio of 1:2:2. The mass is thoroughly mixed. Water is added. Until the mixture reaches a creamy consistency. Next, the solution is poured into the formwork to the desired height.
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Tree selection
Oak boards
When choosing a material, the purpose of the table on which the tabletop is mounted and its location are important.
The selection criteria are:
- Durability.
This indicator determines the ability of the material to withstand mechanical and thermal loads, as well as prevent moisture.
- Hygiene.
It is characterized by the ability to be treated with detergents and other sanitary and hygienic products.
- Practicality.
It is characterized by the durability and hygiene of the material, as well as its ability to be restored and repaired.
To make a tabletop, a board with a thickness of at least 25.0 mm and a high degree of drying can be used. Its humidity should be no more than 12.0%.
The raw materials for the production of boards can be oak, cherry, walnut, teak, iroko, Siberian larch, linden, birch, spruce or pine.
In addition, solid wood, straight plank or furniture board, which are made from the above listed wood species, can be used for production.
Straight planken is a wooden board with edges trimmed with sharp edges. Plankens come in straight, beveled and straight with grooves.
Furniture board is a natural material made from wooden blocks connected to each other by gluing.
Formwork
After installing the diagonal braces and horizontal lintels, you can begin assembling the formwork and base for the table.
It must be remembered that after pouring the concrete solution, the formwork will need to be removed, so it should be made taking into account the fact that the canvas must remain intact. For the same purpose, you can cover it with polyethylene, which will also prevent concrete leaks onto the floor.
Table size
The size of the table and tabletop, in particular, depend on its purpose and type of use.
It should be comfortable to sit or stand at the table, as well as to use cabinets and other furniture hung (installed) above the table surface.
When determining the size of the countertop used in the kitchen, the following are considered optimal:
- height – 850 – 900 mm;
- depth – 600 – 800 mm.
- length - depending on the size of the table.
The installation height and depth of the tabletop must correspond to the height of the user, which can easily be varied when independently manufacturing furniture for various purposes.
Updating the tree workspace
The need to update the countertop depends on the operating conditions. There are several ways to protect the workplane:
- Oil and wax protect wood well: they prevent fibers from swelling when exposed to moisture, and also protect against mechanical and chemical influences.
- Varnishing a wooden surface. To give a darker color, a special pigment is sometimes added to the varnish.
Wooden surfaces impregnated with oil and wax are considered the best option, given their environmental friendliness.
Materials and tools
Planer
Hard wood is used to make countertops, especially for products used in the kitchen and in rooms with high humidity (bathroom, laundry room, and the like).
As already written above, it can be oak, cherry, walnut, teak, iroko, Siberian larch, less often - linden, birch, spruce or pine.
To make this piece of furniture yourself, you will need the following tool:
- planer (jointer) manual or electric;
- wood saw or electric jigsaw;
- drill or screwdriver;
- wood cutters;
- thicknesser;
- angle grinder (“grinder”) with a set of grinding wheels;
- files, sandpaper;
- tape measure, square;
- pencil, scriber, chalk.
To assemble and finish the countertop you will need:
- stain of the required color shade;
- antiseptic substances and materials;
- varnish or paint;
- wood glue.
Manufacturing of carpentry panels
We select dry boards of the same thickness
Making a carpentry panel is the arrangement of pre-prepared elements. The main parts of the carpentry panel are wooden boards. But first they need to be specially processed.
Cut the boards to the required size
We process the surfaces of all boards using a plane and jointer
Use a plane to level the surface of the board material. Using sandpaper, carefully sand the surface. After grinding, the prepared material must be treated with an antiseptic.
Sand with sandpaper or a sander
Construction stores have a huge selection of them, but please note that you need a solution for interior work. The antiseptic will protect the wood from excess moisture, which is available in abundance in the kitchen, and will prevent the appearance of mold and insects.
How to make a wooden tabletop with your own hands
Cutting boards
Manufacturing technology depends on the material used in the work: boards, straight planks, solid wood or furniture panels.
Manufacturing from boards and straight planks
When using a board and straight plank, the manufacture of a tabletop is carried out in the following sequence:
- boards (planken) are cut to the required length and in the required quantity;
- the outer surface of the boards is processed with a plane and jointer;
- grooves are cut in the side ends of the boards; for this, an electric jigsaw or a special machine is used;
- The slats are cut from a material similar to that used to make the tabletop. The thickness of the slats should correspond to the width of the sawn groove.
- the manufactured slats are inserted into the groove on one of the sides of the prepared boards. When installing the slats in the groove, wood glue is placed there.
- when the slats are inserted, the boards are connected to each other in such a way that the slats fit into the free groove of the adjacent board. This also uses wood glue.
- after all the boards are connected to each other, they are compressed by installing clamps or other devices that provide compression to the assembled sheet.
- When the glue dries, the outer surface is sanded and tinted.
- antiseptic treatment of the assembled structure is carried out.
Manufacturing from furniture board
When a furniture panel is used in the manufacture of a tabletop, the work is performed as follows:
- the furniture panel is cut in accordance with the dimensions required for the table being constructed.
- On the inside of the furniture panel, it is reinforced, for which a wooden block or lath is used. The installation of these elements ensures the strength of the structure under loads in the vertical plane (deflection strength).
- if it is necessary to install the legs, the fastening elements are mounted and installed; when installing the tabletop on the table frame, the necessary fasteners (tenons, corners, etc.) are installed.
- The outer surface is ground and polished.
- treated with water-repellent substances and painted, if necessary.
Plastic coated
Regardless of what technology and what material the tabletop is made of, it can be covered with plastic, which will improve the performance of this piece of furniture.
Plastic is used if the working surface is damaged during the operation of the table or initially during its manufacture.
There are a large number of different types of plastic on the market for such products, differing in technical characteristics (density, thickness), geometric dimensions and color options.
To finish the tabletop, plastic is cut in accordance with the required dimensions, and then glued to the outer surface. The edges of the tabletop can also be lined with plastic.
For gluing, special glues, adhesive mastics or liquid nails are used.
How to clean a surface from dried glue?
It makes sense to remove excess glue from the surface of the wood either while it is completely fresh or when it has completely hardened. If you rush to sand a damp area of wood, you will most likely end up with an even greater aesthetic defect when the fibers deformed by sanding dry. The hardened glue is cleaned by hand sanding (along the fibers) or cut with a chisel.
Before applying decorative finishing, check to see if there are any stained areas on the product. Otherwise, traces of dried glue will appear under the finishing compound. To more effectively detect defects, wipe the surface of the wood with a cloth soaked in white spirit.
