Solid Wood Work Top. for kitchen installation professionals. If you can install cabinets, you can install solid wood worktops!

Transcription

1 Solid Wood Work Top Installation Instructions for kitchen installation professionals If you can install cabinets, you can install solid wood worktops! 37

2 Relax! It s Wood. You Can Trim To Fit. CafeCountertops are manufactured of very specialized wood, yes, but the difficult part is already complete. This guide is for kitchen installers and woodworkers who are installing CafeCountertops fully-fabricated solid hardwood worktops. Recognizing your experience in woodworking, we can assure you of success if you follow these basic steps. THE CARDINAL RULE: Room to move Solid wood worktops can be installed in much the same manner as plastic laminate worktops, with one key exception. You must allow space for expansion and contraction. Solid Wood worktops expand and contract primarily in depth; i.e. front-to-back. This movement can be compensated for by proper fastening to base cabinets, and by a minimum 3/16 /5mm gap at walls. See further notes within this Guide for special requirements at L-Shape and U-Shape installations. We cannot universally recommend a gap smaller than 3/16, but then again, we re not familiar with the unique conditions of your project. Use common sense. A countertop that is open at one end, for example, wouldn t necessarily need a gap at the opposite end. This guide assumes you have purchased a fullyfabricated CafeCountertops worktop. The information included here is for basic installation. Contact our Customer Service department for special requirements for more-extensive field-modifications. 38

3 Preparing for installation Before proceeding with installation, read the Product Information and Guarantee and Liability sections on the last pages of this Guide. Ensure that the site is permanently climate-controlled and that the worktop has properly acclimatized to the space per the guidelines set out in the sections referred to above. Installed worktops are considered to have been accepted by you, therefore damages to installed worktops will be assumed to have occurred during installation. As quickly as possible upon unpackaging, perform a maintenance oiling as directed in the Maintenance Guide, with special attention directed to proper care of oil rags. While your worktop has been in transit, the oil finish has been penetrating deep into the worktop, leaving the surface slightly vulnerable. This must be replenished before any moisture or adhesives are permitted to contact the surface, or blemishes are probable to occur. Attachment to Base Cabinets and Table Frames Attach tops to base assemblies with wood screws, using your choice of the two recommended methods below. Always drill pilot holes in the wood worktop at fastener locations. Screws (provided by you) should be sized to penetrate the worktop approximately 5/8-3/4. Each new CafeCountertops worktop ships with an Installation Kit (located inside the Maintenance Kit). If base cabinets have cross-rails or corner blocks for countertop installation, drill 1/2 /12mm holes at each desired fastener location. Use the large washer(s) from the Installation Kit with wood screws. The large shoulder of the washer pinches the worktop to the attachment cleat while permitting the top to move horizontally as required by expansion and contraction. Alternately, you may prefer to use the slotted angle brackets included in the Installation Kit. Brackets should be securely attached to the cabinet side panels, flush with the top of the base cabinet, with slot direction parallel to the cabinet side, to accommodate front-to-back expansion and contraction. If cabinet side panels are too thin to provide secure anchorage of the brackets, you may need to install custom mounting strips. 39

4 Additional installation notes Level. Before starting installation, make sure that all upper surfaces of the cabinets are completely level and that they have been installed correctly in relation to one another. The wood worktop must rest on a level base, fully supported at all points of contact. Support At inside corners, knee-spaces, and other unsupported locations, install wood attachment cleats at the wall, flush with the tops of base cabinets. This will be a load-bearing support and should be securely fastened. Support brackets, corbels or structural subframe are required at any cantilevered overhang greater than 10 inches, or at any unsupported span of 36 inches or more in width. Frameless Cabinets If base cabinets have full sub-tops, install ¼ thick x (cabinet depth) spacers over cabinet sides and intermediately at any cabinets over 24 inches wide. Drill a series of large holes along the rear of the cabinet subtop to allow for ventilation. Adhesives 100% Silicone and other wood-suitable adhesives may be used in moderation to supplement wood screw anchorage, especially at spots where access is difficult. Apply adhesive in daubs, never in a continuous bead, and do not use adhesive at both the front and back of the worktop, as this will conflict with expansion/contraction. 40

5 Cutouts and Scribing Any cutouts for sinks, ovens, etc. must be at least ¼ larger than the units themselves. This allows the wood to expand. When using a jigsaw, cut from the underside to reduce splintering. Faucet holes must be at least 1/8 larger in diameter than the faucet stem. Cutouts less than 10 from ends or other cutouts, or less than 2 from front or rear edge, can cause that portion of the top to dry more quickly, which may lead to cracking, and thus that portion of the countertop is excluded from our Guarantee. Edges of cutouts, faucet holes, scribed edges at walls, and any other modification which exposes raw wood must be sealed. Following all safety precautions outlined in the Maintenance Kit, apply a heavy coating of Finishing Oil to the exposed surface. Allow to soak for 2-3 hours, wipe clean, wait 2 hours, then perform a full maintenance oiling as directed in the Maintenance Guide. Sinks can be secured to the worktop with Silicone caulk. Undermount sinks should also receive metal sink clips (typically included with the sink), installed per the sink manufacturer s instructions. The worktop will not suspend heavy cast-iron sinks and farm sinks. These require a support structure below. Details for this structure are typically included in the sink manufacturer s installation instructions. Appliances Dishwashers, u/c refrigerators, and any other heat-or-moisture generating appliance require a thermal moisture barrier to be installed to the underside of the worktop. This barrier is typically specified by the designer and factoryinstalled. If not, you may proceed with worktop installation, but ensure that the foil barrier is purchased and installed before the appliance is placed into service. Cutouts for cooktops require heat-reflective tape at edges. If not factoryinstalled, this tape may also be purchased from CafeCountertops. 41

6 Field Joints Worktop sections are prepared for joining bolts and alignment pins at the factory. These items will be in your Installation Kit. Test-fit the joint and confirm that both sections align fully. If not, see instructions for flattening tops later in this guide. If the sections align, insert the wooden alignment pins, apply a very thin bead of silicone caulk along the top edge of the surface to be joined, then draw the joint together. Do not use glue. (Tip: a wide strip of masking tape on each side of the joint makes clean-up easier). Install the joining bolts by tightening each bolt a little at a time, in sequence, so that the joint draws together evenly. Remove excess silicone fully. Special Conditions at L-Shapes and U-Shapes At L-Shape and U-Shape worktops, CafeCountertops provides a 90-Degree Joint (butt joint) where field seams are required. 90-degree joints are the strongest type of joint for joining intersecting wood worktops, and qualify for our full Guarantee. Miter Joint installation Miter joints are inferior to 90-degree joints for solid wood worktop applications. Miter joints are available by special order only and are excluded from our Guarantee. Contrary to conventional wisdom, do not use joining bolts to hold the assembled miter joint. This tight connection is precisely the cause of wood worktop miter joint failure, because it prevents the two sections of worktop from expanding independently, causing the worktop to crack at the joining bolt location and the joint to gap unevenly. Joining bolts are used in factory processes and may be used for temporarily joining the worktop sections, but should be removed after installation is complete. Prepare the joint as if it were a standard joint, but use temporary spacers to create a continuous 1/8 gap between sections. Install flat mending plates below the countertop, away from joining bolt locations. These mending plates must have either oversized or slotted holes, and be screwfastened using the procedures in Attachment to Base Cabinets earlier in this guide. Fill the 1/8 gap with silicone sealant. Exceptions: (1) At bar tops of 15 depth or less, and (2) at angle joints less than 90-degrees, miter joints can be installed with joining bolts. 42

7 Product Information Temperature/Humidity: Solid wood worktops are a natural product, dried to 8-10 percent moisture content, which is suitable for humidity levels of percent. Wood is a living material; it will expand and contract according to surrounding humidity levels. For example, an 85% humidity level can cause a worktop to expand up to ¼ in width. Do not expose the worktop to major changes in temperature/humidity and be aware of the surrounding environment during building work/installation. Storage The worktops leave the manufacturer acclimatized and level. As with all solid timber products, the worktop should be stored in a dry place protected against moisture and extreme humidity levels. When storing the worktops, they should remain in their original packaging, stacked level and flat on wood braces, so that air can circulate between them. Beware of storing worktops on recently poured concrete floors as the moisture from drying concrete can be absorbed by the worktops. Small Cracks When solid wood is dried, small air pockets can occur and cause small cracks to appear on the surface. This can also happen as a result of changes in temperature or humidity. Small cracks are a natural part of solid wood and can be minimized with oiling or repaired with wood filler. These small cracks do not constitute grounds for complaint. Bowing Avoid exposing the worktop to different heat and moisture levels on the surface and underside. This will cause it to bow. If this happens, turn the worktop over, allow it to rest, and it should correct itself. If a slight bow is noticed during fitting, screw the back edge to the support and then carefully draw the top down with a clamp before fastening to the front support (Do not rely on the fasteners alone to draw down the worktop). If the top is significantly bowed (this happens most often when tops are stored incorrectly), place the loose worktop directly onto a clean cement floor with the bowed center down and ends rocking until the desired results are achieved. Cement is preferred to other floor types because it will extract moisture. However, the cement floor should not be new or the cement will be releasing rather than absorbing moisture. Cleaning and Maintenance Follow carefully all instructions in the Maintenance Guide. 43

8 CaféCountertops solid wood worktops leave the factory acclimatized and level. The worktop must not be installed until the humidity level in the room is regulated to normal levels. Humidity levels that are either very high or very low may have an adverse effect on the condition of the worktop. Always protect and cover the worktop before and during the installation. If you have any complaints about your worktop, contact your dealer before beginning installation. Installed worktops are considered to have been accepted by you, therefore damages to installed worktops will be assumed to have occurred during installation. Contact your CafeCountertops dealer for product Warranty information Worktops can only be returned by special agreement. If they are to be returned, they must be correctly packaged to prevent their being damaged in transit