Retired from countertop work many years ago, did it for 30 years. Best to have someone underneath laying on their back putting in the bolts one at a time and another with a damp rag, a block of wood, and a hammer to tap down on the high side. The person underneath supports the low side of the seam by pushing up with something as the person above taps. Work your way from back to front, tighten each fastener as the seam is leveled. One person can do it in the shop but it's still much easier with two.
Thanks for this video. Super helpful! I just did mine yesterday and it turned out pretty good. One thing I would say is that a second set of hands to manipulate the counter while it is being tightened would be helpful. A lot less jumping up and down trying to get everything aligned, and then going back under to tighten the bolts. But happy with the result and empowering to have done it myself.
Awesome! thank u.. I can see the importance of having the saw horses at exactly the same height so there's no big gaps in the two tops where they meet together...
Nice and easy in the shop- what about a double mitered countertop, with each side having a long counter, where none of it is small enough to assemble in the shop, and must be assembled in place?... That is what I'm currently dealing with.
I do it everyday, but it’s not an easy task for a homeowner. There are so many variables that it makes it very hard to teach someone easily, without knowing the exact situation. Someone would have to make a video showing many scenarios, so the viewer could decide which method to apply. I hope your joints turned out ok on your install, can be very frustrating having a time limit for glue chewing at your ass. Lol
It's very easy to do it in the workshop. It becomes a nightmare at times when you have to do a mitter joint at customer house where you have to go into the cabinet with very limited space and access to these slots.
“I’m going to use a block of wood and a hammer” Smacks the top with the hammer only! 😮 I had know idea you could be that rough on the tops! Turned out great, but I know if that were mine the laminate would have cracked. That’s my luck!
take a piece of 1/2 plywood about 4 inches wide and screw it to the underside covering the bolts....that forms a gusset so it will never pull apart....use 1 inch screws..
@Jim Jones it makes the joint that much stronger so it cant pull apart and the bolts will not loosen up over time....try putting in those bolts after the counter top is laid down..good luck
Aye... Low-key..... This was a Masterclass on " Handyman Hustles ". If you don't know how to install your countertop after watching this.... Well-Hell... you must not wanna learn.
Trying to put a countertop top in at my house which is an older house.the walls aren’t square and I can get the miters to align to put the miter bolts in.What would you suggest?
You have to assemble the miters properly and tight, and then tape and scribe the backsplash and belt sand the backsplash to fit any imperfections. If that isn't sufficient, any gap remaining could be covered with tile backsplash above, or small wood trim, or shiplap. Lots of options.
Yes, this was easy in this example in a large open workshop with access on all sides and underneath. I'm installing in a small kitchen with cabinets that don't have access underneath in the corner.
Some people will measure the inside angle, & cut the top to the appropriate angle , assuming you have the proper saw. Or order it that way. Or some people count on scribing the top of the backsplash to ensure a tight fit along the walls ,& still others do nothing, caulk it, or again rely on tile back splash to hide any gaps.
Check out the last part of the video. I am about to do one. If it does t move when you hammer it you might back off the bolts a little to get some movement
I have been doing tops for 25 years and this is real painful to watch. He can say its all good but go and check that miter, and I bet my finger nail can find all kinds of faults. He had the block on the first go and he forgot to use it lol. To much chatting when working time of the glue wont allow it. Thats funny. I should put out the a video on how to do this with professional techniques, and results.
Not mdf, dumb ass. His system is pretty decent, actually. I’ve assembled thousands of miters over the last 30 years, running my own post form counter business. I’ve had maybe ten miters in that time that failed prematurely, mostly because of customers putting coffee makers in the corner of the counter, or other things that expose it to continuous moisture. I’ve experimented with every type of silicone, glue/adhesive you could imagine, setting up miters and leaving water sitting on the seam, to see what works best. The deciding factor of the quality of a post form install is the miter. If it fails, the rest is now garbage, ruins the rest of the work, in my opinion. I also hit my counters with a 16oz hammer to finesse the joint, no blocks, no rubber mallets, no damage. My hammer face is kept smooth, and always checked for burrs, if I used it for something else. Using a block is a good idea for a tutorial for diy, it takes knowledge from experience to know how to tap with just a hammer. It’s very controlled, and accurate when doing adjustments. The guy in the video probably doesn’t use a block either, it looked like he was going to just use the hammer, then remembered he was making a tutorial for the non-professionals…..like you. The fact that you don’t know the difference between mdf and particle core pretty much excludes you from having any real knowledge of counters. You do snug up the bolts that way, but not much, as you need the joint to move. You will never (or very rarely) get a miter flush first. You get it close, and it will move with the pressure, then adjust and tighten a bit more, until it’s good, then check the whole thing again, many times as you go. He did explain all that as he went, but it is hard to really explain everything in detail in this type of video. For the every day person, and many experienced carpenters, miters aren’t easy if they don’t do it much. I’ve seen many counter installers that do it all the time still do shit miters, too.
Retired from countertop work many years ago, did it for 30 years. Best to have someone underneath laying on their back putting in the bolts one at a time and another with a damp rag, a block of wood, and a hammer to tap down on the high side. The person underneath supports the low side of the seam by pushing up with something as the person above taps. Work your way from back to front, tighten each fastener as the seam is leveled. One person can do it in the shop but it's still much easier with two.
Thanks for this video. Super helpful! I just did mine yesterday and it turned out pretty good. One thing I would say is that a second set of hands to manipulate the counter while it is being tightened would be helpful. A lot less jumping up and down trying to get everything aligned, and then going back under to tighten the bolts. But happy with the result and empowering to have done it myself.
Your did an excellent job on this video and explaining. Thank you so much.
Agreed
This video was really helpful. Im about to do new countertops in our new home. Well new to us.
Thank you so much. New customer here. This video helps a lot.
Awesome! thank u.. I can see the importance of having the saw horses at exactly the same height so there's no big gaps in the two tops where they meet together...
This is a great video.
Thank you so much.
Nice and easy in the shop- what about a double mitered countertop, with each side having a long counter, where none of it is small enough to assemble in the shop, and must be assembled in place?... That is what I'm currently dealing with.
Wow
I do it everyday, but it’s not an easy task for a homeowner. There are so many variables that it makes it very hard to teach someone easily, without knowing the exact situation. Someone would have to make a video showing many scenarios, so the viewer could decide which method to apply. I hope your joints turned out ok on your install, can be very frustrating having a time limit for glue chewing at your ass. Lol
Thank you so much!! Great information.
It's very easy to do it in the workshop.
It becomes a nightmare at times when you have to do a mitter joint at customer house where you have to go into the cabinet with very limited space and access to these slots.
Yeah. And we have a lazy Susan cabinet with a solid top, so we have to figure out a setup to do it off the edge of our cabinets..🥵
Super helpful. Thank you!
Suggestion: drop cloth over where you keep abruptly dropping that hammer and wrench.
“I’m going to use a block of wood and a hammer”
Smacks the top with the hammer only!
😮
I had know idea you could be that rough on the tops!
Turned out great, but I know if that were mine the laminate would have cracked.
That’s my luck!
take a piece of 1/2 plywood about 4 inches wide and screw it to the underside covering the bolts....that forms a gusset so it will never pull apart....use 1 inch screws..
@Jim Jones it makes the joint that much stronger so it cant pull apart and the bolts will not loosen up over time....try putting in those bolts after the counter top is laid down..good luck
Thanks for the lesson
I do this all day at work and is that laminate Brazilian brown
great job, looks well 👏 💯%....10 minutes before the glue hardens, i'd be stressed out racing against the glue..
Where you located? Do you make custom countertop? Great video
Thank you sir
Do you want to do this on top of your actual cabinets or can I do this wherever?
Aye... Low-key..... This was a Masterclass on " Handyman Hustles ". If you don't know how to install your countertop after watching this.... Well-Hell... you must not wanna learn.
What about glue residue on the surface? Is the laminate impervious?
How does one fix high spots in the miter? There’s a lip. Glue setup faster than father in law moved.
What kind of glue was it?
Trying to put a countertop top in at my house which is an older house.the walls aren’t square and I can get the miters to align to put the miter bolts in.What would you suggest?
You have to assemble the miters properly and tight, and then tape and scribe the backsplash and belt sand the backsplash to fit any imperfections. If that isn't sufficient, any gap remaining could be covered with tile backsplash above, or small wood trim, or shiplap. Lots of options.
@@mattg.111 Thank you
What type of glue?
What type of glue did you use and where do you get it?
Came with the kit, it's just a waterproof glue wood glue
How do you do this when the corner is always Susan with zero access
How on earth do you do that in place over your cabinets? Especially when it's a U shaped counter!
Yes, this was easy in this example in a large open workshop with access on all sides and underneath. I'm installing in a small kitchen with cabinets that don't have access underneath in the corner.
You have to assemble them somewhere you have space and then put them up and screw them in after
On sawhorses outside ,or some where ,where you have room . Then 2 men to place in place.
What do you do if the house moved and the 45 degrees is now 50 degrees?
If your house moved 5° you need to get out of it immediately
Move it back 5 degrees, but then you knew that right?
How would you go about cutting a mitre for two walls not square to one another????
Some people will measure the inside angle, & cut the top to the appropriate angle , assuming you have the proper saw. Or order it that way. Or some people count on scribing the top of the backsplash to ensure a tight fit along the walls ,& still others do nothing, caulk it, or again rely on tile back splash to hide any gaps.
Ok what do you do if the counter top is sealing in front and back but there's a gap in the middle
Check out the last part of the video. I am about to do one. If it does t move when you hammer it you might back off the bolts a little to get some movement
how the heck do you do it with a corner cabinet? this video is useless to me, I can read directions, I need creative tips for when it doesn't go right
Oh boy. I thought I could do this myself..a woman alone..not so sure..can I use a wood glue that has a 24 hour cure time?
I’d suggest not you need a quick dry strong glue or else your seem can move different glues expand you could have failure of the seem
I have been doing tops for 25 years and this is real painful to watch. He can say its all good but go and check that miter, and I bet my finger nail can find all kinds of faults. He had the block on the first go and he forgot to use it lol. To much chatting when working time of the glue wont allow it. Thats funny. I should put out the a video on how to do this with professional techniques, and results.
What kind of glue do you use on the seam? And where can I get it? What do the pro’s use
What's your pro tip if there is still a high side after glue has dried? Not much can be done I'm guessing?
Where can I find your video of professional techniques?
Did you just smack a laminate c-top with a hammer without the wood? LOL. Also try cutting a few biscuit joints to align the surface. No hammer needed,
Cowboys
Wrong way to do it, never snug the bolts you have to level it first, never hit a countertop with a hammer MDF is not strong a wood...
Lol the guy works in a counter top and cabinet shop. Pretty sure he’s got it under control.
Not mdf, dumb ass. His system is pretty decent, actually. I’ve assembled thousands of miters over the last 30 years, running my own post form counter business. I’ve had maybe ten miters in that time that failed prematurely, mostly because of customers putting coffee makers in the corner of the counter, or other things that expose it to continuous moisture. I’ve experimented with every type of silicone, glue/adhesive you could imagine, setting up miters and leaving water sitting on the seam, to see what works best. The deciding factor of the quality of a post form install is the miter. If it fails, the rest is now garbage, ruins the rest of the work, in my opinion. I also hit my counters with a 16oz hammer to finesse the joint, no blocks, no rubber mallets, no damage. My hammer face is kept smooth, and always checked for burrs, if I used it for something else. Using a block is a good idea for a tutorial for diy, it takes knowledge from experience to know how to tap with just a hammer. It’s very controlled, and accurate when doing adjustments. The guy in the video probably doesn’t use a block either, it looked like he was going to just use the hammer, then remembered he was making a tutorial for the non-professionals…..like you. The fact that you don’t know the difference between mdf and particle core pretty much excludes you from having any real knowledge of counters. You do snug up the bolts that way, but not much, as you need the joint to move. You will never (or very rarely) get a miter flush first. You get it close, and it will move with the pressure, then adjust and tighten a bit more, until it’s good, then check the whole thing again, many times as you go. He did explain all that as he went, but it is hard to really explain everything in detail in this type of video. For the every day person, and many experienced carpenters, miters aren’t easy if they don’t do it much. I’ve seen many counter installers that do it all the time still do shit miters, too.
I don't use glue on my joints.
Doesn't water seepage and wood expansion become a problem then
The countertop I just bought had a sticker saying the warranty would be voided if no glue is found in the joints.
@@facebookninja4085 where can I buy a 11.5 ft countertop...
@@angelluismartinez8532 Menards sells 12 and 10 foot straight countertops
Thanks
The miter bolts from Lowes these days use a 9/32 wrench! Who is the idiot coming up with the idea of making them smaller- ridiculous!
He used the word “liberal” I’m gone
😁