Plywood for long term (1-2 years) countertops

[shan2themax]

I am putting down 1/2 inch plywood as my kitchen counter... I k ow it's not a good solution.... but the kitchen needs major work, and I cant right now.
So..... the question is this.
I have put peel and stick flooring tiles on the first counter, how can I seal the edges? Can I just paint the edges? Will that seal them well enough? I am going to take the main counter top off, cut a hole for the sink, put flooring tiles down and have a different sink installed (mine is fiberglass and I have had had to spray rubber sealant on the bottom several times.)
Heres a pic of the cabinets I moved to make some workspace, flooring tiles already attatched to that one.

 

[bud16415]

Go to the apron or vest store and look around in the trim section. They sell a .25x.5 pine strip if I remember correct for holding screen to a wood frame. Cut those to length and use some white glue and a few brads to hold it while the glue dries.

 

[pjones]

If you can find the same edging as your corner trim then you could use it as a 1/4”x1” (or whatever the flat dimension is) to edge the counter top. Silicone or glue behind it and nail or screw it on... the top of the drawers are pretty close, you would need to be careful of that with the flat dimension being so wide. You may need to stick with 1/2” as mentioned above instead of the 1” because of that.

 

[shan2themax]

Heres the cabinet I bought yesterday.... I added wheels underneath. I got a dolly at harbor freight and attatched to to the bottom of the cabinet. It is a little wobbly and it was hard for me to attatch because I cant get to the majority of my tools.... but it will work. I needed it on wheels because i have mouse traps in the back of this area that i need to be able to get to easily. Next is the rest of the countertops and more peel and stick flooring and installing a different sink (stainless steel) getting rid of the garbage disposal. I am aware the wheels arent centered... that another story...

 

[bud16415]

That looks really nice it’s not to bad of a DIY project others could do and it is budget friendly.


I like the idea of the dolly as a base with wheels. I have bought a few of those at harbor freight.


Just remember the advice I got from a old guy when we were rebuilding this house. He said every little bit helps.

 

[shan2themax]

That is so true bud16415. I have so little control of several things in my life... that these little things make a big difference to my day to day existence. Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Eddie_T]

I applaud your ingenuity. Those HF dollies can be cheaper than purchasing casters. In your long term planning you might consider fixed casters for more stability and still make that one cabinet movable. They can be shimmed to get a precise height match if needed.

I am building a small mobile island using fixed casters for stability and ease of caster concealment. I considered just using the dollies or the casters and fixing them for stability but the closest HF is 40 miles away so fuel or postage made local purchase of fixed casters more practical.

I use low cost peel and stick tiles for kitchen drawer liners. They are easy to wipe clean and will last forever in drawers.

I know it's a long term project but post some progress pictures along the way and ask whatever questions that come up.

 

[shan2themax]

Thanks Eddie-T
I appreciate the encouragement! I had hoped to get rid of the current countertop and put the plywood down during this stretch of days off... but, it has done nothing but rain. Lots of flooding in the area so I havent been able to pull all the crap out of the garage to get to what I need, or have an area to cut the sinkhole out. I also havent felt very good the past few days.... which is weird, so i still need to rearrange some things in the kitchen. I'm going to paint the kitchen walls... and.... the cabinets when it gets warmer.
The thought occured to me during my moms hospitalization and since then that i have to stop with the "some day, one day"s, and make things happen now... so, when it gets warmer and I can open windows so the paint doesnt bother my moms breathing.... I'll get to that part. I'll definitely ask questions as I go if needed. Pictures will come also!

 

[Eddie_T]

I am a bit slow, mostly due to lack of motivation but my 30"x 36" kitchen island on casters has risen to counter height and the bottom is fitted in. I have started putting ⅛" plywood on the ends. It will have three drawers built the Ana White way with slides installed in carcass before drawer boxes are built. I am not going to use full extension slides as I have three sets of roller slides on hand. The mobility sure is handy in the construction phase and no-one will know the casters are there unless they lean against either end of the island.

 

[ajaynejr]

Sticky edge (not click lock) flooring strips (imitation wood planks) would have been better than peel and stick tiles. Use rubber cement or contact cement to hold it down on the plywood.

Three quarters inch plywood would have been better than half inch, to avoid bowing and give.

 

[Eddie_T]

I am using ½" ply on top of my island because I have it on hand. However I will add ½" or ⅜" ply to the underside to prevent bowing. I am trying to do my build w/o any new purchases except for Formica and casters. If I don't have enough ⅛" ply for drawer bottoms I may try hardboard. I made a drawer for the bottom of a bathroom vanity totally out of ⅛" ply using 18 ga nails and glue about 10 years ago and it's still like new. KItchen drawers get more use so I will use thicker wood or ply for drawer fronts and sides.

 

[BuzzLOL]

I probably would have just painted the plywood with a thick layer of clear polyurethane. Like I did to some lamp tables I made 40 years ago and am still using...

 

[Eddie_T]

Here's a peek at the beginnings of my island. Casters are installed such that motion would be to the left or right. This is the rear of the island, ⅛" ply will install behind the faceframe you see. The ends are covered with ⅛" ply and a picture frame molding will be installed on the ply. It will be painted black. Countertop will be formica matching the other counters.