Worktop Question

tesuhoha

We have ordered an Ikea kitchen. My husband is installing it himself. He has done this before on several occasions and always reinforces the units with glue.

We had planned to have a granite worktop (not ordered yet). However, he has worked out that the worktop on the kitchen island will weigh quarter of a ton (2670 x 1050). He has also read on a website blog that Ikea units are not sturdy enough for granite and need to be reinforced. Does anyone know if this is the case? He would not be fitting the worktop, if it is to be granite.

keystone

Try as I may I can't understand the logic of installing expensive workstops onto what is, to all intents and purposes, a budget kitchen - but thats just me.

I would say that the weak point will be the cabinet legs rather than the structure. A single cab should be able to support iro 500kg but I think you are obviously using more than a single cabinet. Prolly need a sheet of ply underneath the granite to really spread the load but thats up to the fitter.

Obviously you have made sure that the floor can take it?

Cheers

tesuhoha

My husband has taken up all the floorboards, put in insulation and reinforced the whole floor. He has now worked out how he can put in an invisible frame on the wall and between the double set of floor units to support the worktop.

As for the granite worktop, my husband works on a building site and he has spoken to the people who fit the granite worktops and they can give him a budget price which works out cheaper than the price we were quoted for an Ikea worktop. We have found it very difficult to find the width we require in acryllic worktops apart from Ikea.

The alternative is a wood worktop but we don't think that is an option because my son is also cooking himself meals but is extremely messy and accident prone without meaning to be. I.e. he would leave a hot pan on the side. So we need something that at least stands a chance of being hardwearing.

Incidentally, it won't look like a budget kitchen when its done, even though it is

cyclonebri1

keystone wrote: »

Try as I may I can't understand the logic of installing expensive workstops onto what is, to all intents and purposes, a budget kitchen - but thats just me.

I would say that the weak point will be the cabinet legs rather than the structure. A single cab should be able to support iro 500kg but I think you are obviously using more than a single cabinet. Prolly need a sheet of ply underneath the granite to really spread the load but thats up to the fitter.

Obviously you have made sure that the floor can take it?

Cheers

The thing is almost all units have similar feet, they don't even take the weight on the unit sides, merely the bases that are fixed with a few screwed pins, next to useless.

Fair point about the floor, and there is likely to be some distortion from the weight, but it's only like installing a full size snooker table, and the calcs on that work out pretty low load, assuming 8 legs.

Which is what I'm getting at.
You can't rely on the adjustable legs, I've seen these strip threads when a point load has been applied.
Level the island perfectly, and I mean perfectly, granite won't bend an awful lot, and if it does, I tin can from the cupboard above can be instant death.
Then chock every edge you can, (not under the base shelf itself), with suitable timber until all is securely sat on timber and wedges, dab them with silicone or other adhesive so they don't shift. Then you can do no more.

All non joiner built unit are made of chipboard or mdf, supported correctly they with accept a heavy granite top.

Regarding the ply KS, I had mine done about 2 years ago now, the guy quoting said "no, don't use ply, it adds nothing and stops the guys seeing if the slab is actually sat on the units", seems to make sense?.

keystone

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

The thing is almost all units have similar feet, they don't even take the weight on the unit sides, merely the bases that are fixed with a few screwed pins, next to useless.

Ikea legs 125kg per but obviously not as a point load. Thats across the cab. So hardly next to useless.

Fair point about the floor, and there is likely to be some distortion from the weight, but it's only like installing a full size snooker table, and the calcs on that work out pretty low load, assuming 8 legs.

Same answer. Thats the point of the how many cabs question.

All non joiner built unit are made of chipboard or mdf, supported correctly they with accept a heavy granite top.

Thats why I said there'll be no problem with the structure and its the legs which are the weak point where there is one.

Regarding the ply KS, I had mine done about 2 years ago now, the guy quoting said "no, don't use ply, it adds nothing and stops the guys seeing if the slab is actually sat on the units", seems to make sense?.

Sigh! I did say its entirely down to the fitter n'est pas?

Cheers

cyclonebri1

keystone wrote: »

Ikea legs 125kg per but obviously not as a point load. Thats across the cab. So hardly next to useless.

Same answer. Thats the point of the how many cabs question.

Thats why I said there'll be no problem with the structure and its the legs which are the weak point where there is one.

Sigh! I did say its entirely down to the fitter n'est pas?

Cheers

You misunderstand, not the legs that are useless, but the fact that they support the base not the sides and the fixing of the sides to the base is by 4 cam lock pins, that's the pathetic part, and it's not just ikea.

Glad you agree,

Not if the cabinets are not supported on the edges, the legs simply push the base plate up into the units, been there and fixed it.

Can you explain the advantage of using plywood, I can't,;)

keystone

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

You misunderstand,

Oh sorry. It happens.

not the legs that are useless, but the fact that they support the base not the sides and the fixing of the sides to the base is by 4 cam lock pins, that's the pathetic part, and it's not just ikea.

Yes you are right and failure is usually down to not making sure that they are locked off properly.

Glad you agree,

Au plaisir.

Not if the cabinets are not supported on the edges, the legs simply push the base plate up into the units, been there and fixed it.

As above. If the camlocks are not properly locked off then they represent a single point of failure and as you said that can happen with any flat packed stuff.

Can you explain the advantage of using plywood, I can't,;)

No I can't because its not my remit. Some specialist granite installers use a sheet of ply others don't. Its their decision not mine. The only thing that I can think of is that granite is at its most fragile during the installation process and very easy to crack (especially around cutouts) if a point load is applied. Anyway not my POS. All I have to do is ensure they have a level surface to work to.

Bottom line OP is that your granite top will be fine on standard Ikea cabinets without reinforcement in my opinion. You'll find that there are an awful lot of people out there that will agree with that than won't. I invite you to check it for yourself. You didn't say how many cabs by the way. A single one is probably pushing the limits on loading the more you have the more the load is spread.

Cheers

Leif

tesuhoha wrote: »

my son is also cooking himself meals but is extremely messy and accident prone without meaning to be. I.e. he would leave a hot pan on the side. So we need something that at least stands a chance of being hardwearing.

Incidentally, it won't look like a budget kitchen when its done, even though it is

Apparently you should not put a hot pan onto granite, even though it is usually okay. And if he is clumsy, surely you'll end up with lots of chips? Personally if he's old enough to cook for himself, I'd kick him out and let him destroy his own home. Not a hard choice, nice granite worktop or son at home.

Alisha2008

I put hot pans on my granite worktop all the time... nothing has ever happened, I would only be careful with cast iron dishes from the oven, which I think can get extremely hot (but I've never had one).

Steve_the_fitter

cant u put end support panels which go all the way to the floor?. also a back panel if u havent got units on both sides

keystone

OP doesn't seem inclined to answer the "how many cabs" question so you might not get an answer to that one either.

Cheers