This is a continuation of the Tutorial.  Part One covers materials. Construction First, dimensions of the surface to be covered are measured, and the plywood subcounter is cut to shape.  Screw this into cabinet sides immediately so the kitchen can be used. We lived with construction plywood counters for just about a year, so I suppose you could just stop here if you were ok with counters that can’t be thoroughly cleaned and are pretty [...]

At the request of several readers, I (Alex, Rachel’s husband) wrote this tutorial about the installation of our wood countertops on the cheap. Advantages/Disadvantages to Wood To begin with, you need to decide if a wooden surface is right for you.  If you already have wood cabinets, more wood on the countertops can lead to an overload of natrual products in a kitchen.  Consider using a contrasting wood for the countertop than you use for [...]

Today, Alex installed two pieces of wooden countertops. He made them with cherry plywood and aged solid cherry edges. Finished with six layers of polyurethane, they are smooth and cleanable!! Alex even let Lil help apply the glue. Yay Alex!! We have lived without proper countertops for 11 months!! I am just a little bit excited. (Now, get working on the other two pieces.)