[swedishchick]

Hi one of my benches are just over the 240cm maximum length you can get in numerar / pragel benchtops. So this would mean that I would have to get two and join them.

As it happens this is also the bench where my sink will be located – I’m slightly worried about a D.I.Y. joint in such a wet environment? Anyone have any experience of this? Any tips on how to make it extra waterproof?

Or should I go and get a laminate bench top elsewhere where I can get it in one piece? It’s just that here in Australia all (cheap) laminate has rounded edges and don’t come in just plain non-stone-look-alike colours - both features to my disliking – so I would have to splash out a bit to get what I want.

[fisheggs]

Hi there!

I bet that amongst the group here we can all come up with a solution - am I right that you're looking at the laminate versions, not the butcherblock?

My first thought would be that if you could insert a different type of material at the end of your countertop length, you could possibly go back to using the 240 cm length for the rest of that surface. It'd depend on where your sink was within that area. For instance, if you had a square piece of marble for rolling out dough for baking, or a butcherblock piece for cutting on, it might look like a design feature in your kitchen and would allow you to not have any seams that look unintended.

[swedishchick]

Yes I’m talking about laminate. I do like the idea of splitting it up with something else. I will already have an island with a custom wooden bench top (my splash out item) so that would be my main working space. For the area next to the sink I was planning on just having a few shelves over it for small appliances, toaster, kettle, maybe a microwave.

There is a picture I like in our new main catalogue where they have a stainless steal sink that’s as wide as the benchtop (with an edge so there is no need for a benchtop as well) but this sink is not available in my brochure - our selection on this side of the planet is a little limited. But I guess I could look for a sink like it elsewhere – possibly as pricey an option as getting custom laminate.

And it still means there would be two joins where the sink and laminate meet – I guess you just have to be really careful getting them water tight. I’ve read a few not so good things about the Pragel / Numerar benchtops and how they handle moisture though so a bit concerned about that? Any opinions on that?

[fisheggs]

Oooh...I looked for "counter-depth" stainless sinks for a while and found that they are REALLY expensive. $1400 or more. Unless you find a local fabricator, and then they're still pretty expensive.

The Ikea benchtops are probably pretty similar to other laminates in that they aren't meant to withstand much moisture getting under the laminate. You should have seen our 30-year old (non-Ikea) countertops when we removed them!!! Ick.

Some people here paint the cut edges with a polyurethane or other sealant to help a bit, especially around the cutout for the sink (drop-in, of course, not undermount). My feeling is that it's better to keep the water as far away from the joints and cuts in the first place.