DIY Reclaimed Wood Worktop

So here it is time for a worktop the one that has been in the van was only ever meant to be temporary but it functioned fine so there was no urgency to replace it.

With my Dads wood tool collection now growing we had a much bigger option of what could be done and with him reclaiming some old wood floorboards I asked if he could glue me up a worktop.

Being 500 miles away I gave him some oversized dimensions so he could get the worktop ready for my trip to Cornwall. The first step was to run the pieces through the plainer to square them up.

He then used a biscuit jointer to add some strength to the joints due to the width of his planer he had to make it in two halfs. The two halfs could then be glued to create the worktop which just needed some glue cleanup and light sanding.

I also decided that having some water on tap would be a good idea rather than listening to water bottles rolling around the van. I have had electric pumps before but decided this time to try a whale hand pump tap and must say I am impressed with the flow. I can see that it wouldn’t fit a lot of peoples designs but it suited mine. At the same time I have replaced my DIY oven tray sink with a deeper one just to prevent any splash back.

Rather than mess up the new worktop I used the old work top to trial fit the new tap and sink so I could then use that as a template for the new one.

Once the holes were transferred I could then test the worktop in the van and scribe the shape in front of the cooker to leave a bit more work surface. I could then screw everything back in connect up my gas and waste water which flows straight out of the van and could fit my new fresh water bottle and pipework to the tap.

For now I have just used a sealer on the worktop so it can be used but will at some point in the future put a more hard wearing finish on the worktop.