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How to Measure and Scribe a Kitchen Worktop

Fitting a kitchen worktop is fairly straight forward if you are experienced at DIY. You would need to set aside around four hours to complete the job of fitting new kitchen work surfaces, but because worktops can be quite heavy depending on the material they’re made from, it might be a good idea to have an extra pair of hands available.

The most important thing is to make sure that you take accurate measurements before you start to cut the wood as mistakes can be expensive and waste time. The hardest part is how to measure up to be able to cut edges, especially when the wall might not be at a right angle or if there are pipes to cut around.
If you already have a worktop that you are replacing then you can just draw around that, which will probably be the easiest thing to do, or you could simply take the measurements from the old worktop.

If you are changing the shape or size of your kitchen worktop, it is important to make sure that you have an even overhang along the front edge of the kitchen cabinets or drawers, which should be between 10 and 20mm, with 25mm at either side of the worksurface. The back wall against which the worktop is being fitted will probably be uneven so you will need to scribe the work top to avoid any gaps.

Place the worktop with the back edge against the wall making sure that your overhang is the equal all along the front of your kitchen units. You then need to measure the biggest distance between the wall and the work surface and cut a small measuring block that is the same width as the largest gap to use for scribing. Using a scribe enables you to mark the work surface to match the lie of your wall and cut the worktop to the exact shape of the wall or surface that it is being put against. Using masking tape, mark out the entire length of the worktop then beginning at one end, use the scribing block against the wall, sliding it along the wall, and mark a line along the masking tape with a pencil. This line will act as a guideline when cutting the wood.

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